We saw this a few days back but passed on doing a post because we thought maybe we’d misheard, or that Charlie Christ’s running mate, Karla Hernández-Mats, was being taken out of context when she talked about her experience as a “sped teacher.” As Twitchy reported, Crist proved in August that he’d learned absolutely nothing from the Virginia gubernatorial race by choosing Hernández-Mats, the head of the largest teachers union in the Southeast, as his running mate.
Here she is explaining to an obviously huge crowd that her experience teaching special needs students made her uniquely qualified to deal with Florida’s legislature.
Charlie Crist's running mate, Karla Hernandez Mats a.k.a. #KarlaMarx, explains that she is an "activist" educator.
She then says that her experience as a "sped teacher" working with "emotionally handicapped" students qualifies her to "deal with the dysfunctional Legislature." pic.twitter.com/M3e3asKBMa
— DeSantis War Room 🐳 (@DeSantisWarRoom) September 14, 2022
So you insult the legislature by comparing them to your special needs students? Isn’t that an insult to the students?
Sickened by callous words from someone who claims to be an advocate for children.
Karla, saying children w/ unique abilities are “dysfunctional” & equating them to political opponents is a new low.
I will make it my mission to let all parents know of the “hate in your heart.”
— Casey DeSantis (@CaseyDeSantis) September 14, 2022
Hernández-Mats fired back, but in every direction but the right one:
Wannabe Dictator DeSantis supports Trump who mocks the disabled, fines the Special Olympics & wants to bus Cubans to DE.
As an advocate for students, parents, & teachers, I’m exceptionally qualified to deal w/ GOP legislators, except Matt Gaetz, the sex predator you all embrace. pic.twitter.com/VRGU5hTklP
— Karla Hernández (@KarlaforFlorida) September 14, 2022
Good lord, who told old Charlie you’d be a good choice? As is he doesn’t have enough baggage to tote around.
— GenaBunchanumbers (@gena1122334) September 14, 2022
Hernández-Mats realized that tweet wasn’t going to save her from the backlash, so she explained what she really meant to local TV:
😶KARLA: "I'm trained in emotionally behaviorally disturbed education. It was an insult to the legislature because they're dysfunctional. That population of students is actually magical & magnificent, so it’s a disservice to them that I compared them to dysfunctional lawmakers." pic.twitter.com/cVxnkI34Cx
— DeSantis War Room 🐳 (@DeSantisWarRoom) September 23, 2022
Oh, so that’s why she compared teaching special ed to dealing with the legislature.
Her job was so magical and magnificent that she went to work for the American Federation of Teachers rather than keep doing important work in the classroom.
— Roxanne Chester (@ggm281) September 23, 2022
Always an excuse and never an apology. That’s how you know they don’t mean it
— Raddy McRaderton (@stsgraphics) September 23, 2022
This is a weird apology if they want to call it that
— Armor of God 🛡🐋 (@ManBearGator) September 23, 2022
In a new interview, Charlie Crist's running mate @KarlaforFlorida attempts to explain why she insulted her special needs students by comparing them to "dysfunctional lawmakers". Notably, she admits that her quip (repeated 3x in public) was insulting… but does not apologize. https://t.co/NJuUnUqOwk
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) September 23, 2022
Always the eyes
— . (@M_A_Cummings) September 23, 2022
— Israel75 (@IFNY2775) September 23, 2022
All I heard "I'm trained to be a mean person, see how well they trained me?"
— Jsh19 (@zeemapped) September 23, 2022
I've never heard of the field of "emotionally behaviorally disturbed education," but if she's an exemplar of it, pull it up root and branch. I would never let her near my special needs child. Or my state government.
— Recolonize History@Lone Star Protester (@ProtesterLone) September 23, 2022
The joy of being on the Dem ticket is never having to apologize for being an awful human being.
— Jardani Jovonovich (@JonJovonovich) September 23, 2022
This is possibly the most unlikable person to ever run for office. Other than Hillary of course.
— Guyholdingafishpodcast (@Guyholdingafish) September 23, 2022
Stick your foot in your mouth and trying to extract it is very difficult.
— Matt Jackson (@MattJac83129088) September 24, 2022
She’s one class act 🤦♂️
— Joe (@Joe39492839) September 23, 2022
She's an expert in emotionally disturbed behavior I'm sure. I'm less sure of the method she employed to reach this expertise.
— Saher Druse (@DruseSaher) September 23, 2022
Failing upward from teacher to teachers union head to lieutenant governor … well, except for that last part.
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Related:
Charlie Crist’s running mate ties ‘wannabe dictator’ Ron DeSantis to Donald Trump https://t.co/JDdDi9gGHs
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) September 14, 2022