An electric fan? Really? That’s what everybody wants to talk about today?
It’s not like it was the first time former Gov. Charlie Crist uses 
what apparently is his travel fan. After Gov. Rick Scott and his campaign complained Wednesday about a portable fan that his predecessor uses regularly and a lot — leading Ladra to think maybe Crist is caliente, after all — a user on Buzz Feed posted 24 photos and one video on the website of Crist and his favorite fan at different campaign events and interviews throughout the state.
That lucky fan — which at least once was held by someone off-camera — has appeared on several news shows, including a West Palm Beach TV station in 2010, CNN and Comedy Central, no less! If it’s good enough for Stephen Colbert, it should be good enough for Broward College, no?
And it strikes Ladra as a bit odd that the fact that someone travels with a fan is news. At least in South Florida, where at any given intersection you can find at least one vehicle with a fan taped or screwed or glued onto the dashboard.
Since when is the use of a fan in Florida controversial? Ah! Since it became a political tool.
This is a close race and the fan is good fodder for political mockery, which is all that this contest seems to be about. Either that or Gov. Scott is afraid 
of a little wind. But Ladra is betting on the former. Why else would they have been standing ready with a #CristHitsTheFan hashtag and several bumper-stickers-in-the-making on the “Fangate,” as it has been jokingly called by some journalists?
It is already the freshest campaign material in this overly negative race. For both camps.
Just as the debate began, the Crist campaign sent a fundraising email using the incident.
“I wasn’t planning on emailing you tonight. But something crazy just happened… Moments before the debate was scheduled to begin, Rick Scott decided he wasn’t going to participate, ” wrote Omar Khan, Crist’s campaign manager. “Why? Because there was a fan at Charlie’s podium. A fan.”
“For seven incredible minutes just now, Charlie stood all alone at the podium while Rick Scott threw a temper tantrum backstage, denying the people of Florida the chance to hear from their gubernatorial candidates because of — literally — a breeze… If you’re as amazed as I am by what you just saw, chip in a few bucks right now to make sure this guy doesn’t get to stay our Governor.”
Scott finally joined the debate — GOP defenders say he was simply waiting to see if the debate organizers held Crist to the no-fan rule — and his campaign joined the fanwagon (sorry, couldn’t help it) immediately also with a statement released before the debate was over.
“Charlie Crist can bring his fan, microwave, and toaster to debates – none of that will cover up how sad his record as governor was compared to the 
success of Rick Scott,” said Scott campaign manager Melissa Sellers. “Crist should buy a fan for the 832,000 Floridians who lost their jobs while he was governor.”
The Miami-Dade Republican Party said the fan violated the rules that debate organizers — the Florida Press Association and Leadership — had set and distributed a statement from them.
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