Desantis Suspends His 2024 Presidential Campaign

[emeraldmountain2]

Good news, everyone!

 

Now, forward on to reelecting Biden!

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ron-desantis-suspends-his-presidential-bid-and-endorses-trump/ar-BB1h2tUb

[Charlize]

I'm glad to know that at least one wacko is out of the running.  I can only hope that they all fade away with their hateful speech.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Ivy]

As long as his daddy was in it he never had a chance.

[KathyLauren]

I was hoping that he would split the wacko vote with tRump and allow someone more reasonable to get the nomination.  But that was not likely to happen, so good riddance.

[Carolyn Marie]

The downside is that he now returns to FL with nothing much to do except resume his war against "wokeism" and transgender people.  I'm sure there are many more horrible laws he & the legislature can pass to eradicate us.

 

Carolyn Marie

[emeraldmountain2]

16 minutes ago, Carolyn Marie said:

The downside is that he now returns to FL with nothing much to do except resume his war against "wokeism" and transgender people.  I'm sure there are many more horrible laws he & the legislature can pass to eradicate us.

 

Yes, the so-called The Trans Erasure Bill (HB 1639) in Florida is being voted on today!

 

You can sign a petition with Equality Florida against this bill and send it to Florida lawmakers here:

 

https://act.eqfl.org/a/stop-the-trans-erasure-bill

 

According to ACLU FL, this is a "sweeping anti-trans bill that prevents individuals from having their gender identity listed on their driver license or government identification card and instead requires the use of sex assigned at birth. Requires all Floridians to sign an affidavit certifying that their driver license or other state ID reflects the sex listed on their original birth certificate. If the Department determines that someone did not accurately reflect their sex assigned at birth on their application, the Department must revoke the driver license or identification card. Additionally requires coverage for conversion therapy and impedes access to gender-affirming care" (https://www.aclufl.org/en/legislation/hb-1233hb-1639-trans-erasure-bill).

[VickySGV]

Well, now he can concentrate on bankrupting his state with do-nothing and anti-intelligent bullying and then cry that it cannot pay him his retirement income.  Now that the spotlight is off him and probably the state itself, other than the Barn-n-logo few acres, his toadies in the legislature may also need to find other publicity gimmicks to keep their voters from finding a new source of alligator poop to put in office.

[Ivy]

For those of us in red states, what happens on the state level is what affects our daily lives.

[Davie]

"The biggest collapse of a presidential campaign in modern American history, if not all American history,” David Jolly, says a former Republican congressman from Florida.

Normal people are fed up with his Republican hatred and lies.

[VickySGV]

57 minutes ago, Davie said:

Normal people are fed up with his Republican hatred and lies.

Lets hope other people feel that way about his party colleagues as well. 

[awkward-yet-sweet]

It doesn't make much sense for Republicans to nominate Trump.  Folks who believe the election was rigged also believe trying again will get a different result?  And Trump is on trial on so many different charges, if the election was rigged won't the courts be rigged as well?  A smart guy would have moved to a nice, tropical non-extradition country for retirement.  And a smart Republican Party would run somebody else. 

 

Even if elections weren't rigged, and even if courts weren't rigged, and even assuming a reasonable candidate, it doesn't make much sense to nominate a candidate who will spend most of his time after the election dealing with legal issues rather than paying attention to matters of state. 

 

DeSantis could have been a strong candidate.... he temporarily was pretty popular.  But he focused on trans folks and a couple of other minor aspects of the culture war, to the exclusion of almost any real issue that matters to voters.  I swear its as if these people are being told by the Deep State to sabotage their own campaigns. 

 

At this point, it is Trump vs. Haley for the Republican nomination, which is no contest at all.  We'll get to watch some bloated rhetoric and posturing this summer, followed by a cardboard cutout getting a second term.  🚽 💩🇨🇳

[MaeBe]

1 hour ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

We'll get to watch some bloated rhetoric and posturing this summer, followed by a cardboard cutout getting a second term

 

Honestly, say what you will about the mediocre performance of a President voted in on a ticket of "restoring stability"...who essentially restored stability (i.e. not making any waves either way and being quite down-the-middle on most things)...he's not been a progressive's darling with Israel/Palestine, or on Immigration (issues allowing people in and ALSO on detaining people), or tried to codify law for LGBTQIA+ folk, but the economy has pushed through inflation and is gaining jobs (but also not at a staggering pace). The guy's mid, as the kids say, but is that not better than having an outright misogynist, autocrat-loving, authoritarian-aspriring, delusional as president?

