Florida insiders fear vengeful DeSantis will ‘burn it all down’ ( www.politico.com )

Many wonder if he’ll seek political vengeance against people he views as disloyal.

Ron DeSantis is out of the Republican presidential race. But in Florida, his second term as governor has only just gotten started.

As DeSantis returns to Tallahassee, the state capital is ablaze with speculation — and anxiety — about how the governor will wield power in the remaining almost-three years of his term. How will he seek to rebuild his stature in Florida after washing out at the national level? Will he lay the groundwork to run for president again?

And, most of all: Will he take political retribution against Republicans who he sees as having betrayed him in the presidential race?

cupcakezealot ,

too late for that considering he's made florida the most expensive place to live already

Pratai ,

He was already doing that.

TowardsTheFuture ,

Man only if they maybe had any sort of fucking foresight and didn’t remove the law allowing him to stay governor while running for president.

Can’t wait til this fucker is gone. Uhg.

Binthinkin ,

He will because he is a conservative shit bag loser. That’s what they do. Fuck everything up even for themselves.

prole ,
@prole@sh.itjust.works avatar

Oh you mean it's a mistake to give the collective power of an entire state to a vindictive fascist asshole who has historically used it as a cudgel against perceived opponents?

Ya don't say.

Chainweasel ,

Will he lay the groundwork to run for president again?

Not if Trump wins he won't.
Does anyone seriously think we'll ever have another election if Trump wins?
Or even if there are sham "elections" does he really think anyone will be allowed to run against Trump?

Diplomjodler ,

Donnieboy isn't going to live forever, you know? In fact, he seems to be declining rapidly lately. So even if there's no election there will be a vacancy for Supreme Leader at some point.

Ensign_Crab ,

Oh, if Trump wins, the dictatorship will be hereditary.

Diplomjodler ,

Nah, that's not how these things work.

Eldritch ,
@Eldritch@lemmy.world avatar

The Kim family might beg to differ.

Diplomjodler ,

Kim Il Sung spent decades establishing his successor. And he had absolute power by then. Neither applies to Trump. What usually happens in these cases it's that the potential successors are at each other's throats. This often results in civil wars, like what we have in Libya and Sudan right now.

Eldritch ,
@Eldritch@lemmy.world avatar

The Republican party has spent a century longing for and pursuing dictatorship. Trump doesn't need to do any more prep .The party eagerly picks through his word salad, looking for a way to please him. They even had shirts made up showing familial succession.

Ensign_Crab ,

Not to mention, who's gonna oppose him? Democrats? And breach decorum?

Eldritch ,
@Eldritch@lemmy.world avatar

Democrats definitely will. Maybe not the leadership and not like they should. But the thing everyone has been conditioned to forget. Is that unlike the Republican party, the Democrat party isn't significantly in any way a monolith. It's a coalition party. Much to the displeasure of Democratic leadership. It's the only reason I still have any hope for them.

frezik ,

North Korea is a huge exception. Most dictatorships do not last that long. It's worth studying how they managed to pull that off.

Eldritch ,
@Eldritch@lemmy.world avatar

No. It really isn't. History is filled with hereditary succession. It's not some outlier thing. It's actually kind of been normal for most of human history.

frezik ,

It's filled with hereditary monarchies in a very stratified society. Modern dictatorships don't arise out of a system like that. Many of them were originally fighting against exactly those systems.

Eldritch ,
@Eldritch@lemmy.world avatar

Hereditary rulers didn't all rise from a stratified society. They created the strata. Prince, princess, Duke, duchess etc. Etc etc. The strata was always their family and friends. Strata like that would not exist without them.

History has been filled with usurpers to the throne. Who have then gone on to set up their own dynasties etc. it's actually quite normal. And in the process they turned up the strata. Replacing it with people, loyal to them. Because the strata itself is meaningless and is just meant as a positive feedback mechanism.

frezik ,

Francisco Franco's regime didn't become hereditary. Neither did Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, Augusto Pinochet, Syngman Rhee or Park Chung Hee. Rafael Trujillo was succeeded by his son; that lasted about 5 months.

Most authoritarian "communist" regimes don't become hereditary, either. Not Mao, not Stalin, not Pol Pot, not Ho Chi Minh. Raúl Castro had power for a while after Fidel's health was failing, but he's out of power now and it's not been picked up by others in the Castro family.

Just try finding 20th century dictatorships that became hereditary. It just doesn't happen. North Korea is the exception.

Eldritch ,
@Eldritch@lemmy.world avatar

The fact that they didn't doesn't mean that they wouldn't have. Saddam Hussein specifically was grooming his sons to take over and had given them positions in said hierarchies to do so. The only reason they didn't was that America killed them all. Trujillo as you said did in the Dominican Republic. But was cut short because of American interference and the fact that his father was a brutal and not very well-liked man. Whose lead he followed That does not negate the fact that they were indeed intended to be hereditary. Only showing that other empires will interfere when they can.

