Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), his campaign, and the Florida Republican Party have launched a coordinated attack on Karla Hernández, the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Florida.
And so it begins. I am exhausted by the continuing dirty tricks of the GOP. Year after year! As someone who lives in SoFlo, I can say I’m not surprised at this behavior but I am disgusted. Thank you Judd for your continued fight for good journalism and shining a light on the dirty underbelly of conservatives in the USA.
Serious question: Why can't DeSantis be sued for defamation? He knows what he's saying is false and he's saying it anyways. Hernandez should sue the hell out of him for defamation. Same with Pushaw. Her and Desantis are both evil cockroaches who have no place in a civilized society. They both are trying to take a page out of trump's playbook and sadly the idiot base on the right will eat this up. They already have. The damage is done. Desantis needs to be removed. He better never win a presidential nomination.
She has to sue him; otherwise the accusations go unanswered. This kind of smearing has to be stopped and seriously punished. Shrugging it off is not an option. If we don't stand up against this nonsense, no credible individual will ever run for a leadership position. Our leaders will be nothing more than liars, cheats and the self-serving.
Who said it should be shrugged off? It's an unfortunate reality that defamation lawsuits are notoriously slow and hard to prosecute, especially when one politician is suing another during a political campaign. Court is not like it appears on TV. Discovery alone can take many months, and that is if the motion to dismiss is denied.
It doesn't matter how long it takes. The point is she should take a stand to defend herself against a smear campaign that is based on lies. Otherwise the lies never stop.
I agree entirely. Trump is slow-walking the legal process, but still it is creeping up on the Creep. Same can be done with DeSantis. Where do I sent $ to help fund the legal effort?
Even if lawsuits move incredibly slow, the mere news and then follow up stories that a defamation lawsuit has been filed will make a difference. It will help make those in the base that are still on the fence because they've moved from idiots, to stubborn hate-to-admit-they-were-wrong dummies, take notice, research Hernandez & her UTD history (like the excellent timeline in this story) and take their last steps back to the light of facts and reality. A lawsuit need to be filed and filed NOW. Also thank you! Cockroaches is a perfect description of DeSantis & Pushaw!
It's no wonder why some Republicans have considered DeSantis as a potential presidential candidate. As far as the proverbial barrel goes, there evidently is no bottom.
This is very disturbing. Lies like these cover up the valiant work of law enforcement and teachers unions to protect children from sexual predators. As an adult survivor of child sexual abuse, I’m thinking that we survivors need to speak out about how this form of lying makes it more difficult to protect children and make our communities safe. We need to join others in calling out the DeSantis campaign and the Florida Republican Party and call on them to stop the smear.
A lie travels around the world multiple times before truth gets out of the starting gate.. Not surprised at the tactics employed and it' appears to be a generally accepted strategy in certain political circles. One wonders if Michelle Obama's remark of going high in the face of someone going low can even be understood by an electorate that succumbs to sensationalism and alarming screen chyrons.
And these guys try to wear the cape of righteousness. Always with the f---ing projection. Do we have to become them to beat them? Nope.
But we DO need to forcefully expose them and keep the pressure on. What ever they claim they must be dragged to the podium and forced to PROVE those outlandish claims. Of course they will not be able to, which will be obvious to anyone with functioning brain cells
Media plays a large role in this. Screw that both-sider-ism. Call a lie a lie and a liar a G-Damned LIAR!!!
Show them up repeatedly in public. Spend some money on ads that clearly delineate their misrepresentations and falsehoods while hi-lighting the truth. Politicians should write articles and include links to evidence in prominent publications locally and nationwide to counter the constant drumbeat of BS emanating from the broken and corrupted republican party of traitors, miscreants, criminals, ne'er-do-wells, hangers-on, racists, common criminals and grifters
Fight fire with water, fight lies with truth, fight darkness with LIGHT! And beat them without mercy or quarter.
It sure looks like DeSantis and his flying monkeys are using the Trump playbook. Lie, and to increase the impact, lie again. And smearing one's opponents is the path to victory.
