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The Bulwark is disappointed in Jeb
J V Last has an article about Jeb Bush’s endorsement of DeSantis. It’s behind a paywall, but he tweeted out what I assume to be his salient points:
If Ron DeSantis’s governorship has been good for Florida, then why didn’t Jeb pass a “Don’t Say Gay” bill when he was governor? Why didn’t Jeb take over the New College of Florida to push a conservative agenda? Why didn’t Jeb offer a bill to outlaw the teaching of “theories” in undergraduate courses? Why didn’t Jeb spend taxpayer money to ship refugees to Martha’s Vineyard? Why didn’t Jeb move to take away Disney’s special zoning arrangement? Why didn’t Jeb appoint a vaccine skeptic as his state surgeon general?
After all, if these are good policies for the people of Florida, Governor Bush had the opportunity to enact them himself. Why didn’t he?
Piquant points! Let’s take them one by one.
Why didn’t Jeb pass a “Don’t Say Gay” bill when he was governor?
This is somewhat confusing, since DeSantis didn’t pass a “Don’t Say Gay” bill either. The only relevant part of the bill that has to do with any of this:
Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age- appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.
This really, really bothers some people.
Most of the bill concerns the rights of parents, which really, really bothers some people, too.
Why didn’t Jeb take over the New College of Florida to push a conservative agenda?
Because he’s an old-style moderate Republican who has an antique notion of college as a place where the values of our civilization are handed down to the young. Oh, sure, they’re full of liberals, but you know, kids figure it out. We all go through that phase.
Also, there’s something a bit untoward about actually teaching history and politics from a conservative point of view. It’s a bit much. You want kids to get all sides. So the liberal faculty teaches both sides with cool impartiality, giving equal weight to all competing ideas, but conservative faculties ram through an agenda? Well the professors you get for a school like that are rather . . . ideological. It’s one thing to believe these things, but these guys, they really believe it. I mean, we’re talking Gadsden flag bumper stickers.
Why didn’t Jeb offer a bill to outlaw the teaching of “theories” in undergraduate courses?
Here we see the true anti-intellectualism of DeSantis blaring to the fore: the man is opposed to theories. Why, the entirety of intellectual inquiry is based on theories, and the man wants to ban them with a stroke of a pen. Sensible Jeb would not ban theories, lest it cripple the ability of students to understand gravity.
DeFenders of DeSantis would make tiresome objections to this, noting that the “theories” were in fact doctrines of racial essentialism based in a creed that regards every institution in the country as fatally tainted by racism and incapable of reform, but they would, wouldn’t they? What they really want is a sugar-soaked curriculum full of noble Pilgrims, Founding Fathers, then some handwaving about the early 19th century, then the whole white-savior narrative about the Civil War, and then it’s on to pushing out the savage Redman so the Rotarians and other God-fearing men can bust the sod and conjure cities out of the dirt while Jesus floats over the nation, nodding in approval. Black history shall not be taught, except in a lesson about how the Harlem Globetrotters solved a mystery with the Scooby-Doo gang once.
It’s possible Jeb would have urged legislation to ban teaching of “theories” that advanced racial essentialism, if such a thing was happening in his tenure, but these theories were, at the time, in larval state in higher education. Which of course was an utterly neutral medium in which they found no particular nutriments.
Why didn’t Jeb spend taxpayer money to ship refugees to Martha’s Vineyard?
Because Jeb has friends there, and wouldn’t like to see them troubled by the logical conclusion of their political viewpoints? It’s possible.
Why didn’t Jeb move to take away Disney’s special zoning arrangement?
I don’t know. I’m not a TrueCon who is conserving conservatism so the whole thing about fellating the satraps of corporate city-states doesn’t come naturally to me.
Why didn’t Jeb appoint a vaccine skeptic as his state surgeon general?
Maybe he’s an anti-immigrant racist who hates poor people?
Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD, is the State Surgeon General of Florida. He also serves as Professor of Medicine at the University of Florida, where his research examines behavioral economic strategies to reduce cardiovascular risk in low-income and disadvantaged populations.
Born in Nigeria, Dr. Ladapo received his medical degree from Harvard and PhD in Health Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. He completed his clinical training in internal medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he received the Harvard Medical School Class of 2012 Resident Teaching Award and the Daniel E. Ford Award in Health Services and Outcomes Research from John Hopkins University.
Also – and this seems so obvious I suspect I am missing Last’s point entirely – Jeb did not have to deal with a pandemic during his tenancy.
In fact, he didn’t have to deal with a lot of things that now sluice through modern politics, but one suspects he wouldn’t have done much if these issues had presented themselves. He was a fundamentally decent man, and fundamentally decent men do not object to middle-school trans awareness pageants. But having seen what DeSantis does, he is apparently impressed, and endorses DeSantis’ pro-active, bully-pulpit, happy-warrior approach.
The Bulwarkians, understandably dismayed, sigh, and draw a line through his name on the sheet of paper that contains the Names of the Good.
But first they dip the quill in the inkwell, so the line may be strong from start to finish.
Published in General
Please clap.
I don’t want to hijack the post, but I will say you are welcome to the party. It’s a matter of indifference to me since I’m no longer a part of it. Enjoy your status as a permanent minority.
Maybe Florida Gov. Bush didn’t do some of the listed things because he didn’t have time as he was busy fixing the electoral system.
Mr. Last commits two category errors that are disturbingly common today: 1) imposing the present day onto people of the past, and 2) misrepresenting decisions and policies with which the writer disagrees.
