DeSantis Won't Be Speaking at MAGA Convention (UPDATED)

Ron "Bootsie" DeSantis, the failed Governor of Florida, who did a culture war battle with Mickey Mouse and with the state's librarians over book banning, won't be speaking at the MAGA convention in Milwaukee, according to reports (there are also reports that has-been reality star Amber Rose will speak however; suck on that, Bootsie):

"DeSantis, once seen as a rising conservative star, is not scheduled to have a main stage speaking slot during the week-long celebration of former President Donald Trump, according to three people familiar with convention plans but not authorized to speak publicly.

But the GOP governor will participate in other Republican events occurring in conjunction with the convention that could keep him somewhat in the spotlight — and in the minds of the party faithful. A spokesperson for DeSantis’ political operation declined to comment.

He’s appearing at a town hall hosted by Moms for Liberty and is set to appear at the “Southern States Fest” being held at the Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium that will feature other GOP governors from the region."  (our emphasis)

How appropriate that he'll be with the far-right Christofascist "Moms for Book Burning Liberty,"whose former leader was involved in a threesome sex scandal with her husband. Family values MAGAts!

Bootsie thought his endorsement of the Malignant Loser would win him a speaking slot at the convention. Live and learn that the Malignant Loser doesn't forget or forgive anyone who goes up against him, no matter how pathetic.

UPDATE:  Looks like he might get a slot after all.  Perhaps after everyone has gone home?  The intrigue!

(gif: The joke's on you, dimwit)

 

Wealthy Donors Gifted DeSantis Unreported Luxury Travel

Looks like one or more Republican rivals have been doing some oppo research on Bootsie, trying to make him the next Clarence Thomas:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took at least six undisclosed trips on private jets and accepted lodging and dining in late 2018, according to flight manifests, tracking data and other documents obtained by The Washington Post that reflect his proclivity for luxury travel and leisure time with wealthy donors.

The trips came during the period between DeSantis’s election and inauguration as governor. On one, DeSantis traveled to the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club on a plane owned by Mori Hosseini, a major home builder who supplied a golf simulator in the governor’s mansion and later benefited from $92 million in federal pandemic funding that the DeSantis administration steered to a highway interchange project he sought. DeSantis took four other flights on a plane that was registered at the time to John Cwik, another DeSantis donor, records show.

DeSantis did not report the flights or accommodations as gifts or campaign contributions and it’s unclear whether he used a separate legal option to personally reimburse for the flights at the cost of coach airfare. A DeSantis spokesman said he complied with regulations but declined to specify how the costs of the trips were paid or how they met ethics and disclosure requirements.  [snip]

The undisclosed trips, which have not been previously reported, reflect how DeSantis fueled his political rise through close bonds with rich patrons and had a taste for luxury travel, in contrast to his campaign’s portrayal of DeSantis’s humble blue-collar roots and aversion to moneyed interests. His preference for private jet travel has continued into his White House bid, even as his campaign has struggled to rein in spending. In an unusual arrangement, the campaign is sharing some costs for private plane travel with the super PAC supporting him.  [snip]

Searches of state campaign finance disclosures by DeSantis’s campaign, his affiliated political action committee and the Florida Republican Party did not produce any records of donations or expenditures corresponding to the private flights documented in the records obtained by The Post. In other instances later in his administration, DeSantis’s private flights were disclosed as in-kind contributions to his PAC or the state GOP. The state GOP did not respond to a request for comment.

The state disclosure requirement contains an exception for some relatives but not for friends. The Ethics Commission has repeatedly determined that free flights on private planes count as gifts, according to Caroline Klancke, a former commission general counsel and deputy executive director. State law provides penalties including fines of $10,000 per violation of the gift rules and Klancke said DeSantis’s actions could prompt further scrutiny.

While state rules generally value gifts at the “actual cost to the donor,” they allow the value of private jet travel to be “given the same value as an unrestricted coach fare.” Valuing lodging and golf rounds that are not generally available to the public would be more complicated, Klancke said...

Looks like Bootsie already has a leaker in mind:

[DeSantis campaign spokesman Andrew] Romeo called this story “Trump-legacy media collusion” and claimed DeSantis has the best chance to defeat President Biden. “Ron DeSantis has always fought back against the establishment and won, and this election will be no different,” Romeo said.  (our emphasis)

It almost --almost -- seems unnecessary to pile onto Bootsie at this juncture, given his increasing irrelevancy in the race to deny the cult leader the Republican/ MAGA/ Christofascist nomination.  But, we enjoy the spectacle of these rats dirtying each other up as much as anyone, so leak away!

