It’s hardly news that a lot of American Nazis support Republicans, but Ron DeSantis insists his Nazi supporters are a false flag. Meanwhile he’s banning an AP Psychology course because it violates his Don’t Say Gay laws. And one of his supporters claims the Irish were enslaved in America so it’s not like blacks have a monopoly on suffering or anything (I guess DeSantis is hoping this plays better than claiming slavery was a good thing). Real problems like the increasing homeowners insurance crisis in Florida? Come on, how will that help him win the White House?
Not that he has a chance. The Republican voters are overwhelmingly pro-Trump. He will be the candidate, unless perhaps he goes to prison — though I’ve heard plenty of argument that even in prison, the voters would still pick him. DeSantis, who attended Harvard and Yale, can claim he’ll fight the elites (who somehow exclude himself) but the voters seem happy to have Trump, the billionaire son of a billionaire, claim he’s doing that. Of course, as Adam Serwer observes, lots of right-wing elites are on Trump’s side: “they have nevertheless repeatedly failed the most basic test of democratic citizenship posed to them, defending the right of their public to choose their leaders … Republican lawmakers, now including Trump’s own primary opponents, have validated the idea that Trump is a victim of political persecution rather than someone who engaged in a conspiracy to keep himself in power.”
Fox News pundits are unanimous that trivial things like trying to send fake electors to DC isn’t at all criminal; Julie Banderas went to far as to say “hatching schemes to stay in power” isn’t a crime. But there’s a big difference between “I think the election was rigged” and talking to people to rig it. The latter is not covered by the First Amendment, any more than you have a First Amendment right to hire an assassin. Given Fox swung right on “it was rigged” after losing eyeballs to OANN and Newsmax, I assume the united front is Rupert Murdoch giving viewers what they want, even if it’s lies. Popehad adds more legal detail.
On the other hand, we have Trump-supporting attorney and alleged indicted co-conspirator John Eastman who argues yes it was a coup but it was justified: “At some point abuses become so intolerable that it becomes not only their right but their duty to alter or abolish the existing government” so Trump was really like the Founding Fathers.
Meanwhile, Trump attorney Alina Habba argues that news headlines about her client are intentional election interference. I suspect the quality of Trump’s legal representation hasn’t improved.
In my state, African-American gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson is an aspiring theocrat who despises gays, Jews and blacks, at least blacks who aren’t conservative. Anti-trans Republican Dan Bishop is running for attorney general. He’s also a pro-gun, anti-immigrant forced-birther.
Vivek Ramaswamy is a conservative Hindu running for the Republican nomination. Forced-birther Abby Johnson explains supporting his candidacy is anti-God. Right-wing self-proclaimed prophet Hank Kunneman agrees but Dem. Rep. Ro Khanna sticks up for Ramaswamy’s religious freedom. I’m glad he did even though Ramaswamy (and several other prominent conservatives) is cool supporting racist trolls.
Speaking of forced-birthers, Ohio’s Janet Porter is quite frank that Republicans’ efforts to make it harder for voter initiatives to pass are intended to block an abortion-rights initiative this fall. Because if they can’t win the voters, they’ll settle for overriding their wishes.
The Supreme Court told Alabama their gerrymandered voting maps need at least one more black majority district. The state has ignored them. We’ll see what happens next.
Over in Texas, AG Ken Paxton’s rich right-wing Republican supporters are fighting to save him from impeachment.
