Rebekah Jones and the Dangers of DeSantis Derangement Syndrome

[ThatRobGuy]

Providing both left and right leaning articles on this one in the interest of keeping things balanced.

Rebekah Jones and the Dangers of DeSantis Derangement Syndrome

Like Trump, DeSantis provokes outsized reactions in his followers and his critics. But there are risks to letting the governor live rent-free in your head.

www.thedailybeast.com

Yahoo, affiliate link for this DailyBeast article in case the paywall pops up on the first article:

Rebekah Jones and the Dangers of DeSantis Derangement Syndrome

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/ReutersGet more news and opinions in the twice-daily Beast Digest newsletter. Don’t miss the next big story, sign up here.Rebekah Jones, a prominent critic of “fascist” Ron DeSantis, is alleging that Florida police have “kidnapped” her son...

news.yahoo.com

And the right-leaning article about this as well:

Liberal journalist apologizes for promoting Florida Democrat 'grifter' against DeSantis: 'Screwed up royally'

"The Young Turks" host Ana Kasparian issued a correction on her progressive outlet's previous reporting on Florida Democratic "grifter" and DeSantis critic Rebekah Jones.

www.foxnews.com

For those who forgot the name, Jones is the data scientist who ran FL's covid 19 dashboard, and who made claims that the DeSantis administration was urging her to fudge the numbers...a claim that a lot of media outlets ran with, and a claim that ended up being false.

It would seem as if Jones was something of a grifter and is spinning false narratives again.

She claims her son was arrested as political retribution, when in fact,
Rebekah Jones, a prominent critic of “fascist” Ron DeSantis, is alleging that Florida police have “kidnapped” her son for political retribution.

The trouble for Jones is that her 13-year-old son sent some disturbing messages to his friends via Snapchat, including ones saying, “I want to shoot up the school” and “it’s been like 3-4 weeks since I got on my new….antidepressants and they aren’t working but they’re suppose to by now so I have no hope in getting better so why not kill the losers at school.”

As to the underlying charge that Jones and her son are being targeted for retribution? According to VICE, “there is currently no evidence to suggest that the arrest of Jones’s son is part of a broader vendetta against her by the DeSantis administration.”

"The Young Turks" co-host Ana Kasparian apologized to her far-left audience overnight for giving air time to the discredited Democratic activist and Ron DeSantis critic, Rebekah Jones.

"The only person that should be held responsible for that is me. I'm the executive producer of the show and I screwed up royally," Kasparian admitted.

"Part of the reason why I screwed up is because I had all these biases of course, against Ron DeSantis," Kasparian said.

She said she didn't feel bad about having a prejudice against DeSantis but admitted it became a problem in this case because it "blinded" her to the facts.

"I should've done my due diligence and I failed to do so. By failing to do so, I feel like I misled the audience into thinking that Rebekah Jones is some sort of hero," Kasparian confessed.

 

[Landon Caeli]

Providing both left and right leaning articles on this one in the interest of keeping things balanced.

Rebekah Jones and the Dangers of DeSantis Derangement Syndrome

Like Trump, DeSantis provokes outsized reactions in his followers and his critics. But there are risks to letting the governor live rent-free in your head.

www.thedailybeast.com

Yahoo, affiliate link for this DailyBeast article in case the paywall pops up on the first article:

Rebekah Jones and the Dangers of DeSantis Derangement Syndrome

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/ReutersGet more news and opinions in the twice-daily Beast Digest newsletter. Don’t miss the next big story, sign up here.Rebekah Jones, a prominent critic of “fascist” Ron DeSantis, is alleging that Florida police have “kidnapped” her son...

news.yahoo.com

And the right-leaning article about this as well:

Liberal journalist apologizes for promoting Florida Democrat 'grifter' against DeSantis: 'Screwed up royally'

"The Young Turks" host Ana Kasparian issued a correction on her progressive outlet's previous reporting on Florida Democratic "grifter" and DeSantis critic Rebekah Jones.

www.foxnews.com

For those who forgot the name, Jones is the data scientist who ran FL's covid 19 dashboard, and who made claims that the DeSantis administration was urging her to fudge the numbers...a claim that a lot of media outlets ran with, and a claim that ended up being false.

It would seem as if Jones was something of a grifter and is spinning false narratives again.

She claims her son was arrested as political retribution, when in fact,
Rebekah Jones, a prominent critic of “fascist” Ron DeSantis, is alleging that Florida police have “kidnapped” her son for political retribution.

The trouble for Jones is that her 13-year-old son sent some disturbing messages to his friends via Snapchat, including ones saying, “I want to shoot up the school” and “it’s been like 3-4 weeks since I got on my new….antidepressants and they aren’t working but they’re suppose to by now so I have no hope in getting better so why not kill the losers at school.”

As to the underlying charge that Jones and her son are being targeted for retribution? According to VICE, “there is currently no evidence to suggest that the arrest of Jones’s son is part of a broader vendetta against her by the DeSantis administration.”

