Why Ron DeSantis is unacceptable on any level

[Nasty Jack]

Any level meaning specifically politics, but I sure wouldn't want DeSantis living in my neighborhood. I am, however, surrounded by Republicans here in Arizona but in my worst possible fantasy, even this state's rightest radicals cannot come close to the dictating governor in Florida. Ron DeSantis is a dictator of the first rate and here are some of the issues that confirm that title.

Afraid of the press and called a "fascist" by AlterNet, he recently blacklisted the media at a GOP event in Dallas. Of course he had plenty of friends there with his tyrannical twin, Texas governor, Greg Abbott, at the annual "Reagan Day Dinner," hosted by the Dallas County Republican Party. I knew Ronald Reagan and do not think for one minute the former president would condone an autocrat like DeSantis.

But listen to this...

Even Civil libertarians slam Ron DeSantis' 'brazen and blatantly unconstitutional' war on press freedom

Here's the scenario...

"We are not able to invite the media," Jennifer Stoddard-Hajdu, Dallas County Republican Party Chairwoman said. "That was the decision of Governor DeSantis' team."

But, this takes the cake: "DeSantis promises Florida will control Disney's content.

Right-wing board to clamp down on 'woke ideology' in cartoons." I moved to California just after Disneyland opened and remember the fun my family and I had at the park in Anaheim. Walt Disney was alive then and believe he would have considered it sacrilege what Ron DeSantis is doing.

This is what he actually did,,,

"DeSantis appointed a board to oversee Disney. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is stacked with DeSantis cronies, including Bridget Ziegler, a proponent of his education policies; Ron Peri, who heads the Christian ministry the Gathering USA; and Michael Sasso, president of the Federalist Society’s Orlando chapter."

This is the New York Intelligencer's Jonathan Chait's take...

"It is worth pausing a moment to grasp the full breadth of what is going on here. First, DeSantis established the principle that he can and will use the power of the state to punish private firms that exercise their First Amendment right to criticize his positions. Now he is promising to continue exerting state power to pressure the firm to produce content that comports with his own ideological agenda."

And the New York Times Editorial Board really took DeSantis to task with this headline: "Florida Is Trying to Take Away the American Right to Speak Freely." The Times exhibits three cases of free speech and then adds...

"All three are examples of Americans engaging in clamorous but perfectly legal speech about public figures that is broadly protected by the Constitution. The Supreme Court, in a case that dates back nearly 60 years, ruled that even if that speech might be damaging or include errors, it should generally be protected against claims of libel and slander. All three would lose that protection — and be subject to ruinous defamation lawsuits — under a bill that is moving through the Florida House and is based on longstanding goals of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Bobby Block, executive director of Florida’s First Amendment Foundation, says...

“This isn’t just a press issue. This is a death-to-public-discourse bill. Everyone, even conservatives, would have to second-guess themselves whenever they open their mouths to speak or sit in front of a keyboard.”

'We Were Right, They Were Wrong": DeSantis Touts Florida Policies In 'State Of The State' Address...

But get this, DeSantis is going to run for President with this slogan, "We were right, they were wrong," referring to state policies on "freedom" and his handling of the Covid pandemic crisis. To this, AlterNet commented...

"But under DeSantis' leadership, the Sunshine State's results were far worse than nearly every other state in the nation."

The facts are, Florida was third highest in the U.S. for Covid cases and deaths. This clearly proves that Ron DeSantis is a fraud posing as a legitimate politician. To close, DeSantis's opposition to the "Woke" movement may backfire. A new poll in MSNBC...

"shows that 56% of Americans consider 'woke' a positive term, meaning 'to be informed, educated on, and aware of social injustices.' Even more than a third of Republicans agree."

Ron DeSantis is probably just a flash in the pan, but the sooner the American public realizes this, the better.

[Faux pas]

1. Kickin'

for later!

[cilla4progress]

2. Putin

Wannabe

[rubbersole]

4. Willingly, without a pee-pee tape.

He is a 'flash in the pan'. A dangerous one that can't be normalized.

[jaxexpat]

3. All that just to explain why the MAGAT's love him?

[calimary]

5. Disney folks: pull up stakes and LEAVE FLORIDA!

There’s already a brain drain - I’d guess because the brainy people recognize what a dead-end state Florida has become.

The most desirable employees should move to another state if at all possible. There should be a business drain, and a tourism drain. I wouldn’t care if they were giving away 10-carat genuine diamonds. I’d stay away, too.

