Before Trump elevated DeSantis to governor of Florida (that’s one of the rare Trump brags that’s actually true), Pudd’n Boots was a U.S. House backbencher. He returned to D.C. yesterday to meet with elected Republicans. It didn’t go so well (NYT gift link):
DeSantis Meets With Republicans on Capitol Hill, to a Lukewarm Response
Ron DeSantis has not managed much momentum from his party in Congress, where he served before becoming Florida’s governor.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Tuesday made a rare return trip to Washington, where he served in the House before his run for governor, to mingle with about a dozen Republican lawmakers.
But his journey to Capitol Hill failed to spark much momentum in his expected presidential bid among Republicans in Congress, an important group for White House aspirants…
Representative Lance Gooden of Texas, meanwhile, sent out a statement endorsing Donald J. Trump — during Mr. DeSantis’s event.
“Due diligence was my motivating factor,” Mr. Gooden said in an interview after meeting with Mr. DeSantis at the gathering. “I love Donald Trump. But I didn’t want to just jump out and endorse him out of loyalty. I made a commitment to myself that I would meet and visit with every serious contender before I made a decision. I chose today and wanted to jump back on the Trump Train.”
Man, that’s cold! As noted earlier, DeSantis donors are panicking, and Florida Republicans continue to tap out on RD 2024, despite the DeSantis campaign begging them to at least remain neutral.
The NYT says DeSantis offered extensive facetime to any House Repub who wanted it. But only about a dozen people showed up in total, presumably including the dude who texted an endorsement for Trump while DeSantis was right there in the room.
There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick, even in the Gormless Odious Prick party.
Undeterred, DeSantis will speak at a D.C. Heritage Foundation conference later this week, hit up an event in Texas and then undertake a whirlwind global tour with stops in Japan, Korea, Israel and the UK. I wonder if anyone in Florida will notice.
Open thread!
Baud
He likes places that aren’t flooded.
Burnspbesq
Since it’s an open thread, and thereby nothing is OT …
FIBA just banned Russia’s men’s and women’s basketball teams from trying to qualify for the 2024 Olympics.
Baud
@Burnspbesq:
Doping or Ukraine?
Jerzy Russian
This is one of those things that are both hilarious and frightening at the same time. Hilarious that Ron is getting snubbed, and frightening that there is anyone (outside perhaps a few immediate family members) that anyone could look at T***p and decide he is the best man for the (or any) job.
Baud
I assume DeSantis will praise Netanyahun for taking on judges in Israel.
I wonder if he’ll meet with JK Rowling in UK.
eclare
Why is he going overseas?
Burnspbesq
As of the last time the online docket sheet was updated, Supremes still hadn’t acted on the FDA stay application.
Geminid
Politico’s article on the reception had some good items. One was about a couple of Congressmen who noted that DeSantis was a former colleague, and they just wanted to stop in to say hello.
lowtechcyclist
Depends on whether there’s another disaster down there. They noticed when he didn’t take a break from his book tour when Fort Lauderdale got six months’ worth of rain in a day.
ETA: Speaking of which, can you imagine bothering to read a book “by” (ghostwritten for) Meatball Ron? And of course the real point is money-laundering: your donors are supposed to buy them by the gross and give them out as presents. But his donors are backing off; I bet there’s gonna be a ton of these books gathering dust in the publisher’s warehouse.
Baud
@Burnspbesq:
Probably won’t happen until late.
Burnspbesq
@Baud:
Story I saw didn’t say. Either will do just fine. Or it may be for the shit they put Griner through.
Frankensteinbeck
GOP have two choices to support right now: DeSantis or Trump. DeSantis is a wimp, and he just snivels while playground bully Trump kicks dirt on him. It’s becoming obvious that he can’t win, so… I mean, what else is the party going to do but pick Trump? Voters, elected, and donors at all levels?
EDIT – It takes truly epic levels of Loser Stink right now to make Trump look like a winner, but DeSantis has got it.
PaulWartenberg
DeSantis poses like a bully but begs like a worm.
JPL
@Burnspbesq: For cowards, it is easier to just let the law take effect. Next on the agenda is birth control.
Manyakitty
@Burnspbesq: excellent. More like this.
Manyakitty
@eclare: guessing he’s desperate to escape the hell of his own creation.
Burnspbesq
@Baud:
you’re probably right. At a minimum, they will probably wait until the markets close, because whatever they do could move stock prices.
Manyakitty
@lowtechcyclist: it’s looking more and more like Puddn Boots is toast. What on earth is he expecting from this world tour?
PaulWartenberg
@eclare:
Because DeSantis wants to buff any “foreign policy” skills to wow the National Review crowds for 2024.
I don’t know who’s more delusional about winning: Putin or DeSantis.
lowtechcyclist
@eclare:
Probably one of those “pretend to develop some foreign policy chops” trips that Presidential aspirants with no such experience often do before they actually campaign.
ETA:
@Manyakitty:
a) Had probably already scheduled it; (b) probably hasn’t given up on 2028/2032/etc. (c) doesn’t give a damn about Florida anyway, so why not take a trip somewhere?
JoyceH
@lowtechcyclist:
Oh, he took a break – he flew back to Florida to sign that abortion ban in the middle of the night, and then back to the book tour. No time to stop by Fort Lauderdale, that was underwater at that very moment.
Baud
@lowtechcyclist:
It helped Obama in 08, but he was a unique candidate.
Betty Cracker
I wonder if Tacky O is experiencing any buyer’s remorse…
rikyrah
@Jerzy Russian:
They have no philosophical differences. None at all. So, why not stick with the original.
MattF
I think it’s a little surprising how rapidly DeSantis is sinking. Concrete boots, concrete gloves, and a cute little concrete hat.
rikyrah
@eclare:
To pretend that he has gravitas.
Anonymous At Work
Republican establishment showing they prefer the warm and personable personality of Ted Cruz.
Roger Moore
@lowtechcyclist:
I don’t know how much of this is money laundering and how much is reputation buffing. Politicians love being able to claim they’re bestselling authors. That’s true even for anti-intellectual Republicans, even though the main source that certifies their bestselling status is the hated New York Times.
Steeplejack
@eclare:
To burnish his nonexistent foreign policy cred, I assume. Under cover of “promoting investment in Florida.”
Baud
Why hasn’t the rubber stamp legislature passed the law to allow DeSantis to officially announce he’s running?
sdhays
@JoyceH: I wasn’t under the impression that Ft. Lauderdale was a particularly liberal place. Maybe purple? Has he just assumed that there are now enough Republicans in Florida that he doesn’t have to try at all anymore?
