Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is a bully. He uses his power as Governor to force others to comply with his political ideology. Most recently, he forced the Special Olympics, which had chosen Florida for its competitions, to drop its vaccine requirement. This comes on the heels of an audit of Florida health data which found that the state had undercounted the numbers of COVID cases and deaths. Intentionally? DeSantis is probably the most likely Republican to run in 2024, if the aging Trump steps aside.
Rolling Stone and other publications reported the story:
Florida Gov. Ron Desantis and his administration have used their authority to essentially punish organizations he deems to be insufficiently conservative. One of their latest targets is the Special Olympics. Jay O’Brien of ABC News reported on Friday that the governor threatened to levy an eight-figure fine against the Special Olympics if it didn’t drop its Covid-19 vaccine requirement for its games in Orlando this weekend.
The Special Olympics backed off its vaccine requirement hours later, saying in a statement, “We don’t want to fight. We want to play.”
A letter from the Florida Department of Health dated June 2 threatened to assess the Special Olympics a $27.5 million fine due to “5,500 violations” of state law prohibiting business entities (including charitable organizations) from requiring individuals to show proof of vaccination. The applicable fine per person under this law is $5,000.
DeSantis is a dangerous ideologue who disregards science and the lives of his constituents.
The latest news from Florida is that there is an outbreak of a new strain of omicron COVID virus. Governor DeSantis doesn’t care if anyone is vaccinated. He believes that “public health” is a private, individual decision and that government should do nothing to protect the public.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Love the typo up there. Considering that 1924 was the year of immigration restrictions based on fear of Eastern Europeans and a rising five of nativism and Klan activity, that sounds about right. DeSantis would feel right at home a century ago.
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Well observed. Hitler commented that the racial policies of the United States of the time were a model for the rest of the world.
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The story of this is brilliantly told in Edwin Black’s breathtaking book War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America’s Campaign to Create a Master Race. I highly, highly recommend this.
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Roy, thanks for pointing out my typo. Shows you where my head is (when I am not thinking). Wrong century.
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This reckless decision gives the world a glimpse into DeSantis’ inflexlble, authoritarian nature. Many young people that participate in The Special Olympics have preexisting conditions. People with Down Syndrome often have a heart condition, for example. Hopefully, most of the participants are vaccinated and boosted. When the mandate came down from the governor, it was too late to change location for the games. Other groups may be watching “my way or the highway” DeSantis and decide to hold events in other states that not ruled by an iron fist ideologue.
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It would be wonderful if major organizations canceled their plans to meet in Florida and went instead to a state that protects their health and safety.
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You mean like Texas?
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Or Oklahoma?
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Disney should relocate, but the problem is, they already have DisneyLand in CA and they’d have to move out of the country entirely (to Mexico?) if they wanted to continue to enjoy the southern climate and not have to put up with all the bigotry.
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The only climate friendly state that isn’t run by the radical right IMO is New Mexico, particularly southern New Mexico. Most of the southern states are owned by oil and gas with right wing billionaires that control the politics.
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I was also going to name New Mexico! If I’ve been reading right, I believe their good female Governor has a real re-election battle on her hands.
Send 💰💰💰💰💰.
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New or Old, Mexico is where Disney should go.
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Disney should leave Florida
Mexico’s the place
That Disney should embrace
It’s got a better clime:
It lacks DeSantislime
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DeSantislime is a real problem in DeSantistan
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If Disney moved to New Mexico, they could call it “DisneyLand of Enchantment”
It would fit right in with the Enchanted Kingdom theme.
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By the way, if Disney uses that name, they have to pay me.
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Hilarious. Not requiring people to get vaccinated (but still giving them the freedom to do so) is “authoritarian”.
This may be the funniest blog of an echo chamber I’ve encountered since 2019.
Why is it so hard for you to tolerate the notion the people can be allowed to exercise free will and make decisions for themselves.
Leftism is intrinsically authoritarian. Just look at their most effective leaders: Pol Pot, Mao, Hitler, Mugabe, Stalin…
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Forcing people with disabilities to be around those who refuse to be vaccinated IS authoritarian. And before you say, “Well, then, they should just stay home,” they shouldn’t have to. It’s THEIR RIGHTS AS A PRIVATE ORGANIZATION to have requirements. Forcing a dangerous and political move into a private organization is VERY authoritarian.
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Bertie, the anti-vaxxers endanger the rights of others not to contract a disease and die. Is that so freaking difficult to understand? You have free speech, but you can’t yell “Fire!” in a crowded theatre. Rights end at other people’s noses. That SHOULD BE obvious enough. Duh.
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Trump wanted to be a dictator but ultimately he was too stupid and lazy. DeSantis is smart, ambitious, and pure evil. I fear for our country if he becomes president while the GOP controls the House, Senate, and Supreme Court. They will never give up power
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DeSantis is MUCH smarter and more knowledgeable than Trump is. We were fortunate in the past few years that Trump was so incompetent–so stupid and ignorant–and had people like Esper and Milley and, eventually, even Barr, who said, “No, you can’t do that.”
