Frying pan, meet fire

Leave to Cheeto to go from bad to worse.

From Axios -

Trump considers DeSantis to replace Hegseth as Defense Secretary pick

President-elect Trump is considering replacing Pete Hegseth — his current nominee to lead the Defense Department — with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, multiple outlets reported.

Why it matters: Hegseth's path to confirmation appears in jeopardy. Some Senate Republicans have expressed reservations about the Fox News host after a sexual assault allegation against him resurfaced last month.

• If four Republicans withhold their support, Hegseth's nomination would founder — a prospect that could preempt his withdrawal.

Driving the news: Trump and DeSantis have personally discussed the possibility of DeSantis replacing Hegseth as the Defense Secretary nominee, The Bulwark's Marc Caputo, who is joining Axios in 2025, reported.

It's probably not going to happen, though.  DeSantis seems to fail to meet Cheeto's idea of the primary qualification for *any* position in his administration/coteries of followers. 

From later in the same story -

• Trump has repeatedly attacked DeSantis for being insufficiently loyal. He also gave him the disparaging nickname "Ron DeSanctimonious."

Of course, it *could* happen.  It's not as if I'm on Cheeto's "loyal" list.

Constantly referring to him as "Cheeto" may have contributed to that. :)

Ron DeSantis does to one state what Cheeto wants to do to the entire country

As this is something of a family friendly blog (quit guffawing now :) ), I won't say precisely what DeSantis did to Florida (and what Cheeto wants to do to the US, but it rhymes with "truck over".

From The New Republic -

Ron DeSantis Insists Voter Intimidation Tactics Are No Big Deal

The governor defended turning Florida into a police state over the abortion rights ballot initiative.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis doubled down Monday on his decision to dispatch state police to investigate thousands of verified signatures that helped to put a state constitutional amendment protecting the right to abortion on the ballot in November.

Following a roundtable discussion with condominium owners in Miami Lakes, Florida, DeSantis was asked to respond to reports that state residents felt “intimidated” after police officers were instructed to show up at their homes to verify signatures collected supporting an amendment that would overturn Florida’s current six-week abortion ban.

DeSantis goes full homicidal maniac in his quest for the White House

From NBCNews -

DeSantis administration advises against Covid shots for Florida residents under 65

In a deviation from federal recommendations, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration is advising residents under the age of 65 not to get the new Covid boosters from Pfizer and Moderna.

"What I have directed our department to do is to provide guidance that really recommends and advises against the use of these mRNA Covid-19 vaccines for anyone under 65," Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said at an online panel hosted by DeSantis on Wednesday.

[snip]

"With virtually every walking human being having some degree of immunity and the questions we have about safety and about effectiveness — especially about safety — my judgment is that it’s not a good decision for young people and for people who are not at high risk at this point in the pandemic," [FL Surgeon General} Ladapo said.

1. Wear a damn mask.

2. Get vaccinated. 

Ron DeSantis just lost the general election

He may or may not be the R nominee for POTUS (OK, he probably won't be), but if he is, he'll be toast in the general.

From NBC -

Ron DeSantis booed at vigil for Jacksonville shooting victims

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was heckled and booed as he was introduced to speak at a vigil Sunday for the victims of the Jacksonville shooting at a Dollar General store where a white gunman shot and killed three Black people.

DeSantis, who is running for the GOP presidential nomination, said the state was looking to identify funds to help boost security at the historically Black college, Edward Waters University, where the gunman showed up before the attack but left without incident.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis goes for the soulless vote in his quest to become POTUS

From WESH (Orlando), emphasis added by me -

Suspended state attorney's chief of staff fired during maternity leave

There's been more fallout and controversy after Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended the state attorney for Orange and Osceola counties.

We heard from Monique Worrell's chief of staff, Keisha Mulfort, who says she was fired while on maternity leave.

[snip]

"It is unacceptable. I am on FMLA and y'all are coming here like I'm a criminal. Regardless of what has happened at that office, regardless of what you have with Monique Worrell, I am on FMLA and y'all should have made arrangements," Mulfort said. "That would have been the respectful thing to do."

