Florida, man

Republicans in the Florida legislature — a once-independent body that now simply exists as the bureaucratic vessel for Ron DeSantis’s crude impulses and cruel ambitions — have spent the past week filing one reprehensible bill after another, filling the docket with an onslaught of human rights violations. Not one of those bills aims to solve a problem afflicting everyday people in Florida, but taken collectively, they represent the pet obsessions of a power-hungry narcissist operating under the assumption of impunity.

Take a look at this list of proposals [...]

• A broad expansion of the Don’t Say Gay (LGBTQ) law

• Precedent-busting laws that strip immigrants of basic rights, takes away in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants, and makes it a crime to drive an undocumented immigrant anywhere within the state

• The most ideological and dangerous attack on higher education in generations

• Full preemption of local rent control ordinances and the legal right for companies to sue cities if a local decision costs them money

• Another preemption law, this one banning local governments from enacting laws, regulations, ordinance policies that would govern water and air pollution.

• Regulation of sex-ed in schools to force abstinence-only lessons and ban any mention of STDs and HIV until sixth grade.

• A full-blown assault on the press and the First Amendment

• Another attempt at a bill that would ban automatic reduction of dues from the salaries of public sector union members and force labor organizations to go through constant recertification

  Progress Report

All coming soon to the nation if Republicans keep getting elected.

The Disney takeover — but not the new board — got national coverage, and there’s been some TV news segments from New College as Chris Rufo sprays his insecure little bigotry all over the campus. But for the most part, the long list of reprehensible proposals have gone ignored by national political media.

[...]

In nearly every case, the local news outlets were the only media organizations covering DeSantis’s fuselage of means-spirited, far-right legislative proposals.

[...]

Then again, you can’t exactly blame DeSantis for his wildly unwarranted arrogance, given the media coverage he continues to receive.

[...]

Covering DeSantis as a normal presidential candidate and not a sweaty narcissist and local autocrat is in effect an endorsement of his extremism and unbridled bigotry. That such barbarism and authoritarianism appeals to a not insignificant number of Americans does not legitimize it or reduce the threat that it presents.

It's the way they covered Trump for years.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.