[ShazzieB]

11. This is what I wish they would do.

If DeSatan trying to control Disney's content isn't enough to convince them I don't know what will. All my adult life, I've been hearing about how powerful Disney is, nobody messes with The Mouse, and all that. If that is really true, it's past time for Disney to show DeSatan that he can't force this ginormous and hugely wealthy company to do his bidding.

Disney needs to leave Florida completely and leave nothing behind them. Dismantle, demolish, tear down, and remove every sign of their existence from that place, so DeSatan can't put it to some dastardly use of his own. Rebuild and reopen "the Happiest Pkace on Earth" in a different state.

Let's see how DeSatan likes losing all the huge piles of tax money and tourist dollars Disney has been bringing in for the past 50 years.

[moonscape]

14. How would they do that and where? It's the

largest park in the world, 27k acres, with incredible supporting local infrastructure, etc. Cannot imagine how long and $$$ to recreate: decades and prohibitive? Easier and more feasible to outlast DeSantis which they will.

[ShazzieB]

16. Outlasting DeSantis is an option, I guess.

I'm not sure how that's supposed to happen though. Is Florida really likely to vote him out any time soon? I'm asking because I honestly have no idea. The situation in Florida just gets crazier and crazier, and the only organized resistance I've heard about so far is the students at New College.

I live a long way from Florida, so I am admittedly not in a position to closely follow what's going on down there. But all the stories I see at DU are about the latest awful thing DeSatan's done, not about people resisting. Where are the protests, marches in the streets, etc.? If there's anything like that going on, I would love to hear about it. Seems to me that's what needs to happen.

I know he wants to be potus, but I don't think he has wide enough appeal for that to happen (thank God). He has no personality to speak of, and nothing else to offer beyond pure snake in the grass meanness. Can that alone get him the GOP nomination? I have no idea, but I don't think it can get him all the way to the White House.

[moonscape]

18. I've never been a Foridian, and

like you, live far away (CA), but as we’ve watched him get crazier and crazier, I do think his time will be up before he expects.

Yesterday, Jolly I think it was, made the point that he’s not catering to the 66% of Republicans who don’t agree with some of his draconian policies (in response to Nicole Wallace’s question, re this), but to the fringe base, without which he can’t get the Republican nomination. Most FL Republicans don’t want permitless open carry.

Being reelected in 2022 by such a large margin went to his head. I think more and more people will be noticing the increasing crazy and I do think he’s pushing way too hard, too far.

Totally agree that he won’t have national appeal once he enters the stage for real.

[ShazzieB]

19. Thanks for this.

This gives me a little bit of hope!

I've just gotten spooked, I guess, by the way he has pushed the envelope farther and farther, with what appears, at least, to be so little real resistance. I really hope there's a lot more resistance than what I can see from where I sit (northern Illinois), because what's happening down there is pretty scary.

[calimary]

23. But outlasting DeSantis isn't a very good option.

He's young enough to be around, doing damage, for a few decades. And I, too, wish there were some really visible and strong resistance happening in Florida. Are they just giving up without even trying? Or hoping he'll go away, or change? WHERE'S THE OPPOSITION???

He needs to be rendered damaged goods. SERIOUSLY and irretrievably damaged goods. And as soon as possible. He's got too much ambition and a shitload of fawning followers who want to hitch their wagon to a star because of how they think it'll make THEM look, plus a ridiculously anemic press. He won't fade away quietly, unfortunately.

[ShazzieB]

25. Agreed, on all counts.

[vapor2]

17. Disney should leave FL at any and all costs!

[world wide wally]

6. WTF has happenned to Florida?

I lived there in the 80's and it was a fun place to be. Lots of good music, sunny beaches, good restaurants and friendly older people. Now it is a cesspool of hate.

[flashman13]

8. I grew up in Florida during the 50s and 60s. It was a solid Democratic and union state.

I do remember singing the songs of the Confederacy in school. I guess the latent seeds of Republicanism were there but were not really visible.

Dade County, which is where I lived, had a school system that was rated as one of the very best in the nation. I consider myself to have been lucky to get a class A K thru 12 education. That has all long since gone away. Get 'em stupid and keep them that way.

Back in the day I dated my ex sister in law (we were both single at the time) and I would have described us as political soul mates. I spoke to her last fall (certainly for the last time) and found that she had become a flaming MAGAt. WTF!

I can not explain what has happened to Florida. I wish I could.

