What's up with Gwen Margolis? You have to ask yourself, has the 81-year-old Democratic state senator from Miami-Dade -- first female president of the Florida Senate -- completely lost her political filter?
Or is she purposely taking a page from the Donald Trump Book of Campaign Success and Savvy?
By all accounts, Margolis had what folks are already calling "a Trumpian moment" Monday night at the Sunny Isles Democratic Club monthly meeting.
Margolis, the state's longest serving senator, has vowed to move to newly formed District 38 to run. Which is probably why Sunny Isles invited her to address their membership as the key speaker.
But here's what got up Margolis' skirt: The hosts didn't turn the entire meeting over to her, oh no; they asked other state Senate candidates among the field of five running to stand up, introduce themselves and say a few words.
Margolis didn't like it one bit.
The others, by the way, include high school teacher Don Festge, businessman Anis Blemur, state Rep. Daphne Campbell, former state Rep. Phillip Brutus and lawyer Jason Pizzo.
What happened after that might have stayed quietly under deep-blue wraps if it weren't for Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High School teacher Festge.
He cut it loose on his Facebook page Tuesday.
Wrote Festge, "Margolis told assembled residents, 'It's reprehensible that three Haitians, some teacher and some lawyer think that they have the right to run against me.' She then went on to refer to Anis Blemur, Phillip Brutus, and Daphne Campbell four more times as those Haitians.
"She then focused her anger back to me once again and looked at me and said, 'I've been in office for over 40 years, what does some teacher know about Tallahassee and how to run the Senate?'
"As she was ending her talk, she said, 'I have unlimited funds and I'm going to spend every penny and I'm NOT going to lose to those three Haitians or some teacher or lawyer.'
"The entire room was in shock," Festge wrote. "When she was finished, she sat down and I went to the podium and spoke. I thanked her for her years of service and then explained that I was more than 'Just a Teacher' but more importantly was PROUD to be a teacher and that over the past 25 years have been able to help, lead and love over 3000 students and their families."
So far, no one present has come forward to contest Festge's memory of Margolis' message or its intent. I'm figuring the evening went down pretty much as he wrote.
Margolis was unavailable Tuesday night, at least to me; Festge did not return my phone call.
Candidate Brutus told The Miami Herald Margolis' "Haitian" remarks were "racist and xenophobic and I don't think Margolis can denounce Donald Trump and keep a straight face. ..."
Leslie Wimes, president of the Democratic African-American Women's Caucus, posted this on her Facebook page: "... (Margolis) doesn't own that Senate seat nor is she owed that Senate seat, and had I been at that meeting and heard her, I would have checked her and then told her that perhaps she should go get worked up for Alzheimer's because she has lost her damn mind!
"If she isn't too old to run her mouth like a racist, she isn't too old to feel the wrath of Leslie Wimes."
Vintage Leslie.
CNN, meanwhile, has been harping on Trump's "Mexican judge" remark for five straight days. Day after day, dozens of guest analysts repeating each other. Will anybody in the Florida media pile on Margolis with half CNN's verve for virtually the same discriminatory bad-blab?
And what about Debbie Wasserman Schultz?
Will the Democratic National Committee chair denounce Margolis publicly and emphatically, with the disdain she blows at Trump at every opportunity on national television?
This is Wasserman Schultz's congressional district Margolis is competing in ... Wasserman Schulz's district she soiled Monday night ... Wasserman Schultz's district "three Haitians" dare to challenge in.
DWS finds plenty of words for Republican discrimination -- something I haven't and wouldn't criticize her for. But let's see if she can demand an apology in the same harsh terms from one of her own.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter:@NancyLBSmith