Yes, they not only fired someone on a maternity leave, they used armed police officers to do so

Welcome to Ronnie's world; just as petty, vindictive, and bigoted as Cheeto but with fewer marriages.

Note: In Florida, county-level state's attorneys are independently elected, so when deposing the state's attorney for those counties, he overturned an election.

Is "conservative populism" all about "violent rhetoric"?

If so, it would explain a LOT.

Engaging in violent rhetoric is the go to method in certain circles. See: the reaction of gun nuts enthusiasts to efforts to curtail gun violence.

There's been some pushback, but I'm not sure it's enough.

From AP, emphasis added by me -

Prosecutors ask judge to issue protective order after Trump post appearing to promise revenge

The Justice Department has asked a federal judge overseeing the criminal case against former President Donald Trump in Washington to step in after he released a post online that appeared to promise revenge on anyone who goes after him.

Prosecutors on Friday requested that U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan issue a protective order concerning evidence in the case, a day after Trump pleaded not guilty to charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss and block the peaceful transition of power. The order, different from a “gag order,” would limit what information Trump and his legal team could share publicly about the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.

It's not just Cheeto.

From Government Executive, dated 8/3/2023, emphasis added by me -

DeSantis vows to 'start slitting throats' of federal workers on Day One of presidency

It has become a common trope for politicians: provide red meat to constituents by promising to reduce the size of the federal workforce. A top presidential candidate this week echoed that proposal, but used some novel language to describe his potential actions. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., who is in a distant second place in most polling of the 2024 Republican presidential field, told supporters in New Hampshire he would slit the throats of federal bureaucrats on his first day in office. The governor has frequently used fiery rhetoric and has not shied away from high profile fights, but the comments were met with swift pushback. 

“We’re going to have all these deep state people,” DeSantis said at a barbecue in Rye, N.H., when speaking about the federal bureaucracy, according to reporting from New Hampshire Public Radio. “We’re going to start slitting throats on day one.” 

There's been some pushback, but most of that in civil society-based (and Cheeto and his supporters *hate* civil society), or are money-based (and while Republicans in general *love* money, Republican candidates love votes from their base more).

From Politico -

DeSantis’ conservative populism has left some donors chafing

When Ron DeSantis unveiled his economic platform last week, he presented himself as a conservative populist; a skeptic of corporations inside a party often allied with them.

But DeSantis’ rhetoric hasn’t always matched his record. As governor, he has done his share to support corporations. And as a presidential candidate, he has relied on contributions from titans of the business world.

Ron DeSantis has an interesting definition of "Good Samaritan"

Pointed at this by Taegan Goddard's Political Wire.

From WFLA (FL) (emphasis added by me) -

DeSantis supports Marine accused of manslaughter in NYC chokehold death  

Gov. Ron DeSantis voiced his support for Daniel Penny, the Marine charged in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely, in a tweet Friday.

“We must defeat the Soros-Funded DAs, stop the Left’s pro-criminal agenda, and take back the streets for law abiding citizens,” DeSantis wrote in a tweet with a fundraiser for Penny’s legal funds. “We stand with Good Samaritans like Daniel Penny. Let’s show this Marine… America’s got his back.”Gov. Ron DeSantis voiced his support for Daniel Penny, the Marine charged in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely, in a tweet Friday.

“We must defeat the Soros-Funded DAs, stop the Left’s pro-criminal agenda, and take back the streets for law abiding citizens,” DeSantis wrote in a tweet with a fundraiser for Penny’s legal funds. “We stand with Good Samaritans like Daniel Penny. Let’s show this Marine… America’s got his back.”

Penny caused national outrage after he put Neely, a Michael Jackson impersonator who had been dealing with mental health issues and homelessness, in a chokehold for about 15 minutes on a New York City subway, according to a witness that spoke to NBC New York.

Umm...DeSantis can say what he wants, but a "Good Samaritan" doesn't kill someone.

Actually, this one sounds like murder (guess that I shouldn't be seated on a jury hearing this matter, but since I'm not a resident of NYC, that probably isn't going to happen anyway :) )

So who will be Cheeto's running mate in 2024?

