Flotsam and Jetsam in the Wake of DeSantis' Departure

Spiked! claims to know Where Ron went wrong. "DeSantis was just too wooden to play the disruptive role the working classes want." PJM's Stephen Kruiser thinks DeSantis Should Sue His Campaign Consultants for Malpractice, probably good advice in general.  Hat Hair's Capt. Ed says this about DeSantis' Exit: 2024 Was Never About Him.

At Twitchy, Brit Hume Nails the Moment That Donald Trump Clinched the Nomination, illustrated with a big fat picture of Alvin Bragg. OTH, Salena Zito says  Trump’s track to victory began when train derailed in New Palestine. Capt. Ed comments "It’s the elites versus the normies, and the elites are furious that Trump connects to the normies more than they do." Matt Margolis at PJM hears what he thinks is Some Solid Advice for Trump From His Former Press Secretary "You must pick someone who helps to bring in that bloc because I believe the conservatives, the base, is going to come home, show up, rain or shine,” she continued. "You need the independents, you need the suburban women. You need that tone." Althouse Trump defeated Ron DeSantis. We all know that. But how gendered was it?  "I'm reading a NYT "Political Memo" by Michael C. Bender and Nicholas Nehamas, called "The Emasculation of Ron DeSantis by the Bully Donald Trump." Emasculation? Really? At Hollywood in Toto, David Mamet: Trump Was Best President Since Lincoln "Outspoken playwright defends real estate mogul, says Trump will beat Biden." Capt. Ed, "I think Mamet has decided he’s uncancellable — and may be — or he just doesn’t care. Or both." His give-a-damn is broken.

Freddy Gray at Spec World wonders Will Nikki Haley drop out after New Hampshire? "The MAGA movement is strong here, as it is almost everywhere in America" Capt. Ed. "I didn’t think DeSantis would drop this soon, so take my prediction with a grain of salt. There’s no risk for continuing, and wouldn’t have been for DeSantis either. Haley’s probably not going to run for office again after this, given her age and how she decided to position herself on the out-of-favor wing of the GOP in this national campaign. She may as well burn through the rest of the cash on hand. However, if she thinks that Trump will dominate in her home state of South Carolina, she may want to spare herself some embarrassment." I think Democrats, media and Never-Trumpers will prop her up as long as they can. Nick Arama at RedState tells the tale of a Funny Exchange Between Haley and Audience Member Doesn't Have Good End for Her (And Polls Look Bad Too). At Taki's Ann Coulter says The Next Million Fentanyl Deaths are on You, New Hampshire, for keeping Nikki in the running (if that's what it is). 

Salena Zito at Hat Hair says We Can Elect a Third-Party Candidate, but Not the Way You Think. It's a pretty weird scenario, though. 

At Ace, An NGO to Fly Illegal Aliens Into America Is Founded By Former "American" Presidents Clinton, Obama, and George W. Bush "Fuck the Uniparty." Kaelan Deese at WaEx, Supreme Court allows Biden administration to cut Texas border wire.  Mary Chastain at LI, Supreme Court Allows Feds to Cut Razor Wire on Texas Border While Lawsuit Continues Through the Courts. "Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Barrett voted to vacate the injunction that prevented the border patrol from cutting the wire installed by Texas." Spencer Brown at PJM reports Supreme Court Sides With Biden Admin, Allows Feds to Cut Texas' Border Barriers. This backfire on Democrats they way abortion has for Republicans?

Ace reads a Book: Joe Biden Decided to Run in 2024 Because He Knows Kamala Harris Is Incompetent and Unpopular, "One thready heartbeat from the presidency." Bob Hoge at RedState, 'Amateur Hour': Tell-All Reveals Just How Bad Kamala Has Been As VP; Jill Can't Stand Her. An unexpected recommendation. I&I, Dementia And Double Standards. VodkaPundit at Insty, NEVER UNDERESTIMATE JOE’S ABILITY TO F*** THINGS UP: Here Comes the Houthi War (and How Biden Will Screw It Up).

