The fratboy thug mentality runs deep on the political right, from the acned James O'Keefe to the buffoonish, belligerent Andrew Breitbart (may he rot in hell). Boca Raton conservative activist Jack Furnari is cut from the same crude cloth.
Just yesterday, for instance, Furnari made an ass of himself with a web post aimed at Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon. In a jibe straight out of Beevis and Butthead, Furnari suggested that in a photo taken at the AFL-CIO Labor Day Picnic in Okeeheelee Park on Sunday, it appeared as though Gannon was masturbating.
The post went up on Furnari's website Bizpac Review, which claims it "brings the finest of Florida's Conservative media together in one place." Furnari co-founded the site two years ago with financial consultant John R. Smith, chairman of the Business Political Action Committee of Palm Beach County a/k/a the usual collection of monied interests.
Furnari may try to brush off criticism of his post by claiming it was all in good fun, and tell the critics to "lighten up" or something of the sort. Screw that. Especially when Furnari wrote that the photo "will only bolster" his claim that Gannon "is well known on both sides of the aisle for being a few fries short of a Happy Meal." (Furnari had the temerity to refer to Gannon as "loopy." We think he, in turn, merits the tag "sleazy.")
Furnari may also try to weasel away by citing this passage from his post:
I have no idea what she's doing, but whatever she's up to, it's not "stage-worthy." Give us a hand here, readers. Tell us what you think Gannon is doing.
Right. He was only commenting on Gannon's media skills. Though to "give a hand" to his readers, he helpfully posted video of the Divinyls "I Touch Myself." Hint hint. Snicker snicker.
Furnari's no stranger to the gutter. In a 2010 contest for leadership of the county GOP, he utilized a mailer with a background of dead bodies from the 1978 Jonestown mass cult suicide, warning party members of a political opponent's "Kool-Aid."
When they started BizPac Review, Furnari and Smith told Palm Beach Post politics reporter George Bennett they were severing formal ties with the county GOP in order to preserve the website's editorial independence.
Maybe. But Furnari's lewd juvenilia is just another example of the kind of thing the GOP is well rid of (talking to you, Rush Limbaugh). Women's vote? Like they say back in Queens, where Furnari hails from: Fuhgeddaboutit.
Fire Ant -- an invasive species, tinged bright red, with an annoying, sometimes-fatal sting -- covers Palm Beach County. Got feedback or a tip? Contact [email protected].
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