The Hill: Desantis Vows to "Start Slitting Throats" on Day One
In referencing over 20 years as a history and civics teacher, and about 40 years of closely observing politics in this country, I do not believe there is a period in our history in which the rhetoric has become so hostile, vitriolic and absolutely missing anything resembling truth. I can imagine that the language in debates prior to the Civil War, and perhaps even afterward, got pretty colorful. But in my lifetime, in spite of political differences, civility and manners--yeah, I'll use this old fashioned term--have been observable, even when candidates might be seething with rage underneath.
All of that went out the window with Trump's 2016 campaign. And since then, the Republican party, which, in my lifetime, has never really valued rational thought or critical thinking skills and which has depended much more on political rhetoric than on facts or a logical and systematic platform of policies aimed at genuine governing in a way that benefits "we the people," has gone off the rails in some of the most outlandish and extreme ways. It has not benefitted them. If it were not for extreme gerrymandering and the ridiculousness of the outdated Electoral College, the Republicans would have been the party of the past after George H.W. Bush lost to Bill Clinton.
Now, the campaign for the Republican nomination for the Presidency has become a ridiculous contest of oneupmanship, with a train of Trump imitators vying for the cheers and applause of a shrinking group of misfits and angry ne'redowells who think the world owes them a living and are angry because it's not being given to them.
After four years of Trump lies, ridiculous, laughable comments and attempts to use shock value to get attention, I thought I was pretty well prepared for anything some Republican candidates might say, or do, to get attention they seem to be starving for. But I was surprised, and shocked, when I heard the reports that Florida Governor Ron Desantis said that he would "start slitting throats on day one when it comes to taking on the 'deep state'."
I don't think I would have been more shocked, or absolutely disgusted, if he had taken off all of his clothing and stood there stark naked.
That an American politician would say such a thing is an absolute betrayal of everything this country was founded on, and every principle on which it stands. Ron Desantis is engaged in a contest to be named the single most anti-American, anti-Patriotic candidate in the GOP field, and that is quite an accomplishment in and of itself. As far as I am concerned, he disqualified himself from every vestige of his American identity. Not only is he clearly not the man to lead the country in the presidency, but after making a statement like that, he should have his American citizenship revoked and left to find refuge in a place like Sudan or Iran, where he would fit in with the extremists who run the country.
That's a statement made by radicalized terrorists, not by the governor of an American state.
That's Not Desantis' Only Disqualifying Remark
Someone in his campaign needs to tell him that his Ayatollah Khomeini and Kim Jong Un imitation is clearly not helping his presidential aspirations, as he seems to be losing a lot of ground, a lot of major donors and money, a lot of support and if he ever had any, his ethics, morality and integrity. We do not slit throats in American democracy. We show a measure of integrity, intelligence and humanity, understanding that equality under the law is the strength of our country and leaders like Desantis, who sew seeds of discord, anger and rebellion, are not qualified to serve, and make us wonder whether they should even be living among us. Seems like he'd be happier if he moved about ninety miles south of the Florida peninsula.
Baptist News Global: 14 Dangerous Words
But remarks about slitting throats aren't the only inhumane, and disqualifying, remarks made by the Florida Governor. His support for Florida educational inituatives aimed at completely undoing history facts and replacing them with myth in Florida's schools is another example of why this man should not be President, and why he should not even be serving as the governor of Florida. Fourteen words are described by history teacher and author Harold Smith, in Baptist News Global, as "dangerous."
"Slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit."
Those fourteen words contain such a measure of ignorance, inhumanity, and bigotry that it is virtually impossible to fathom how they could find their way into the curriculum objectives of the fourth most populous state in the United States. In a state like Florida, with as ethnically, culturally and religiously diverse population as any state in the country, it is an indication that something is horribly and tragically wrong, either with the mannner in which state educational objectives are evaluated and placed in the curriculum, or that the people responsible for keeping an eye on the interests of the state's students are either completely, and criminally, apathetic.
This, too, is the work of Governor Ron Desantis.
Desantis has Clearly Stated his Message
Desantis does not have a problem controlling his own narrative. It's clear where he stands. His candidacy and his character offer nothing of value to the office he is seeking, and it indicates a grossly negligent lack of leadership to the state that he currently serves as governor. Thankfully, and this is something to be very grateful for as well as contributing to hopeful optimism, his support is melting away like the Wicked Witch of the West did when Dorothy hit her with the bucket of water. And I use that analogy on purpose.
But Desantis is just a wannabe, a monkey-see, monkey-do imitator of Trump. He's campaigning under the grossly mistaken belief that the enthusiasm for Trump he sees at rallies is found elsewhere in the electorate. Clearly, that's not the case. He's creating a self-image of an anti-patriotic, anti-democratic, anti-American with these words that he wants people to believe because he thinks it will get him enough votes to win the Republican party's presidential nomination. In a political party that can't campaign on any issues because it doesn't have any, and which is not behaving rationally or capable of rational, reasonable thought, it's surprising that almost all of the votes are still going to Trump.
It must be pretty dog-gonned humiliating to imitate the party boss and lose support from the party. That's good news for Democrats, because it means that there's not enough extremism or extremists to win the election for the GOP, not without gerrymandering, voter suppression and attempts to steal the election by simply over-riding majority votes with legislative action.
But this kind of rhetoric, lacking factual support and representing what can be evaluated as extremism or radicalization, is an early indication of the party's desperation, and of the fact that they are very likely to lose the election, big. I know I'm not alone in being shocked, disgusted and sickened by this kind of rhetoric. Everyone else who is needs to make sure they cast a ballot in the 2024 election, to put this in its place.
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