Political Randomness

[LordMortis]

It's kinda of antithetical to the teaparty line, that which governs best governs least. Federalists should be up in arms against the Florida GOP.

I don't know about the taxes and bond transfers and red tape but to hear the GOP spokesperson, who says on the one hand Disney's kicked a hornet's nest, and on the other say it's not a response to their "family legislation" and then goes back the first hand repeating his rehearsal that "Disney is guest in Florida and should not bring its California values to Florida" on repeat, gets me wondering.

They have been their own governmental oversight for 55 years. How old do you have to be and how long of a resident and employer before you aren't a guest but rather are part of the community.

I mean this rehearsed statement comes from someone who isn't 50 years old and wasn't even born or educated in Florida? Who's the guest?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Fine

[Isgrimnur]

Congratulations to the Leopards Eating Faces Party on successfully opening the cage.

[malchior]

It's red meat for DeSantis 2024 but it's also a corporate giveaway for a huge tax giveaway to a significant media company. It feels like new graft where scandal is a cover for favors to me.

[LordMortis]

Congratulations to the Leopards Eating Faces Party on successfully opening the cage.

Both counties affected seem to be blue counties. What that does to state revenues, I have no ideas.

[Remus West]

Really what is does is lower the quality of services around Disney since the counties will not be able to fund them as well as Reedy Creek did.

[stessier]

This is the only reporting I've seen of this. If true, this is a nothing more than a show for the base.

'Nothing is going to happen’
Disney declined to comment on the legislature’s efforts, but the dispute is likely to end up in court, according to David Ramba, executive director of the Florida Association of Special Districts.

Ramba said he has dissolved a number of special districts, but never any that didn’t want to be dissolved and noted that “a lot of lawyers are going to get paid” as the parties work to sort out the operational implications of this bill.

Florida law dictates that special districts created by the legislature can only be dissolved with a majority vote of the district’s landowners. For Reedy Creek, that’s the Walt Disney Company.

“Nothing is going to happen,” said Jason Pizzo, a Democrat who represents the state’s 38th Senate district, during the special session Wednesday. “Everyone in this room knows this is not going to happen. I’m just tired of missing my kid’s baseball games for stuff we know is not going to happen.”

Pizzo was among several state senators who spoke out against the bill ahead of the Senate vote Wednesday. Many expressed frustration during discussion on the legislature floor, calling the legislation a “revenge bill” and “political theater.”

″[The governor] wants to prove a point,” Stewart said. “He wants to prove he’s more powerful, but I don’t think he’s more powerful than Disney.

[Jag]

The dissolution conveniently doesn't start until June 2023. Well after re-election for DeSantis and his cronies. So any fallout from this will affect Floridians after they have re-elected the leopard eating face people. As others have said, it will most likely impact a small, rural blue county most. Disney can just pay for anything they need, but residents can't.

It's an irresponsible shit show all the way around. In any sane time or place it should be the nail in DeSantis coffin, but the amount of people rallying around him for this is staggering.

[LawBeefaroni]

It's red meat for DeSantis 2024 but it's also a corporate giveaway for a huge tax giveaway to a significant media company. It feels like new graft where scandal is a cover for favors to me.

I think DIS would prefer to retain environmental control rather than save a few bucks and risk infrastructure issues.

Either way they'll be fine. Floridians are the only ones getting the real screw.

[Daehawk]

[Unagi]

The dissolution conveniently doesn't start until June 2023. Well after re-election for DeSantis and his cronies. So any fallout from this will affect Floridians after they have re-elected the leopard eating face people. As others have said, it will most likely impact a small, rural blue county most. Disney can just pay for anything they need, but residents can't.

It's an irresponsible shit show all the way around. In any sane time or place it should be the nail in DeSantis coffin, but the amount of people rallying around him for this is staggering.

Heh. Leopard eating face people.

[Daehawk]

[Unagi]

Yeah, I'm also fully aware of The People's Front of Judea.

[Daehawk]

I wouldn't be a teacher in this day and age for anything. The parents are worse than them now.