Dorothy A. Winsor
@sdhays: What kind of governor doesn’t see the political possibilities in a flood? DeSantis is a bad politician
Geminid
The Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force are blasting away at each other for the 4th day. A ceasefire set to begin yesterday never happened. Citizens are streaming out of Khartoum in vehicles and on foot to escape the fighting, and people are also running out of food.
p.a.
Given his party’s “foreign policy” besides Israel shouldn’t he be visiting Hungary, Russia, Turkey?
JoyceH
@sdhays:
I’ve noticed that most Republican office holders spend a lot less time actually doing the job they have, and more time campaigning for the next job they want. It used to be that you had to actually sit there for a minute, and prove that you would actually do a job if the voters would give it to you.
Geoduck
@Jerzy Russian: The Shiatgibbon is the best at being the Shiatgibbon, which is why DeSantis’s attempts at taking his place are so pathetic and doomed.
Betty Cracker
Here’s a link to an article in The19th News about new FL Dems chair Nikki Fried. It covers her recent arrest at a protest of the six-week abortion ban and how it symbolizes a different style. Some excerpts:
Lord knows we need to tear it down to the studs and rebuild. Godspeed, Nikki!
Manyakitty
@Betty Cracker: I just feel bad for the kids. Their lives must be Ted and Heidi Cruz-level miserable.
Also, too, off-topic, but have you ever tried Thinh Anh? (I think that’s the spelling) amazing Vietnamese place just down the road from my parents in Tampa. Fresh, house-made tofu, bakery, crazy desserts, enormous menu, lots of meatless options, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
Wanderer
@Jerzy Russian: Especially given that his past performance was such a failure on so many fronts. How anyone could vote for him is baffling to me.
Manyakitty
@MattF: snort!
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
He can tell her all about how he found the actions of Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and the education reforms of Dolores Umbridge to be a huge personal inspiration.
The Moar You Know
As I have said before: Ron DeSantis will not be president.
As I have not said before: he won’t even be president of the wingnut cruelty brigade. He’d better stick with his current gig as he’s not getting another one.
Eolirin
@sdhays: It’s not like he needs their votes. Even if he were to somehow win the nomination, I don’t think FL is going to go to Biden.
And it’s not like he can run for governor again or that there’s any chance of dems picking up enough seats to flip the state legislature given the level of gerrymandering. He’s got fully consolidated control over all of the power structures of the state, from the legislature to the courts, he doesn’t need to care about the voters there at all.
This makes him more vulnerable when trying to run a national campaign. He’s got no idea how to do retail politics.
Betty Cracker
@Manyakitty: Thanks for the heads up on that place! I really don’t know Vietnamese food at all. Pho may be the only dish I’ve tried. Will keep your rec in mind for next time I’m in Tampa. :)
Barry
It makes sense for a rep to support Trump. IMHO, that gives them the best bet for surviving the primary. DeSantis, even if he succeeds, will be handling a lot, and less likely to retaliate in an organized manner.
sdhays
@MattF: It’s not really that surprising at all if you happened to know anything about the guy. I mean, what everyone “knew” about Gov. DeathsAnus was that he was hard-right and winning in Florida and a bunch of idiot pundits had decided he was dreamy. It turns out:
I mean, when there was that supposedly positive article a few months back about DeShittest’s “charm offensive” where he had a fundraising dinner and ACTUALLY WALKED AROUND AND TALKED TO DONORS as if that was a special treat he was now offering… My goodness, anyone reading that should have immediately reset any expectations on how far this piece of shit was able to go.
prostratedragon
@Burnspbesq: I just surprised myself with how glad I am to hear that.
steve g
DeSantis in DC: 0/10, no notes.
DeSantis International: ditto.
oatler
@Manyakitty
How do they get out of their own consensual rat’s-nest? Along with groomers and space lasers, there’s not much happy in the nest.
sdhays
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Well, the last time he got mocked for his pristine white boots, so maybe he can’t decide whether to double down on his whitey’s or get a different color and hope no one finds something to mock there.
jonas
“When I look for things in a president, massive business fraud, tax evasion, fomenting insurrection, stealing classified documents, and compromising national security are at the top of my list!!”
These people are some combination of insane and evil that I don’t quite even have a word for…
Eolirin
@Geoduck: Trump is going to stop being a going concern after this cycle at the latest. And depending on what charges the DoJ brings, it may be before the end of this cycle.
What comes next is a huge open question, and I’m not sure how DeSantis fairs with the base when there isn’t a Trump as an option. It’s not like there’s a bunch of strong contenders lined up.
Citizen Alan
@Jerzy Russian:
To be fair, I might vote for Trump … if I absolutely had to vote for someone and the alternative was, say, Charles Manson. In a kakistocracy, there’s always someone worse.
Betty
What happened to the rule that DeSantis had to resign before running for President. Despite no official announcement, this certainly appears to be a campaign. I see the legislature continues on their merry way making sex talk illegal in schools.
Citizen Alan
@MattF: Is it really? It seems to me that most GOP media darlings are hot-house flowers. They look pretty when the media is bending over backwards to show them in the best light, but they wilt instantly when exposed to environmental conditions anything less than perfectly tailored to them.
Manyakitty
@Betty Cracker: it’s so good I dream about it. Now I make my dad stop there for snacks on our way home from the airport. 😀
Betty Cracker
If DeSantis washes out of the 2024 GOP primary, he’s going to be at a career crossroads because he’s term limited as gov. He and Rick Scott allegedly hate each other’s guts, but Scott is up for reelection next year, so the timing is off to primary Scott unless DeSantis declines to run for POTUS.
Marco Rubio was unfortunately just reelected, so I guess DeSantis could finish his term as governor and then go after Rubio’s seat. But I don’t know if he could pull that off. Rubio isn’t as popular with Florida Republicans as DeSantis, but he’s an incumbent with huge support among South FL Latinos. He might be hard to dislodge.
sdhays
@Eolirin: I’ve been skeptical of Florida for a long time, but it still seems like whistling past the graveyard for Republicans to ignore Ft. Lauderdale being under water. They’re doing a lot of unpopular shit, even if too many Floridians haven’t (so far) cared enough to vote for Democrats. The consequences of this neglect and active bad governance will continue accumulate over time.
Democrats have been able to win statewide in Kansas and Louisiana due to extremely poor Republican governance, and I don’t think the lift is harder in Florida.
Michael Bersin
Life in west central Missouri, because drag shows:
The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us
The Warrensburg City Council meeting on Monday night is gonna be very interesting.
