(Part of our ongoing “What the heck were you thinking, Rick Scott?” series)
I never thought I’d say this about a conservative Republicans, but Florida’s deeply unpopular Gov. Rick Scott has abandoned Reagan.
No, not the former president. The current Labrador retriever.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that back in 2010, Scott and his gubernatorial team made a very big, very public deal about getting a dog—a rescue dog, mind you—during the campaign. They even got the public involved when it came to suggesting a name. The name chosen? Reagan (natch).
Fast-forward two years: State reporters noticed they hadn’t seen the dog in a while. So they asked, what happened to Reagan?
Members of Scott’s then- and current-press team tried to evade the question. But finally the truth came out: Scott abandoned Reagan. Well, the family gave Scott back to All Pets Grooming and Boarding. But that’s as close as any Republican, ever, has come to abandoning Reagan.
Which makes sense when you think about it. Because while most Republicans like to be seen as close as possible to Reagan during the campaign, they’re not willing to clean up after him and the many deficits he can leave behind.
I put in two calls to Governor Scott’s office to confirm the Times’ story and to get details on Reagan’s current situation, but no one would return my calls.
The Times report suggests that Reagan is alive and well and in a good place—which is far better than most of the voters, Medicaid recipients and the disabled children that Scott continues to abandon in Florida.
John Flowers