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

Poll Finds Growing Dem Support for Biden

Comes on the heels of a Washington Post/ABC News poll that showed Biden trailing Trump by 6 points

Yahoo! News: “Yahoo News and YouGov found that 43% of Americans currently approve of the president’s performance in office while 48% disapprove, a negative margin of just 5 points.

“Among registered voters, the gap was even smaller: 47% approve to 50% disapprove. And Biden (45%) continues to cling to a slight edge over both Trump (43%) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (42%) on the question of whom voters would choose if the 2024 election were held today…

“Far from collapsing at the official start of his 2024 effort, then, Biden’s job approval and standing against his potential Republican rivals have remained remarkably consistent. If anything, the president has shown some small signs of improvement in recent weeks.”

Steve Schmidt: Ron DeSantis’ Campaign Has Collapsed ‘under the Weight of His Disordered Personality’

Schmidt: 'It's Over'

Excerpt from “The Warning” by Steve Schmidt Starts at 0:40:

Watching Ron DeSantis’ belly flop onto the empty concrete of the proverbially empty pool has been astonishing. It is very very rare to see a loss of 30 points. There hasn’t been a debate. The campaign hasn’t effectively started, and he’s collapsed under the weight of his disorder personality.

The newspapers are filled with stories. Ron DeSantis doesn’t like to talk to people. Ron DeSantis doesn’t like to make phone calls. Marco Rubio talked about the fact in the Wall Street Journal story that details the 30 point point collapse that he hasn’t talked to the governor of his state in months…

Not only does Trump have a score of congressional endorsements a few months later, while his behavior has become more outrageous, more dangerous and more unhnged. eight of those congressional endorsements are from the state of Florida.

Ron DeSantis just isn’t ready for prime time. He has no path to a comeback. He’s an extremely poor debater. It’s over.

Christie: Ron DeSantis Is Not a Conservative

“… as a conservative, the job of government is … to stay out of the business of business. … I don’t think Ron DeSantis is a conservative. … Where are we headed here now that if you express disagreement in this country, the government is allowed to punish you? To me, that’s what I always thought liberals did.”

— Former New Jersey Governor and potential presidential candidate Chris Christie, in an interview with Semafor.

Newsom Hits GOP’s ‘Authoritarian Leaders’

interviewed in Alabama by MSNBC's Jen Psaki

Politico.com: “[California Gov. Gavin] Newsom sat down with [MSNBC’s Jen] Psaki in Alabama, while on a tour of Republican-led states including Arkansas and Mississippi. Newsom recently announced the launch of a new political action committee called Campaign for Democracy, aimed at calling out red state policies and ‘authoritarian leaders.’

“With Psaki, he lit into DeSantis, a frequent target of his ire who is expected to announce a run for the Republican presidential nomination at the close of Florida’s legislative calendar.

“‘[He’s] scared to death, scared of the people, scared of the public,’ Newsom said. ‘I think the majority of NRA members probably oppose that position.’”

Florida Democrats Are Using DeSantis’ Book-Banning Law to Ban His Book

If America doesn’t want Florida’s present reality to become America’s future reality, people need to know what it’s like here. … This is our way of fighting back, but also highlighting how ridiculous some of this becomes, right?

— Fentrice Driskell, the minority leader in the Florida House, who is leading an effort across 50 Florida counties to see if any of them might review or ban Gov. Ron DeSantis’ book based on his law’s vague and unwieldy criteria, reports The Daily Beast.