Manyakitty
@oatler: no sympathy, no quarter for the adults. At least one of the Cruz kids is/was in crisis and I see the desatan girls heading down the same path.
Betty Cracker
@Betty: Good question since the legislative session wraps up next month. I have no doubt those lickspittles will deliver a bill to RD’s desk if that’s what he wants, but it’s…interesting that it hasn’t happened yet. Maybe opting NOT to run for POTUS is still on the table, who knows?
Geminid
@p.a.: Turkiye has gotten a bad rap because it has maintained economic ties with Russia since that country invaded Ukraine. In terms of military aid though, Turkey ranks among the top NATO countries. Last November Stijn Mitzer of wrote a good article about this for Oryx titled “The Stalwart Ally: Turkiye’s Arms Deliveries to Ukraine.” It’s a very interesting read for those interested in the subject.
Turkiye also was instrumental in creating and maintaining the Black Sea Grain Deal whereby Ukraine has shipped more than 20 million tons of grain to foreign markets.
It would not be a good time for DeSantis to visit Turkiye anyway. They are in the middle of an election campaign; Turks will be voting for President and National Assembly on May 14. DeSantis might not get to meet with anyone important:
Erdogan staffer: “Sorry, President Erdogan is very busy. Perhaps DeSantis should visit with his opponent, Mr. Kilicdorglu.”
DeSantis advance man: “But Kilicdorglu’s guy said to talk to Erdogan!”
Erdogan staffer: “Interesting. Maybe the Governor should visit the US embassy, stage a photo op with Ambassador Flake.”
DeSantis staffer: “Kilicdorglu’s guy told me that too!”
Erdogan staffer: “Jeff’s lonely.”
Delk
Won’t matter what color boots he wears because in less than a minute they’ll be photoshopped white.
ARoomWithAMoose
@Betty Cracker: Thinh Anh is on Waters between Sheldon and the Veterans Expressway, almost to Westchase, so may be quite a bit out of your way. It’s pretty good, always packed with a nice cross section of folks; working deli type seating.
They’ve got all these baguette sandwiches in amongst the more sterotypical pho and rice dishes, a reminder Vietnam was a French colonial holding for part of its history.
Renie
@eclare: He probably doesn’t realize people in Japan, Korea, Israel and the UK can’t vote for him
Old School
Capitol Hill, Heritage Foundation, Texas, Japan, Korea, Israel and the UK.
Weirdest book tour ever.
ARoomWithAMoose
@sdhays: My admittedly poor read on Florida voter demographics, the cities trend blue (and the city/suburban dwellers didn’t bother voting in 2022), the GOP base here is the rural white folk and 55+ retirees who mostly are in huge ex-urban developments, since anything near a city is expensive. RD showing contempt for a major city of this state is pretty much playing to the rural/ex-urban base.
There’s a lesson in the rural voter outreach in the GOTV engine the FLGOP built, those effort hit a sweat spot of being invisible to the urban Dem voters. The older mass media style GOTV would normally rile up voters of both parties.
PJ
@Betty Cracker: If she were smart (evidence points to the contrary), she would take her husband’s total failure right now as a learning lesson about what not to do, and would work towards reshaping his actions and his image into something that can seriously appeal to a nationwide audience of not-morons and not-cruelty-loving-monsters – it’s five years until 2028, plenty of time for that makeover.
But given how stupidity and cruelty have been their guiding star over the past few years, I think a course correction is unlikely. And even if it were possible, as long as Trump is alive, he will shred any chances De Santis has. Meatball Ron just doesn’t have the fortitude to stand up to Trump. He’ll always be a Mini-Me, and the people who love Original Flavor Cheeto Mussolini will always choose him over the knock-off brand.
cmorenc
@Burnspbesq:
Consider that Alito could have passed on the initial emergency stay application instead of granting it as the Justice in charge of such re: 5th Circuit cases, and he would seem the most likely among the six RW SCOTUS justices to be on-board with restricting mifepristone in pursuit of handicapping abortion. My guess is that at least 5 justices will decide that upending FDA authority to screen drug safety is not the best way to go about supporting further restriction of abortion, and they will find another case to attack it from a different angle to achieve their anti-abortion goal.
JCJ
Republican?
James E Powell
@Barry:
It’s the best bet to ensure that there won’t be a primary.
Origuy
Somebody on Twitter referred to RdS as “Vladimir Puddin”.
Bex
@Betty Cracker: Somebody said in a tweet that they got an Evita vibe from a picture of Tacky O wearing long white gloves with her, uh, whatever she was wearing, her arms outstretched. Next tweet said, “Don’t cry for me Tallahassee.”
mrmoshpotato
FTFY New York Bitchass Times
West of the Rockies
@lowtechcyclist:
Who doesn’t want to read 300 pages of boasting, humble-bragging, and self-aggrandizement?
patrick II
@Burnspbesq:
Good for FIBA. It is too bad the IOC has still not disqualified the Russians.
The Olympics has been an example of the corruption of Russian culture for a while now. They cheat at the Olympics in any way they can, including corrupting judges and juicing their athletes. Their Olympic teams have been penalized, but not nearly enough. Their disdainful attitude toward fair competition is a symptom, like Trump is a symptom, of something much deeper and corrupt. They use the Olympics as another lie to present a image of Russia that is more healthy and successful than it actually is.
Of course, with the war in Ukraine, we a past trying to read the athletic tea leaves of Russia living a corrupt, dystopian lie. The IOC must do what they should have done years ago, and disqualify the Russians from the competition.
Kay
Just amazing how many fancy people know Harlan Crow personally and feel they must rush to his defense.
Gross boot licking.
Manyakitty
@ARoomWithAMoose: maybr a Tampa meetup there when I’m down next?
And yeah, that place is ALWAYS busy.
Betty Cracker
@PJ: Good points. Tacky O keeps a fairly low profile when not on display, but from what I hear, she’s every bit as much of a cruel, hard-right fanatic as her husband.
And unless the wingnut supermajority Florida Supreme Court unexpectedly puts the kibosh on the six-week abortion ban, the fallout from that will still be very much with us in 2028, and the effects of the wrecking ball DeSantis is taking to the state’s public education system are likely to be manifesting in even more unpleasant ways by then.
In that sense, this is arguably his now or never moment. I never say never because this country has an inexhaustible supply of stupid, but DeSantis sure seems to be blowing it so far.
West of the Rockies
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Maybe he should do what Trump did in “Pleasure, CA” (Paradise, site of the ’18 Camp Fire) when he told them to start raking to avoid wild fires.