This is one of the ugliest stories you’ve covered to date, and I hope these allegations are not just hideous but actual slander. I’ve never heard of Karla, this situation or the convicted predator, but I have to believe the people in the affected school district are very familiar. I don’t know much about Charlie Crist, but he’s not a new kid on the block and it doesn’t seem he would pick a running mate without full vetting and anticipating any and all possible attacks, especially those that follow the MAGA playbook. It’s not yet September and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Isn't this also an example of DeSantis (shamefully) aligning himself with the QAnon folks? It's a truism among believers in this conspiracy that ALL Dems are secret "pedos" who "groom" kids. In attacking Karla Hernandez, DeSantis is utilizing tropes familiar to the far right and believed by many in the Trump base. Thank you Judd and Rebecca for bringing this to everyone's attention. I hope mainstream media reporters will call him out for doing this, and I'm sure the Crist campaign will. This kind of vile smear should not be allowed to gain further traction or we'll have even more QAnon-inspired claims taking root in Republican politics.
Deplorable lies yet the damage is done-how to undo it? This is the exact same tactic used all over the country. Isn't it time to call a spade a spade? Liar Liar Liar-If the ONLY way DeSantis feels he can win is by promoting lies, what does that say about his day to day honesty?
It is kind of funny that republicans “clutch their pearls” when President Biden said that the MAGA republicans were semi-fascist. (Absolutely correct). However, no problem calling democrats socialists and lying about democrats.
DeSantis with Pushaw (represented communist sycophant for Putin in the country of Georgia), now sinks to a new low of all out lying about his competitor. Does not care about Lying because if he goes to court it just means it will cause delay and he has achieved putting in a lie into the main stream media.
Imagine if a Democrat had decided to say that Rick Scott with a head of a satanic cult? The conservative news media would go crazy.
Thank you for covering Florida politics. It is super scary in southern Florida. I wish the federal government and the DOJ could do something about DeSantis.
And so it begins. I am exhausted by the continuing dirty tricks of the GOP. Year after year! As someone who lives in SoFlo, I can say I’m not surprised at this behavior but I am disgusted. Thank you Judd for your continued fight for good journalism and shining a light on the dirty underbelly of conservatives in the USA.
Agreed. Well spoken. All thinking, moral and empathic people wish the Florida situation (among other red places) will dramatically improve.
Serious question: Why can't DeSantis be sued for defamation? He knows what he's saying is false and he's saying it anyways. Hernandez should sue the hell out of him for defamation. Same with Pushaw. Her and Desantis are both evil cockroaches who have no place in a civilized society. They both are trying to take a page out of trump's playbook and sadly the idiot base on the right will eat this up. They already have. The damage is done. Desantis needs to be removed. He better never win a presidential nomination.
She has to sue him; otherwise the accusations go unanswered. This kind of smearing has to be stopped and seriously punished. Shrugging it off is not an option. If we don't stand up against this nonsense, no credible individual will ever run for a leadership position. Our leaders will be nothing more than liars, cheats and the self-serving.
Who said it should be shrugged off? It's an unfortunate reality that defamation lawsuits are notoriously slow and hard to prosecute, especially when one politician is suing another during a political campaign. Court is not like it appears on TV. Discovery alone can take many months, and that is if the motion to dismiss is denied.
It doesn't matter how long it takes. The point is she should take a stand to defend herself against a smear campaign that is based on lies. Otherwise the lies never stop.
A lawsuit would move too slowly, and besides, the likes of Ron DeSantis wouldn't be deterred by a lawsuit anyway.
I agree entirely. Trump is slow-walking the legal process, but still it is creeping up on the Creep. Same can be done with DeSantis. Where do I sent $ to help fund the legal effort?
Even if lawsuits move incredibly slow, the mere news and then follow up stories that a defamation lawsuit has been filed will make a difference. It will help make those in the base that are still on the fence because they've moved from idiots, to stubborn hate-to-admit-they-were-wrong dummies, take notice, research Hernandez & her UTD history (like the excellent timeline in this story) and take their last steps back to the light of facts and reality. A lawsuit need to be filed and filed NOW. Also thank you! Cockroaches is a perfect description of DeSantis & Pushaw!
It's no wonder why some Republicans have considered DeSantis as a potential presidential candidate. As far as the proverbial barrel goes, there evidently is no bottom.
This is very disturbing. Lies like these cover up the valiant work of law enforcement and teachers unions to protect children from sexual predators. As an adult survivor of child sexual abuse, I’m thinking that we survivors need to speak out about how this form of lying makes it more difficult to protect children and make our communities safe. We need to join others in calling out the DeSantis campaign and the Florida Republican Party and call on them to stop the smear.
Thanks for your reporting, Judd.
Thank you Judd for continuing to focus on Florida politics. Florida is on the front lines in the battle for truth in politics.
