Twice-failed congressional candidate Pam Keith appears intent on making a name for herself as a firebrand personality in Florida, since she can't manage to do so in the political arena. In a state known for its lunacies, Keith manages to rise above those tales and serve as an embarrassment for residents.
It is forever revealing when those who lecture us the loudest on tolerance, acceptance, and decency are the first people to violate the same standards when events call for those very characteristics. Note when there is a shooting tragedy and these supposedly warm-hearted minds feel the need to be critical of anyone offering condolences and prayers of support -- as they next stampede into politicizing the tragedy for their own gain.
A similar reaction is assured when any figure from the supposed conservative side of the aisle passes away, which we saw in spades on Friday when billionaire philanthropist David Koch died at the age of 79. The Koch brothers have long been lightning rods for hatred from the left, their Libertarian stances perplexedly causing heads to become inflamed. This, despite the fact that over the years they supported numerous causes the left loves.
The disturbingly joyous response to someone passing was not relegated to anonymous trolls. The death of Koch was loudly celebrated by numerous political and celebrity fixtures. Bill Maher, and Bette Midler were just two of them, as well as a wide array of journalists' names who applauded his passing.
Remember Michelle Obama's proud boast about Democrats -- "when they go low, we go high"? Apparently not all of them ascribe to the former First Lady's philosophy.
Just try to grasp, many of these uncharitable people are the ones who want to drive the thoughts and emotions of our nation, dancing on the grave of another individual. And one of the most virulent of those voices belonged to Florida’s own political pariah, Pam Keith.
When the announcement broke Friday, Keith could not hold back from joining the dark chorus of voices. First, she provided a Bible verse in response to the news, giving the text of Matthew 19: 23-24, which addresses the likelihood of a rich person passing into heaven. While possibly deemed an inappropriate commentary on the death of an individual, the text itself was not all that offensive of a message. But then 10 minutes later, Keith went down the crude rabbit hole.
In a follow-up, the woman quoting Scripture took a decided non-religious, unforgiving tone in her comments. “Good riddance, Mr. Koch. You spent a lifetime making the world uglier & perverting our democratic process. The world feels a smidge lighter w/out you. In the end, you can’t take a red cent of your money w/you. You will face your maker standing on the impact you made. I pity you.”
Try to imagine how vile one’s heart would have to be to take on this stance with the passing of an individual. She positions herself as a religious sort, then resorts to the most dark-hearted response, sheerly based on political opposition. What's all the more remarkable is that Keith says these crudalities without any knowledge of the person she is condemning. I promise she would be surprised to learn just what and how much David Koch supported, based on her hateful scorn rooted in information that apparently was fed to her.
David Koch had donated billions of his personal wealth to a variety of causes and organizations. He gave millions to criminal justice reform, and far more to build hospitals and fund seriously important cancer research. What also must be a complete shock to Keith is what Koch supported that she likewise promotes. Koch was pro-choice, he supported gay rights and causes, and was pro-immigration. What a demon he was. Additionally, the Koch brothers were no supporters of Donald Trump. But even without those similarities in cause, there is still no reason to sink to the depraved depths of Keith’s comments.
Pam Keith has made outreach efforts towards the freshman women in Congress who have risen in stature since the mid-term elections. She has made numerous comments in support of Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, even garnering recognition from them, something the two-time Democratic primary loser thinks is helpful. Keith certainly seems to have adopted their propensity for inflammatory and hateful prolix.
When she received pushback from many about her negative comments toward Koch’s passing, Keith didn't mellow. Instead she doubled-down, offering further condemnation of the man. “It absolutely needed to be said. We give FAR too much weight & deference to the rich," she said. "And so, it is VERY important to point out that they are frail & human. And that their wealth does not warrant the power they wield. You are free to unfollow if offended.”
Pam Keith has already displayed an aversion to the facts, so it is with a certain futility I will offer up some more. While she was busying herself by casting a man into purgatory on the basis of his riches, the Obamas had just closed a deal on a $15 million Martha’s Vineyard mansion. For some reason, I feel that couple will not be receiving such a stinging rebuke over their wealth from Keith.
Brad Slager, a Fort Lauderdale freelance writer, wrote this story exclusively for Sunshine State News. He writes on politics and the industry and his stories appear in such publications as RedState and The Federalist.
