Charlie Crist, the Democratic candidate for governor of Florida, will choose Karla Hernandez-Mats as his running mate, according to the Miami Herald. She is the president of the Miami-Dade teachers’ union. She is also a wonderful person. She is articulate and super-smart. I met her in Miami in February 2020 when I had an event to promote Slaying Goliath at Miami’s famous bookstore “Books & Books.” Karla interviewed me, and she was terrific.
Help Charlie Crist and Karla Hernandez-Mats defeat DeSantis, the man who censors books, bans discussions of racism and gender, opposes women’s right to an abortion, and wants to destroy public schools in Florida.
Help Florida join the 21st century!
Charlie Crist, the Democratic Party’s candidate for governor, has selected the head of Miami-Dade County’s teachers union as his running mate to take on Gov. Ron DeSantis in the fall, the Miami Herald has confirmed. Three sources briefed on Crist’s decision confirmed the choice of Karla Hernandez-Mats, which was first reported by CBSMiami. The Crist campaign declined to confirm the news. An announcement is expected Saturday.
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/article264963034.html#storylink=cpy
Diane Ravitch's blog 
DeSantos is also aiming to run for president in 2024, with support from Traitor Trump’s Theofascist MAGA supports. Imagine the damage DeSantos would do to the country if he won that election. A theofascist with a brain is much more dangerous than the incompetent man-child Traitor Trump.
If anyone can spare some cash to donate, please do so as well. DeSantis has a record breaking $100 million in his war chest. My big hope is that there is a huge backlash against DeSantis’ culture war against public schools, people of color, women, LGBTQ and democracy in general. I wish them well in the campaign.
Terrific news ! We need a strong Woman who has organizing skills! She led the largest union school district in Fl. Bravo on his selection. We must donate money especially UFT Retired members . This is our only chance to support the staff in Fl. where wages are the 49th in the USA.
Wow!! I know Karla, a wonderful person, a superb union leader; Miami-Dade is an inordinately complex school district, the superintendent, now in LA, is huge “personality,” and they worked together effectively, I’m sure the Cuban community will be ecstatic … now go online and contribute whatever you can afford – $$ are essential.
If former Gov. Crist (R/I/D) continues to insult the citizens of Florida by calling them a host of names, it is a sure win for DeSantis. He is not running against Trump!
It would be awful if DeSantis is re-elected. He is a racist, a sexist, a homophobe, a Christian nationalist. If he became President, he would mobilize the entire government to harass people and groups he doesn’t like. He represents the worst, darkest side of our society.
Normally, I do not respond to comments or even read them. This is an exception. The description of Ron DeSantis is quite cruel. Without positive proof suggesting that you know him personally, I believe you are wrong. In the words of some, one might call him a member of the moral majority, a constitutionalist, a concerned parent and citizen. Surely there is something likable about him that you have overlooked. I have family living in Florida…they don’t want him to run for president. They want him to stay as governor. I believe that they are in the majority, and they are not sexist, racist, homophobic people—but strong Christian believers. If DeSantis should lose—I wonder how many folks will leave Florida?
April,
Surely you know that Ron DeSantis urged passage of laws that ban teaching about racism and gender identity. He has threatened teachers and professors who dare to engage in academic freedom, the freedom to teach and learn. He hates public schools and teachers. He has offered teaching jobs to veterans and first responders who have never taught and have no subject matter expertise. One way to describe him is that he is a bully. A less polite but accurate description would be fascist.
Unfortunately he sounds worst than him when attacking public education and it’s staff! Look at his comments about Dr. Fauci! Using nasty words to describe him and be threatening at the same time. We must elect them both! Consider the fact that campaigns in America are very expensive.
Governor DeSantis had raised 172 million as of August 19. 172 million. That’s serious coin. The oligarchs have already anointed Governor DeSantis. They know that if it’s Trump in 2024, they lose.
Again.