 

Desantis had to be even push a more delusional agenda to try to make space for himself, but (luckily) it hasn't resonated. So, he pressed on issues that (to people on this forum at the very least) were life-threatening and stoked fires on topics that made the ignorant belligerent, all to cover that he had no hay to make with meaningful policy (much like The Don). Who walks away from a 2nd place finish in the first primary? Maybe someone who cows to taking second billing on this ballot as some nod to political strategy that the next election is their chance and they can get 12 years of GOP momentum out of this campaign.

 

I find the whole idea of mainly campaigning on hate and exclusion to be reductive and vile. Say what you will about Biden (I wish there were a younger, better, candidate as well) but he's not actively trying to cut of and cut out swathes of Americans.

 

[awkward-yet-sweet]

4 minutes ago, MaeBe said:

I find the whole idea of mainly campaigning on hate and exclusion to be reductive and vile. Say what you will about Biden (I wish there were a younger, better, candidate as well) but he's not actively trying to cut of and cut out swathes of Americans.

 

I suppose he might look alright...if you're not part of the group of Americans the establishment has been actively trying to cut out for years.  The speech he gave in September 2022 with a hellish red background and basically calling 40% of the nation's population the enemy?  That really stuck in the minds of a lot of folks where I live, but we're used to big government trying to hurt us. 

 

However, Biden isn't really doing any of this.  His brain is gone, and he's pretty much a puppet - the ideal mouthpiece for those who really control things.  Part of me wonders if the Republican candidates are so wacky simply to make it plausible for Biden to "win."  A coverup for not really having any choices.  My GF and I were pretty dismayed at Trump in 2016, questioning whether he was somehow planted.  I still don't have the answer to that. 

 

I'm really not sure how to vote this year - it sucks that I have to feel like tRump is the lesser of the evils.  I might just write my husband's name on the ballot in order to keep my hands clean.  Anytime I vote for federal elections I always leave the polling place feeling like I need a hard scrub with some really caustic soap.  Its no wonder you basically don't see an American flag flying in my county except for at the Post Office....

[MaeBe]

9 hours ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

calling 40% of the nation's population the enemy

If 40% of the population is actually MAGA Republicans, I'd be surprised. 40% of Iowa voters in last week's caucuses self-identified as MAGA, per this article. I'm interested in how people have been cut out. Has it been the presidency eschewing the conspiratorial rhetoric and violent secessionist movements (including, but limited to Jan. 6th) that have come to fore over the past decade?

 

I watched that speech again and the subject was very much pro-democracy. Statements of "No political violence in America" shouldn't be controversial. Stating that democracy can only survive if "We the People see politics not as Total War but mediation of our differences" shouldn't be either. His speech did attack the conspiracy narrative that the election was stolen which was at that time (and still now) is pervasive in the pro-Trump circles. It did attack the conspiratorial brinkmanship of "we win or the other side's cheating". It did attack those that see their political opponents as enemies (that honestly is bi-partisan). On the flip side, it espoused hope and a "we can do this together" mentality. That was a year and a half ago and some things have gotten better.

 

"December's employment report showed that employers added 199,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate dropped to 3.7%. Inflation has plummeted in little over a year from a troubling 9.1% to 3.2% without causing a recession." Per AP News.

 

That is tangible and real. I don't think the President owns the economy as many do, but the economy is a bellwether of the government's work. Biden's first two years (it's a dated article, from last Summer) haven't been all sunshine and rainbows.

 

A lot of the problems being faced are international ones and Democrats can't help but be split by the Country's unerring support of Israel in the face of the unspeakable toll to the Palestinian people, which has taken him out at the knees with young voters, or the border crisis that has seen record numbers of South and Central American people rejected and seen the Trump-era "children in cages" situation continue.

 

Is Biden a "good President"? I guess my answer would have to be: "he hasn't been terrible". At the very least he's not pushing a new world order "Project" that would see most of us here left for dead.

[awkward-yet-sweet]

It definitely depends on what you want to hear.  If you're not part of the group the establishment is trying to oppress, I guess Biden's speech looked all rosy and wonderful.  To people like me, it was essentially a declaration of war, labeling people like me as enemies and advocating disarmament of the public and greater Federal control.  Of course he wants to talk about compromise....but that's not possible now.  My GF has long posed the question nobody wants to answer, "How can we compromise when you don't have anything I want?"

 

All these supposedly great jobs numbers over the years are a bunch of malarkey.  Its as bad as Trump constantly crowing about how wonderful the stock market was doing.  Take one good-paying job and split it into two crappy part-time jobs and call it "growth."  Reducing inflation by changing how it is calculated is just a scam.  And even if it was true, I don't give somebody credit for solving a problem they created.  The proof is on the grocery store shelf and in actual job listings, not on paper. And the Inflation Reduction Act did no such thing... you don't reduce inflation by increasing spending, adding more IRS thugs, and strangling the economy with "climate" regulations. 

