This seems like it would lead to the collapse of the global economy and fatal disruptions of the global food supply. Which makes me wonder if some kind of corporate or foreign intervention of some kind could become a factor. It sounds far fetched, but hey, at the point being theorized here, I think anything becomes possible. This is world-shaking stuff here; I can’t see how a majority of economic or political power decides that this result is in their personal best interest. Maybe someone smarter at the helm who’d be trusted to keep promises and alliances, but just as Trump is definitely not that, is DeSantis? I don’t know.
Serious question: when folks say this, what are they envisioning in a logistical sense? Troops marching on every urban/liberal area of the country? Conversion of police nationwide to a military unit? This has been one reason I keep saying that I can’t see “United States structured exactly how it is now, except dictatorship” as a probable/possible outcome; I don’t think the current structure the size of the country can be propped up across the current national boundaries with fear and violence as the major glue.
Something often not mentioned in discussions of DeSantis 2024 is that he has the gubernatorial election in 2022 first. (dale42jdid mention this in post #10)
Frontrunners are Mr. DeSantis (R), ex-governor-turned-U.S. Rep Charlie Christ (D), and Sec. of Agriculture Nikki Fried (D).
In general, authoritarian states operate with a mix of visible armed forces, a legal system that corruptly punishes dissent, and a population taught that informing on their friends and relatives is both lucrative, and “patriotic.”
I don’t see any reason to believe that a nation as large as the USA would be immune to such tactics. We’ve already lived through many of the precursors: a de-valuing of the concepts of “democracy” and “rule of law” and an adoption of cynical acceptance of corruption. We have an entire media apparatus ready to embrace and celebrate authoritarian rule. We have a substantial portion of the population trained to believe that they need “protection” from particular scapegoats (immigrants and other outgroups), and that “a strong government” is the right way to achieve that protection.
Why would physical (or population) size protect us from what’s already here?
Personally, I can’t imagine this will help him, but what do I know?
The Florida Department of Education made good on a threat to withhold funding from local school districts that defied Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates.
Just days after a state judge ruled that the governor’s ban was unconstitutional, Florida’s education commissioner on Monday announced the state was withholding funds from Alachua and Broward counties “for their continued violation of state law.”
I also can’t help but be curious about the political calculations of all of DeSantis’ moves. I get that many on the right are driven by “owning the libs” and how that plays out on the ground - they figure they weren’t going to get those votes anyway. But at some point, he’s gotta be pissing off (and killing off) a measurable number of people who have voted for him, or would tend to in the future.
Biden promised (Politico) to compensate the schools beforehand so it sort of makes sense in a dumb, “well this way we can make the feds pay for our schools and stay in the news” way.
DeSantis strikes me as the proverbial “good soldier”. Yes, he is ambitious but he is also only 43. I find it highly unlikely he will run in 2024 if Trump does. In fact, I would say he would be on the extremely short list of possible VP choices for a second Trump run. Of course, that would mean Trump would have to establish residency back in NY or at his golf club in NJ.
But no way DeSantis enters the race without approval from The Don.
This would be comical if it were not real life. Keep in mind that the video I am linking believes it is showing DeSantis in a positive light.
DeSantis had a very awkward answer to a question about vaccines from a 60 Minutes reporter. His supporters claimed that the 60 Minutes clip was edited to make him look bad and showed what they claim to be his entire answer. Compare the two clips, look at the background and people around DeSantis in both, and play spot the differences. I can’t see how the second clip wasn’t filmed later by the governor’s team.
