Fla. congressman Gus Bilirakis

made a rookie mistake with his summit, and his Democrat opponents have pounced on it, David Whitley writes.

Political candidates have done some boneheaded things in the heat of an election. A Florida congressman may have topped them all.

Gus Bilirakis violated the first rule of politics. Actually, it’s the first rule of life.

Never talk about a woman’s weight.

No, Bilirakis did not call a female opponent “Rubenesque.” But the Republican from Palm Harbor is holding what’s billed as a Women’s Summit on Saturday.

The Tampa Bay Times reports there will be a keynote address and then participants will head to breakout sessions to “learn about relevant topics that have a direct impact on their lives.”

Among them are weight loss and gardening.

What, no session on how to fetch coffee for your boss?

I’m kidding, since I think the whole thing is just political comedy long on partisanship and short on context. In other words, standard election year theater.

And right on cue, Bilirakis’ Democrat opponents have pounced like Takeru Kobayashi at a hotdog eating contest.

Chris Hunter called the summit “a shameless election year stunt.”

Robert Tager wrote on Facebook that the sessions were insulting, degrading and that it’s pathetic that Bilirakis “now wants to act like he recognizes women as humans.”

Before now, he apparently recognized them as lampshades.

Bilirakis indeed voted in 2009 against the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which allows more time for women to file pay discrimination suits. In 2013, he voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act in 2013, which funds programs for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Bilirakis spokeswoman Summer Robertson told the Times that Bilirakis supported the Violence Against Women Act but voted against it because the final version diverted money from domestic violence programs to sexual assault programs without adequate proof it would lead to more convictions.

Bilirakis also rattled off a list of other bills he’s supported that support programs for women and children.

So depending on your party affiliation, he’s either a reasonable defender of women’s issues or a caveman who wants to repeal the 19th Amendment, which happens to have passed Congress 99 years ago today on its way to ratification by the states later in 1919.

All I know is for a six-term congressman, he made an incredibly rookie mistake.

Politics comes with a Miranda Warning. Anything you say can and will be used against you, including seemingly helpful topics at a women’s conference.

Bilirakis said they were suggested by people who attended a women’s stakeholder meeting he hosted in 2014. That’s what led to “Women’s Health 101: Maintaining a Healthy Weight and Promoting Wellness.”

I’m no political scientist, but I

have heard that some women are concerned about their weight and wellness. Some have even been known to ask, “Does this (dress, blouse, bikini) make me look fat?”

As for the “Community Gardening” session, my wife and I spent Saturday pulling weeds and planting shrubs in the front yard. Maybe if she (or I) had taken a gardening class, it wouldn’t have taken us eight hours to do a fourhour job and the shrubs won’t be dead in a month.

It wouldn’t bother me if Bilirakis or Hunter or Tager had a Men’s Summit with breakout sessions on “How to Lift Heavy Objects,” “How to Emote” or “Hair Transplantation: A Beginners Guide.”

Then again, I’m not a political operative. Their job is to find something slightly askew in an opposing candidate and turn it into the Crime of the Century.

That’s how Mitt Romney became a murderer and Michael Dukakis was turned into Beetle Bailey, Commander in Chief.

I don’t blame Bilirakis’ opponents for going into attack mode. These days, anything that even hints at condescension toward women is grounds for dismissal, especially if you work at Google.

Bilirakis stuck a “Kick Me” sign on his own back. Now there’s a protest in the works for Saturday. Expect a lot of “GUS IS NOT FOR US!” signs outside the conference.

Inside, they should add one more topic for the breakout sessions: “How to Avoid Turning into a Political Caricature.”

Bilirakis should be the first to sign up.