A lie travels around the world multiple times before truth gets out of the starting gate.. Not surprised at the tactics employed and it' appears to be a generally accepted strategy in certain political circles. One wonders if Michelle Obama's remark of going high in the face of someone going low can even be understood by an electorate that succumbs to sensationalism and alarming screen chyrons.
And these guys try to wear the cape of righteousness. Always with the f---ing projection. Do we have to become them to beat them? Nope.
But we DO need to forcefully expose them and keep the pressure on. What ever they claim they must be dragged to the podium and forced to PROVE those outlandish claims. Of course they will not be able to, which will be obvious to anyone with functioning brain cells
Media plays a large role in this. Screw that both-sider-ism. Call a lie a lie and a liar a G-Damned LIAR!!!
Show them up repeatedly in public. Spend some money on ads that clearly delineate their misrepresentations and falsehoods while hi-lighting the truth. Politicians should write articles and include links to evidence in prominent publications locally and nationwide to counter the constant drumbeat of BS emanating from the broken and corrupted republican party of traitors, miscreants, criminals, ne'er-do-wells, hangers-on, racists, common criminals and grifters
Fight fire with water, fight lies with truth, fight darkness with LIGHT! And beat them without mercy or quarter.
Pushaw is a fundamentally awful person.
But, then again, so is DeSantis.
It sure looks like DeSantis and his flying monkeys are using the Trump playbook. Lie, and to increase the impact, lie again. And smearing one's opponents is the path to victory.
This is one of the ugliest stories you’ve covered to date, and I hope these allegations are not just hideous but actual slander. I’ve never heard of Karla, this situation or the convicted predator, but I have to believe the people in the affected school district are very familiar. I don’t know much about Charlie Crist, but he’s not a new kid on the block and it doesn’t seem he would pick a running mate without full vetting and anticipating any and all possible attacks, especially those that follow the MAGA playbook. It’s not yet September and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Let's talk about "grooming" in this particular case. DeSantis is very good,
as are his cohorts, at grooming the
people of Florida, and sadly others who
choose salacious accusations over
facts and truth. DeSantis' grooming is
frightening because he's able, through his supposed charisma, to influence a pretty
good number of people. He's like Trump
in his methods of attack. He's bound
and determined to hold onto FL and
move up to DC in 2024. Crist and the
Democrats better come out very strongly
and beat back his lies and show his
duplicity, as Judd as so easily pointed
out and documented here. I'm surprised
DeSantis hasn't started wearing a
Brown shirt and jack boots. He may yet
design a uniform for himself.
Isn't this also an example of DeSantis (shamefully) aligning himself with the QAnon folks? It's a truism among believers in this conspiracy that ALL Dems are secret "pedos" who "groom" kids. In attacking Karla Hernandez, DeSantis is utilizing tropes familiar to the far right and believed by many in the Trump base. Thank you Judd and Rebecca for bringing this to everyone's attention. I hope mainstream media reporters will call him out for doing this, and I'm sure the Crist campaign will. This kind of vile smear should not be allowed to gain further traction or we'll have even more QAnon-inspired claims taking root in Republican politics.
Deplorable lies yet the damage is done-how to undo it? This is the exact same tactic used all over the country. Isn't it time to call a spade a spade? Liar Liar Liar-If the ONLY way DeSantis feels he can win is by promoting lies, what does that say about his day to day honesty?
It is kind of funny that republicans “clutch their pearls” when President Biden said that the MAGA republicans were semi-fascist. (Absolutely correct). However, no problem calling democrats socialists and lying about democrats.
DeSantis with Pushaw (represented communist sycophant for Putin in the country of Georgia), now sinks to a new low of all out lying about his competitor. Does not care about Lying because if he goes to court it just means it will cause delay and he has achieved putting in a lie into the main stream media.
Imagine if a Democrat had decided to say that Rick Scott with a head of a satanic cult? The conservative news media would go crazy.
Thank you for covering Florida politics. It is super scary in southern Florida. I wish the federal government and the DOJ could do something about DeSantis.
Disinformation? Pure Lies.
I detest De Santis.
Part of the Republican party platform nationally. Dirty Politics.
The country will never recover I fear if the GOP takes the 2022 election.
Who wants to be governed by liars, con artists and religious zealots?
74 million Trump voters, but not me.
Vote Blue!
In addition to his obvious fascism, DeSantis has now echoed Trump’s propensity for bald-faced lies. He is Trump with an evil brain.