BTW, Ron DeSantis Becomes Emperor Of Florida Today After Redistricting Map Passes Into Law

It seems to me that this isn’t getting nearly enough media coverage, because this is where democracy essentially grinds to a halt and autocracy begins, is today, April 19, 2022. Ron DeSantis is not the governor of Florida, he is the ruler of Florida, to all intents and purposes, after his GOP-controlled legislature rubber stamps what he calls his “race neutral boundaries” map, which is anything but.

Before you read this horror from Florida Politico, I caution you that there is a very high probability that DeSantis will be the 2024 GOP presidential candidate, not Trump. And the fact that Make America Florida is tacitly the slogan that DeSantis is using for a potential 2024 run tells you the awful and inescapable truth, which is that DeSantis is running as Smart MAGA, the smart and less offensive Donald Trump, and looking to replace democracy with autocracy. That is what the GOP will be pushing the lever for when they vote for Ron DeSantis in 2024, not DeSantis v. Biden.

We are so.so.screwed. Florida Politico Playbook:

Tick, tick, boom — In the next 48 hours, Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature will likely take up a new congressional map for the state proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, muscle it through over the loud opposition of Democrats, and go back home.

Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry? — The session schedule has lawmakers coming in at noon today and potentially working until Friday. But don’t expect them to hang around that long. Instead it will be a drive-by moment of legislating where the Senate will be ready to take up DeSantis’ map by late afternoon and then place it in a posture to have both chambers pass it sometime on Wednesday and legislators will then head to the exits. (Worth noting: Legislators running in nonfederal races can’t accept campaign donations as long as they are in session.)

Sharp criticism — Black Democrats on Monday decried the proposed map — which completely dismantles the seat held by Rep. Al Lawson, a Black Democrat, and changes the demographic makeup of the one now held by Rep. Val Demings — with state Sen. Shevrin Jones calling it a “racist tactic.” Protesters are scheduled to hold a rally on the Capitol steps this morning where they will blast the governor, who contends that recent court decisions justify his proposal to draw up what he calls “race neutral” boundaries.

You have one minute to comment — The timeline laid out means that there will be limited time for the public to weigh in on the maps. And it probably means that the governor’s staff won’t have to spend too much time explaining unanswered questions about who helped them draw it up and whether it was done for partisan gain. Florida’s constitution says legislators can’t draw maps designed to favor one party, yet the DeSantis map would create a scenario where Republicans pick up four seats this fall.

Lawyer up — Once all of the finger-pointing and arguing is over there will likely be a race to the courthouse door. But looming deadlines for this year’s election means that the map passed in the next two days will probably be the one that is locked in place for 2022. Supposedly, legislative leaders wanted to avoid the knockdown legal battles of the last decade that resulted in previous GOP legislators acknowledging they violated the constitution. But that’s all gone now.

How we got here — The reason Florida legislators are at this moment is because DeSantis vetoed the last map that was sent to him. So this time around GOP leaders such as House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson threw in the towel and decided to defer to the governor. Sure, there may be a moment of discomfort or two for Republicans over the next two days as they try to explain how this latest map is suddenly legal when a few weeks ago it was a “novel legal theory.” Republicans will probably also just shrug as Democrats call them “sheep” or that they have abdicated all power to DeSantis.

Reread that paragraph you just read. This is how democracy dies and fascism flourishes. This right here, happening in real time in Florida.

Flashback — Just remember this January quote from a current Republican legislator who was granted anonymity: “They are not going to embarrass Ron DeSantis. Ron DeSantis is essentially the speaker of the House, the president of the Senate and the chief justice of the Supreme Court right now.”

And the charismatic leader of the GOP, second only to Trump, don’t forget that title. This is what it’s all about. A charismatic leader from a southern state, with the benediction of Donald Trump, is going to harness all the crazed MAGA energy, all the racial hatred, become the Pied Piper for the evangelicals and conspiracy theorists, and become a fascist president.

If Ron DeSantis gets in office, and there’s a good possibility he could friends, let’s be realists, America could become a different country very quickly. Joe Biden’s doing a fine job, but he’s not that popular, simply because the nation is so split, and his age works against him. There has always been that factor.

I wish that there was a charismatic but decent Republican candidate to run for office. Arnold Schwarzenegger comes to mind, but of course he can’t run absent a revision to the constitution and I don’t even want to think about opening that Pandora’s box. I don’t see Schwarzenegger becoming the American Hitler, but I do see it in Ron DeSantis. And he is very very probably going to be the 2024 candidate.

Or, maybe it will be Trump. We would actually be better off with Trump v. Biden, but that would only kick the can down the road four more years. DeSantis is a very dark figure in American politics. And what he’s doing right now as we speak in Florida should be headlines everywhere. He has consolidated power in an un-democratic fashion with the help of many enablers. He’s rehearsing to do it on a national level. Make no mistake about that.

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