Rightwing Florida governor and 2024 presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis was widely condemned after he said that if elected to the White House, he would “start slitting throats” in the federal bureaucracy on his first day in power.
The president of the National Treasury Employees Union, Tony Reardon, called the hardline Republican’s comment “repulsive and unworthy of the presidential campaign trail”.
The president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Everett Kelley, said: “Governor DeSantis’ threat to ‘start slitting throats’ of federal employees is dangerous, disgusting, disgraceful and disqualifying.”
Among commentators, the columnist Max Boot called DeSantis’s words “deranged” while Bill Kristol, founder of the Bulwark, a conservative site, said the governor was “making a bold play to dominate the maniacal psychopath lane in the Republican primary”.
A measure of how infantilised America has become. Apparently no one’s allowed to quote the best journalist the country’s ever produced, Mencken:
“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”
That this is – metaphorically if you insist – what should be done to the Federal bureaucracy is obvious.
Of course if he’d said he’d hang Trump for treason, the applause would be loud, long and lasting.
What Boganboy said. The double-standards are now impossible to ignore.
And the spitting is surely a health hazard. And what colour flag did you say?
Dunno. It’s always the problem of making allusions to supposedly ‘famous’ writings, speeches etc. Trouble is, nine-tenths of the audience won’t recognise them. Why should they? Enoch Powell got into trouble with this with his “rivers of blood” speech. Like the people who stick their latin bon mots in everywhere, is actually what they’re doing is saying “Lookatme! Lookatme! I’m ejukaded, I am!”?
It’s a far far better policy to talk to the level of your audience. After all, they’re the people you’re trying to convince. And you do this stunt, you risk what’s happened to De Santis. Your detractors turning it back onto you. The clever man doesn’t do it in the first place.
BiS That would be around Janet and John level, then.
Joking aside, when you are dealing with people who are wilfully intellectually dishonest, whatever you say will be twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools.
‘Like the people who stick their latin bon mots in everywhere’
How about the people who stick their French bon mots in everywhere?
Interested. I do do humour sometimes. But in the spirit of my comment, if it eluded you, my fail.
Yet “heads must roll” is widely used.
Among commentators, the columnist Max Boot called DeSantis’s words “deranged” while Bill Kristol, founder of the Bulwark, a conservative site, said the governor was “making a bold play to dominate the maniacal psychopath lane in the Republican primary”
Israel declares war on Florida.
And you do this stunt, you risk what’s happened to De Santis. Your detractors turning it back onto you. The clever man doesn’t do it in the first place.
It’s straight out of the Trump playbook. Say something “outrageous” and you get free publicity from all the idiots jumping up and down calling attention to the issue and the fact you plan to fix it. You even get the bonus of pointing out the idiots’ idiocy. Everyone knows it’s a metaphor, even those who don’t know what “metaphor” means.
PJF – meh.
It’s more out of the Boris/Corbyn playbook (constantly be on the lookout for opportunities to monster a political figure the establishment wants rid of).
DeSantis is not a Mini-Trump, he lacks the Donald’s charisma and doesn’t troll people for effect. He’s more like Dominic Raab – obviously smart and wonky, but also slightly awkward.
But saying “Kill the Boer” is fine, apparently.
“bloke in spain
. . .
It’s a far far better policy to talk to the level of your audience. ”
Well, he did. I mean, his audience isn’t the Leftists. Its not Max Boot. Its not *snicker* ‘conservative’ Bill Kristol, founder of the *snigger* ‘conservative’ Bulwark HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
He was talking to conservatives and libertarians. Half of who got the reference and all of who would be just fine if he was being literal too.
And no one’s ‘turned it back on him’ because his audience isn’t listening to what his detractors are saying anymore anyway.
DeSantis is not a Mini-Trump, he lacks the Donald’s charisma and doesn’t troll people for effect.
The first two are factually true and most likely to his political benefit. The third is entirely wrong, as evidenced by his sending “migrants” to Martha’s Vineyard, a classic.
It’s not as if Trump invented the contents of his playbook, he was just particularly good at the game. DeSantis and/or his team have been fairly adept too. That, and his general administrative competence, is why the US left is terrified of him.
PJF – Oh yeah, I forgot about the Martha’s Vineyard stunt.
Have you seen DeSantis speak? He’s rather bland. I agree he does seem to be more adept at governing than Trump, tho special conditions apply to Washington DC and it’s going to be a monstrous fight for any politician who thinks he’s gonna drain that swamp.
Agammamon – TRUE Conservatism means sending your children to die in a ditch in Buttfuckistan because some multiple passport toting millionaire “ex-” communists who resent you on a biological level said so on CNN.
“because some multiple passport toting millionaire “ex-” communists who resent you on a biological level said so on CNN.”
Whoa, cool it with the antisemitism bro!
“Agammamon – TRUE Conservatism means sending your children to die in a ditch in Buttfuckistan because some multiple passport toting millionaire “ex-” communists who resent you on a biological level said so on CNN”
Conservatives stopped joining the military 30 years ago.
Ag – The last time I had a conversation with a British Army officer, he was gushing, Nicely-But-Dimly, about LGBTs, Mohammedans, and climate change.
I wish them luck in their next war, they will need it.
Kyle – Never.
On past form I would have thought that was a liberal/Democrat trait. So delete the ex from communist.
Conservatives stopped joining the military 30 years ago.
Conservatives stopped being conservatives 30 years ago. Somewhat sooner than the military. But it/hir got there in the end.
For connoisseurs of the taking of offence, there are two articles currently in the comments section of the Torygraph referencing dams bursting. Heartlessly ignoring the victims of the infamous* bombing of the Ruhr dams, 80 years ago this week.
* Tips hat to BBC.
FrankH – August 5, 2023 at 11:34 am
Yet “heads must roll” is widely used.
Except in the context of public bodies where it is “Deputy heads must roll”.
Late to the party, but anyone remember the confected outrage when Reagan made ‘We begin bombing in five minutes’ remarks in a sound check for a broadcast. Naturally everyone took it literally.
I don’t remember anyone much being upset when the American ‘comic’ Kathy Griffin posed for a photo of herself with a fake Trump severed head? Perhaps someone should do the same thing with Biden, just to test the temperature of the water.