“Hey, Florida, you need to mop up excess water. That’s what they do in Venice, and it’s worked out nicely for them.”
James E Powell
I love to see & hear that DeSantis is failing, but I’m not ready to write him off. And even if he announces that God told him not to run, God can always change his mind. See, Marco Rubio 2016.
Query. If DeSantis decides not to run, does that make Nikki Haley the leading “Not Trump” candidate? Will our stomachs be able to stand the warm & foamy sponge bath that the Village is eager to give her?
Eolirin
@sdhays: Yeah, but that’s a problem for the GOP, not DeSantis. I don’t see why he would care.
This is a problem for the party, and one they identified back in 2012 but have been completely unable to do anything about; the party is increasingly infiltrated by grifters. It isn’t even party over country for them anymore. It’s how much they can grab for themselves.
WaterGirl
@Burnspbesq: yay!
Baud
@James E Powell:
Asa Hutchinson, Tim Scott, and Chris Sununu are expected to run. Maybe Chris Christie too.
Roger Moore
@JoyceH:
The job the Republican voters want their elected officials to do is owning the libs, so it dovetails perfectly with running for the next office.
Kay
Don’t say gay law just expanded up to12th grade.
All the people who said it was about K-3 education now look like gullible fools.
Manyakitty
@Baud: a festival of also-rans and never-happenings
Citizen Alan
@Manyakitty: I’m absolutely certain that Cruz abuses his kids in some capacity. In every picture I’ve seen of him and his kids, they absolutely recoil from him.
Geminid
@Baud: Country horse trader:
“Them’s awful slim pickins!”
brendancalling
@eclare: probably doesn’t want to answer questions about the way he left his state to drown.
sab
@Bex: That made me laugh. Now I am cursed with a new earworm.
Citizen Alan
@Baud: Tim Scott and Nicki Haley are running to be Trump (or somebody’s) VP. Christie, I suspect, is running to increase his media standing so he can get a permanent gig on Fox after Fucker Carlson eventually flames out (eventually, Fucker is finally going to blurt out something so radioactive that Fox will have to Bill O him). The rest are all vanity candidates, as far as I’m concerned.
MazeDancer
If you would like to do some serious push back on the FL GOP, write PostCards to elect Donna Deegan the first woman mayor of Jacksonville.
Just click on my nym to get addresses.
Election is May 16. Deegan is up by 1.
We can do this.
NotMax
Y’know, you keep this up and people might get the impression you don’t particularly care for your governor.
// :)
Manyakitty
@Citizen Alan: right? It’s so creepy. Then one of the kids suffered a mental health crisis a few months back, likely because of the toxic sludge she’s forced to live in.
RobertB
@ARoomWithAMoose: Banh mi. Those are great, if you can stand jalapeno peppers and cilantro.
dww44
Headline from CNN on my phone just now: “US Supreme Court temporarily extends access to abortion pill until Friday night”
trollhattan
@Baud: Or armed.
You know the “Thigh food” story? I’m guessing he’s using the same stunt to choose aides because clearly there’s nobody in the DeSantis camp honest enough to tell him “Ron [sorry, “Sir”] this ain’t happening so let’s just focus on raiding the coffers and getting fucking rich. Whaddya say?”
Gin & Tonic
@Burnspbesq:
Good. Hope this becomes a trend.
Ksmiami
@ARoomWithAMoose: Banh Mi sandwiches are an amazing hybrid of Vietnamese and French cuisine.
Roger Moore
@Eolirin:
I think they’re past the point of no return on that one. Once there are enough grifters within the party elite, it’s really hard to do anything to get rid of them. They’ll fight like hell to protect their grift, and there are enough of them that it’s all but impossible to wrest control away from them. Even the people who aren’t 100% grifter have figured out ways to profit from the position in the party. The grifters will stay in control of the party until/unless the Democrats succeed in pushing some kind of comprehensive campaign finance reform that makes grifting unprofitable.
eversor
He’s just a sour faced sour mouthed pucker faced little shit ass punk. I go to dinners and fund raisers on the corporate side and I bill it. It’s supposed to be fun. Nobody wants to hangout with some sour puss douche of a man.
He doesn’t get this. Nobody likes that guy. Trump, I quasi get. DeSantis is just I don’t even. He can’t survive DC they’ll eat him alive.
trollhattan
An extended golf clap is heard from the gallery.
trollhattan
They have arrested brothers, 16 and 17, for the Alabama party killings.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65328736
Guns are not the problem, though. What 16YO does not deserve to carry one?
Gin & Tonic
@Ksmiami: And there are myriad local variations. Had a really great one from a street vendor in Hanoi that had, among other ingredients, a pork meatball and a fried egg.
UncleEbeneezer
@Betty Cracker: Vietnamese has several great options in addition to Pho. Most can be broken down into some variation of:
• Meat (or veg) over rice vermicelli
• Meat (or veg) over broken rice
• Soups (pho is most famous but there are a couple others and stews that are also really good)
• Curry (yellowish with lots of lemongrass)
• Banh Mi- amazing sandwich on baguette
• Egg Rolls- Big, usually eaten with lettuce, mint, pickled carrots/daikon (all of which are pretty common fixings on most Vietnamese dishes) and dunked in fish sauce/rice-vinegar
• Banh Kot (savory little pancakes, usually with shrimp)
And Cafe Sua Da (coffee with sweet/condensed milk) are amazingly addictive!!
It’s a cuisine that features a lot of fresh veggies and toppings and sorta feels healthy. And while things can get spicy if you want, they usually aren’t as crazy-spicy by default, as say Thai cuisine.
UncleEbeneezer
@RobertB: In Vietnam, they use red chili peppers that have a significantly different taste than jalapeños. They make for a much more enjoyable banh mi. Also, pate. Gotta have pate!!!
Lapassionara
@cmorenc: I just saw a headline saying the court has extended the stay through tomorrow.
eTA through Friday
Cameron
@lowtechcyclist: Experience? You don’t think his time at Guantanamo counts?
...now I try to be amused
Trump never makes anyone he can’t unmake. DeSantis should have considered that before he came at the king, but that would require an objectivity about himself that few of us have.
eversor
@Ksmiami:
Come to the Washington DC area we have a massive Vietnamese disporia and it is glorious. I don’t think any place in the US can top us. Not just the gorcery stores but the food, soup, sandwich shops are all to die for. Just don’t expect them to speak English and it’s cash only.
Tom Q.
Like most everyone, I’m on one level deeply enjoying DeSantis flaming out in such spectacular fashion, after being assured by the perennially-clueless DC press corps he was the dream candidate of whom Democrats should be terrified. I was always confident his negative-charisma-quotient would kick in at some point.
