The Florida Democratic Party is mad at the Republican Party of Florida.
Oh, wait, there’s more to that story?
They’re mad because the RPOF published a web video using footage of public school teachers who were interviewed saying really nice things about Gov. Rick Scott.
According to a press release from State Rep. Karen Castor Dentel, footage of the teachers was misused by the RPOF who turned the interviewed teachers into political pawns or props for the governor’s reelection campaign.
The thing is, nobody required these teachers to be interviewed or told them what to say, and a video with their comments became publicly available when it was distributed as a news release following the Teacher of the Year Summit in June.ย
The RPOF got footage from this release, just as any other party could have done.
“A state employee on state time took this video at a state event and it was sent out publicly to the press and to all our email lists,” said Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz. “After that anyone can do anything they want with it.”
My guess is that had the teachers said mean things about Gov. Scott’s policies, the Democrats would have been the ones cutting the footage into web videos for their perpetual campaign against him.ย Without calling each teacher to ask whether it was okay, and without concern for what impression it might give to voters.
Instead, here is what some of the award-winning teachers had to say:
“I think Gov. Scott is a visionary. He is a brilliant businessman … I think what he has done for the business world for Florida he can incorporate that into education and see, ‘wait a second we have to invest in our children by investing in our teachers,’ and that’s what I’m so looking forward to as a teacher.”
“It means a lot to educators as a whole because we know he listens to us.”
“For teachers on the front line the investment of the Governor in education is paramount and I think we are already seeing some of the changes that come with the dedication and his listening to us and all the changes he is trying to make in Florida.”