Time for some idle speculation.

Current frontrunners:

Kari Lake.   The failed 2022 candidate has traveled the country, serve as Cheeto's surrogate.

    Pluses: Is female and is from a state that Cheeto needs to win in a general election.  Plus she regularly pushes Cheeto's "big lie" and whines almost as he does.

    Negatives: Isn't blonde.  Lost her election.  Won't help in the primary, because Cheeto will win the AZ primary which I expect him to win no matter what.

Greg Abbott.  The current governor of Texas.

    Pluses: Hates people of color and immigrants almost as much as Cheeto.  Wins elections.

    Negatives: Cheeto will win the general election in Texas no matter who's on the ticket with him.

    

Others in the mix :

Kristi Noem, the current governor of South Dakota.  She's as nuts as Cheeto.

Marjorie Taylor Greene.  Currently in Congress.  Makes Noem look sane.

Ron DeSantis, currently Florida's Governor and a presumed presidential candidate in 2024.  He and Cheeto aren't fans of each other, so if this happens, it will be a cynical move by both.

Tommy Tuberville.  Currently in the US Senate.  Cheeto likes to think that he's smarter than others.  In Tuberville's case, that belief might actually be true.

Gym Jordan.  Currently in Congress.  His penchant for looking the other way when facing sexual predators may endear him to Cheeto.

Kyrsten Sinema.  Currently in the US Senate.  A former Democrat who may be as self-centered as Cheeto.

Not gonna happen, either because Cheeto won't have them, or there's no way in hell that they'd take the gig:

Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, and any R who voted to impeach him. Mike Pence.

There will be others in the mix as this early speculation.

Welcome to FL, where they attack bloggers before Ron DeSantis' presidential run

Pointed at this by Taegan Goddard's Political Wire.

Maybe coming to the next session of the AZ Legislature or even to a striker this session; either way, expect the proposal to  be sponsored by State Sen. John Kavanagh or someone else who has been equally criticized by bloggers.

From WFLA -

Florida bill would require bloggers who write about governor to register with the state

Florida Sen. Jason Brodeur (R-Lake Mary) wants bloggers who write about Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, and other members of the Florida executive cabinet or legislature to register with the state or face fines.

Brodeur’s proposal, Senate Bill 1316: Information Dissemination, would require any blogger writing about government officials to register with the Florida Office of Legislative Services or the Commission on Ethics.

As a blogger, in the past I've written about DeSantis (more than once, actually). 

Selfish thought: Would a Florida law apply to me?

Less selfish thought: While the bill in question specifically states that it doesn't apply to a newspaper or other "similar" outlets, how long before they go after other journalists and publications? 

Short Attention Span Musing

 - First up: A mea culpa.  A few days ago, I wrote that the election-denying counties in AZ wouldn't follow through on their threat to not certify the election results.

I was wrong.

From AP -

GOP-controlled Arizona county refuses to certify election

Republican officials in a rural Arizona county refused Monday to 

certify the 2022 election despite no evidence of anything wrong 

with the count, a decision that was quickly challenged in court by the 

state’s top election official.

The refusal to certify by Cochise County in southeastern Arizona 

comes amid pressure from prominent Republicans to reject results 

showing Democrats winning top races.

Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who narrowly won the 

race for governor, asked a judge to order county officials to canvass 

the election, which she said is an obligation under Arizona law. 

Lawyers representing a Cochise County voter and a group of retirees 

filed a similar lawsuit Monday, the deadline for counties to 

approve the official tally of votes, known as the canvass.

Turns out that for certain people, ideology trumps public service.

- Dear Florida educators,

Move to AZ.  We have our problems (not least of which is that we don't pay public school teachers and administrators anywhere near enough) but we have one advantage over FL: we don't have Ron DeSantis.  

From Politico -

DeSantis-backed school boards begin ousting Florida educators

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis put his weight behind dozens of conservative school board candidates across Florida during the midterms. Now they’re in office — and are purging some educational leaders who enforced Covid-19 mandates.