April: Consider this name-calling: Governor DeSantis continually accuses those who don’t agree with him of being “woke,” “Socialist,” “purveyors of CRT,” “un-American,” “un-Christian,” and a host of other epithets. But Florida is a purple state. There are MANY people in this state who do not share Governor DeSantis’s views on a whole host of issues. He BARELY won his gubernatorial election in 2018. He received 49.6 percent of the vote as opposed to his opponent’s 49.2 percent. It was hardly an overwhelming mandate, but he speaks and governs as though he had been elected Glorious Leader of the Fatherland for Life. It’s a “my way or the highway” approach to governance, a take no prisoners approach. But guess what? A LOT of Floridians DO NOT share his views on A LOT of issues. 24 percent of Floridians have NO religious affiliation whatsoever, and only 24 percent are evangelical protestants!!! THE SAME PERCENTAGE. But he acts as though he is governor for that 24 percent. That’s not being a leader for all the people. That’s not respecting democracy and democratic norms. I don’t know where some people get their “patriotism,” but mine comes from giving a hoot about democracy. I think that that’s what this experiment is supposed to be about.
DeSantis is Catholic. Only 21% of Floridians are.
All this discussing religion ofc brings random thoughts into my head, like this, for example, “How could any educated person in a scientifically advanced culture in the 21st century be so confused as to imagine that a being capable of creating the universe would want and, indeed, require TO BE WORSHIPOPED, this being one of the basest, most repugnant, most primitive of desires, cartoonish in its utter absurdity, something we associate, correctly, with Emperors in ancient, extremely benighted times?”
cx: WORSHIPPED
ofc
While we are discussing insulting people, April, how about Governor DeSantis referring to Anthony Fauci:
“Someone needs to grab that little elf and chuck him across the Potomac.”
So, this takes “insulting” and kicks it up a notch by calling for violence.
Not Desantis, but from his de facto spokesman:
https://www.science.org/content/article/almost-everything-tucker-carlson-said-about-anthony-fauci-week-was-misleading-or-false
Tucker Carlson is a disgusting man.
The mere fact that someone had to sit down to document and correct this toxic drivel tells us everything we need to know about the people that would say and do these things. And to top it off, people like April abound to help make the entire nation a cesspool of ignorance and fear.
Here’s a fun little game to try if anyone should ever say the words “gain of function” out loud; tried it on a flight a few weeks ago. Respond with, “can you please explain what that is to me?” Stuttering hilarity ensues!
Sounds like something good christian people can get behind.
Now, let’s not stoop to discussion of Christian behinds.
Though we could call the persistence of the ancient superstitions into the modern era Behindism.
When it comes to insulting people, few have DeSantis beat.
Except maybe that other Harvard law school genius, Ted Cruz, who just made the following brilliant statement
“If you are that slacker barista who wasted seven years in college studying completely useless things, now has loans, and can’t get a job, Joe Biden just gave you 20 grand. Maybe you weren’t gonna vote in November and suddenly you just got 20 grand, and if you can get off the bong for a minute and head down to the voting station, or just send in your mail-in ballot that the Democrats have helpfully sent you, it could drive up turnout, particularly among young people.”
As Maya Angelou said “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.”
More from the Repugnican Limbo Party. How low, how low, how low can you go?
Despite their educational background, DeSantis and Cruz never made it beyond the mentality of the junior high bully.
It’s all about insulting and beating people up — especially people who are smaller. Seriously, who picks on elves, baristas and female data scientists?
Bragging about exploits overheard in a Limbo State bar
Studly Politician 1(we’ll call him Ted): “I insulted baristas. Called them slackers and implied they spend all their time smoking bongs.”
Studly Politician 2 (we’ll call him Ron): “That’s nothing. I sicced a heavily armed SWAT team on a female data scientist and her kids in their home …terrified the kids, ha ha ha … Oh, and threatened to throw another scientist across the Potomac. Damned nerds think they are so smart. We gotta put em in their place.”
Studly Politician 1: yeh, yeh, yeh, huh huh huh. Gotta put em in their place.
What do “White Power” signs and school board races have in common? It has come to this again in America, that one has to ask:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/7k8k7y/sarasota-school-board-proud-boys
Someone might want to ask Terry McAuliffe about the benefits and costs of pandering to teacher’s unions during a race for governor.
It’s true that the GOP has done everything possible to destroy all unions and to demonize teachers. That’s why many districts are facing a teacher shortage. Karla H-M is a brilliant, empathetic, charismatic person. She’s a great representative for teachers in Miami-Dade. If that’s not good enough for you, vote for the fascist.