(Photo: ethically challenged Clarence Thomas and Bootsie / Octavio Jones, Tampa Bay Times)

QOTD: "Blood on His Hands"

 

The shooting of 3 African Americans yesterday in Jacksonville, FL prompted Florida state representative Angie Nixon (D) to comment on fascistic Gov. Ron "Bootsie" DeSantis' role in stoking hatred in the state through his racist "anti-woke" agenda. From MSNBC:

"Look, at the end of the day, the governor has blood on his hands. He has had an attack, an all-out attack on the Black community with his woke policies, which we know very well, was nothing more than a dog whistle to get folks riled up in the way in which it just happened yesterday. I listened to him for the first time with that statement, my blood is literally boiling."

This is absurd, it is ridiculous, he is one of the causes of this. This is an agenda that he has been pushing since he has gotten into office. He showed us who he was when he initially ran for governor saying do not monkey this around. Do not monkey this up. That type of statement. It only leads to things like this." (our emphasis)

It's outrageous that DeSantis has been trafficking in racist dog whistles, but par for the course for the Republican / New Confederate / Shooters party. The full interview with Representative Nixon is here. 

 

Bootsie's Failure To Launch (And Musk's, Too)

Yesterday's ballyhooed campaign kick off for Florida's fascistic, book banning - Mickey Mouse battling Gov. Ron "Bootsie" DeSantis was a disaster by anyone's definition. Teaming up with egomaniacal right-wing mogul Elon Musk on a glitchy, crashing Twitter Spaces platform, Musk couldn't have done a better job of humiliating Bootsie if he had tried. Some typical commentary:

The Hill:

"The keystone of DeSantis’s launch was intended to be the Twitter Spaces event.

Praised beforehand as innovative, it turned out to be disastrous.

It was beset with technical difficulties from the start. Many users reported being unable to log onto the event, and those who did had to struggle with audio that was interrupted, garbled, or dropped out entirely. [snip]

On one hand, even an embarrassment on the scale that DeSantis suffered on Wednesday night isn’t politically fatal.

But it’s worth remembering that the governor’s central case is that he is a more competent and effective rival to the purportedly more chaotic Trump.

The Wednesday night debacle administer a deep, self-inflicted wound to that case."  (our emphasis)

Slate:  

"On Tuesday, news broke that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would be officially announcing his presidential candidacy in a 'Twitter Spaces' conversation with Elon Musk. Observers at Slate and elsewhere debated whether this was a good idea; implicit in the discussion, though, was the premise that the announcement would actually take place.

For several minutes Wednesday night, that premise was called into question. The event was scheduled for 6 p.m. ET; around 6:10 p.m., Silicon Valley figure and co-host David Sacks spoke briefly before the feed cut out. After several more minutes, the Space, which was hosted on Musk’s Twitter page, went gray. At one point electronic hold music was playing."  (our emphasis)

The Washington Post:

"The problems then persisted, with hosts, including Musk, assuring listeners that this was just because there was so much interest and they were breaking ground. Ultimately, Musk relinquished his initial role, explaining, 'I had to switch over to David hosting it because my account was actually ... breaking the system.'

On top of that, there were no images of DeSantis speaking and looking presidential. It was basically like listening to talk radio, except the hosts weren’t experienced broadcasters who could keep the conversation moving and focused, and they spent an inordinate amount of time playing up how historic the format was, shifting attention from the candidate himself." (our emphasis)

Politico:

"You only get one chance to make a first impression. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ was a glitch.

The Florida governor announced his presidential campaign on Twitter Spaces, in an appearance meant to be a veritable launch hosted by an actual rocket man.

But within seconds, it was clear that Tallahassee had a problem.

The feed broke, connections got cut off, the hosts seemed confused. It was inauspicious. It also was a black mark on the candidate’s supposed trademarks — expert organization and a comfort with the vanguard of modern media."  (our emphasis)

It was a disaster for DeSantis on his big day, but it also showed Musk to be unprepared and incompetent, something that's becoming a brand for him since he bought Twitter. Getting "help" like this from Musk is not something DeSantis will likely try again.

(gif: Yes, we found your announcement disaster hilarious, too)