However…I honestly think I’d prefer him (or a lackluster equivalent) as Biden’s opposition next year to Trump. Trump is, I think, the only GOPer who can goose that rural turnout, which has kept the GOP from falling totally off a cliff in ’18/’20/’22.
Some would respond that we need Trump front and center, to motivate the anti-MAGA forces, specifically suburban women and under-25’s. But I think the WI Supreme Court vote suggests Trump’s physical presence is no longer required. He had nothing to do with that race, but his party is at this point so MAGA-ized — especially after the entire establishment jumped to denounce his indictment — that motivation is as high as can be among anti’s. If we could combine that with a failure to mobilize the Trumpish hordes — those whose unusually high numbers were the only thing that made the 2016 fluke possible — we could see a generational loss for the GOP in 2024.
My hope: Trump’s worsening legal issues (coming soon from GA and DOJ) put him to the point where he can’t even win the GOP nomination, at least not without a punishing primary and convention. Meantime, DeSantis’ crash-and-burn has left him an unappetizing alternative. The party flails around, desperately seeking anyone who isn’t horrible; settles on…I don’t know, Thune, Cornyn, whoever. And the anti-MAGA majority thumps him so thoroughly that Biden is re-elected by a majority that holds the Senate and convincingly re-takes the House.
Wish-oriented, yes. But I think closer to reality than people assume, because the Trump-only voters create a distorted version of the country’s current political reality. Remove them from the equation, and the skew can be enormous.
Sure Lurkalot
@Ksmiami:
They are! Spouse and I just went to a bakery cafe that specializes in them. Spouse picked the more authentic one with pate, ham and pork roll and I had a grilled lemongrass pork. Best if you like jalapeños and cilantro.
NotMax
@trolhattan
The family that slays together….
eversor
@UncleEbeneezer:
You forgot the salted lemonade which is godly.
eversor
@Sure Lurkalot:
Those not fried summer rolls are where the real fun is.
Manyakitty
@eversor: oh wait, they have that but I never tried it. Guess I will next time. Should be there in June.
J.
Republicans Hit DeSantis Over Disney Feud. (Ignore that it’s by Maggie Haberman.)
Roger Moore
@UncleEbeneezer:
One that seems like it might appeal a bit more to mainstream American tastes is 7 course beef. It’s more or less what it says on the tin: a meal with seven courses of beef cooked in different ways. It’s usually served with lots of vegetables that you roll into your own spring rolls at the table. It’s a fun, relaxing, slow meal.
Manyakitty
@eversor: are summer rolls the same as fresh rolls? With the moistened rice wrapper? OMG I can eat myself sick on those things. 😍
JoyceH
@dww44:
My first thought when I read that was ‘they’re fighting amongst themselves’. Some are so anti-abortion that they’re willing to throw the entire US pharmaceutical industry into chaos, and some don’t want to go that far. Heck, someone might challenge Viagra!
eclare
@Baud: True. Who can forget Berlin?
karen marie
@Manyakitty: My guess is they’re in the care of nannies and only occasionally dragged out for set pieces. They’re young enough to not understand. The problems will come when they get older.
Manyakitty
@karen marie: poor kids. Hope they get sent to boarding school soon. It’s probably their best chance.
...now I try to be amused
@JoyceH:
Would that make 2024 the Erection Election?
Cameron
@Kay: So Harlan Crow is actually Raymond Shaw?
NotMax
@JoyceH
Viagra falls?
:)
Kay
@Cameron:
The kindest, bravest…it’s just gross how may of them are indebted to them. How many people in politics and punditry did he buy? Hundreds.
Geminid
@Tom Q.: I think that Republicans’ chances of holding the House next year are bleak. And if Trump’s their nominee I look for Democrats to pick up 25 seats or more seats.
Control of the Senate will probably come down to Montana, Ohio and West Virginia. Republicans need two of those states to gain a majority.
West Virginia may come down to which of two candidates Republicans choose. I think Manchin beats Rep. Mooney. If he faces Governor Justice, Manchin might not even run hard. Justice is basically a Republican version of Manchin, and Manchin likes him. Manchin can’t stand Mooney though.
Baud
@J.:
“Why won’t he stick to fighting disadvantaged people the way Republicans are supposed to?”
Kay
@Cameron:
And, sure enough, Harlan Crow has also showered Mike Lee with cash.
Imagine what those get togethers at Crow’s home(s) are like. The ass kissing and groveling must just be epic. He literally purchased the “friendship” of everyone in the room.
trollhattan
@NotMax:
“Slowly I turn.”
“Hey, you’ll knock over the lamp!”
And, scene.
eversor
@Manyakitty:
Yep same thing. They are typically cilantro, carrots, radish, shrimp, in wet rice paper.
Betty Cracker
@UncleEbeneezer: Now that you mention it, I have had a banh mi sandwich before, and it was great once I picked off 90% of the cilantro. (I’m one of those folks who is genetically coded to reject cilantro.) I’ve also had coffee with sweetened condensed milk at a Thai restaurant; did not realize it was a Vietnamese thing! My little town only has a handful of restaurants, but there is a new Vietnamese place I’ve been meaning to try, and your handy guide make the prospect less intimidating, so thanks!
Kristine
@JoyceH:
If they do uphold the ban, this is the first drug that should be challenged.
::thinks of Lysistrata for some reason::
Eolirin
@Geminid: Arizona is hardly a given, so they need two out of four.
NotMax
@Betty Cracker
Cilantro is of the devil.
rikyrah
@Kay:
OF COURSE, THEY DID.
Nobody thinking should be surprised.
rikyrah
@trollhattan:
It was a Sweet 16 Birthday Party.
DAMN
Dangerman
Expected Camelot, got Spamalot.
ETA: Wonder if she can return those awful dresses to the store?
Kay
@rikyrah:
That was the “moderate” defense of the law on Twitter – that it would only apply to very young children so was not that big a deal.
Republicans completely validate slippery slope arguments. Anything they pass almost immediately gets worse and includes more groups to harm.
rikyrah
@Tom Q.:
I understand what you’re saying, but, the policies would be the same, no matter the GOP nominee. Policies full of hate.
rikyrah
@JoyceH:
Yep….some of them are willing to bag Big Pharma for their radicalism.
