Opinion: DeSantis 2024?

[*pally*]

Everytime I see this thread, I am reminded that, other than the incumbent, the most talked about Presidential candidates, 2 years out from the election, never win the presidency

[Forever Spinning Vinyl]

(12-17-2022, 03:35 PM)Dill Wrote: Sounds like you have been watching MSNBC and CNN with all their "facts."

Trump gave Evangelicals access like no one else--a subculture in which fallen ministers are regularly forgiven for sins and restored to church power. But he had to convince them he was "born again," which he successfully did. Thousands of pastors then exercised their control over millions of voting believers, looking for guidance.   Pence was right beside Trump to steady this "baby Christian."

All your dated references to pornstars and serial adultery just show how far you are from God and his purpose for all of us. We don't decide who our leaders are--He does. And when he does we have to be ready for all the lies and abuse liberals will heap upon us, but persevere nevertheless. The end times are near and I'm betting you and all those other liberals want to waste time and resources battling climate change and working for peace in Middle East, i.e., working against God's plan for the region on the day of Armageddon. 

Behind the man made "reality" of the top photo below, lies a deeper, more real and spiritual one, which millions can see even if Communist atheists cannot.

Every time I see that, I think of this album cover by the leaders of the outstanding late 80s Florida Death Metal Scene . . . Death.


The Christians are the perfect sheep for Trump. Total belief in something with no physical proof that it exists is EXACTLY who he needs to buy into his truckload of bullshit. If they can use him to get what they want, they'll completely overlook every fault that exists about him, yet still clutch the pearls if there is a sniff of any impropriety from the other side.

[GMDino]

It's all performative BS...but the rubes all vote with their emotions and not the facts so the right keeps it up.

When he runs for POTUS he'll use things like this to show how "tough" he is and how much he "cares" for the kids.

Ron DeSantis refused to fine a single hotel after finding 14,279 violations of anti-human trafficking laws, even though 377 verified sex trafficking victims were Florida children.

Instead, @FloridaDBPR is aggressively and publicly threatening businesses for hosting drag shows. pic.twitter.com/mRmkAfL6Mx

— Carlos Guillermo Smith (@CarlosGSmith) December 28, 2022

 

[BigPapaKain]

(12-29-2022, 10:47 AM)GMDino Wrote: It's all performative BS...but the rubes all vote with their emotions and not the facts so the right keeps it up.

When he runs for POTUS he'll use things like this to show how "tough" he is and how much he "cares" for the kids.

Ron DeSantis refused to fine a single hotel after finding 14,279 violations of anti-human trafficking laws, even though 377 verified sex trafficking victims were Florida children.

Instead, @FloridaDBPR is aggressively and publicly threatening businesses for hosting drag shows. pic.twitter.com/mRmkAfL6Mx

— Carlos Guillermo Smith (@CarlosGSmith) December 28, 2022

 

I thought only the Left voted with their feelings and not raw data and facts?

[GMDino]

What? So he wants to take over a private company and have is lackey's control it?  Isn't that what "small government" is all about?!?! 

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/politics/2023/01/06/desantis-administration-wants-control-of-disney-reedy-creek-district-florida/69785049007/

Quote:DeSantis plan: Disney could lose power over its special district, while assuming its debts
Douglas Soule
Tallahassee Democrat

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis ratcheted-up his yearlong fight with the Walt Disney Co., with a plan Friday to take control of the governing board for its sprawling Central Florida property and make the company assume $700 million in outstanding debt.


A public notice was posted in Osceola County that a bill would be introduced during the upcoming legislative session making major changes to the district. While not heavy with details, Gov. Ron DeSantis' staff told Fox News that the legislation would give district control to a state-controlled board appointed by the governor.

"The corporate kingdom has come to an end," DeSantis' communications director, Taryn Fenske, told Fox News.


[/url]

Hints from DeSantis on Disney plan:[url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/local/state/2022/05/16/governor-ron-desantis-wants-florida-control-disney-taxing-authority/9796879002/]DeSantis: Florida could assume governing authority over Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District
The potential local government impact:DeSantis dissolves Disney’s Reedy Creek district. What it means for Florida counties, taxpayers

The district, through legislation from the 1960s, allows Disney to govern its own properties and levy extra taxes on top of what local governments charge. Those taxes pay for an array of services on Disney properties, like public safety.

The Reedy Creek district is led by a five-member board who are essentially hand-picked by the Walt Disney Co. DeSantis would get to appoint the board, under the legislation he envisions.

After the Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis passed a law last year that would abolish the Reedy Creek Improvement District by this June, there have been concerns about how Disney's enormous bond debt and the services on the company's properties will be paid for if its taxing district goes away, and whether local governments would have to raise taxes.

The proposed legislation, though, would put the bond debt on the company, shielding the taxpayers of Orange and Osceola counties, where the 38.5-square-mile Reedy Creek district is located.

The Florida Legislature begins its regular, two-month session in March. DeSantis, though, has talked about holding at least one special session before then, and its possible the Disney measure could emerge quickly.