[peppertree]

10. A lot of it had to do with right-wing Cuban exiles

They imported that Latin American brand of fascism - which is an absolutely authoritarian, racist, elitist, no-holds barred (and, of course, corrupt as all get-out) kind of politics.

And eventually, they made an unholy alliance with white bigots - who, ironically, detest Cubans (but politics makes for strange bedfellows as you know).

As I recall (and correct me if I'm wrong), it was Jeb Bush who did more than anyone to bring those two together - knowing they could be his ticket to Tallahassee, and (he believed) the White House.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

[flashman13]

7. Once upon a time I though DeSanctimonious was just another corrupt Repug politician.

Now I see him as a small man with massive delusions of grandeur. He has all the makings of a tin horn Mussolini.

I'm awaiting to see the Mouse kick his butt around the block. It will not be pretty to see the attorneys deployed by the Mouse while they shred the state's attorneys when they try to defend DeSanctimonious' actions. It won't be pretty, but it will be satisfying.

[diva77]

9. Keep an eye on Kemp -- governor of Georgia -- similar tactics there

[kimbutgar]

12. Defascist must be taken down and destroyed.

He is an Hitler incarnate! Luckily he is unattractive and has no charisma whatsoever.

[Ligyron]

13. Disney ain't going anywhere and will be here long after deSatan is gone.

We're just having a moment here in Florida 'cause something fishy is going on with our elections.

There's a lot of GrOPers that have gone as nuts as any in the nation but they are outnumbered.

[republianmushroom]

15. agree

[LetMyPeopleVote]

20. For this thread

Link to tweet

[Not Heidi]

21. "Ron DeSantis is probably just a flash in the pan"

Your lips to Bob's ears.

[calimary]

24. I wouldn't bet the house on that.

[ancianita]

22. Don't want the 22% reading this, but here's a DeSatan scenario from Thom Hartmann.

The Nightmare Scenario SCOTUS is Plotting For the 2024 Election Takeover

...Here’s how one aspect of it could work out, if they go along with the GOP’s arguments that will be before the Court this October:

It’s November, 2024, and the presidential race between Biden and DeSantis has been tabulated by the states and called by the networks. Biden won 84,355,740 votes to DeSantis’ 77,366,412, clearly carrying the popular vote.

But the popular vote isn’t enough: George W. Bush lost to Al Gore by a half-million votes and Donald Trump lost to Hillary Clinton by 3 million votes but both ended up in the White House. What matters is the Electoral College vote, and that looks good for Biden, too.

As CNN is reporting, the outcome is a virtual clone of the 2020 election: Biden carries the same states he did that year and DeSantis gets all the Trump states. It’s 306 to 232 in the Electoral College, a 74-vote Electoral College lead for Biden, at least as calculated by CNN and the rest of the media. Biden is heading to the White House for another 4 years.

Until the announcement comes out of Georgia. Although Biden won the popular vote in Georgia, their legislature decided it can overrule the popular vote and just awarded the state’s 16 electoral votes to DeSantis instead of Biden.

An hour later we hear from five other states with Republican-controlled legislatures where Biden won the majority of the vote, just like he had in 2020: North Carolina (15 electoral votes), Wisconsin (10), Michigan (16), Pennsylvania (20) and Arizona (11).

Each has followed Georgia’s lead and their legislatures have awarded their Electoral College votes — even though Biden won the popular vote in each state — to DeSantis.

Thus, a total of 88 Electoral College votes from those six states move from Biden to DeSantis, who’s declared the winner and will be sworn in on January 20, 2025.

Wolf Blitzer announces that DeSantis has won the election, and millions of people pour into the streets to protest. They’re met with a hail of bullets as Republican-affiliated militias have been rehearsing for this exact moment.

Just as happened when Pinochet’s militias shot into crowds as he took over Chile, Mussolini’s volunteer militia the Blackshirts killed civilians as he took over Italy, and Hitler’s volunteer Brownshirts did the same in Germany, their allies among the police refuse to intervene.

After a few thousand people lay dead in the streets of two dozen cities, the police begin to round up the surviving “instigators,” who are charged with seditious conspiracy for resisting the Republican legislatures of their states.

After he’s sworn in on January 20th, President DeSantis points to the ongoing demonstrations, declares a permanent state of emergency, and suspends future elections, just as Trump had repeatedly told the world he planned for 2020.

We need to keep watch on the cases Hartmann says will SCOTUS could rule on that would enable this. They're outlined in this piece from a few days ago.

https://hartmannreport.com/p/the-nightmare-scenario-scotus-is