Suzanne
@rikyrah:
DeSantis doesn’t have a value-add that I can see. I know his whole schtick is “I’m like Trump, but competent!”, but that’s only of value to those people who have some sort of viewpoint on effective governance. That’s not what Trump offered his MAGAts. They looooooove his messiness, because they are themselves messy. They don’t know shit about government or law or how to do anything. They hate woke coastal liberal elitists and Trump still grosses us out.
Betty Cracker
@NotMax: You know who agrees with us on that? Ina Garten. I rest my case, your honor. ;-)
Betty Cracker
@Kay: Yep. See the 15-week abortion ban, which is now a 6-week abortion ban. See the concealed carry permit program, which is now concealed carry for all.
rikyrah
@Kay:
Remember, all the anti-trans laws were sold as PROTECTING THE UNDERAGED CHILDREN.
And, next thing you know, they’re digging into Court files and DMV files for Trans ADULTS
and banning things for TRANS ADULTS.
eclare
@NotMax: I like cilantro, but I understand to some it tastes like soap.
Roger Moore
@Suzanne:
Yeah, and the people who care about competence are likely to do unpleasant things like look into his record. DeSantis is burning his competence credentials as we speak.
NotMax
@Kristine
A curiosity, The Second Greatest Sex (1955) comes around on TCM from time to time. Musical comedy Western B-flick loosely adapted from Lysistrata. Part of a dance number with some of the lithest cowpokes ever seen.
;)
eclare
@rikyrah: Yep.
zhena gogolia
@Tom Q.: I’m scared of TFG too. I’m hoping he dies.
Baud
@Kay:
I refuse to get worked up until women are forced to cover their ankles.
Stupid, sexy ankles.
zhena gogolia
@NotMax: Bit of a Dollar Store 7 Brides, huh? Tommy Rall is in both. For a minute I was thinking he was the cool dancer from The Music Man, but that was Timmy Everett (his name was Tommy in the movie).
Love those cowboy boots / ballet slippers.
Suzanne
@Roger Moore:
No one Ownz Moar Libz than Trump. That is the job they’re hiring for. DeSantis has totally made himself look weak, and that’s unforgivable.
karen marie
“Gov. DeathsAnus”
I don’t understand this. I’m not going to single out the person above who used it because they are not alone. But I just don’t understand it.
Has there been a gas released into the air that makes us all 12 years old again?
Another Scott
@Kay: Speaking of friends of Harlan Crow…
This is my shocked, shocked face.
(via nycsouthpaw)
Cheers,
Scott.
zhena gogolia
Worth taking 90 seconds to watch this hilarious interview with Lance Gooden. “Donald Trump does not sound wounded, he can take a slap in the face, or a punch, or what have you.”
Baud
@karen marie:
You must be new to the Internet.
Roger Moore
@zhena gogolia:
It would be great if he could time it for maximum chaos. I figure during primary season when he has almost enough delegates to win the nomination. After he’s won the nomination but before he’s had a chance to name his running mate would also be good.
NotMax
@karen marie
Teeheelium.
:)
zhena gogolia
@Roger Moore: Yeah.
Don’t tell my minister. These are absolutely my thoughts. Sorry, God.
trollhattan
@NotMax: You just made Mexican food mad. El Diablo!
PJ
@zhena gogolia:
Is there any major Republican politician who doesn’t want to turn the clock back to pre-Brown v. Board of Education? They are all dangerous.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
An important skill when growing up is to know which childhood tendencies to retain; willingness to learn, whimsy, the ability to offer an honest assessment.
Schoolyard taunts? Eh…it’s DeSantis. Fuck him.
PJ
@Roger Moore:
I hope he lives long enough to find out what prison feels like.
Roger Moore
@zhena gogolia:
Barring death, conviction would also work. Or maybe a scary enough indictment to convince him to flee into exile. I’m not picky.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
So, I imagine you saw something shocking, cuz that wasn’t it.
karen marie
@UncleEbeneezer: Vietnamese coffee is THE BEST.
When I lived in Boston, I used to go to a Vietnamese place in Brookline. Because the coffee drips so sloowwwwwly, I’d order my coffee before I’d even let them take the food order so it would be ready to drink halfway through my meal.
My favorite was noodles with salmon. I have no idea what it was called but it was so good, my brain can still taste it 20 years later.
Jerzy Russian
@karen marie:
I have been 12 years old for the last 44 years. Your phrase “gas released into the air” reminds me of farting.
Betty Cracker
@eclare: It really does, and I read somewhere it’s a genetic thing. I can tolerate cilantro in extremely tiny doses (like standard store-bought salsa), but I’ve bitten into a burrito or two that was overly cilantro’d, and it was like biting a bar of Irish Spring.
zhena gogolia
@PJ: They don’t all have TFG’s charisma or his insane followers.
zhena gogolia
@Roger Moore: I would love to see him in a nice condo in Serebryanyi bor. Or Lefortovo. Take your pick.
Hoodie
@Suzanne: Trump’s use of DeSanctimonious underscores what Puddin’ and Boots is lacking. Trump mouths a bunch of platitudes towards the god botherers and gives them what they want, but no one in his right mind thinks he cares about any of that crap. Trump is about being transgressive, i.e., fuck porn stars and brazenly talk about how wonderful your wife is when everyone knows it’s all bullshit. It’s about doing what you want and getting away with it; that’s real power. Trump’s supporters live vicariously through that stuff. DeSantis only appeals to the sanctimonious, genital inspector types.
Comrade Scrutinizer
So, did they go around tasting soap so they’d have a point of reference?
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
I think it’s brave of Ron DeathSanta. He’s the first Republican in my life to stand up to any powerful organization, this for the obviously pernicious act of…standing up for disadvantaged queer folk.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Comrade Scrutinizer: Taste and smell usually track each other pretty well.
cope
@Betty Cracker: You can add two more from our household to Team Ina.
Suzanne
@Hoodie:
100%. Trump is aspirational for garbagey people. #goals
NotMax
@zhena gogolia
Overlooking scenic Lake Karachay.
Jeffro
@Kay: Crow was/is a major donor to Mike Lee and other Utah Rs.
He’s also a big donor to…wait for it…No Labels (ETA as Another Scott noted)
Cameron
@Kay: They probably all call him “Sir.” With tears in their eyes, of course.
UncleEbeneezer
@Roger Moore: Interesting. I’ve never even heard of that, even though I’m in San Gabriel Valley. I’m sure it’s delicious tho!
Suzanne
@Cameron: Yuge tears.
NotMax
@Roger Moore
If accompanied with seven varieties of red wine, count me in.