Walt Disney Co., didn't immediately comment on the latest developments, nor did Republican leaders of the Legislature. A Central Florida Democrat, Rep. Anna Eskamani, did post on Twitter, though, that for the governor, it was a "ridiculous culture war drama."

"Curious how this'll stop special treatment Disney gets – seems to me the main goal is to give DeSantis control over a private company," Eskamani tweeted.

Origin of a DeSantis vs. Disney feud
The clash between DeSantis and the company goes back to last year and is rooted in the divisions sown by the governor's parental rights legislation, condemned as "Don't Say Gay," by opponents.

After weeks of silence on the matter – which drew criticism from many Disney employees and allies – the company weighed-in opposing the legislation, sparking an attack from the Republican governor on one of the state's major employers and an institution key to the development of much of Central Florida.

Then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek told company shareholders early last year, ""I called Governor DeSantis this morning to express our disappointment and concern that if legislation becomes law it could be used to target gay, lesbian, nonbinary and transgender kids and families," Chapek said at the time.

DeSantis quickly wheeled on Chapek. "You have companies like a Disney that are gonna say and criticize parents' rights, they're gonna criticize the fact that we don't want transgenderism in kindergarten and first grade classrooms," DeSantis told a group of supporters.

DeSantis' controversial legislation states that "Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."

LGBTQ rights organizations say the bill could discriminate against gay and transgender individuals, and cause a chilling effect against students even discussing their LGBTQ families. Students across the state walked out of school during last year's legislative session to protest the legislation.

Chapek was ousted from Disney in November, and his predecessor, Bob Iger, was brought back to run the company. Soon after his return, Iger said he was "sorry to see us get dragged into" a political fight, adding, "the state of Florida has been important to us for a long time and we have been very important to the state of Florida."

DeSantis, though, was unrelenting. He told Fox News after Iger's comments, "We didn't drag them in. They went in on their own and not only opposed the bill, but threatened to get it repealed."

USA Today Network-Florida capital reporter John Kennedy contributed to this report.
USA Today Network-Florida government accountability reporter Douglas Soule is based in Tallahassee, Fla. He can be reached at DSoule@gannett.com. Twitter: @DouglasSoule 

[Leon]

(12-22-2022, 07:46 PM)Forever Spinning Vinyl Wrote: Every time I see that, I think of this album cover by the leaders of the outstanding late 80s Florida Death Metal Scene . . . Death.


The Christians are the perfect sheep for Trump. Total belief in something with no physical proof that it exists is EXACTLY who he needs to buy into his truckload of bullshit. If they can use him to get what they want, they'll completely overlook every fault that exists about him, yet still clutch the pearls if there is a sniff of any impropriety from the other side.

not all Christians support trump. i used to dont anymore. cant just put every one in a group in one box

[GMDino]

He's not even saying the quiet part out loud...he thinks it isn't the quiet part.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64348902

Quote:Ron DeSantis government bans new advanced African American history course

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Image caption,
Last year, Governor DeSantis passed a "Stop WOKE" act that regulates how lessons on race and gender are taught in Florida schools

Florida officials have blocked the introduction of a new advanced-level high school course that teaches African American history.
Governor Ron DeSantis' administration said the proposed course "lacks educational value and is contrary to Florida law".


The course is being rolled out in a pilot programme by the US College Board to 60 high schools across the country.
Officials did not specify what law the course breaks.


The Florida Department of Education outlined its intent to block the course in a 12 January letter to the College Board, writing that the course violates state law.



"In the future, should the College Board be willing to come back to the table with lawful, historically accurate content, (the Department of Education) will always be willing to reopen the discussion," the letter said.

The Advanced Placement (AP) African American studies course is the College Board's first new class since 2014. It is set to cover more than 400 years of African American history, touching on topics like literature, political science and geography.


The course is part of a broader AP programme in US high schools, which gives students the chance to take college-level courses before graduation.


A statement by a spokesperson for Florida's Republican governor DeSantis said the course "leaves large, ambiguous gaps that can be filled with additional ideological material, which we will not allow".


"If the College Board amends the course to comply, provides a full course curriculum, and incorporates historically accurate content, then the Department will reconsider the course for approval," said spokesperson Bryan Griffin in a statement to media.


In response, the College Board said the course is "undergoing a rigorous, multi-year pilot phase, collecting feedback from teachers, students, scholars and policymakers".


"We look forward to bringing this rich and inspiring exploration of African-American history and culture to students across the country," the board said.

The decision to block the African American studies course has been met with outrage from the National Parents Union, who said the ban is a "direct attack on the Black and all (Black, Indigenous and Persons of Colour) communities".


"This behaviour is dangerous and should concern every American," the organisation said, adding they will challenge the decision.


The ban was also criticised by Florida's state senator and Democrat Shevrin Jones, who wrote on Twitter that other AP courses, like European History and several language and culture courses, are still being taught in the state.


"It's crazy how AP African-American studies made the chopping block in FL," Mr Jones wrote.