New board members in two GOP-leaning counties essentially sacked their school superintendents over the span of one week. The ousters were spurred by how the superintendents carried out local policies like efforts to support the rights of parents, an issue inflamed by schools imposing student mask mandates last fall in defiance of DeSantis.

- Apparently, politics is a family enterprise.

From The Hill -

Capito’s son announces run for West Virginia governor

Moore Capito, the son of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), announced his candidacy Tuesday to become governor of West Virginia, running as a Republican to lead the same state his mother represents in the Senate.  

“Join me as I seek my party’s nomination for Governor of West Virginia in ‘24. Together, we can build a West Virginia that makes our young people proud to call home and champions freedom to conduct business how you want,” Moore Capito said on Twitter.

Anyone want to speculate on how long before primogeniture becomes a Republican political plank?

- Cheeto has proven, yet again, that he doesn't care about elections...especially ones that don't go his preferred way.

From Rolling Stone, via Yahoo! -

Trump, Done with Democracy, Calls on Kari Lake to Be

 

‘Installed’ as Arizona’s Governor

Donald Trump on Monday declared the Arizona midterm election “yet another criminal voting operation” and demanded that defeated gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake be “installed Governor of Arizona.”

Much of Lake’s Trump-backed campaign was centered around bolstering unfounded claims of electoral fraud in the 2020 election, and the former TV anchor has lived up to her commitment to only accept election results if she won.

The GQP has plenty of invertebrates in their ranks

Could have used "shameless hypocrites" in the title, but since "GQP" is already there, I thought doing so would be kind of redundant. :)

First up: The epitome of spinelessness and one of Cheeto's chief lickspittles, Ted Cruz.

From Reform Austin -

Ted Cruz Wants Credit For Bill He Voted Against

Senator Ted Cruz has recently been taking credit for a popular Texas highway project that he voted against.

“We did the hard work to bring together Democrats and Republicans, and we now have designated I-27, the Ports-to-Plains [highway], to run from Laredo, all the way north through Lubbock, all the way up to Canada,” said Cruz in a recent interview with KAMC-TV in Lubbock. “That is going to bring jobs, $55 billion project, you’re talking hundreds of thousands of jobs. You’re talking tens of billions of dollars of additional GDP to the state of Texas. And it’s a great bipartisan victory for the state of Texas.”

That hard work did not include voting for the omnibus spending bill this year that will actually get the highway built. Instead, Cruz is hinging his integrity on the fact that he authored an amendment that designated the Ports-to-Plains project as a part of the national highway system. That amendment did have bipartisan support.

When it came time to cast a vote, Cruz and every other Texas Republican voted no in an act of universal opposition to the Biden Administration, even as the final bill contained necessary and popular projects that Republican lawmakers want and need for their constituents. This allows them the dual benefit of telling their far-right bases that they “stood up” to big government while also spending federal money on things that only big government can get done.

It's not just Cruz.

From Politico -

House passes government funding, averting shutdown threat

[snip]

The top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Kay Granger, who helped negotiate the bill, joined the swath of GOP members who opposed it. Asked if she could explain why she voted against it, the Texas lawmaker replied Friday: “No, I can’t.”

Like Cruz, Granger is from Texas.

It isn't just federal-level GQP electeds who are a little "flexible" in the spinal area.

From MassLive -

Florida Gov. DeSantis asks for federal aid with Hurricane Ian years after criticizing aid for Hurricane Sandy

When Ron DeSantis assumed office as a newly elected Florida congressman in 2013 he criticized the Obama administration for sending federal bailout money to assist New York and other mid-Atlantic states affected by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 — which killed 125 people in the United States and caused $62 billion in infrastructure and building damage.

Now positioned as governor of Florida, DeSantis is asking the federal government for help as Hurricane Ian wreaks devastation on the Sunshine State causing “substantial loss of life.”

I may be bothered by tax support for Big Business, but pettiness from elected officials bothers me more

And, have no doubt, pro sports qualifies as "Big Business."