[Unagi]

That's timely. My child came home today with 3 LGBTQ Rainbow stickers on their face when they got home from school just now.


Amazing what different worlds there are here in America. This (the above face stickers, given out in class) is a 'nothing' in our house, yet rainbow stickers are grounds for termination in TX.

[LawBeefaroni]

That's timely. My child came home today with 3 LGBTQ Rainbow stickers on their face when they got home from school just now.


Amazing what different worlds there are here in America. This (the above face stickers, given out in class) is a 'nothing' in our house, yet rainbow stickers are grounds for termination in TX.

I'm sure it would be a nothing for at least a few households in Texas. It's the vocal Traditional Values Warriors that make it a big deal.

[Daehawk]

Why are some people so scared of others.

[Holman]

I guess most of us have seen that France re-elected the unpopular centrist Macron against the Putinist right-wing Le Pen by 58% to 42%.

This was the French Left acquiescing to support the centrist President against the right-wing challenger. Hopefully Macron will understand where support for his government is coming from.

[Holman]

Also, of course, this was France showing American idiots how to avoid a 2016-style catastrophe.

[pr0ner]

Some people on Twitter are casting that as a loss against fascism because Macron didn't win by *more*, while not recognizing that incumbents don't usually win in France and Macron's faced an uphill climb anyway in terms of the economy and other issues (like being unpopular).

[malchior]

Some people on Twitter are casting that as a loss against fascism because Macron didn't win by *more*, while not recognizing that incumbents don't usually win in France and Macron's faced an uphill climb anyway in terms of the economy and other issues (like being unpopular).

The NY Times was channeling this energy to a milder extent.

France and the world took stock on Monday of President Emmanuel Macron’s re-election, a triumph for his centrist, pro-European policies and a relief for Western allies, even though the result was clouded by a best-ever showing for the far right.

Mr. Macron became the first French president since 2002 to win a second term, with 58.5 percent of the runoff vote, against 41.5 percent for the right-wing challenger, Marine Le Pen, according to final results from the Interior Ministry. It was a greater margin of victory than predicted by polls after the first round of voting two weeks ago.

...

But Mr. Macron’s victory was also narrower than in 2017, when he first faced off against the anti-NATO, pro-Russia Ms. Le Pen. Fewer voters backed Mr. Macron this time around, as the highest abstention rate for a runoff presidential election in half a century — 28 percent — pointed to rising political disillusionment and economic grievance.

Clément Beaune, Mr. Macron’s junior minister for European Affairs, acknowledged on CNN that France was “divided” and “worried,” especially about pocketbook issues such as the cost of living and energy prices.

[malchior]

This isn't surprising but it partially reflects that obstruction is rewarded by partisan polarization interests.

[Daehawk]

Slovenia election: liberal newcomer Robert Golob defeats populist PM

“The vote was a vote against Janša,” said Kovac. “Against Slovenia on the Hungarian path, against an illiberal democracy in Slovenia, against the government taking over the public television, against the control of judiciary.”

If only the US was smart enough to see this way.

[Kurth]

Also, of course, this was France showing American idiots how to avoid a 2016-style catastrophe.

This. 1000% this.

[Daehawk]

"There's a reason you separate military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state. The other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people."
Commander Adama
Battlestar Gallactica S01E02

[malchior]

Also, of course, this was France showing American idiots how to avoid a 2016-style catastrophe.

Unfortunately we still face the same risk in 2024. We saw the majority of voters reject Trump in 2016. It is hard not to look at how the French and Slovenian systems are different and realize except at a very high level it is hard to take a lesson here.

[Kasey Chang]

Folks in Oakland California did not like the "Freedom Convoy" driving through town, so when the FC drove past a Safeway, they were greeted with a volley of eggs and a lot of raised fingers and yelling. It was quite glorious to see a-holes get put in their place. Just because they know how to wave a flag doesn't make them not a-holes. And doing this in California? They're just asking for it.

[Jaymann]

Best candidate statement evar by Mariana B. Dawson, running for Governor of CA:

F all politicians.

[Max Peck]

Best candidate statement evar by Mariana B. Dawson, running for Governor of CA:

F all politicians.