;)
UncleEbeneezer
@Betty Cracker: Yeah a lot of Thai and Vietnamese restaurants will have some cross-over dishes/drinks depending on the staff and the market. Several Vietnamese restaurants here will have a Won Ton Soup or Tom Yum soup option. I guess they figure many families may have someone who prefers Chinese/Thai etc., even if the restaurant is Vietnamese.
I’m not big on cilantro but it doesn’t bother me as much as I know it does for some.
Eolirin
@Suzanne: Not that that isn’t also true, but I think we have a tendency to underestimate just how distorted the information universe of Trump supporters really is. It’s not like they all see him the way we do and are just okay with it. A lot of them have an elaborate fantasy version of him that they carefully defend from evidence to the contrary.
Hoodie
@Suzanne: It’s depressing to think how many people aspire to be garbage, but I guess they’ve already concluded that they are garbage and don’t deserve anything better than more garbage. You know Trump thinks they’re garbage.
Tom Q.
@rikyrah:
This goes without saying. There are no good Republicans at this point; they all stand revealed as the same vile MAGA-ites.
My only concern is giving the rest of us the best chance to defeat them. A lot of people seem to have the opinion that Trump is the easiest of them in that regard. I think, because of Trump’s (to this point) unique ability to turn out infrequent/deplorable voters, it’s the opposite. So, my hope is for maximum Trump infection of the rest with MAGA-ism, then minus the mild plus of Trump himself being on the ballot.
Cameron
@Betty Cracker: And lowering the age of possession again, from where it had been raised just a few years ago (was that a result of Parkland?).
Roger Moore
@UncleEbeneezer:
I learned about seven course beef from a Vietnamese coworker; we tended to go their maybe once a year for her birthday or some other special occasion. I generally prefer broken rice (King Com Tam near Hawaii Supermarket is my go-to place) but seven course beef is more of a big production for a celebration.
Cameron
@Roger Moore: He’s plenty competent, just not at anything useful.
NotMax
@Cameron
Apparently age of possession in South Dakota is 2.
ian
@J.:
Is it a good idea to ignore that this information comes from the court stenographer of one Donald J. Trump?
Cameron
@zhena gogolia: Hey, let the dude enjoy some fun in the sun. Guantanamo would work just fine.
Geminid
@Eolirin: That’s right, Arizona is not a sure hold for Democrats.
It’s early for polling of course, but an OHPredictive poll from a month ago showed Rep. Gallego winning two-way and three-way races against 5 different Republicans plus Senator Sinema.
Suzanne
@Eolirin: You mean the “they’re burning cities TO THE GROUND!!!” effect. Which I will agree is a real phenomenon.
I think this is kind of second-order, though. I think aspirations are really powerful. Almost more powerful than real life and facts, because they’re based in values and hopes and dreams and self-concept. I think, at the core, Trump’s voters have a self-concept that they are betrayed, that they were promised something that they didn’t get, they see others they consider undeserving or annoying or whatever getting it, and Trump represents a twofer — both being restored to that privileged place in society/family, as well as making the people they hate absolutely crazy.
No government can give them what they want, so why would DeSantis’ supposed competence be a draw? It is not.
Roger Moore
@Cameron:
I’ve heard that Florence, CO is so nice many of the people who go there never leave.
UncleEbeneezer
@karen marie: Have you had Nguyen Coffee yet? It’s very good and I see ads for it all over the place now. Whole Foods has cold cans of it. Hopefully they will start carrying the beans soon.
Betty Cracker
@Eolirin: Yep, I’ve run into this in the wild, and it’s like getting sucked into a wormhole and emerging in Bizarro World. Trump is the kindest, bravest, most selfless American who ever lived because he sacrificed his jet-set lifestyle for the common MAGA, blah blah blah. I mean, some of these folks sincerely believe that shit, and even the direct evidence of their own eyes and ears is powerless to penetrate their delusion.
Cameron
@Roger Moore: Indeed. Super to the max.
Cameron
@Betty Cracker: I dunno. I get a kick out of those photoshops with his head on (a young) Sylvester Stallone’s body.
UncleEbeneezer
@Roger Moore: When we were in Saigon/HCMC, we did a very long day tour and the guide asked what we wanted for lunch. I had heard about Com Tam, and really wanted to try it. Turns out the place he took us to was like their version of a Starbucks. Total chain restaurant. I need to try it again sometime (though I’m not into the duck/quail eggs) but whenever we go for Vietnamese I usually want pho since there’r no way in hell I could make it at home. Even if I could, like ramen, it’s just way too much mess/work and I’d rather have someone else do the hard work for me.
Roger Moore
@Suzanne:
This seems exactly right to me. To his voters, Trump represents the correct order of the universe reasserting itself. White dudes are on top again, and they’re free to exploit women and piss all over minorities. Liberals who oppose that stuff are furious because they can’t do anything to stop it. That is by far the most important political issue to them. Trump is such a big deal because he not only promises to give them what they want but serves as a living example of it happening.
Eolirin
@Suzanne: This I agree with 100%. But if you listen to how some of them talk about him, they’ve inverted all of his traits in making him the avatar of their grievances, to the point where any crime he may have committed is a lie, and his general incompetency, affairs and boorish behaviors are distortions and lies created to slander him.
So they’re not all trying to aspire to be like the Trump we see, though I’m sure for some of them the lawlessness and raw get away with it power is absolutely the point.
The whole betrayed and not getting what they deserve and lashing out at the undeserving thing underlines it all regardless, though, for sure
And the ones that have gone deep into the delusions have tied their identities up in them enough that it’s also a powerful force. Accepting that they’re wrong about how they view Trump would be a massive blow to how they see themselves. They’ll put a ton of effort into not having to do that. We’re kinda wired that way as humans to begin with and conservatives tend to be even more so.
Eolirin
Also, in other news Facebook just settled a massive class action lawsuit for over 700 million dollars.
https://facebookuserprivacysettlement.com/#submit-claim
For anyone looking for their part of the payout.
Mike in NC
Looks like DeFascist will be away from Floriduh for the next 14 months. Not like anybody with a brain would notice.
Kay
Ten year old girls should be forced to have their rapists baby. The official position of the professional, paid “pro life” lobbyists.
I’ll have to look internationally and see which countries have “little girls must carry rapists baby” as official government policy and law. The US is already a regressive outlier in North America and Europe on woman’s health care. I wonder where this puts us.
They’re monsters.
Baud
@Kay:
QFT.
sab
@Comrade Scrutinizer: To me cilantro tastes like soap. I know how soap tastes because my mother was a disciplinarian.
Kay
@Baud:
I wish they’d stop lying about rape exceptions. A 10 year old can’t consent so if their position is the 10 year old must be forced to bear the child then there are no exceptions to their bans. If the 10 year old doesn’t qualify , no one does.
