So what’s new in DuhSantistan?

Federal judge heavily references '1984' in striking down parts of DeSantis’ ‘Stop WOKE Act’ - UPI.com

 

I think for those who think Trump is terrible but love DeSantis, it's about style more than substance. The substance is just as terrible.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/21/desantis-republican-free-speech-trump/

To recap, the Stop WOKE Act — also perversely known as the Individual Freedom Act — is the Orwellian scheme that DeSantis signed into law earlier this year to muzzle the candid discussion of race and racism in classrooms and the workplace. As U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker explains in his opinion, “The law officially bans professors from expressing disfavored viewpoints in university classrooms while permitting unfettered expression of the opposite viewpoints.” He dryly continued, “Defendants argue that, under this Act, professors enjoy ‘academic freedom’ so long as they express only those viewpoints of which the State approves.”
...

DeSantis seems to have no fondness for the basic rights our Constitution confers on Americans. Instead, he delights in using state power to demonstrate his contempt for the expression of views he dislikes. This forms the core of his political brand, underscored by his “don’t say gay” law, his statute banning “critical race theory” in schools and his firing of a county prosecutor who criticized his abortion policies. DeSantis has also regularly flexed his power as governor: excluding media from events, taking public proceedings behind closed doors (including the selection of the University of Florida’s president) and exacting revenge on supposedly woke corporations such as Disney.

 

Florida knew the insurance crisis was coming. Lawmakers waged culture wars instead. | Commentary

There’s nothing mankind could do to stop Ian. But there was plenty Florida politicians could’ve done to help prepare its insurance market.

In fact, this crisis was totally predicted. Watchdogs urged Gov. Ron DeSantis and state legislators to take action. But the politicians were more interested in screaming about critical race theory and demonizing LGBTQ families.

You know this. Think about how many stories you read about GOP lawmakers trying to pass “anti-woke” legislation vs. how many stories you read about them trying to stabilize the insurance market. Well, now you’re about to pay the price.

This is what happens when you elect people more interested in politicking than governing.

 

Prediction: come 2024 you won’t have Governor DeSantis to kick around anymore. You’ll have to kick around President DeSantis.

 

This is from a DeSantis internal office memo considering the benefits and drawbacks of suspending Andrew Warren, the elected prosecutor in Tampa:

One of the "benefits" is "[a] leftist prosecutor is removed from a position of power." As we all knew, this was always about removing a person the voters elected because Fidel DeSantis doesn't like his politics and installing a DeSantis crony in the spot.

 

Cubaphobia

 

What's the source on this?

 

Jason Garcia (outstanding investigative journalist here in Florida):

 

It’s a scare tactic to keep people who are entitled to vote from voting.

 

This is going to make his lawsuit against DeS much easier to win.

 

I am hoping for the best there, but I don't have much confidence he'll win in the end. Even if Hinkle rules in his favor, the Eleventh Circuit is very Trumpy.

 

They didn't seem that way wrt the special master appeal. Hoping that continues

 

Can he go after DeS personally for defamation if the decision determines that the dismissal was politically motivated? That would seem to indicate that DeS was acting in his own interest and not in the interest of the state .

 

When I say "Trumpy," I don't mean predisposed to rule for Trump when he's pursuing one of his frivolous lawsuits. I mean appointed by Trump, i.e. hardcore FedSoc members.

There's no viable lawsuit there.

 

We can’t ignore the enormous influence of plaintiffs lawyers lobbying in Tally as well.

 

Their influence is far from enormous, particularly when Republicans have a stranglehold on the state government.

 

I disagree simply from the disproportionate amount of lawsuits filed in the state as compared to others. This issue isn’t a D vs R problem.

 

I know some of the past and present leaders of the FJA. The Republicans do not have any love for plaintiffs' lawyers. Yeah, if the Republicans don't have a lot of desire to push legislation, the plaintiffs' lawyers' lobby might succeed in convincing them not to do it. But they're not going to convince the GOP not to do something they want to do.