opinion

Northwest Florida, has Gaetz embarrassed you yet?

So a congressman and a white supremacist walk into the State of the Union…

Sounds like joke, right? Nope. It actually happened, thanks to Northwest Florida’s finest, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz.

We get what we vote for. But did anyone think they were getting a guy who goes on dude-dates with fascists to the State of the Union?

Did anyone know they were getting a congressman who would hang out with wackadoo radio hosts like Alex Jones who deny school shootings, moon landings and the Sept. 11 attacks?

Northwest Florida, has Matt Gaetz embarrassed you yet?

More: Rep. Matt Gaetz under fire for inviting alt-right white nationalist to State of the Union

If not, then just give it a couple days. Gaetz’s latest bungle to make national news happened last week at President Trump’s State of the Union address, where our congressman’s guest of honor was Chuck Johnson, a 29-year-old, alt-right internet nerd who made a name for himself online by using the n-word, denying the Holocaust and analyzing the “physical and mental differences between races and ethnicities,” according to POLITICO Florida’s Marc Caputo.

Hey Publix, stock up on paper bags. The good people of Pensacola are going need to cover our heads with them.

So why would Matt Gaetz invite some weirdo internet troll to something like the State of the Union when nobody in their right mind would even invite the guy to a high school prom?

Gaetz’s explanation was that his dad, Don Gaetz, got sick and couldn’t attend. So when the troll stopped by his office for a visit, Matt just offered him the ticket.

Hey, who hasn’t accidentally ended up on a random same-sex dude date with a white supremacist before? It’s 2018. Be open-minded.

More: Matt Gaetz wants to give veterans access to medical marijuana for PTSD

But still, this sort of thing is a bit embarrassing for all the nice, relatively normal folks in the Florida Panhandle who prefer not to be seen in public with chubby, bearded boys who believe in the inferiority of things like, oh you know, black people and Jews.

But maybe Matt’s life in D.C. is just more complex than the comparably slow and simple pace of things down here in good ol’ Lower Alabama. Alt-right internet bloggers? We prefer our bigots to be low-tech and illiterate, thank you very much!

Besides, this isn’t Matt’s first visit to the ideological looney bin. Just last week, Gaetz was bragging about his interview with InfoWars host Alex Jones. For those who don’t know, Jones is a nutbag radio host whose moral highlight reel includes telling grieving parents of Sandy Hook Elementary that the slaughter of their children is a government hoax. Yeah, classy guy.

Now, many congressmen might not be caught dead giving a con man like Jones the time of day. But not Northwest Florida’s congressman!

Ain’t no shame in Matt’s game. He’ll do anything for attention, camera time and self-promotion. That’s what we elect congressmen to do, right?

Gaetz’s twitter feed is chock-full-o’ links to Faux News videos of himself. And who could have missed the primetime fanboy moment when Gaetz snapped an awkwardly-angled selfie with President Trump as he made his triumphant, post-speech exit last week. Like the Kardashian of conservatism, our congressman is forever immortalized as the “what’s-his-name” who forced a fleeting, desperate selfie with the president.

Other attempts at self-promotion haven’t gone so well. A recent interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo revealed that Gaetz, a self-proclaimed conservative Christian, may need to spend a little less time thumping the Bible and a little more studying it.

Gaetz was called out by Cuomo for using the “Immaculate Conception” in a quip about the Russia investigation. Asked to explain what the Immaculate Conception was, Gaetz, flashing a self-certain grin, answered incorrectly, “It’s how Jesus was born… It was the conception.”

Cuomo corrected our congressman, of course. “It was Mary’s conception,” he said. “It was the mother’s conception without original sin. It was not the conception of Jesus. Facts matter, congressman. If you’re going to make an analogy, at least know what you are talking about…”

And with that, the nationally televised moment of Gaetz getting Sunday-schooled by Cuomo went viral.

White nationalists. Conspiracy theorists. A weak humanities education. It’s all part of the regular dose of televised embarrassment that’s been foisted upon the people of Northwest Florida by our ambitious young congressman.

Welcome to Florida’s first congressional district, where it’s not the heat, it’s the humiliation.

And it’s a shame. Because for all his spotlight-seeking arrogance, Gaetz is capable of getting a few things right. He’s generally open and accessible to our reporters — even if he later lies about the accuracy of their work in public meetings. He’s a much-needed voice for enlightened and logical marijuana policy on the Republican side. And he’s capable of not being the smarmy, smiley trash-talker that he plays on television.

Maybe Matt Gaetz needs to start smoking medical marijuana just to chill out.

We certainly need him to do something. Because if this keeps up, the slimy residue of shame will become a lasting stain on Northwest Florida and all the supporters and donors who have associated with him.

The white supremacists. The Sandy Hook deniers. The outright lies and nationally broadcast embarrassments. That stuff is toxic. And at some point, names are going to be named of the people who support or enable such ridiculous behavior.

At some point, it’s going to look really bad if you’re a hometown fundraiser or business owner who knowingly associates with a perpetually embarrassing congressman. If this stuff keeps up, the membership rolls of the Gaetz fan club are about to get really small.

So how 'bout it, Northwest Florida? Are you embarrassed yet?