Last year, Gov DeSantis passed a "Stop WOKE" act that regulates how lessons on race and gender are taught in Florida schools.
"In Florida, we are taking a stand against the state-sanctioned racism that is critical race theory," Mr DeSantis said, citing the academic framework that denotes the existence of systemic racism in American society.

However, one of the developers of the AP African American studies course had previously told Time magazine that the class does not teach "critical race theory".


Rather, Henry-Louis Gates Jr, a leading scholar on African American history in the US, said the course "is a mainstream, rigorously vetted, academic approach to a vibrant field of study".

[GMDino]

(08-04-2022, 01:25 PM)GMDino Wrote: Totally normal day under DeSantis rule...

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article264169541.html



Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article264169541.html#storylink=cpy

DeSantis "won" this legal battle in that the court cannot force him to put Warren back in office.

However that isn't because DeSantis was right or legally could remove him according to the judge (and the Florida Constitution) but rather because the court doesn't have the authority to do that.  Rather the court found DeSantis lied AND went against the Constitution.

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1616590855954997250.html

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davidrlurie

   
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As the judge explained, DeSantis won his case against Andrew Warren because the governor lied about his reasons for firing the prosecutor. 1/


DeSantis claimed that he fired Warren because the prosecutor had supposedly adopted a blanket policy not to prosecute certain types of criminal cases. But Warren had not adopted any such policy, as the governor knew or should have known. But .... 


2/the judge found that DeSantis's actual, unstated and unadmitted, purpose in firing Warren was to gain political points for firing a "reform" prosecutor, regardless of how effective that prosecutor was, and regardless of the will of the voters who elected him. 


3/A governor targeting and removing an elected prosecutor on policy grounds is, as the judge explained, a clear violation of the Florida Constitution, thus explaining what DeSantis has lied about his actual motive for removing Warren. 


4/But the 11th Amendment to the Federal Constitution, as it has been construed by the Supreme Court, did not allow the federal court hearing the case to order DeSantis to reinstate Warren on the ground of the governor's violation of the Florida Constitution. 


5/Furthermore, unlike the Florida Constitution, the U.S. Constitution does not prohibit a governor from targeting a local elected official on account of his reasonably held -- and voter endorsed -- law enforcement policies, as DeSantis did. Accordingly the judge reasoned .... 


6/he was compelled to rule in DeSantis's favor, despite the fact that DeSantis actual purpose was so problematic that DeSantis will not even admit it. 


7/Additionally, the Court found that DeSantis also targeted Warren for certain First Amendment protected speech contained in a statement he signed onto related to reproductive rights and the targeting of transgender persons. 


8/But while such retaliation against a public official for First Amendment protected speech violates the U.S. Constitution, that was another violation without a remedy in federal court, the Judge ruled. This was because, as explained, the Judge ... 


9/reasoned -- even if Warren had not made the statements DeSantis didn't like -- the governor would nonetheless have fired the prosecutor for the heinous, but federally permissible, reason that he did not like Warren's law enforcement policies. 


10/In sum, DeSantis got away with firing Warren for a reason that is so problematic he won't admit it. and that violates state law. DeSantis, of course, is touting his "victory." 11/11 
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The court's opinion is here: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flnd.442724/gov.uscourts.flnd.442724.150.0.pdf

[*Nately120*]

DeSantis has to have more political savvy than Trump and realize that endlessly pandering to his ultra loyal ultra conservative base in FL with all the culture war stuff isn't a slam dunk to beating Biden or whatever candidate he hands the baton off to, right? We will see what happens, but DeSantis seems way too into the idea of being the big fish in the Florida pond and flexing his muscles there rather than going head to head with Trump and then attempting to reclaim places like AZ, GA, PA, WI, and MI that Biden took back from the right in 2020.

The culture war crowd already loves DeSantis, but Trump is getting back on his faux-populist approach which could resonate with more independent voters than stuff like this. DeSantis is going to be 46 in 2024 and he has plenty of time to make a push for the WH, so I don't see why he wouldn't just let Trump and Biden politically and possible literally expire before making his move in 2028. Unless democrats move on to another candidate who beats Trump, 2028 is going to be an election without an incumbent to worry about. Well, Trump could declare for 2028 as logically as he would for 2024, but you know.

[GMDino]

What is funny/horrifying as I read article after article about what DeSantis is doing is how my "libertarian" friends on FB will bash Democrats and then vote for him because "small government".  

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/education/2023/01/23/fearing-prosecution-manatee-county-teachers-cover-up-classroom-books/69832276007/

Quote:Manatee County teachers close class libraries, fearing prosecution under new Florida law
Steven Walker
Sarasota Herald-Tribune

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Some Manatee County teachers have covered their classroom libraries with construction paper or otherwise eliminated students' access to make sure they comply with new Florida law requiring all library books to be approved by a certified media specialist.


The Manatee County School District directed teachers to remove all books that had not yet been approved by a specialist from their classroom libraries, Kevin Chapman, the district's chief of staff, said Monday. Chapman said many of the books teachers make available to students in their classrooms are likely already approved through the district's library system, but many teachers have chosen to close access altogether, since making unvetted books available could lead to felony prosecution.

