NAACP Hits the Wingnut Outrage Button

stardem.com

From The Daily Beast’s Confider:

While claiming Gov. Ron Desantis (R-FL) has shown that “African Americans are not welcome” in his state, the NAACP recently advised people of color against traveling to Florida due to the state’s “sustained, blatant, relentless, and systemic attack on democracy and civil rights.” Naturally this prompted the expected outcry from Republicans and conservative media, with Fox News and Newsmax mentioning it more than 30 times by Monday afternoon, but some prominent right-wing media stars decided to use it as an opportunity to go in a decidedly more ugly and racist direction. “Five minutes after the advisory went up, 49 of the governors called the NAACP [and] asked if they could be added to the list,” beleaguered shock jock Steven Crowder “joked” on Monday. His co-host Nick DiPaolo took it even further, adding: “Some people say good, you know, stay the hell away. It’s the Sunshine State and you guys obviously don’t need any more sunshine. Look at you.” Far-right podcaster Matt Walsh, meanwhile, insisted that white people never commit crimes against Black people but that “Black people committing crimes against white people for sport is common.” Walsh’s Daily Wire colleague Candace Owens also trafficked in racist stereotypes, saying the NAACP travel advisory “probably means that everybody’s property is going to be valued much higher in the state of Florida.”

CNN, Fox Hit New Viewership Lows Since Town Hall, Tucker Firing

429,000

“Last week, the cable news pioneer suffered its lowest-rated week since June 2015, averaging just 429,000 total daily viewers from Monday-Friday,” reports the Daily Beast’s Confider. “CNN was also down double digits compared to the same week last year in both total viewership and in the key advertising demographic of viewers ages 25-54. MSNBC more than doubled CNN’s daily audience, drawing 976,000 total viewers, while Fox News averaged 1.4 million. MSNBC was up more than 20 percent in both total and demo viewership metrics for Monday-Friday. Fox News was down 41 percent in the key demo year-to-year and 24 percent in total viewers, having seen its ratings plummet as angry right-wingers flee after Tucker Carlson’s shock firing. In fact, Fox’s post-Tucker weekday demo audience is the lowest its been since the first week of September 2001.”

Don’t Vote for the Job-Killing Moron

“Governor Ron DeSantis is a job killing moron who cares more about his own political ambitions and culture wars than Florida and our future. According to him, ‘woke makes you go broke’ but this is another example of how it’s actually the complete opposite. DeSantis is not who you want for President — ever.”

— Fla. Rep. Anna Eskamani (D – Dist. 42) reacting to the news that Disney will pull a $17 billion project out of her district. The decision was announced amid ongoing attacks from Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis after Disney objected to the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which punishes any acknowledgement of nonheterosexual orientation in public schools.

The DeSantis Appeal

“If critics see DeSantis as a would-be authoritarian, allies see a conservative who gets things done. Many predicted that his hard-charging first term in office would provoke a backlash. Instead the opposite occurred. While Republicans across the country struggled last November, DeSantis romped to a 19-point re-election victory, the biggest win for a Florida governor in decades. What was once America’s paradigmatic swing state now pulsates bright red. For the first time in modern history, registered Republicans outnumber Democrats. The people of Florida seem to like the steady hand—even if it’s an iron fist. … To fans, DeSantis’ success proves that a pugilistic, big-government conservatism that promises ruthless competence instead of Trumpian chaos can win broad support, including a growing share of working-class and minority voters.”

Molly Ball