The Always Trumpers Abide

28%

Politico: “Despite his difficulties since he left office, about a third of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters still consider themselves supporters more of Trump than the Republican Party, according to a recent NBC News poll. Many of them aren’t going anywhere. … Fully 28 percent of Republican primary voters are so devoted to the former president that they said they’d support him even if he ran as an independent…. Indeed, the ‘Always Trump’ component of the party is so pronounced that it’s affecting how Trump’s opponents operate around him.”

DeSantis Greeted by ‘Ron DeFascist’ Graffito at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley

Library greeting Florida's MAGA extremist governor Ron DeSantis who is promoting fascism in a new book, Courage to Be Free
Graffito at the Reagan Library greeting Florida’s MAGA extremist governor Ron DeSantis who is promoting his fascist agenda in a new book, “The Courage to Be Free”

Ventura Star: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke to hundreds of supporters at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum in Simi Valley on Sunday, potentially marking Ventura County’s first event of the 2024 presidential primary.

“DeSantis appeared to promote his new book, “The Courage to Be Free,” which was published last week. During his speech, however, DeSantis sounded more like he was on the campaign trail than a book tour….

“Not everyone at the Reagan library on Sunday was thrilled DeSantis paid a visit. Roughly 100 protesters from Ventura and Los Angeles counties lined the entrance to the campus, many carrying protest signs or LGBTQ pride flags…

[…]

DeSantis Disney Board Appointee Ron Peri: Tap Water Turns People Gay

Ron Peri
Ron Peri

CNN: “An appointee to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new oversight board in control of Disney’s special tax district called homosexuality “evil” last year and shared a baseless conspiracy theory that tap water could be making more people gay.

“On Monday, the Republican governor appointed Ron Peri, an Orlando-based former pastor and the CEO of The Gathering – a Christian ministry focused on outreach to men – as one of five people who will now oversee the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the government body that has given Disney unique powers in Central Florida for more than half a century…

“A CNN KFile review of Peri’s past comments found that he frequently made derogatory remarks about the LGBTQ community.

“’So why are there homosexuals today? There are any number of reasons, you know, that are given. Some would say the increase in estrogen in our societies. You know, there’s estrogen in the water from birth control pills. They can’t get it out,’ Peri baselessly said in a January 2022 Zoom discussion, later put on YouTube. ‘The level of testosterone in men broadly in America has declined by 50 points in the past 10 years. You know, and so, maybe that’s a part of it.’”

Jim Gordon’s MAGA Deep-State Whistleblower Dumpster Fire

Failed deep-state conspiracy whistleblower George Hill

Rolling Stone: “In early February, Republicans brought an FBI veteran to Capitol Hill whom they hoped would expose a ‘deep state conspiracy’ among Democrats and their accomplices in the intelligence community. The GOP witness was part of a network of ‘whistleblowers’ — funneled to congressional Republicans’ new Weaponization of Government panel by allies of Donald Trump — to reveal covert attacks on the former president and broad, anti-conservative discrimination.

“But before the interview was over, it was the GOP witness who was failing to answer difficult questions — and Democratic committee staff doing the asking.

[…]

DeSantis Fundraisers — A Million or Nuthin’

$1 million

“It’s going to cost a lot to get Ron DeSantis to show up in person to collect political checks: about $1 million,” NBC News reports. “That’s the aggressive goal set to draw the Florida governor and likely 2024 presidential candidate to travel out of his way for fundraising events, according to three Republicans involved in efforts to raise cash for DeSantis during the shadow primary period.”

Dems Open to Dumping Biden in 2024

31%

FiveThirtyEight: “Polling suggests that Democrats aren’t thrilled with the idea of Biden as their nominee again. Only 31 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they want the party to renominate Biden, while 58 percent said they’d prefer someone else, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll from Jan. 27-Feb. 1. That lack of enthusiasm is unusual. According to historical CNN polling, majorities of Democrats wanted to renominate Bill Clinton in 1996 and Barack Obama in 2012, and a majority of Republicans wanted to renominate Trump in 2020.”

Manchin Compares Dems and GOPers on Debt Ceiling, Spending

“My Democratic friends don’t want to say a word about our out of control spending and are outright refusing to even talk to Republicans about reasonable and responsible reforms… My Republican friends refused to offer any specifics, and some have recklessly threatened default, which is absolutely not on the table, cannot be on the table and will not happen.”

— Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), quoted by Politico.