The Golden Oldies…

The "groomer" talk is just warmed-over 1970s homophobia returned, there's not much more to it. Nothing about it is particularly new. https://t.co/Fq8bDHFYVq

— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) April 5, 2022

...are not that golden, or that old.

“Smart money” says DeSantis is a more appealing Trump. Huh. With a press secretary who talks like Trump is a squish and a RINO. I still say he’s not ready for prime time.

Lite Guv Patrick tried this shit over “trans” bathrooms in public schools, insisting schools provide them, largely to shame students (he insisted it was to protect “regular” students). He traveled to Fort Worth, probably the most conservative large city/populous county in Texas , to yell at a school board about it. No one was impressed, much less inflamed. GOP fanatics (but I repeat myself ) tried the same scare tactics in Houston. The election that year confirmed for the first time in 40 years that this county is solidly Democratic. (Patrick’s attempt to make his bathroom bill (only genders identified at birth could enter, or face criminal sanction) law failed that year, too.)

You could say Covid changed everything, but nobody’s getting on board with Abbott and Paxton’s assault on families of trans children. Abbott has dropped the topic, preferring to talk about how safe he’s made the border (maybe because The Texas Tribune and ProPublica have exposed what a failure his efforts have been). Paxton’s getting his ass kicked in court, and the statewide injunction against him stands. Nobody’s crying about that. 

The point is, DeSantis’ demagoguery may work in Florida. But it ain’t gonna travel well. Even Texas isn’t likely to go for it.