She has a whole list, something for everyone:

• Sue CA to Get Your Gas Taxes Back
• Rent Increase Moratorium
• Property Tax Increase Moratorium
• Reduce Taxes, Fines & Fees
• Pro Law Enforcement
• Pro Self-Defense
• Restore Gun Rights
• Reinstate the Death Penalty
• No on CRT
• Student Debt Relief
• Fire Insurance Relief
• Move Homeless Encampments Outside of Cities
• Find a Cure for Fentanyl Addiction
• Pro Business
• Break Up Monopolies
• F All Politicians!
  F means Forget. Don't be dirty-minded.

[Jaymann]

The voting pamphlet only had that one line. She should have left it at that.

[Kraken]

Yeah she has a couple of points I could get behind, but mostly it's a big list of Nope.

[dbt1949]

It just blows me away at the overt racism we see today. Especially from the government. Ever since Trump came into prominence. And it's not just the US, it's the whole world. Racism was there before Trump of course but it's becoming so overt and seems to have started with him. I never realized it was so strong. I am just so naive .
I guess am just disappointed with the whole human race.

[Blackhawk]

II never realized it was so strong. I am just so naive .
I guess am just disappointed with the whole human race.

That's a lot of us.

Trump took something that people hid because it was shameful and had social consequences, and turned it into a badge of honor.

[hepcat]

I guess am just disappointed with the whole human race.

You and me both, brother...

[LordMortis]

II never realized it was so strong. I am just so naive .
I guess am just disappointed with the whole human race.

That's a lot of us.

Trump took something that people hid because it was shameful and had social consequences, and turned it into a badge of honor.

It was coming on before Trump but he made it into a spotlight affair. Like you say, a badge of honor. I was convinced things were receding and getting better, then I was convinced it was desperate gasping amplified by social media. Then 2015 pulled the wool from eyes. So yeah,

I guess am just disappointed with the whole human race.

[Remus West]

I remember having a conversation with my dad regarding Obama before he won Democratic nomination the first time. I told him I was voting against Obama not because I didn't like what he stood for but because America was not ready for a Black President. I honestly believed then and now that much of what we are seeing is the backlash from people having the nerve to elect him. They could have gotten past him being elected if he had been the equal of tRump they would maybe have been able to move on but they can not forgive that he was Black and excellent.

And I agree at the disappointment with the Human race. I just started more cynically.

[Isgrimnur]

People suck. They have always sucked, and they will continue to suck.

[Jaymon]

So I am not entirely up to speed on the Florida/Disney thing, but even so, I can sense some wrongness going on here. If DeSantis thinks that doing whatever he is doing against Disney is somehow part of his master plan of owning the libs, then he has defiantly hurt himself in confusion.

Disney is not the libs. Disney is a massive corporation focused only on profit. Everything they do regarding representation, rights, pride, is entirely about profit. Need only to look at how all of their movies have gay tokenism that can be easily erased or dubbed out for inclusion in the Chinese market.


Whatever pile of crazy the state of Florida shows up with in court, Disney is going to rip it to shreds, and walk away with a big pile of profit.

[El Guapo]

Whatever pile of crazy the state of Florida shows up with in court, Disney is going to rip it to shreds, and walk away with a big pile of profit.

Most likely DeSantis will as quietly as possible work out some sort of deal with Disney whereby they get to keep 99% of what they want. The point here isn't really to hurt Disney. Rather, the core objectives here for DeSantis are: (1) to shore up his standing with the MAGA base by showing that he "fights"; and (2) to dissuade other companies from speaking up against him / the GOP agenda in the future. This latter part is part of the authoritarian playbook - neutralize corporate opposition to unpopular agenda items in the future by threatening corporate pocketbooks.

[hepcat]

I really wish Disney would just expose DeSantis for the little Napoleon he is. Release all the court proceedings they legally can. I would love to see them just grab hold of his nipples and twist away.

[stessier]

May 10th is a state holiday in South Carolina. Care to guess what we celebrate?

Spoiler:

Confederate Memorial Day

sigh