As many of the comments on the Tweet noted, and as James notes here, the Gov. Bush governed in a different time than does Gov. Desantis, with different issues, different concerns, and different opportunities. Just as the world in which our ancestors lived (such as, but not limited to, the 18th and 19th century) was different from the world today’s “woke” tyrants live. It is ridiculous to apply 21st century expectations onto our 18th and 19th century ancestors. It is almost as ridiculous to apply 2023 policy priorities onto a 2000 governor. Concepts, yes. But detailed implementations, no.
Maybe Mr. Last is trying to be intentionally provocative, which I can infer from his nonsensical choice of policies to highlight, and from his gross misrepresentation of those policies. No decent commentator would be that dishonest. (I know almost nothing about Mr. Last, so about all I have is the Tweet before us here.)
Mission accomplished there, hoss.
There is an awe inspiring perfection in absolute incomprehensibility. I get it.
Wait. I thought you were just defending your use of the “I.” At least it’s accurate. You and other crazed supporters of Democrats don’t speak for the entire “we.”
How about “because when Jeb was governor the Left was still being a little more circumspect about its mission to pervert and/or destroy American society so he didn’t have to do those things; but now that the Left has way more power, is saying the quiet parts out loud, and is actually implementing their crazy ideas in practical and substantive ways the current governor has been compelled to take action”.
You might as well say about someone who was a president prior to 1861, “if you like Lincoln so much why didn’t you go to war with the South when you were president?”
Ramaswamy.
Grift, Inc thanks you for your service.
“What they really want is a sugar-soaked curriculum full of noble Pilgrims, Founding Fathers, then some handwaving about the early 19th century, then the whole white-savior narrative about the Civil War, and then it’s on to pushing out the savage Redman so the Rotarians and other God-fearing men can bust the sod and conjure cities out of the dirt while Jesus floats over the nation, nodding in approval. Black history shall not be taught, except in a lesson about how the Harlem Globetrotters solved a mystery with the Scooby-Doo gang once.”
Mind reading is a difficult task but it is essential for good satire. That is a very good description of the educrates opinion of the parents who reject their sophistry.
Never heard of it. I prefer Nissin’s Top Ramen.
SRSLY?!
Thank you for sharing that theory, Jerry. Here I’ve been a leftist all along and didn’t even know it. Because the true conservative position is evidently to grant government nearly limitless power to make us live life right.
“I don’t know. I’m not a TrueCon who is conserving conservatism so the whole thing about fellating the satraps of corporate city-states doesn’t come naturally to me.”
That is some top shelf Bleating.
I was paying $2, $1 for Vic and $1 for Sonny.
And then I too bailed when Vic left.
My never-totally-reliable memory tells me that Bush did a pretty good job as governor.
But I don’t think he’d have the gumption to fight the tidal wave of insanity that DeSantis confronts regularly.
Apologies for not showing up and responding, but it’s been a busy day with family events. Interesting and piquant replies! I’d expect nothing less. Thanks!
Maybe it’s time for you to take ownership of your position,.
To those of you who have wondered if The Bulwark would ever say that DeSantis is worse than Trump, here is Charlie Sykes of The Daily Bulwark podcast whose morning column says:
A reminder: No one is worse than Trump.
“To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle,” George Orwell warned. So let’s take a moment to look at what is in front of our noses… right now.
The Demented Orange God King keeps telling us who he is:
Etc. etc, etc.
Imagine reading these on a daily basis and thinking that there is any way that this man should be restored to power, given back the nuclear codes, and control of the DOJ, FBI, CIA, IRS, and the U.S. military….
https://morningshots.thebulwark.com/p/no-desantis-is-not-worse-than-trump?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=87272&post_id=105680251&isFreemail=false&utm_medium=email
Beat me to it. That’s gonna leave a mark.
I wonder about the never-Trump Republicans which seem to now be evolving into never populist Republicans. At the pundit level, these are guys that have staked out a certain geography in the political landscape and invested careers in their political positions. When the public debate shifts they stand to lose income and status so there is this weird flailing for relevance. Smart guys with insights that I once enjoyed reading are now just ranting at clouds.
Motivations for voters are different. There does seem to be some small (but relevant in close elections) group of soft Republican voters who will vote against anyone with the smell of Trump or Trump’s populism. Their considerations seem to be purely aesthetic. Populist appeals to the working class are crass and low status.
I think libertarians were always of 2 types. There were the intellectual autists who developed elaborate but impractical theories about how society could work. They were sincere but had no interest in functional politics. Then the larger group of libertarians were just guys who wanted to smoke weed. It was never really a cohesive movement.
Parsing, please hold. We will be with you as soon as possible.
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Re-parsing, please hold. We will be with you as soon as possible.
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Re-parsing, please hold. We will be with you as soon as possible.
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I’m guessing that would not be many, if any, but thanks for the reminder that Sykes is a clown.
They’ll do the democrat thing and wait to attack DeSantis after/if he gets the nomination. The whole point is to be court jester conservatives. They don’t want to win elections just preen, virtue signal, and get money from gullible people.
Pretty much. Though I’d argue they do want Democrats to win elections.
In a way, it’s kind of cool to see the Nevers revealing themselves as Democrats (see Rubin post above, Kristol, French, etc.). We needed a reveal on the beltway punditocracy.
But it also reveals that it is not about a political party as such but the tribal identity politics of the pseudo-elites. Justification by
faithself-congratulations alone! Being a zeitgeist-regurgitating, overpaid, unimaginative zombie with delusions of access to power and influence transcends party labels.I mean, the Bulwark made it clear when they launched that their target wasn’t just Trump but their target was anyone who dared say anything positive about him. And it wasn’t long after their launch that they made it clear they were more interested in attacking Republicans than Democrats. Anyone who fell for their scam is too stupid to be allowed a vote.