Good news from Stacy McCain, Democratic Socialists of America Now Planning Layoffs Amid Financial ‘Crisis’ "What? You’re telling me that socialists are not good at managing finances and budgets? I’m shocked — shocked! — by this revelation . . . "

Chris Queen at PJM reports Judge Unseals Records in Nathan Wade Divorce Case. Ace, Fani Willis Seeks to Quash Subpoena in Divorce Matter; She Argues to Judge, "Before I Met Mr. Darris 'Sweetdick' Honeycum, My Sad Cooter Was Dry as Gold-Bond Foot Powder and Had Gone from a Snizz to a Snooze to a Snuzz" "The latter quote is more implied than explicit. But boy oh boy, Fani does not want to have to give answers under oath. She is, however, willing to make vague accusations of racism in front of a black church. If it please Your Honor." At Fox, Fani Willis' prosecutor, alleged romantic partner not 'qualified' to handle Trump election case: CNN Legal analyst. WaPoo A bitter divorce battle could determine future of Trump Georgia case. Also at WaPoo, Trump defamation damages trial in New York to resume Wednesday "The defamation damages trial against Donald Trump is expected to resume Wednesday after being adjourned Monday morning when a juror said they were sick and a Trump lawyer said she may have been exposed to the coronavirus, according to court officials."

I've been on social media in its current incarnations and its precursors (like dial-up AOL chat rooms) on-and-off since the mid-'90s.

I have learned one consistent lesson over and over and over, and it has never not happened. Here it is:

Anywhere online that conservatives are…

— Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) January 21, 2024

AP notes Plagiarism probe finds some problems with former Harvard president Claudine Gay’s work. Capt. Ed's takeaway, "Is that the standard to which Harvard holds its students — that plagiarism is not actionable unless the university proves intent? According to numerous reports, “duplicative language” is enough for punitive measures for everyone other than Gay." Mark Judge (remember him?) at WaEx, The Claudine Gay story isn’t Roots, it’s Shattered Glass "In fact, the Claudine Gay movie has already been made. It was called Shattered Glass and came out in 2003. In 1998, New Republic writer Stephen Glass was found guilty of making up many of his pieces. Glass’s fabulism was so blatant and widespread that even his liberal colleagues had to take action — but not until after Glass’s lies had already been published. In its best scene, the film depicts the moment when editor Charles Lane explodes at reporter Caitlin Avey, who has been defending Glass. Lane, the one honorable person left on staff, has to jackhammer through the liberal groupthink to find Avey’s conscience — and her sense of honor. “He handed us fiction after fiction and we printed them all as fact, just because we found him entertaining,” he says. Then he drops the bomb: “It’s indefensible. Don’t you know that?”"

At RCP Karol Markowicz tells Jews to Leave the Pews "To those who sat in the pews for years as their congregation became a shameless political operation, the time has now come to depart. Your synagogue must be a place of worship, not of political activity, and, unfortunately for you, who paid your dues and hoped to align with a community of your peers, the political movement your shul promotes is the one that hates you. You should have departed years ago, like when your rabbi couldn’t condemn constant rockets into Israel for years without also condemning the Israeli response. Or when your rabbi could stand up for every group other than our own." From the College Fix, Anti-Israel protesters at Columbia demand divestment, threaten tuition strike. Great! Insty, LOL, YALE STUDENTS SKIPPING CLASS: Yale students walk out of class on first day of semester to protest school’s ‘complicity in genocide.’

From Da Daller, Corporations Try To Bury Their ‘Diversity’ Programs ‘Under The Radar’ After Backlash. Capt. Ed, "As I wrote earlier, this is not new. Texas passed a law forbidding its public universities from spending money on DEI programs, so the University of Texas changed the titles of the programs to “inclusion.”"

At PM, Son of photographer David Bailey claims online chat rooms groomed him into being transgender. "Society has a gun to its head, because if they're not supportive of it, the only choice is to be cancelled. You are either for it, or you're transphobic; there is no middle ground."

Ace's