The district did not, however, directly advise teachers to shut down classroom libraries and cover them up, Chapman said.

Book Bans:Sarasota School District partially reverses book donation freeze, but not for libraries
Education:Sarasota ground zero as conservatives seek to replicate Florida school board success

The policy comes in response to HB 1467, which requires all reading material in schools to be selected by an employee with a valid education media specialist certificate. In a message sent from the Manatee district to principals, the material must be “free of pornography” and “appropriate for the age level and group.” New training approved by the State Board of Education also asks media specialists to avoid materials with “unsolicited theories that may lead to student indoctrination.”

Don Falls, a history teacher at Manatee High School, said some of his colleagues have already covered their bookshelves and he plans to join them. 

“If you have a lot of books like I do, probably several hundred, it is not practical to run all of them through (the vetting process) so we have to cover them up,” he said. “It is not only ridiculous but a very scary attack on fundamental rights.”

Falls was involved in a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis over the Stop WOKE Act, which banned the teaching of critical race theory in Florida schools despite it not being in the state's curriculum. He said the law violates a teacher’s First Amendment rights.

Jean Faulk, a history and journalism teacher at Bayshore High, had to remove books on democracy and writings from John Adams because they weren’t vetted in the district’s library system. Her bookshelves are now only lined with reference books, she said.

“This is totally a political move by the governor,” Faulk said. “It has nothing to do with the students.”

She said her school’s administration sent out a directive to teachers asking them to put away or cover up all books in classroom libraries. Faulk said the books from her classroom libraries would now go to other local libraries or Goodwill.
Manatee Education Association President Pat Barber said the union advised its teachers to listen to principals and comply with the law, erring on the side of caution.

"It's a scary thing to have elementary teachers have to worry about being charged with a third-degree felony because of trying to help students develop a love of reading," Barber said.

Several Manatee teachers have taken to social media to post images of their classroom libraries covered to prevent students from taking books. Posts call the vetting process "cumbersome" and said the process of comparing the books on their shelves with the list of approved books is “incredibly difficult.”

Each of Manatee County's more than 60 schools has at least one certified media center specialist to vet books, Chapman said. The district and schools have begun making calls for volunteers to help teachers go through their classroom libraries and inventory what was already approved and what needs to be approved. 

There is no deadline or timeline as to when classroom books would need to be vetted by, he said.

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.

[Dill]

(01-21-2023, 03:20 PM)Nately120 Wrote: DeSantis has to have more political savvy than Trump and realize that endlessly pandering to his ultra loyal ultra conservative base in FL with all the culture war stuff isn't a slam dunk to beating Biden or whatever candidate he hands the baton off to, right?  We will see what happens, but DeSantis seems way too into the idea of being the big fish in the Florida pond and flexing his muscles there rather than going head to head with Trump and then attempting to reclaim places like AZ, GA, PA, WI, and MI that Biden took back from the right in 2020.

The culture war crowd already loves DeSantis, but Trump is getting back on his faux-populist approach which could resonate with more independent voters than stuff like this.  DeSantis is going to be 46 in 2024 and he has plenty of time to make a push for the WH, so I don't see why he wouldn't just let Trump and Biden politically and possible literally expire before making his move in 2028.  Unless democrats move on to another candidate who beats Trump, 2028 is going to be an election without an incumbent to worry about.  Well, Trump could declare for 2028 as logically as he would for 2024, but you know.

May be necessary for the nomination though. Then pivot a bit in the national election. 

It may be possible that Desantis isn't running for president and is waiting for 2028. He may be wise to wait a few more months. Trump is back on the campaign trail now. If he can get 2/3s support, which he probably can, then millions of the remaining GOP voters will still support him rather than the party which raises funds by child trafficking.  

Lindsay Graham was on Hannity last night explaining why you can't have Trump policies without Trump. E.g., our NATO allies would not have coughed up 480 billion dollars in alliance dues if they weren't convinced Trump would actually pull the U.S. out of NATO. Trump's China sanctions brought Mexico into cooperation as well, including their deploying 28,000 troops to help control our border. China and Russia know Trump will do what he says etc. (Like Putin would hate to see Trump back in the presidency.) This has to sound very persuasive in MAGA world--No Trump policies without Trump! It forecloses on those who would run on pro-Trump policies, but supposedly without all the other chaos and baggage.

I don't think Trump will resonate much with real independent voters, who understand that putting a twice impeached coup-plotting president back into power will not stabilize the country, end division etc.  Many of them may respond to "energy independence" and the like, but will see the other candidates--a Haley or a deSantis--as more likely to actually function AND get that done.
 
My point--Trump is not at all out of the picture.

[GMDino]

Can't you just WAIT until DeSantis brings his small government, anti-woke, let the parents decide platform to the national level?

He's gonna save ALL the children! 