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Attacking the Special Olympics after finishing with LGBTQ students and Mickey Mouse… Classy. Adam Serwer is right – for today’s traitorous anti-democracy GQP the cruelty IS the point.
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Please read:
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/06/08/when-us-truly-run-these-fascists-it-will-be-too-late
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It is not enough to call out the fascist leadership. I am afraid we still have Democrats who think there is some mythical swing voter they have to appeal to. Why it isn’t the Vichy right down to your next door neighbor that are the problem. It is the squad that has gone too far left. So please tell me what proposals were too far left.
I have a” common sense” Democrat(Suoizzi) running for Governor in NY. A vice chair of the Problem Solvers caucus in Congress . Running on cutting property taxes. No detail of how he funds education after the cuts. And my pet media peeve ‘Crime’ in NYC . Attacking the fascist Republicans including NYs very own Stefanik and Zeldin less important to him than attacking the Squad. As if a Trumpanzee can be converted to an American by reason.
Well on Crime in NY you might want to show this to the supposed liberal media at MSNBC .
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-06-07/is-new-york-city-more-dangerous-than-rural-america?sref=qzusa8bC&fbclid=IwAR1g9_Y4iVMKEp3hwYLRBVTT2pKC2uLZqJghwmTi-tm4KyzGBMATSVV0vDg
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I am afraid we still have Democrats who think there is some mythical swing voter they have to appeal to.
Thank you, Joel! Political scientists have disproved this, but the DNC is made up of slow learners.
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And wow, Joel, what an illuminating article!
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Swing voters like La Man from la Manchin, who swings for Republicans?
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Well-said, Joel. &, today, more knucking under, w/Biden pulling vaxx requirements for those entering U.S. from other countries. WHAT other countries are doing that? To enter Canada from U.S., one needs to have proof of vax, w/vax having been administered w/in 14 days of travel. You have to fill out a 2-page questionnaire.
Oh, right, the airlines & travel industries rejoiced.
It’s all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$.
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Thanks for the link. Hartmann is a top notch independent, investigative journalist. There are not too many of them left in this country. We need a real democracy, not a “window dressing” democracy.
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Yes, creepy but well worth reading. This move of DeathSentence:
another brick in the wall.
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Even though I am not a fan of Morning Joe, this interview with Anand Giriharadis is a must watch. https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/anand-giridharadas-the-end-of-democracy-may-just-be-permanent-minority-rule-141682757553
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Great. SOOOOOO important, this point. This is a sign that things are REALLY broken.
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So who do you suppose I was referring to when I said the supposedly liberal media at MSNBC. Realizing full well that Scarborough is a Conservative as are most of the daytime lineup at MSNBC. Not being an Authoritarian Fascist passes for being Liberal these days .
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You can be sure that DeSantis and his family are all vaccinated.
If DeSantis gets the nomination, you can be sure it will be a repeat of the Trump phenomenon whereby millions of people (saps) vote for someone who pretends to be one person and tell them one thing while being and doing exactly the opposite.
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SDP, I had the same thought. Trump and his family are vaccinated. I assume every member of Congress is. What liars they are.
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Most certainly NOT standing up for the likes of DeSantis but…all the people that are enabling him…what about them?
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Peskyvera,
You are quick to criticize everything wrong about the US. We Americans are quick to criticize our leaders when they are wrong. Yet you defend Putin and his aggression in Ukraine. Please explain your double standard.
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“If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.”
With a slight revision, that duck meme fits DeSantis.
Does DeSantis walk like a fascist, talk like a fascists, act like a fascist, and apparently think like a fascists, then he’s probably a fascist.
Fascism: an extreme right-wing political system or attitude that is in favour of strong central government, aggressively promoting your own country or race above others, and that does not allow any opposition
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/fascism
VOTE SMART reveals who DeSantis really is from his campaign funding. His voting record is there, too.
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/campaign-finance/137630/ron-desantis
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Disgusting. If some of those athletes with special needs, heaven forbid, contract Covid and have adverse reactions, the blood is on De Santis’ hands. What a jerk
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DeINSANEtis could care less about it’s constituents. “Blood on it’s hands?”
It’ll wash it right off.
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The spinelessness of the Special Olympics board and administration to not cancel or at least challenge the fines in court is something. They could have done a great public service by fighting back and educating the world about what was going on.
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I can understand why the leaders of Special Olympics did not sue. A court case would have dragged on for months. The kids wanted to perform and compete.
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I get what you’re saying, but it would have been a great lesson for those kids and their parents. Might have woken (get it?) some of them up. And if they lost a $27 million case, that would cause all new sorts of political grumblings, all in favor of sanity, not injustices like these. And while I also get “The kids wanted to perform and compete”, I wouldn’t want that to become a standard by which public policy is made. Although I guess it couldn’t be anywhere near as bad as Republicans are doing.
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