From The Hill -

DeSantis vetoes funds for Tampa Bay Rays practice facility after team tweets on gun control

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) approved a new state budget Thursday, but vetoed funds for a Pasco County baseball practice facility that was to be used by the Tampa Bay Rays, a move that comes shortly after the MLB organization tweeted in support of gun control last week.

DeSantis, an avid supporter of gun rights, vetoed the funding proposed by state Sen. Danny Burgess (R) that was widely expected to be signed into the state’s budget a week after the Rays showed support for gun control measures.

DeSantis wants to be president, one in the mold of Cheeto.

He's already got the "petty dictator wannabe" part down.

Florida embraces propaganda and chooses ignorance for its kids

From KPMG (Orlando) -

Florida education officials reject 54 math textbooks for ‘attempts to indoctrinate students’

Dozens of math textbooks were rejected by the Florida Department of Education after officials said their publishers were attempting to indoctrinate students.

According to an FDOE news release Friday, the department did not initially include 54 of the 132 submitted textbooks on the state’s adopted list.

[snip]

Math books?  Really?

Unless DeSantis and his watercarriers are trying to protect FL's students from the perils of algebra (actually, they look to be sacrificing their children and their education on the altar of DeSantis' presidential ambitions), I'm going suggest that they go on an Ex-Lax diet*.

*Caveats:

1. I'm not a medical professional, and can't prescribe anything.

2. They're so full of it, that I'm not sure it would help them anyway.

Ron DeSantis is shameless enough to be in the Arizona legislature

From Politico -

DeSantis defends scolding students over masks — and fundraises off it

“Predictably, the leftist propagandists in our media had a meltdown and called me a ‘bully’ for allowing children to breathe fresh air," a campaign email reads.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is fundraising off a recent viral video depicting the Republican governor bluntly asking a group of high school students to take off their masks ahead of a public event, which drew outrage among Democrats.

In a Thursday campaign email attempting to spur donations “before the truth is silenced,” DeSantis blasted the “corrupt and biased legacy media” for chastising him over his claims that “masks are political theater.” The DeSantis campaign also created a hype video over his controversial brief scolding of high school students that slams Democrats like California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Stacey Abrams for going maskless at public events.

"[A]llowing"?

Well, at least he's got a Cheeto-like ego.

Maybe Ron DeSantis thinks that being hooked up to a ventilator is a "presidential" look

From CNN -

Ron DeSantis just yelled at high school students for wearing masks

Ron DeSantis is apparently not above scolding high school students to make his, uh, point about Covid-19.

The Florida Republican governor approached a group of students wearing masks who were standing behind a podium at the University of South Florida, where he was scheduled for a news conference Wednesday.

"You do not have to wear those masks. I mean please take them off," DeSantis said to, at first, polite laughter. But he wasn't kidding around.

"Honestly, it's not doing anything. We've gotta stop with this Covid theater. So if you want to wear it, fine. But this is ridiculous," he continued.

From Johns Hopkins University -

1. Wear a damn mask.

2. Get vaccinated. 

Cheeto trashes a future running mate

From Axios -

Trump dogs "dull" DeSantis ahead of potential 2024 matchup

Donald Trump is trashing Ron DeSantis in private as an ingrate with a "dull personality" and no realistic chance of beating him in a potential 2024 showdown, according to sources who've recently talked to the former president about the Florida governor.

Why it matters: The two are among the most popular Republicans in the country, and as the former president eyes another run in 2024, he's irked by DeSantis' popularity and refusal to rule out running against him.

• DeSantis is a favorite of Republican voters when pollsters remove Trump from the hypothetical 2024 field.
• The governor also hasn't been beyond tweaking his fellow Floridian.

I'll just make two predictions here:

1. DeSantis will run for POTUS in 2024. (Which every watcher expects to happen)

2. If Trump runs, DeSantis will ultimately be part of the ticket. (You heard it here first, folks! :) )

And for a third prediction:

3. DeSantis will feel about Trump the same way that Trump feels about DeSantis.  The only real difference between them is that while DeSantis will *hope* Cheeto dies, Cheeto will do something to get rid of DeSantis.  And then defend the (would-be) killers.