Rick Scott

What If All Four Florida Potential Republican Presidential Candidates Ran?

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The “Sunshine” State (Florida) could, potentially, have four of its citizens who have served in public office all announcing for the Presidential nomination of the Republican Party for 2024.

Donald Trump has already announced, back in November 2022.

Governor Ron DeSantis is certain to announce after the Florida legislature finishes its session in April.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio already ran for President in 2016, and without a Senate race coming up, could announce another attempt for the Presidency.

Florida Senator Rick Scott, former Governor, faces a Senate reelection contest, but still could decide to put his name into the battle for the White House.

The concept that four political leaders from one state could be competing is a first.

Also, the question is how would these four Florida Republicans stack up if all were on the ballot in the Florida Primary, and what would be their total support for the nomination in competition with other Republican contenders.

Earlier in American history, there were two Floridians in the Democratic Party who mounted unsuccessful campaigns for President–Governor Reubin Askew (1984) and finalist for Vice President for George McGovern (1972); and Governor and Senator Bob Graham (2004), with Graham also on short lists a number of times to be a potential running mate of various Democratic Presidential candidates, including Michael Dukakis (1988), Bill Clinton (1992), Al Gore (2000) and John Kerry (2004).

The South Dominates In Potential Republican Presidential Contenders!

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The American South was the area that revolted against the federal government, and seceded from the Union in 1860-1861, culminating in the American Civil War (1861-1865), with the Republican Party representing the Union cause, and the Democratic Party being dominant in the South.

The South remained strongly Democratic until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed under Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Since then, most of the South has become strongly Republican, and promoters of white supremacy and Christian Nationalism, to the point that most of the potential Republican Presidential contenders in 2024 derive from the South!

These include the following:

Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Marco Rubio, and Rick Scott of Florida
Ted Cruz and Greg Abbott of Texas
Asa Hutchinson and Tom Cotton of Arkansas
Nikki Haley and Tim Scott of South Carolina
Glenn Youngkin of Virginia

These eleven Republicans are not all sure bets to run, but all have been rumored, although some seem to be backing away from doing so.

Other potential contenders come from the Northeast area of the US, including

Chris Sununu of New Hampshire
Chris Christie of New Jersey
Larry Hogan of Maryland

And finally, from the Midwest area of the US, we have such potential contenders as

Mike Pence of Indiana
Mike Pompeo of Kansas
Josh Hawley of Missouri
Kristi Noem of South Dakota
Adam Kinzinger of Illinois

And finally, we have Liz Cheney of Wyoming

The Republican “Donnybrook” Begins At Republican Jewish Coalition Gathering!

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The Republican Presidential race has begun, with Donald Trump declaring his candidacy last week in a very uninspiring manner, and a whole slew of potential candidates showing up to display their “virtues” at the Republican Jewish Coalition gathering this past weekend in Las Vegas.

At least 21 potential Republican candidates are in the mix for 2024 at this point!

The potential candidates include those who worked for Trump, and those who looked the other way with his reckless, lawless behavior in office. It also included some who were neither category, but seem unlikely to make much traction!

Among those who worked for Donald Trump are former Vice President Mike Pence; former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Among those who looked the other way are Texas Senator Ted Cruz; Missouri Senator Josh Hawley; Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott; Kentucky Senator Rand Paul; and a number of Governors, including Ron DeSantis of Florida; Greg Abbott of Texas; Glenn Youngkin of Virginia; and Kristi Noem of South Dakota.

A third category are those who avoided embracing Trump, including former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie; outgoing Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson; and New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu.

Also, former Republican 2012 Presidential nominee and Utah Senator Mitt Romney; and Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney and Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger are truly anti Trump, and the latter two, of course, have served on the January 6 House Committee investigating the US Capitol Insurrection.

And an intriguing possility is African American Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina!

Imagine A Potential Republican Presidential Primary With Four Floridians In Spring 2024!