"The Young Turks" co-host Ana Kasparian apologized to her far-left audience overnight for giving air time to the discredited Democratic activist and Ron DeSantis critic, Rebekah Jones.

"The only person that should be held responsible for that is me. I'm the executive producer of the show and I screwed up royally," Kasparian admitted.

"Part of the reason why I screwed up is because I had all these biases of course, against Ron DeSantis," Kasparian said.

She said she didn't feel bad about having a prejudice against DeSantis but admitted it became a problem in this case because it "blinded" her to the facts.

"I should've done my due diligence and I failed to do so. By failing to do so, I feel like I misled the audience into thinking that Rebekah Jones is some sort of hero," Kasparian confessed.

I'm not very keen on Snapchat, but I thought snapshot messages disappear, and then are gone after a short time frame.

...Does the government have access to private snapchat accounts? And can they still read messages after the time limit is up? Acquiring minds want to know!

 

[Landon Caeli]

I feel like everyone is into everyone's personal lives way too much these days.

 

[Landon Caeli]

Did DeSantis ask the authorities to secretly observe Jones' family?

The following song always makes me feel better when I feel like I'm living in an Orwellian nightmare. The lyrics are so true too.

 

[essentialsaltes]

...Does the government have access to private snapchat accounts? And can they still read messages after the time limit is up? Acquiring minds want to know!

I rather doubt it, but you never know. In this particular case (In one of Rob's links) "The students reported the claims to the school prior to that date and the investigation was launched."

So classmates who received the messages quite rightly said something when they saw something.

 

[Landon Caeli]

I rather doubt it, but you never know. In this particular case (In one of Rob's links) "The students reported the claims to the school prior to that date and the investigation was launched."

So classmates who received the messages quite rightly said something when they saw something.

Well, that is a relief then.

 

[The Barbarian]

It's a bit of an exaggeration to call DeSantis "deranged." He's kind of unusual, and has a few weird beliefs, but his failures as a governor are more relevant than his alleged mental issues.

 

[The Barbarian]

"I should've done my due diligence and I failed to do so. By failing to do so, I feel like I misled the audience into thinking that Rebekah Jones is some sort of hero," Kasparian confessed.


Kasparian illustrates the difference between the Young Turks and right-wing outlets like Fox News and News Max. It didn't take a lawsuit to get her to take responsibility for this.

 

[Belk]

Did DeSantis ask the authorities to secretly observe Jones' family?

The following song always makes me feel better when I feel like I'm living in an Orwellian nightmare. The lyrics are so true too.

I preferred the No Doubt version.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

It's a bit of an exaggeration to call DeSantis "deranged." He's kind of unusual, and has a few weird beliefs, but his failures as a governor are more relevant than his alleged mental issues.

Actually "DeSantis Derangement Syndrome" isn't a reference to DeSantis's mental state, but rather those who are so opposed to him that they'll gobble up any negative story about him (without verifying it) because it fits there narrative.

...which is what the articles were highlighting.

When one has so much hatred toward "Candidate XYZ" that they'll blindly take any negative story about them at face value and assume it's true, that person would have "Candidate XYZ Derangement Syndrome"

 

[The Barbarian]

Actually "DeSantis Derangement Syndrome" isn't a reference to DeSantis's mental state,

Given some of his goofy behavior, it seems like it. My point was his mental health issues are less important than his failure to competently govern in Florida.

When one has so much hatred toward "Candidate XYZ" that they'll blindly take any negative story about them at face value...

...it's the republicans whinging about how Biden outsmarted them again.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Given some of his goofy behavior, it seems like it. My point was his mental health issues are less important than his failure to competently govern in Florida.

What evidence is there that he's not competently governing? He's giving the people of that state what they want while maintaining a sustainable budget, lowering crime, and fostering an environment that a lot of people want to move to.

You may disagree with a lot of his policies, which is fine, I don't like some of his policies either, but that doesn't have anything to do with competence.

Are there any metrics you can point to that would back up that assertion?

He won by a landslide (even flipping blue counties red for the first time in decades)
Florida reported a record budget surplus (and that's with signing into law the states highest per-pupil education spending, and encouraging his own party to allocate $500 million for raising the min teacher pay and securing half a billion for Everglades restoration)
Their crime rate has dropped for the 4th consecutive year
They have the highest net migration rate in the country (meaning a lot of people want to move there)
He's been able to challenge the opposing side's political efforts without stooping to the same kinds stunts as Trump (and be effective at it)

Despite all the rhetoric about Florida being "toxic" for LGBT people (which is what most of the critiques about him are centered around), Florida ranks in the top half of LGBT-friendly states, has the 10th highest LGBT population, and has one of the lowest rates of hate crimes against that community.



Claiming that "DeSantis has mental problems" is stooping to the same tactics as the GOP uses to bash Democrats, which is "if they disagree with me, they must have a mental defect"...it's a cheap shot and unfounded most of the time it's invoked as a talking point.

