Ron DeSantis Doesn't Make History, He Just Rewrites It

 Ronald Dion DeSantis received his B.A. degree from Yale. After graduation he went to Harvard Law School where he was awarded his J.D. The only reason I mention these two factoids is to debunk the widely held right wing belief these universities indoctrinate their students into becoming wild eyed, homosexual and commie loving liberals.

Well, that and to show even Harvard and Yale can produce a fascist clunker every now and then.

Mr. DeSantis is currently not running for the republican presidential nomination, although it sure does feel like he is. It has been speculated he remains undeclared at this point in order to avoid a gaggle of financial and ethical regulations which kick into play as soon as he does. While no one can prove this is the case it certainly sounds like something the Florida governor would do. Let's face it, he isn't very keen on letting people, especially Florida taxpayers, know who is paying for his world wide and national travels. He is obsessive about that sort of shit, like he is when someone objects to his overtly authoritarian legislation.

We do know he isn't the best of fund raisers. Stories of him snubbing and otherwise treating potential GOP donors poorly are nearly as frequent and legendary as his historical perspectives of the American Civil War and our lust for Native American land.

Those revisionist views are no doubt the pillars of his current political philosophy which he has, in a disturbing number of cases, enacted into state law. Those laws, which, among other things, attempt to purge any wrongdoing by white people in Florida school curriculum. They are being described as, "the Florida model," for America by ultra right wing slugs across the land. It gives us a preview of what Dion's vision of a perfect republic is. In his words, "Florida is where woke goes to die." 

Hey, so do a lot of other things and people, but no one else changes the circumstances of their deaths to cleanse history of the truth.

Here is what a Florida 4th grade textbook had to say about civil rights pioneer, Rosa Parks. before DeSantis, "The law said African-Americans had to give up their seats on the bus if a white person wanted to sit down." After DeSantis it reads, "She had to move to a different seat."

The governor has also been clear that in his mind it is, "inappropriate," and, "not true," to teach students that America was built on stolen land. In other words, We built the country in unoccupied territories because the people who lived there had died.

And just think, we haven't even touched on the whole, "don't say gay," and the war on Disney nonsense. Not to mention defunding diversity, equinity, and inclusion programs at state universities and the elimination of African-American AP courses in high schools. Those subjects are for another time, perhaps when things get politically tighter.

Right now, Ronald Dion DeSantis is trailing Donald Trump in every poll imaginable. The latest shows El Donald at 58% while DeSantis sits mired at 16%. Trump considers the governor a traitor because he might be running against him, despite DeSantis' reluctance to attack him publicly. Trump insists DeSantis once came to him pleading for his support. Of course if you asked him, Trump would tell you Jesus of Nazareth was a nobody until he came begging, with tears in his eyes, for the former president's help. There is no doubt, given Trump's ego and delusions, it was only after he gave Christ his personal backing that the Lord rose from the dead and became so famous there was a Broadway musical named for Him.  

But, I digress.

The feeling here is by the time we roll into the actual election year and he officially declares, DeSantis will be climbing in the polls. In fact, after The Big Orange Guy gets indicted a few more times and possibly goes on trial for crimes so heinous they make Benidict Arnold look like Bill Maher, he might look like the only choice to a lot of republicans.

That's right the future is a muddied pond and there is a long way to go. So much so he real problem DeSantis might have and not be able to overcome is himself. A lot of major GOP donors have negative impressions of him. that have nothing to do with destroying public education, persecuting gays, and passing pro gun legislation so insane even Wayne LaPierre shudders when he reads them. And with out doners there isn't the sort of campaign he needs to put away anyone, much less an elephant in the room like Donald J. Trump.

Indeed, in the end, Dion's downfall might be because, as one cable news wag put it, "It isn't that we don't like Ron DeSantis, but it's that we know Ron DeSantis doesn't like us."

Although the current evidence appears to contradict the front half of that statement, given his noxious politics the back half rings absolutely true.

Such is the nature of today's republican party.

5-22-23