Category: Ron DeSantis

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Immigration Ron DeSantis

Ron DeSantis May Be Charged With Kidnapping For Shipping Migrants To Other States

In his effort to make a political statement and draw attention to himself in his bid for re-election, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) decided he’d put some migrants on a plane and send them to Martha’s Vineyard.

CNN reports on the move by DeSantis:

It’s the latest in a series of moves by Republican governors to transport migrants to northern liberal enclaves to protest what they say are inadequate federal efforts on southern border security. Located off the coast of Massachusetts and long known as a posh summer destination for wealthy vacationers, Martha’s Vineyard provided an unusual and unexpected place for the migrants to be sent.

DeSantis defended his action:

“We are not a sanctuary state, and it’s better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction, and yes, we will help facilitate that transport for you to be able to go to greener pastures. Every community in America should be sharing in the burdens. It shouldn’t all fall on a handful of red states.”

But while the Florida governor may have gotten himself a day’s worth of free media coverage, he may also be guilty of kidnapping, according to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is urging the Justice Department to charge DeSantis with the crime.

In a letter he sent to the DOJ on Thursday, Newsom writes:

“Like millions of Americans, I have been horrified at the images of migrants being shipped on buses and planes across the country to be used as political props. Clearly, transporting families, including children, across state lines under false pretenses is morally reprehensible, but it may also be illegal.

“Several of the individuals who were transported to Martha’s Vineyard have alleged that a recruiter induced them to accept the offer of travel based on false representations that they would be transported to Boston and would receive expedited access to work authorization. The interstate travel at issue provides a basis for federal jurisdiction over this matter.”

And then Newsom cites the specific provision of federal law he believes DeSantis is in violation of:

“I strongly urge the U.S. Department of Justice (US DOJ) to open an investigation into possible criminal or civil violations of federal law based on this alleged fraudulent scheme. In particular, I urge US DOJ to investigate whether the alleged fraudulent inducement would support charges of kidnapping under relevant state laws, which could serve as a predicate offense for charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) provisions of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970.”

 

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Donald Trump GOP Ron DeSantis

Insecure Trump Accuses Ron DeSantis Of Ripping Off His Hand Gestures And ‘Style’

As if he doesn’t have more than enough problems at the moment, disgraced, one-term, twice-impeached former president Donald Trump is now obsessing over what he perceives to be a threat to his primacy as head of the Republican Party: The hand gestures being used by Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis when he speaks on the stump.

According to a fascinating article in Rolling Stone, Trump has even suggested he might want to sue DeSantis for using his gestures and “style,” as if such things are protected by copyright.

Trump has a distinctive (and much-satirized) way of gesticulating while casually talking, delivering political speeches, or even “firing” contestants on his former game show. The sources note that when Trump has seen video clips of of DeSantis speaking at public events over the past year and a half, the former president has scornfully mocked the ascendant Florida Republican for appearing to imitate his body language, movements, and even, at times, speaking rhythm. One of the other sources recalls Trump joking at a dinner event earlier this year that he should sue DeSantis for copyright infringement.

Even some members of the ex-president’s inner circle have noticed the imitations and suggested that it goes far beyond just gestures, suggesting that DeSantis even steals policy ideas from the Donald:

The alleged rip-offs have raised eyebrows with other members of “America First” royalty. Donald Trump Jr. has told those close to him that he has noticed an uncanny pattern: Often he will tweet something from @DonaldJTrumpJr — a culture-war grievance or a burgeoning trend among the online right — and then very soon after, he will see those specific topics incorporated into the Florida governor’s talking points. This has happened enough times that Trump’s eldest son has come to believe, according to a person familiar with the matter, that DeSantis and his staff likely look to his Twitter account for inspiration and to raid it for their latest policy ideas or red-meat-hurling rhetoric.

Of course, all of this is emblematic of a much larger fissure taking place inside the GOP as 2024 approaches and both DeSantis and Trump may wind up facing each other for the presidential nomination, which remains unclear since Trump may well be under indictment by the time the primaries are held.

But if the two do wind up facing each other in 2024, the primary debates should be a blast to watch, especially if Trump accuses him of imitating his “style,” which of course is little than bravado and bullshit.

 

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GOP Ron DeSantis Social Media WTF?!

