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The Angry Demagogue's avatar

Regarding Venezuela- we don’t let our allies win, will we let our enemies win?

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Thomas M Gregg's avatar

Probably…

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David Eggleston's avatar

Gavin Newsom is just the Democrats’ Ron DeSantis. It’s sad that the crazies in both major parties have absolutely destroyed their benches.

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Thomas M Gregg's avatar

I don't think so. DeSantis has been a good governor of Florida. Newsom has been a lousy governor of California.

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David Eggleston's avatar

I’ll grant that DeSantis is generally better on any policy that doesn’t involve culture war, but I don’t want a man as president who deliberately pushes legislation for show knowing that it’ll get overturned in court or watered down to avoid such a lawsuit. The jihad against Disney, and I’m no fan of today’s Disney Corporation, was nothing more than pandering to a small minority of social conservatives and bad policy for Floridians in general. Maybe he wouldn’t do it again today, seeing as he seems to realize that he can’t out-Trump Trump, but that episode showed what DeSantis is.

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Thomas M Gregg's avatar

I don't know. Disney deserved to get kicked around on the floor, don't you think?

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David Eggleston's avatar

No, punishing businesses for protected speech isn’t constitutional, much less admirable.

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Thomas M Gregg's avatar

The Constitution doesn't protect people or corporations from the consequences of their speech. Nor does Disney have a constitutional right to special breaks and perks bestowed by the government. What the government gives, the government can take away.

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David Eggleston's avatar

The Constitution has repeatedly been held to protect people and corporations from retribution by government for protected political speech. Also, government cannot take away vested financial rights without compensation. And third, it is abjectly stupid to attack the goose that lays the golden tourism eggs while simultaneously foisting the expenses for maintaining the Reedy Creek District on your constituents. I admire DeSantis’ secret intellectual heft and study of policy issues, but the whole Disney debacle shows that he may never be ready for prime time. I also don’t know why Disney chose not to fight it out in court, but my guess is Disney was happy to shift some of the costs onto the Florida taxpayer while reaping the positive publicity with its coterie of cultists and the LGBTQRSTUV+ lobby, as DeSantis did with his base.

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