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-ne-drag-queen-orlando-philharmonic-liquor-license-20230204-5khy556uvjaipavkzgwk4m453e-story.html

Quote:State moves to revoke Orlando Plaza Live’s liquor license following drag queen show
By Amanda Rabines
Orlando Sentinel
•
Feb 03, 2023 at 8:23 pm

Expand


Customers walk across the parking lot at Plaza Live in Orlando on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, the night the venue hosted “A Drag Queen Christmas.” The show triggered a state investigation which led Friday to the state moving to suspend its liquor license. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)


The Plaza Live, an Orlando event venue that came under state scrutiny for hosting an all-age drag queen performance in December, could lose its ability to sell alcohol, according to a complaint filed Friday by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

The agency claimed The Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation, which oversees the venue, had a responsibility to make sure no minors were in attendance at the Dec. 28 show, but failed and violated Florida statute in the process.

Images released in the complaint show adults bringing children into the venue. There was also a sign at the entrance that advised attendees of potentially unsuitable content for those under the age of 18, according to the complaint.

The investigation into the venue followed threats from the governor’s office to enact penalties if the plaza on Bumby Avenue allowed minors to see “A Drag Queen Christmas,” a show that featured holiday musical numbers and entertainers of all genders. The complaint alleged the show included “simulated sex acts.”

In a statement, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press secretary Bryan Griffin said the venue “violated Florida statutes,” and therefore “the Department is revoking the venue’s license for the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages.”

According to DBPR spokesperson Beth Pannell, the venue can continue to sell alcohol “until final action is taken by the agency in accordance with Florida’s Administrative Procedure Act.”

In a joint statement, the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation’s board of directors said The Plaza Live has hosted drag performances for eight consecutive years and described the venue to be a “welcoming and inclusive establishment that operates in good faith and compliance with all applicable laws.”

“That includes respecting the rights of parents to decide what content is or is not appropriate for their own children,” the statement said. “...We have just been made aware of this administrative complaint and are working with our legal team to evaluate and respond appropriately.”

The plaza is facing six civil counts of statute violations, including admitting children onto a licensed premises where performers conduct simulations of sexual activity constituting lewdness, unlawful exposure of sexual organs, engaging or permitting disorderly conduct and maintaining a nuisance on the licensed premises, the complaint said.

According to the complaint, the show was also marketed to children prior to the performances.

No criminal charges have been filed.

The show toured several Florida cities including Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Clearwater. The Orlando show drew in large crowds of supporters that wanted to reinforce the free agency of parents and protest the conservative movement’s attacks on LGBTQ progress.

>
But the show also drew a swell of right-wing protesters who claimed the show exposed children to “sexually explicit” content.


Some conservative protestors accused the show of pedophilia or “grooming,” an allegation often baselessly directed at LGBTQ people to imply a link between them and cases of child abuse.

LGBTQ activists say the country has seen a rise in anti-LGBTQ violence, fueled, in part, by policies advanced by Republican lawmakers, like House Bill 1557 known to critics as the “don’t say gay” bill, which prohibits the discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in schools up to the third grade or “in a manner that is not age-appropriate” for students in higher grades.

The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform said social media content alleging that members of the LGBTQ community were “groomers” skyrocketed by more than 400% last year after the passage of the bill.

Reacting to the news of the state action against Plaza Live, former Democratic lawmaker and LGBTQ activist Carlos Guillermo Smith on social media accused the governor’s office of overstepping its authority.

“Ron DeSantis’ formal action to revoke Plaza Live’s liquor license for hosting Drag Queen Christmas is an extreme abuse of regulatory power that can have devastating economic consequences for this local business,” he said. “Why can’t parents decide what’s appropriate for their own kids?”

arabines@orlandosentinel.com

[*Nately120*]

Remember when conservatives didn't co parent with the government?

[GMDino]

Not surprisingly the thin-skinned heir to the Trump "poor me" throne wants to go after the press in his little kingdom.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/10/us/politics/ron-desantis-news-media.html?unlocked_article_code=HqSL2RR48x1yRbPHZuCXVkUcJX8-pf62AU0GozpV_Yc7bafubkliqUweC3Q0JxxELLe5N2F2iqvQCyPYfMbIEgI_Cixl2w0zJnJKYaLA_8mREEcXMgQhvZZRRCnh4-FYz7iRcGu0FBhvkwABcBKnvBjMeYWynfTz1_7p15vqd6tflh95X2bvCH2KEvHJawrjkBtiE1pc-dZ8Jwvae1cGnOO1_tyDVSmt9lrBh6v4fs6HKjKIb7XtEemBgNHoOg7Th9KOPI9QeGunS9-rM_yphS4jByp1h35Qn_UP0sHsmCyGQaVZYVeS-yebaMyiQUfB_eNCu-k2QE5ku7nVyHE1jQkxqHKs&smid=tw-share

Quote:DeSantis, Aiming at a Favorite Foil, Wants to Roll Back Press Freedom

The Florida governor and possible presidential candidate is the latest in a string of Republicans to target the Supreme Court decision that has long protected journalists accused of defamation.

