U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, until recently best known for quoting Larry the Cable Guy, not voting for the stimulus plan, being against gun control and mis-identifying Puerto Ricans as “foreign citizens,” has further tainted her tarnished legacy. The four-term Brooksville Republican from Florida’s 5th Congressional District has just orchestrated the selection of her likely replacement.
By saying nothing about her plans to retire until the last minute to anyone but her hand-picked successor, Hernando County Sheriff Richard Nugent, she effectively pre-empted other viable candidates from entering the Congressional race. Two notable Republicans, Public Service Commission Chairwoman Nancy Argenziano and state Sen. Mike Fasano, say they would have considered running had they been accorded a head’s up. They are not pleased.
Neither should the Central Florida electorate be.
Keep in mind that the Congressional 5th is GOP-skewed, and Sheriff Nugent is likely its next U.S. representative. This is obviously what Brown-Waite wants.
While it’s well within her purview to endorse whomever she wants, it’s not Brown-Waite’s job to select. That’s for the voters. She, in effect, just held her own primary, screened out capable, would-be candidates and handpicked Nugent, who had qualified just before the deadline.
This is beyond heavy-handed orchestration. This is an arrogant affront to the democratic process itself.
Even at a time of nasty, polarizing politics — and attendant cynicism with politicians across the spectrum — this is a new low. Ginny Brown-Waite’s legacy now includes this sleazy, presumptuous lesson in stealth politics.