Governor Rick Scott may have committed his wildest, and most amusing blunder yet. During a Tuesday news conference, he gave out a phone number intended to provide callers with information related to the recent deadly meningitis outbreak which has already claimed the lives of several Americans. It’s a great resource, and smart move on the governor’s part, giving out such a number. Governor Scott, however, seemed to forget the political fates have been lined against him, and he ended up goofing up one digit in the number.
The erroneous number turned out to be an oral sex hotline.
In the world of political blunders, this one is usually a humorous freebie. For Governor Scott, who has been under the microscope from day one, this has initiated a landslide of jokes which have lit up Facebook, Twitter, the blogosphere, and news websites across the globe. It also does no favors for the Republican Party, which is desperate to win Florida for Mitt Romney in this Presidential Election cycle. Fox and NBC even picked up on the story, with NBC’s Miami affiliate, WTVJ, having comments on its website ranging from the silly to the hysterical.
“I'm impressed he remembered the number! I thought he would have put it on speed dial and forgotten,” one comment said.
Another was a bit more forgiving. “If he transposed a digit or two, that's understandable.”
One comment provided some perspective on the matter. “All politicians or both parties today are wholly incompetent. And although there was likely some inconvenience to people in serious need of the real medical hotline, at least this display of incompetence is funny.”
For a governor whose administration has been riddled with scandals, missteps and blunders, a transposed number is, indeed, forgivable. For a national GOP which is using every weapon in its arsenal to win Florida's 29 electoral votes, this is yet the latest in a series of miscues and missteps. The error, first reported by a caller to Tampa’s WUSF-FM, led to some absolutely priceless responses from the media world. It will also likely end up a fodder for late-night comedians and humorists. Florida media writers have already pounced on the story.
“Wait,” Tampa Bay Times reporter Marissa Lang tweeted. “Dirty talk doesn’t cure meningitis?”
Chris Joseph, a blogger for the Broward-Palm Beach New Times, wasted no time attacking the slip, “This may be the most Rick Scott thing ever.” He then expounded further, “Instead of the actual number, Gov. Voldemort gave out the phone number for an adult line.”
Though Governor Scott admitted to the error and quickly corrected, the internet has been abuzz about this slip of the tongue. Many have suggested this may be Freudian in nature, while others have simply dismissed it as business as usual for Scott. The aforementioned Chris Joseph even managed to get in a a rare combination of mean-spirited insult and hysterical hypothesis in the same sentence.
“That might explain that permanent creepy smile he always has plastered on his face.”