 

I'll admit I have been surprised at the support for Israel.   Probably one of the few things Biden agrees with the Republicans on.  I guess feeding the military industrial complex by continual foreign wars is something that has bipartisan support. 

 

Of course, there isn't an opponent to Biden who will actually talk about the issues.  All the Republicans (MAGA or otherwise) want to talk about is transgender issues like bathrooms and sports.  Its distraction by design. 

[Ivy]

I'm not sure the Dems are at "war" with anybody.  But I do know some of the Rep have openly called for my eradication, and shooting me in the back of the head.

It would be [insert "S" word] for me to support them.  Perhaps that makes me a "single issue voter" or something.  But it kinda seems like an issue to think about in the voting booth.

That's assuming I can still vote if my ID doesn't match my sex on my original birth certificate.

 

But then, I'm probably just over reacting.

[MaeBe]

2 hours ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

To people like me, it was essentially a declaration of war, labeling people like me as enemies and advocating disarmament of the public and greater Federal control.

Seems like a fabricated conflict. No one has come for my firearms and, no, I don't mean bolt action hunting rifles. I am not aware of any domestic crackdowns either, prosecutions for storming the capitol yes, but I haven't heard of Joe or Jane Q-Public being targeted by G-men for simply existing.

 

2 hours ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

My GF has long posed the question nobody wants to answer, "How can we compromise when you don't have anything I want?"

I'm interested. What compromise is being asked of you that cannot be reconciled?

[awkward-yet-sweet]

7 hours ago, MaeBe said:

I'm interested. What compromise is being asked of you that cannot be reconciled?

To be brief, I will just say basically most of the supposed "compromises" at this point.  To go further would be way off topic for this thread, and we'd be better off starting another.  But I'll leave you this illustration of why compromise isn't exactly what it seems:  https://www.guntalk.com/post/why-we-wont-compromise-the-cake-story#:~:text=Why%2C I get to keep,You want my cake.

[Mirrabooka]

On 1/23/2024 at 4:20 PM, awkward-yet-sweet said:

 

I'm really not sure how to vote this year - it sucks that I have to feel like tRump is the lesser of the evils.  I might just write my husband's name on the ballot in order to keep my hands clean.  Anytime I vote for federal elections I always leave the polling place feeling like I need a hard scrub with some really caustic soap.  Its no wonder you basically don't see an American flag flying in my county except for at the Post Office....

I'm happy to stand corrected, but I thought that voting wasn't compulsory in your country? If you don't like either of the candidates, why bother?

[awkward-yet-sweet]

3 hours ago, Mirrabooka said:

I'm happy to stand corrected, but I thought that voting wasn't compulsory in your country? If you don't like either of the candidates, why bother?

I vote because of state and local issues. There are a lot of other things on the ballot besides voting for president. There are a lot of people who also vote for one of the candidates with the idea of choosing the one who will cause the least damage. Lesser of two evils.

[Ivy]

43 minutes ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

There are a lot of people who also vote for one of the candidates with the idea of choosing the one who will cause the least damage. Lesser of two evils.

It's been like that for awhile. 

[Ivy]

10 hours ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

most of the supposed "compromises" at this point.

This is kinda the point we're at with Trans Rights.

 

As for the guns, I don't believe the government can even take people's guns away in the US.  Besides the legal aspect, there are already more guns than people.

 

However I don't like when openly armed people publicly intimidate others.  Seems like they're implying "If you don't do what I want, I'll kill you."

That's kinda implying that their actual arguments aren't very good.

 

I have guns myself.  But I very seldom carry.  I'll walk away from an argument before I'd shoot someone.

 

As I said, I'm much more likely to lose my rights as a trans person, than to have the cops kick in my door and take my guns.

[awkward-yet-sweet]

@Ivy I simply used the gun issue as an example. I would rather not get too far off into the weeds with it. It works as an example for brief discussion, because the issues is a little more clear-cut than say, the economy. 

 

For me, the choice in the federal election seems to be destruction no matter what. Do I vote for a party that claims to want to eliminate me and my friends but also claims to want to leave my family alone, or do I vote for a party that claims to support me but openly wants a "fundamental transformation" of this country that would destroy my family and community?  

 

Whether you agree with me or not, you can see how from my perspective its just one hell of a choice. 😒

[MaeBe]

1 hour ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

claims to want to leave my family alone

But doesn't and won't. I guess, unless, you're a white/cis/child-rearing/wealthy one.

 

1 hour ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

a "fundamental transformation" of this country that would destroy my family and community

To not derail this topic, I would like to hear what this means to you elsewhere. PM, new topic, etc.

[Ashley0616]

I see open carry as a psychological detergent. Crime is less likely to happen when more guns are at the scene. Just like police officers. Chances are criminals aren't going to commit a crime when their presence is there. I'm going to carry once I can. Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 2.0 Plus 9MM with hollow points.