‘Top Gun’ Ad From Ron DeSantis Goes Viral, But Not In The Way He Intended

It probably sounded like such a good idea when it was pitched: We’ll dress Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis up in fighter pilot gear, put him into a fighter jet, and call it “Top Gov.” Genius! Can’t fail!

Oh, but it has, and the fallout is making DeSantis look even more pathetic than he already was.

HuffPost reports:

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, this is your governor speaking. Today’s training evolution — dogfighting, taking on the corporate media,” DeSantis said while wearing a Tom Cruise-style leather jacket.

He then discusses how people should deal with those dreaded journalists who keep asking questions he doesn’t want to answer.

“The rules of engagement are as follows. No. 1: Don’t fire unless fired upon, but when they fire, you fire back with overwhelming force. … No. 2: Never, ever back down from a fight. … No. 3: Don’t accept their narrative.”

Throughout, the ad features clips of him refusing to answer media questions ― as though this were a positive thing.

The video has gone viral, but probably not in the way that DeSantis intended, because reaction on social media has been overwhelmingly negative, resulting in lots of mockery aimed directly at the Sunshine State governor.

https://twitter.com/ilyseh/status/1562080221309927424?s=20&t=idWdvHn4012ynpyt1KPfcQ
https://twitter.com/jimstinson/status/1561876888200613889?s=20&t=WVy4S8ZJTW4e79xJhgdReg

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LGBT Issues Ron DeSantis

Disney Trolls Ron DeSantis With New LGBTQ ‘Pride’ Merchandise For Kids

When it comes to merchandising and knowing what fans want, Disney is second to none. Their branding is among the best in the world, and their souvenir T-shirts, caps, pajamas, tennis shoes, and even diapers are consistently among the hottest sellers in the world.

And now Disney is branching out with their merchandise in a way that’s certain to earn them millions more devoted followers (and dollars) while at the same time serving as a masterful trolling effort aimed squarely at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and his controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill which passed the state legislature and was signed into law in late March.

On the Disney website, there’s an announcement about the new Disney Pride Collection:

The Disney Pride Collection was created by LGBTQIA+ employees and allies at The Walt Disney Company and is a reflection of their incredible contributions and place at the heart of the company. We stand in solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ community everywhere.

The Walt Disney Company will be donating all of our profits from the Disney Pride Collection sales now through June 30, 2022 to organizations that support LGBTQIA+ youth and families. This includes sales of Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars Pride Collection merchandise.

Lisa Becket, senior vice president of global marketing for Disney Parks, had this to say about the new Disney Pride collection:

“Honoring Pride is a long-standing tradition of The Walt Disney Company, and I am incredibly proud to work for a company that supports inclusion as a core value and provides a welcoming environment which allows me to bring my true authentic self to work. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and a longstanding Disney cast member … I greatly appreciate the consistent opportunity for my voice to be heard.”

What do DeSantis and his minions in the Florida GOP have to show for their efforts? Nothing but months of bad PR and fading poll numbers for the governor, who is facing a very uncertain reelection bid in November.

Looks like Mickey Mouse just got the last laugh yet again.

 

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GOP Ron DeSantis Russia

Florida Lost $200 Million From Its Pension Fund Because DeSantis Refused To Cut Ties To Russia

The state of Florida just lost $200 million from its pension fund. Why? Because Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) failed to divest from assets tied to Russian companies.

Democratic Rep. Andrew Learned blew the whistle on the massive loss of revenue from the Florida pension fund. He and other Democrats in the state legislature had urged DeSantis and his allies to divest from Russian businesses, but were ignored. That turned out to be a gigantic mistake.

In late March, DeSantis was warned that keeping state money in funds tied to Russia was a potentially disastrous move, but the governor chose to attack President Joe Biden rather than do what was best for his state:

DeSantis, who has chimed in on many foreign policy issues during his tenure, ranging from Israel to China to Latin America, did make some comments early on about the Russian invasion and made a few critiques of Vladimir Putin. Florida’s GOP governor has also criticized President Joe Biden over approaching Venezuela for oil during the crisis — and faulted him on Sunday for “using emergency war powers to produce batteries for the 1% that drive electric cars.”

The Florida state retirement system is one of the largest in the United State, with a base of over 1 million public employees. While the state State Board of Administration technically administers the pension fund, DeSantis is the chairman, meaning nothing can be done without his approval.

Much like his onetime political idol, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis is a terrible steward of public funds. For that alone he deserves to lose his bid for reelection this November.