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The potential exists for four Floridian Republicans to be running for President in the 2024 primaries.

Former President Donald Trump; Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; and Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott are all potential contenders for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2024, along with a massive number of other potential candidates, numbering in the low 20s as a total!

Already, there is a growing rivalry between Trump and DeSantis, and Trump is coming to campaign for Marco Rubio next week, but has not invited DeSantis to the event!

So the confrontation between two massive egos has begun, and it should be fun to watch, particularly since Rubio and Scott are also intent on running for the Presidency in the same cycle!

The Republican Party Declares War On Law Enforcement And National Security!

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The Republican Party, Donald Trump loyalists, and Fox News Channel have declared war on law enforcement and national security, threatening action to destroy the FBI, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security, over the legitimate action of removing national security and other government documents wrongfully taken by Donald Trump to his Florida estate, Mar A Lago, when he left office 19 months ago!

It is shocking to see the reaction of a large slew of Republicans, including, among others:

Rick Scott
Marco Rubio
Ted Cruz
Rand Paul
Josh Hawley
Tom Cotton
Kevin McCarthy
Jim Jordan
Elise Stefanik
Newt Gingrich

They and numerous others are promoting violence and potential civil war, and it is clear that they have become the Fascist Party, with the desire to install Donald Trump as the dictator of the US, with the plan to wipe out these government agencies!

Death threats are emanating, with the fear that top government officials to the highest level, may be subjected to assassination threats, a horrifying thought!

Another January 6th is a possibility, an attack on the US Capitol or other government buildings by an armed mob, with domestic terrorism being inflamed further by Donald Trump and his minions!

Republicans And Veterans: Total Hypocrisy And Disgrace!

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The Republican Party loves to wave the flag and talk about “patriotism”, but they are regularly against veterans receiving health care for their sacrifices since September 11.

They just, out of spite, worked yesterday against aid to soldiers exposed to toxic pits and other dangers in war zones, including in Afghanistan and Iraq after September 11.

It is shocking to see even so called “better” Republicans, such as Mitt Romney and Ben Sasse joining with outgoing Senators, such as Rob Portman, Pat Toomey, Richard Burr, Roy Blunt, and Richard Shelby, and all of the usual obnoxious Senators (including Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley, Rick Scott, and others) to vote against veterans’ health aid!

Only 8 Republican Senators supported the legislation yesterday, including Susan Collins, Shelley Moore Capito, Marco Rubio, Jerry Moran, Chuck Grassley, Lindsey Graham, and two others!

From Nelson Rockefeller (1963) To The January 6 2021 Insurrection: Right Wing Threats

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Sixty years ago this week, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller denounced the Right Wing threat working to gain control of the Republican Party, and he fought against Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater for the Republican Presidential nomination in 1964.

Goldwater lost massively against President Lyndon B. Johnson, but the seeds had been planted in a movement that now has become a menace to America under Donald Trump, leading to the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrection.

But even Barry Goldwater was not as extreme as right wing Republicans now are!

If Trump or a Trumpite follower ends up as the Republican nominee in 2024, the concept of American democracy could be dissolved, as the threat of Barry Goldwater sixty years ago has been far surpassed by many Republicans since the 1990s.

Leading potential Republican nominees besides Trump in 2024 include such as Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley, and Rick Scott, among others.

The alarm bell has rung, and the question is whether the diminishing band of mainstream Republicans–such as Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, Larry Hogan, Chris Sununu, Chris Christie, Liz Cheney, and Adam Kinzinger–many of them far from ideal–can mount a campaign and take the Republican Party back to the center of American politics!

Joe Biden And “Reasonable Republicans”: Do They Exist?

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President Joe Biden has said that he believes “Reasonable Republicans” can come up with a package of gun control reforms after the Uvalde Massacre in Texas a week ago.

Skeptics wonder who are “Reasonable Republicans” in the US Senate.