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Gov. Ron DeSantis is among the most influential conservatives calling on the Supreme Court to revisit The New York Times Company v. Sullivan.Credit...Scott McIntyre for The New York Times


By Ken Bensinger
Feb. 10, 2023


When Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida convened a round-table discussion about the news media this week, he spared no effort to play the part, perching at a faux anchor’s desk in front of a wall of video screens while firing questions to his guests like a seasoned cable TV host.

But the panel’s message was as notable as its slick presentation: Over the course of an hour, Mr. DeSantis and his guests laid out a detailed case for revisiting a landmark Supreme Court decision protecting the press from defamation lawsuits.
Mr. DeSantis is the latest figure, and among the most influential, to join a growing list of Republicans calling on the court to revisit the 1964 ruling, known as The New York Times Company v. Sullivan.

The decision set a higher bar for defamation lawsuits involving public figures, and for years it was viewed as sacrosanct. That standard has empowered journalists to investigate and criticize public figures without fear that an unintentional error will result in crippling financial penalties.


But emboldened by the Supreme Court’s recent willingness to overturn longstanding precedent, conservative lawyers, judges, legal scholars and politicians have been leading a charge to review the decision and either narrow it or overturn it entirely.

Mr. DeSantis, a likely Republican presidential candidate, put the effort at the center of his war against the mainstream media.



“How did it get to be this doctrine that has had really profound effects on society?” he said at the event, which featured two libel lawyers known for suing news organizations and a conservative scholar who recently published an essay titled “Overturn New York Times v. Sullivan.”


Under Sullivan, public figures who sue for defamation must show not only that a report contained false and damaging information, but also that its publisher acted with “actual malice” by knowing that the report was false or by recklessly disregarding the truth.


The precedent applies not only to mainstream media organizations, but also individuals, companies, partisan websites and podcasters that could face far greater exposure to defamation lawsuits if the standard of proof were lowered.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and His Administration

• Reshaping Florida: Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has turned the swing state into a right-wing laboratory by leaning into cultural battles.
  
• Education: Mr. DeSantis, an increasingly vocal culture warrior, is taking an aggressive swing at the education establishment, announcing a proposed overhaul of the state’s higher education system.
  
• 2024 Speculation: Mr. DeSantis opened his second term as Florida’s governor with a speech that subtly signaled his long-rumored ambitions for the White House.
  
• Prosecutor Ousting: A federal judge ruled that the governor violated state law when he removed Tampa’s top prosecutor, but that the court lacked the authority to reinstate him.
  
  

During the panel discussion on Tuesday, Mr. DeSantis accused the press of using Sullivan as a shield to intentionally “smear” politicians and said the precedent discouraged people from running for office. Would the current Supreme Court, he asked the panelists, be “receptive” to revisiting the case?

Donald J. Trump, who talked of changing libel laws as president, raised the same question in a court filing in December. The motion, part of a defamation lawsuit Mr. Trump filed against CNN, asked whether the high court “should reconsider whether Sullivan’s standard truly protects the democratic values embodied by the First Amendment.” His lawyers called the lawsuit, which accuses the network of unfairly comparing Mr. Trump to Adolf Hitler and seeks $475 million in damages, a “perfect vehicle” for revisiting the precedent.

CNN, which declined to comment, has denied the accusations and in November moved to dismiss the case. That motion is still pending.

A defamation lawsuit filed by Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska, against The New York Times, was once seen as a potential test of the “actual malice” standard first set by Sullivan. But a jury rejected her claim after a trial early last year, and a judge denied her bid for a second trial. The case is on appeal.

It’s not clear whether the court is ready to revisit Sullivan. Two justices on the conservative-majority Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas and Neil M. Gorsuch, have indicated their willingness to roll back the ruling in written dissents in recent years, but it would require two more votes for a challenge to even be heard.

The Supreme Court has a conservative majority, and two justices have signaled they are willing to roll back Sullivan.Credit...Erin Schaff/The New York Times



Last June, the court declined to hear a defamation suit brought by a Christian organization against the Southern Poverty Law Center, which had called it a “hate group.” Justice Thomas dissented, writing that he “would grant certiorari in this case to revisit the ‘actual malice’ standard.”



Floyd Abrams, a First Amendment lawyer who represented The Times in the Pentagon Papers case in the early 1970s, said there was “a growing sense in the conservative community that this is their day to set aside New York Times v. Sullivan.”
Mr. Abrams and other legal experts point to the court’s recent decisions on abortion and gun rights as signs that it may be willing to revisit other longstanding precedents.

For Mr. Abrams, the attacks on what he considers “the gold standard in the world for the protection of the press” are thinly veiled attempts to shelter the country’s most powerful figures from the scrutiny that a healthy democracy requires.
“Essentially what they’re saying is that they want to crack down on American journalism,” he said.

Some of those pushing for a review of Sullivan argue that state legislatures, rather than the federal courts, should determine the scope and magnitude of libel law and press protections. Mr. DeSantis’s office last year drafted legislation that would have made it difficult, if not impossible, for journalists to use anonymous sources. (The bill was never filed to the Florida Legislature.)

