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?

  • FuglyDuck
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    788 months ago

    Wait… he wasn’t trying to burn it all to the ground before?

    • @Whirling_Cloudburst
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      98 months ago

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

    • @linearchaos
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      28 months ago

      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
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        68 months ago

        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
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          28 months ago

          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
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            28 months ago

            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
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              08 months ago

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

  • Dr. Dabbles
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    448 months ago

    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
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      268 months ago

      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
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        248 months ago

        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?

          • @Ensign_Crab
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            -128 months ago

            Let’s not pretend that “enjoy the genocide” is still off-message for Democrats.

              • @Ensign_Crab
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                -38 months ago

                I’ve never called him that.

                Democrats should not be supporting genocide.

  • prole
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    368 months ago

    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
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    8 months ago

    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?

    • @[email protected]
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      48 months ago

      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
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        118 months ago

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

        • @[email protected]
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          18 months ago

          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
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            38 months ago

            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.

          • @Eldritch
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            58 months ago

            The Kim family might beg to differ.

            • @[email protected]
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              08 months ago

              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
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                48 months ago

                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.

                • @[email protected]
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                  8 months ago

                  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.

            • @[email protected]
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              -18 months ago

              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
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                48 months ago

                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
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                  28 months ago

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

    • @[email protected]
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      38 months ago

      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
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    318 months ago

    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
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      118 months ago

      Leopards and eating faces, you say?

  • @[email protected]
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    178 months ago

    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.

  • toiletobserver
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    148 months ago

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

  • Binthinkin
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    138 months ago

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

  • @Nobody
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    68 months ago

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

  • katy ✨
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    28 months ago

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