At some moments, DeSantis goes deaf. And not only when the residents of his state are dying of Covid and he is ignoring it exists. But this is the way with authoritarians -- big money talks. Well at least until he has not more use for the big donors and turns on them. Ask the mouse -- you know, one of his previous big donors. DeSantis accepts criticism if campaign contributions are large enough https://beacononlinenews.com/2022/0...m-if-campaign-contributions-are-large-enough/ Ken Griffin, CEO of the Citadel hedge fund, said he views Florida as a better corporate environment than his current home base in Chicago. Citadel and its 1,000-plus employees will soon be moving to Miami. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is welcoming Griffin with open arms. With good reason. In addition to the increased tax base and other economic advantages for the state and for the city of Miami, Citadel’s CEO has donated nearly $10.8 million to DeSantis’ political committee, making him the governor’s top individual political donor. There should be a fly in the ointment, given Griffin’s criticism of DeSantis’ decision to go after Disney following the feud between the governor and the entertainment giant over Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Griffin said, “I don’t appreciate Gov. DeSantis’ going after Disney. It can be portrayed, or feel, or look like retaliation.” Griffin was also highly critical of DeSantis on other occasions. During the height of the debate around COVID and masks, Griffin said, “He’s caught himself up in a political maelstrom of putting the concept of personal freedom first and foremost around masks, and I understand the principle. But Florida’s a really diverse state. He should have let each county make a decision on its own.” Apparently, DeSantis never heard the criticism. The $10.8 million obviously drowned out Griffin’s words. Disney did contribute to the governor’s campaigns, but only in the $100,000 range. Pony up larger donations, and DeSantis will put in his earplugs and leave you alone.
This is an opinion piece from a blog. The author makes some interesting points -- but take it for what it is. The crux is that DeSantis exhibits many of the traits of an outright authoritarian in his behavior with a perfect willingness to trample the very foundations our democracy is built on. Ron DeSantis Sends an Authoritarian Message: Submit To Me Or Else Making an example of Disney, Sports Teams, and the Special Olympics https://lucid.substack.com/p/ron-desantis-sends-an-authoritarian Some quotes: "DeSantis displays many traits of authoritarian-minded leaders, and one of the most disastrous is their insatiable appetite for power. This means that they persecute and harass increasing numbers of people as they strive to satisfy their desire to control everyone and everything." "There are no second chances….If you cross him once, you're dead,” says a former Florida state legislator, speaking anonymously. As DeSantis models a politics that replaces compassion with coldness, he will be compelled to seek out more corporations and organizations to humiliate, each success merely stoking his thirst for more. Businesses based in Florida should prepare accordingly.
Move against Disney shows Florida Gov. DeSantis' grip on Republican Party “To govern by revenge, to govern for punishment is not governing. It’s authoritarianism. It’s fascism." https://www.cltampa.com/news/move-a...ov-desantis-grip-on-republican-party-13278459
So now the standard to be the Republican nominee is merely to be less embarrassing than Trump. Hard to sink any lower than that. Stay classy GOP. GOP donors rushing to support DeSantis because he's 'less likely to embarrass' them than Trump https://www.rawstory.com/trump-desantis-2024-2657589592/
Yeh, well, in case you have not noticed there is a major "anyone but drooling, lost-in-space Biden" movement well under way.
I will agree that Biden has been doing poorly as President. I have previous posts which outline his many failures which include the Afghanistan withdrawal, etc. In fact his popularity and performance has reached the low level where there is talk of having an alternative Democratic nominee in 2024 -- a very bad position to be in. However, the Republican message that they prefer a somewhat competent authoritarian over an inept authoritarian is not a good look to have either.