Another complaint among critics is that subsequent rulings by the Supreme Court allowed Sullivan to expand beyond public officials to include a larger group of public figures that includes people cast unwillingly into the spotlight by news events.
“I believe the pendulum has swung too far for the average person who is wronged by false media reports,” said Harmeet Dhillon, a California lawyer who specializes in defamation cases and recently lost her bid for leader of the Republican National Committee.


Ms. Dhillon and others point to Nicholas Sandmann, who in 2019 found himself at the center of a national controversy after he was filmed facing a Native American elder at the Lincoln Memorial while wearing a MAGA hat. He sued multiple news outlets, including The New York Times, claiming they relied on the statements of the Native American elder without verifying them and subjected him to mass ridicule and derision. Mr. Sandmann reached settlements with CNN, The Washington Post and NBC. The lawsuit against The Times and other outlets was thrown out by a federal judge.

Mr. Sandmann, who has appealed the decision, appeared on Tuesday’s panel, which was staged in a studio outside Miami and streamed online. As Mr. DeSantis sat in front of screens reading “Speak the Truth,” Mr. Sandmann said his experience had “predetermined part of what the rest of my future is,” which is why, he said, “we need to look at defamation.”

The attack on Sullivan by Mr. DeSantis underscores some conservatives’ increasing hostility against the mainstream media. But the crosscurrents of this issue reflect a more complex picture: Some of the outlets most favored by Mr. DeSantis and his allies have faced serious defamation challenges and have turned to the Sullivan case to defend against them.

Also on the panel was Libby Locke, a well-known media defamation lawyer who has pushed for judicial review of Sullivan, as well as state-level legislation that could make it easier for plaintiffs to bring and win libel cases.

Ms. Locke’s presence alongside Mr. DeSantis drew rebukes from many on the right, particularly Trump supporters, who noted that one of her firm’s clients is Dominion Voting Systems, the voting machine company that has been the target of unfounded accusations of election fraud from the former president’s backers.

Ms. Locke’s firm filed a $1.6 billion defamation suit against Fox News on Dominion’s behalf. Fox has invoked Sullivan as part of its defense. Last month, the Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch was deposed in the case, which is set to go to trial in April.
“DeSantis isn’t just trolling Trump. He’s now trolling us,” Ali Alexander, an organizer of the Jan. 6, 2021, rallies in Washington, wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.



In a statement, Fox said it was “confident we will prevail as freedom of the press is foundational to our democracy and must be protected,” adding that the lawsuit was “nothing more than a flagrant attempt to deter our journalists from doing their jobs.”

Ms. Locke’s firm, Clare Locke, declined to comment.

Sarah Palin lost her case against The Times last year.Credit...Stephanie Keith for The New York Times



Although his political rise was in part fueled by his appearances on Fox News, Mr. DeSantis has become one of the news media’s most aggressive critics. He rarely grants interviews to national, nonpartisan news organizations. A top communications aide, Christina Pushaw, has publicly dismissed reporters as “partisan legacy media” and “Democratic activists posing as a Capitol Press Corps.”

Mr. DeSantis’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

In 2021, Mr. DeSantis pointedly echoed the Sullivan standard in his statement blasting a “60 Minutes” report about the state’s Covid-19 vaccine distribution contract. Although he never sued, he accused the show’s network, CBS News, of “malicious intent and a reckless disregard for the truth.” At the time, CBS News said it stood behind its reporting and this week declined to comment further.

On Tuesday, Mr. DeSantis brought up the “60 Minutes” segment, telling his viewers that he had been a victim of a “hit piece” that was “fundamentally unfair.” He added that he has “a thick skin” but that others don’t have the platform he has to defend themselves, characterizing the debate as being about “standing up for the little guy against these massive media conglomerates.”

Eugene Volokh, a professor of law specializing in First Amendment issues at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that overturning Sullivan would go far beyond bolstering the rights of people like Mr. Sandmann and could have a chilling effect on news outlets worried about being sued for making unwitting mistakes while covering politicians and the government.

“The protection to criticize public officials is very important,” Mr. Volokh said. Although he would support reviewing subsequent Supreme Court rulings that expanded upon Sullivan, he questioned the motivations of politicians including Mr. DeSantis in calling for a complete reversal.

“Is this about the little guy or the big guy?” he asked.

Ken Bensinger is a Los Angeles-based politics reporter, covering right-wing media. He is the author of “Red Card: How the U.S. Blew The Whistle On The World’s Biggest Sports Scandal.” @kenbensinger

[color=var(--color-content-secondary,#363636)][url=https://twitter.com/kenbensinger][/url][/color]

[GMDino]

I mean what go wrong when one person can make decisions about the entire educational system based on if he feels "insulted" or not?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/02/13/desantis-threatens-florida-ban-of-ap-classes-in-latest-college-board-jab/?sh=3202f47f11f8

Quote:DeSantis Threatens Florida Ban Of AP Classes In Latest College Board Jab
[/url]Nicholas Reimann
Forbes Staff

I cover breaking and trending news, focused on national politics.
Follow

Feb 13, 2023,07:58pm EST


[color=var(--foreground-color)]Listen to article4 minutes

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TOPLINE
 
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis [url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-desantis-who-needs-ap-classes-20230213-sf7hr6sncvavxp2kg2frhtumf4-story.html]said Monday he may propose eliminating the College Board’s Advanced Placement classes from Florida schools, threatening an escalation of a weeks-long public feud between the governor and the educational group over content of its classes DeSantis has blasted as “woke” indoctrination.



Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ® speaks at a news conference to announce the Moving Florida Forward ... [+]
SOPA IMAGES/LIGHTROCKET VIA GETTY IMAGES

KEY FACTS
DeSantis said at a news conference he’s spoken with Florida state House Speaker Paul Renner (R-Palm Coast) about potentially having the legislature “reevaluate” the course offerings.

The governor instead suggested “other vendors” might be able to offer similar AP-style programs—which give high school students the opportunity to earn college credit—even though the College Board dominates the industry.

The Florida Department of Education rejected an AP African American studies course last month, which DeSantis said was trying to push a “political agenda” he likened to Marxism over including Black feminism and ***** studies as part of the class.

The College Board did not respond to a request for comment from Forbes on DeSantis’ latest remark, but it sent out a statement over the weekend accusing Florida officials of “slander” and blasting the move to block the African American studies class as a “PR stunt.”

CRUCIAL QUOTE
“This College Board—nobody elected them to anything,” DeSantis said. “They’re just kind of there and provide this service, and you can utilize those services or not.”


CONTRA
The College Board changed the curriculum of its AP African American studies class after the Florida rejection, removing intersectional issues from the course—and also widely read Black authors, including Ta Nehisi-Coates and Bell Hooks—as well as references to critical race theory, a loosely defined academic framework arguing U.S. legal institutions are inherently racist toward Black Americans.

KEY BACKGROUND
DeSantis’ stance against so-called “woke” messaging has been a hallmark of his time as governor, particularly when it comes to education. The governor and his administration have enacted policies like the “Don’t Say Gay” law prohibiting classroom discussions on sexual orientation or gender identity through the third grade, while creating new guidelines allowing for the removal of state-defined controversial materials from school libraries and asking universities to provide data on how many students have received gender-affirming medical treatments. The dustup with the College Board comes as all signs point to DeSantis making a 2024 presidential run, setting up what’s expected to be a scorched-earth Republican primary as he battles with former President Donald Trump for the support of the party’s heavily conservative base. Polls suggest DeSantis is by far the most viable GOP alternative to Trump at this point—the latest RealClearPolitics polling average has DeSantis with 30% support, behind Trump’s 48% but well ahead of former Vice President Mike Pence, who polled third with 7%.

FURTHER READING
DeSantis ponders ending AP classes for Florida students (Orlando Sentinel)

DeSantis Defends Florida Rejecting AP African-American Studies Course (Forbes)

College Board Pares Back AP African American Studies After DeSantis Complaint—Here’s What’s Removed (Forbes)

DeSantis Unveils ‘Stop W.O.K.E. Act’ So Parents Can Sue Over Critical Race Theory In Schools (Forbes)

Rejecting AP Studies, Restricting Libraries: Here’s How DeSantis And His ‘Anti-Woke’ Policies Are Impacting Florida Education (Forbes)

[*Nately120*]

Ron DeSantis sure likes banning stuff. Ripoff RINO Ron DeBANtis. It'll be some real scary fun watching him and Trump try to outdo each other on how much stuff they're going to ban when they get elected president.

[NATI BENGALS]

Freedom!!!!

But don’t look at these books
Don’t teach that
Don’t consider the ethics of a company for investment purposes
Don’t make inclusive child’s content
Don’t even try to do anything to slow a pandemic

[*Nately120*]

(02-15-2023, 12:02 AM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: Freedom!!!!

But don’t look at these books
Don’t teach that
Don’t consider the ethics of a company for investment purposes
Don’t make inclusive child’s content
Don’t even try to do anything to slow a pandemic

In all fairness, no one is forced to live in Florida.  It may be time to dust off the ol' Oregon Trail mentality and have a great migration.  The more we let states go hog wild to the left or right the more the country is going to just divide and migrate.

I live in PA, the #3 highest state with people moving to Florida and after the 2022 midterms we now have another democrat governor (nothing new here) and 2 democrat senators.  Georgia is also #2 on the list, so PA and GA get bluer and FL has their red wave.  Will this continue?

[NATI BENGALS]

Look at me, look how anti-woke I am, as the big man in charge of hurt feelings I will now begin boycotting things I don’t like, except instead of letting people make their own decisions and having free will I will now make all my cancel culture actions legally binding.

And the GOP lusts for him to lead the country.

[Fan_in_Kettering]

It must be awful being a liberal with Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis living rent-free in your heads 24-7. I cannot imagine being so engulfed in hate that I completely obsess over my political adversaries.