None of these bans have exceptions, in practice. It’s another lie.
Baud
@Kay:
The only exceptions they want are the ones political considerations force them to have.
trollhattan
@Kay: “might have been difficult.”
Not surprised, still boggled by these monsters.
“We’ll adopt; hell, we’ll adopt both! Mom’s just ten and obviously not getting proper parenting.”
karen marie
@UncleEbeneezer: No, I’m reduced to making it myself – it’s not hard. It’s just espresso with sweetened condensed milk.
I miss that restaurant and the coffee theatrics. I cannot reproduce the lovely noodles with salmon or the delightful anticipation of the first sip.
Roger Moore
@Baud:
They want to write exceptions that are impossible to meet. That lets them publicly claim they’re not heartless monsters while preventing all abortions in practice.
Baud
@Roger Moore:
Yeah, it’ll be like the old literacy tests during Jim Crow.
Old School
@Eolirin:
If no one else signs up, we’ll be rich!
Shana
Puddin Boots and Tacky O are both new to me and I love them. Thanks.
Kay
World abortion rights map.
I can’t find any country without a rape and incest exception. The US will be an outlier – WAY far Right.
Geoduck
@karen marie: I don’t bother with DeSantis, but I refuse to use the Shaitgibbon’s real name, because seeing it being constantly used is one of the major reasons he does anything he does.
Manyakitty
@Geoduck: that name has ruined euchre for me. 😑
Omnes Omnibus
@Kay: You are assuming we won’t win this fight. It doesn’t have to be so.
eversor
@UncleEbeneezer:
We do not have that here and there is a large conflict between the Vietnamese and Chinese disporias (they do not get along) which equates to better food. We also have dedicated Thai places and they are glorious.
All eateries are very much one peoples food only and often just one style of it. If I want Chinese there is China Boy which is Chinese crepes (these are glorious and all should try), Marks Duck House (this is Dim Sum Hong Kong style), Vinh Khee (this is where you go for pickled jelly fish and pork knuckles and the other stuff that turns heads and at times stomachs), and then Peking Gourmet Inn (for the roasted ducks! and fancy, did I mention fancy, very fancy!).
So a Thai place here is going to be strictly Thai and not going to serve anything remotely Chinese. Where we do get cross polination is there are a bunch of Thai places here that dabble in Laoation food and this is glorious.
eversor
@karen marie:
You can get the coffee thing on Amazon and make it easy enough it’s not hard.
You can also salt your own lemons to make the lemonade it’s just salted and pickled lemons soused in sugar. Get you a crock and go salt a dozen or so lemons and have at.
Baud
@Omnes Omnibus:
We will win. We just haven’t won yet.
Sure Lurkalot
Two articles about Florida’s new abortion law:
There is no heartbeat at 6 weeks and the fact that even a lefty blog like Popular Information just inserts the falsehood is ridiculous. It rarely gets pushback anymore and it’s total bogus bullshit.
Eyeroller
@Betty Cracker:
It is genetic
https://www.allrecipes.com/article/why-does-cilantro-taste-like-soap/
Eolirin
@Old School: The lawyers are making insane bank on that one at least. Hellva pay day.
Kay
@Sure Lurkalot:
The Atlantic did a long story on Students for Life and did not mention that Students for Life oppose birth control and are seeking to outlaw it. Seems important!
They do such a bad, sloppy job on this subject it almost feels deliberate.
japa21
@Kay:
Almost? It is either deliberate, or… No, I’m pretty sure it is deliberate.
Frankensteinbeck
There are good arguments on this thread about what Trump represents to GOP voters, but Trump is wounded. He’s a loser. He whines more than rages these days, so his supporters get it constantly rubbed in their face. He lost against Biden, and that is a gigantic wound. He failed.
DeSantis is actually better than Trump at grievance. He’s a sadistic fuck who has a clear track record of brutally oppressing everyone conservatives don’t like. But he’s just so god damn weak. He can’t be white supremacy’s champion if he won’t at least pretend to fight. It destroys his selling point. Are schoolyard taunts so hard? Jesus, Ron, just respond to every insult from Trump by calling him a loser. That’s literally all it will take. Because he is one and that’s the unforgivable sin from the conservative perspective.
C Stars
@Frankensteinbeck: He’s not weak when it comes to attacking LGBTQ people or immigrants. He’s the archetypal bully: he goes out and victimizes other people just like he’s been victimized by his abusive Daddy (Trump).
Geoduck
@Frankensteinbeck: He can’t use the “loser” label. If he does that, he’s admitting the election in question was entirely legitimate. If he wants the MAGA vote, that’s total forbidden territory.
Frankensteinbeck
@C Stars:
But that’s the crucial thing. DeSantis can only punch down. If anyone hits back, he at best mumbles, “Nuh-uh.” Most of the time he just runs and hides. Fuck, he’s going after Disney because Disney doesn’t hit back. They just brush him off. Republicans love punching down, but when you demonstrate you’re a wimp that really breaks the immersion.
You don’t even have to hit back well. They think schoolyard taunts like “Let’s go Brandon” are genius. But they want a champion, and DeSantis keeps proving he isn’t one.
Jackie
@Another Scott: So much for taking votes away from Democratic candidates! TFG should throw fits – that money should have been donated to HIM!!!
Frankensteinbeck
@Geoduck:
Naaah, that’s easy. Trump let the Democrats steal the election from him. He was PRESIDENT, and he did NOTHING. He couldn’t get his own courts to overturn it. He had a crowd inside the Capitol and nothing happened, and when they got arrested, he left them to swing in the wind.
Mostly you just don’t address whether Trump actually lost at all. You just talk about Trump being a failure who couldn’t stop Democrats from cheating, but you will.
Ruckus
@eclare:
Why is he going overseas?
They MAY hate him less there. But only because they don’t know him. I’ll give him 15 minutes and all the new will be completely worn off. And I’m being generous in the time department. I have no idea why.
TriassicSands
There are consequences to being an a
A little tiny nitpick here. Donald Trump is “an arrogant, sullen prick.” But he doesn’t suffer the same rejection. There must be more to Ron’s “appeal.”
geg6
@Betty Cracker:
Same. Tiny bit goes a loooong way. Like a leaf or two. Small ones.
The Lodger
@Eolirin: Personally, I’m expecting a three-figure payout from this. (This includes a decimal point after the first digit.)
MinuteMan
Interesting thought: DeSantis = “Jeb! 2.0: like the original but snarlier”.