ML are not communists. They never have been, and more importantly never will be. No matter what they call themselves. That said, it is true. They are often a bit of a different beast. At least to begin with. Militarily reserving power. There's often a pre-existing hierarchy with lots of competing influences. Eventually though they always whittle down, consolidating power until one is left. Most of them never lasted long enough to do that though. But make no mistake with assigning xi jinping as leader for life in China. They've laid the groundwork for their transition to a possible future hereditary rule. It won't be xi jinping's family. But likely the next leader they put forward if they last that long. It's such an ingrained thing in human nature. We may never actually ultimately escape it.

frezik ,

Just try finding 20th century dictatorships that became hereditary. It just doesn’t happen. North Korea is the exception.

You still haven't answered this.

OldWoodFrame ,

Add some space ships to that fanfic you're writing that'll be cool.

GratefullyGodless ,
@GratefullyGodless@lemmy.world avatar

Baron will be the new Kin Jong Un.

frezik ,

Trump works because he's able to churn up a base of support as a cult of personality. Those tend to fall apart as soon as the personality at the center dies or gets imprisoned. His adult children don't have the capability of cultivating the base in the same way. Neither does anybody else in the GOP.

Ensign_Crab ,

Once the infrastructure for dictatorship is in place, a the successors of a dictator don't need much in the way of support. Particularly considering what tends to happen to prominent members of the opposition.

frezik ,

I think he's too dumb to actually pull it off, but he'll do a whole lot of damage in the attempt.

Red_October ,

They've seen what he does to people he doesn't like or respect, and they loved it when it was the same people they didn't like. Now that they're not part of his In group, they're fucking scared. Serves them right.

Blackbeard ,
@Blackbeard@lemmy.world avatar

Leopards and eating faces, you say?

drdabbles ,
@drdabbles@lemmy.world avatar

Outside of Florida, nobody cares. Enjoy the "find out" phase. Maybe don't vote for complete pieces of garbage and you won't have insiders "worrying".

Viking_Hippie ,

Outside of Florida, nobody cares

First of all, way to empathize with the dozen million or more Floridians who never voted for him or otherwise approved but still suffer from his malicious mismanagement of their state.

Secondly, you think Florida exists in a vacuum? You don't think other fascists are inspired and emboldened by his bullshit? If so, I have some oceanfront property in Nebraska to sell you.

captainlezbian ,

Yeah, I know queer Floridians. Haven’t they been through enough at his hands? And no they can’t afford to leave.

Should I get fucked because my purple state slowly got gerrymandered red?

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Key West has a huge queer population. 30% of the island's residents are queer. Telling them to enjoy the "find out" phase is basically saying, "enjoy the genocide."

Ensign_Crab ,

Let's not pretend that "enjoy the genocide" is still off-message for Democrats.

acceptable_pumpkin ,

BuT wHaT aBoUt GeNoCiDe JoE?

Ensign_Crab ,

I've never called him that.

Democrats should not be supporting genocide.

Nobody ,

I think all his local support turns its back, and they let the Mouse have its way with Desantis.

FuglyDuck ,
@FuglyDuck@lemmy.world avatar

Wait... he wasn't trying to burn it all to the ground before?

Whirling_Cloudburst ,

He was using kerosene that time. This time he will upgrade to gasoline and Styrofoam.

linearchaos ,
@linearchaos@lemmy.world avatar

I mean, he tried to torch Disney, and they're the only reason 2/3 of the East Coast wants to go to Florida at all.

FuglyDuck ,
@FuglyDuck@lemmy.world avatar

Or the rest of the US.

Midwest it’s “beaches in winter”… but with a trip to Disneyworld (and personally… tour Kennedy space center, but ima need.)

Pro tip… CA has disneyland and the San Diego Zoo (and wild animal park)…. Also JPL for the nerds.

linearchaos ,
@linearchaos@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah we want to go out too CA pretty bad. Thing is, I can drive to Florida for a couple hundred bucks. No rentals, no flights, no TSA lines somewhat unlimited bags.

I can do the entire vacation in Florida for the price of the transport to get to CA and back.:/

FuglyDuck ,
@FuglyDuck@lemmy.world avatar

Makes sense, it’s about the same either way here.

I also would have to suggest, if you like camping, hitting up the Rockies. There’s some beautiful forests there. (I grew up in CA before moving to MN. My first experience with snow was up in the mountains… sledding hits different up there.)

linearchaos ,
@linearchaos@lemmy.world avatar

Sounds good, if I ever get the chance I'll give it a shot

toiletobserver ,

What's that thing they pretend to believe...
Oh yea, you reap what you sow, 'ole meatball.

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