...it's the republicans whinging about how Biden outsmarted them again.

What does a progressive news outlet having to retract a story (due to not doing their due diligence) have to do with Biden outsmarting anyone?

 

[Pommer]

What evidence is there that he's not competently governing?

You may disagree with a lot of his policies, which is fine, I don't like some of his policies either, but that doesn't have anything to do with competence.

Are there any metrics you can point to that would back up that assertion?

He won by a landslide (even flipping blue counties red for the first time in decades)
Florida reported a record budget surplus (and that's with signing into law the states highest per-pupil education spending, and encouraging his own party to allocate $500 million for raising the min teacher pay and securing half a billion for Everglades restoration)
Their crime rate has dropped for the 4th consecutive year
They have the highest net migration rate in the country (meaning a lot of people want to move there)
He's been able to challenge the opposing side's political efforts without stooping to the same kinds stunts as Trump (and be effective at it)

Despite all the rhetoric about Florida being "toxic" for LGBT people (which is what most of the critiques about him are centered around), Florida ranks in the top half of LGBT-friendly states, has the 10th highest LGBT population, and has one of the lowest rates of hate crimes against that community.



Claiming that "DeSantis has mental problem" is stooping to the same tactics as the GOP uses to bash Democrats, which is "if they disagree with me, they must have a mental defect"...it's a cheap shot and unfounded most of the time it's invoked as a talking point.


What does a progressive news outlet having to retract a story (due to not doing their due diligence) have to do with Biden outsmarting anyone?

DeSantis doesn’t seem good at the tactics of politics. He uses tools ineffectually, sometimes in a ham-handed fashion (the Disney thing, who out-maneuvered him) which would have seemingly forced him into court but he tried to use the legislature to pass an ex post facto law to strip Disney’s agreements of their validity. (What ever happened to that?)
He’s not a strategist either, (Trump’s genius is knowing how to move the small pieces to get affect the big picture), and seems to be lumbering along to garner the coveted VP position on the ticket. This might be his best shot at getting into the Oval Office?

 

[ThatRobGuy]

DeSantis doesn’t seem good at the tactics of politics. He uses tools ineffectually, sometimes in a ham-handed fashion (the Disney thing, who out-maneuvered him) which would have seemingly forced him into court but he tried to use the legislature to pass an ex post facto law to strip Disney’s agreements of their validity. (What ever happened to that?)
He’s not a strategist either, (Trump’s genius is knowing how to move the small pieces to get affect the big picture), and seems to be lumbering along to garner the coveted VP position on the ticket. This might be his best shot at getting into the Oval Office?

I think he actually is good at tactics, within the confines of Florida. He seems to know what the people of Florida want and is giving to them (while still lowering crime, lowering taxes, maintaining a budget surplus, and increasing state spending in key areas)

I think a more fair assessment would be that he's a good at being a governor, but that could perhaps be his "peak"?

That's not to knock him for that...there have been many people who were very popular governors and were successful at the state-level game, but fizzled out when trying to "make it to the next level".


And I think most of us can admit, it's a very unique time to try to "play the political game" by the conventional wisdom rules of politics.

There are a lot of dynamics that have been flipped on their heads.

There was a time 10 years ago when big corporations and pharmaceutical industries were "the bad guys" in the eyes of those on the left, and people on the right would've defended them because "profits are good because they're job creators"

Now we're in some sort of weird grey area where people on both side pick and choose when a mega-corp is good based on the extraneous values those organizations may have.

The same even goes with attitudes towards boycotts and things of that nature. There was a time when boycotting was a favorite tool of the left (like when they boycotted Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-a), now the right's doing it, and boycotting "the wrong company" is considered an expression of "hate" and "petty".

It was a simpler time when the rules were at least consistent...
Everyone knew republicans were on the take for defense contractors and if there was a proxy war effort, you knew which side was behind it
Everyone knew that public sector unions were finding creative ways to funnel money/support to the democrats
Everyone knew big banks were throwing money at both sides
etc...

You get my drift...

 

[The Barbarian]

What evidence is there that he's not competently governing?

Super high inflation rate.
High COVID death rate
High infant death rate
44th state nationally in literacy
33rd state for poverty rate
26th in violent crime rate.

Stuff like that.

 

[The Barbarian]

What does a progressive news outlet having to retract a story (due to not doing their due diligence) have to do with Biden outsmarting anyone?

You said..."When one has so much hatred toward "Candidate XYZ" that they'll blindly take any negative story about them at face value..."

...it's the republicans whinging about how Biden outsmarted them again.

The point is not (as I said) whatever mental health issues DeSantis might have. It's his failure to adequately govern.

 

[St. Helens]

ADMIN HAT ON

ADMIN HAT OFF​

 

[FreeinChrist]

ADVISOR HAT

Since this thread was started, we added "______ (add the name) Derangement Syndrome" to a list here.

It is basiically flaming others to use that. This thread will stay closed. ​