Supposedly, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is on to the idea of some kind of reform, but it seems hard to believe that anyone could call him in his approach to the needs of the nation to be “Reasonable”.

Supposedly, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Texas Senator John Cornyn are also working on gun control legislation.

And one would assume that Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Ben Sasse of Nebraska would cooperate as well.

Also, Rick Scott of Florida, based on some gun reforms after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Massacre in 2018 when he was Governor, might assist, and also Roy Blunt of Missouri, Rob Portman of Ohio, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, John Thune of South Dakota, and Tim Scott of South Carolina. Blunt, Portman, and Toomey are retiring from the Senate, so might feel more free to support gun control legislation, but who knows?

But there is no assurance that any real gun control reform will actually occur!

The Nightmare Of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis: Establishing An Authoritarian Governorship!

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Florida has had a Republican Party dominance since 1998, when Jeb Bush was elected Governor, but looking back over the past 24 years, his time in office (1999-2007) was a clear dream as compared to the two most recent Republican governors (Rick Scott 2011-2019) and Ron DeSantis 2019- Present).

Scott was a man with a crooked background of Medicare fraud, who “bought’ the Governorship with his massive wealth, and is now Senator Scott, who refused to accept Joe Biden’s victory in the Presidential Election of 2020, and he can be seen as a traitor and seditionist!

But by comparison, the present Governor, DeSantis, is far worse for state government, as he has promoted:

Refusal to back federal guidelines on COVID 19 vaccinations and masking, causing higher cases and death rates than any other state per capita.

Interfering with setting up an additional Congressional district, by opposing representation for minorities, and attempting to promote extreme Republican gerrymandering.

Open discrimination in law against gays and transgender individuals in public schools, undermining security and safety for such children.

Banned discussion of race in discussion of American history in public schools and universities, avoiding discussion of slavery, segregation, and civil rights, and ignoring mistreatment of other racial minorities.

Promoted passage of an abortion ban after 15 weeks, similiar to Mississippi, with no exception for rape or incest.

Allowed “election police” to monitor elections, even though there is no record of any election irregularities.

Promoted allowance for drivers to threaten demonstrators who block roads, which are limitations on their freedom of assembly.

Impose term limits on school board members by state edict, after cutting pay for COVID 19 Mask Policies.

Ron DeSantis is taking away the powers of local governments, centralizing it in the state government, making him the equivalent of an authoritarian dictator, with his Republican Party willingly going along!

He is also promoting ethnic and class warfare, as he advocates “culture wars”!

Book Banning and Parental Rights are the slogans being used to justify censorship and restrictions on civil liberties!

It is urgent that DeSantis be pushed out of office this fall by Florida voters to prevent this man from running for President, and the thought that he might win the White House is terrifying!

CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) A Mockery Of Conservatism And The Party Of Lincoln!

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The annual CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) took place for four days last week in Orlando, Florida, the home of three of the absolutely worst political leaders imaginable–Governor Ron DeSantis, Senator and former Governor Rick Scott, and Senator Marco Rubio!

White Supremacists and lovers of Vladimir Putin, who is waging war on Ukraine, dominated the four days of speeches, and showed just how authoritarian oriented these so called conservatives are, who have made a mockery of conservatism and the party of Lincoln!

There was no support of the brave Ukranians, fighting against the most dangerous man on the planet, Vladimir Putin, but lunatic support of Donald Trump, the most dangerous man in America, who keeps his legions of supporters loyal to his anti democratic, anti NAT0 and Fascist authoritarianism, which waged war on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021!

The CPAC poll for the 2024 Republican Presidential nomination had Trump winning 59 percent of the vote, to Ron DeSantis and 28 percent, second year in a row of CPAC still supporting the traitor and seditionist Donald Trump!

The true conservatives—the Lincoln Project—and such leaders as Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Larry Hogan, Charlie Baker, Chris Sununu, along with fellow former Republicans outside of government—are working to undermine the Trump legions, and save the party future!