Ron DeSantis性视界传媒 presidential campaign recently fired a staffer who reportedly either retweeted or made a video that included Nazi imagery superimposed onto the Florida governor性视界传媒檚 face.
Great. That性视界传媒檚 a no-brainer. But where性视界传媒檚 the denunciation 性视界传媒 from a presidential candidate, no less 性视界传媒 that surely should accompany that news? We性视界传媒檙e still waiting.
It doesn性视界传媒檛 matter much whether the staffer, former National Review writer Nate Hochman, made the video, as Axios reported, or just retweeted it on the @desantiscams account. DeSantis性视界传媒 campaign obviously had to expel anyone pushing something so abhorrent.
In case you性视界传媒檙e wondering, this was not a case where the imagery in the video is unclear or open to interpretation. This is awful stuff. The video, first reported by Semaphor, shows DeSantis in front of the Florida state seal that morphs into a red wheel, called a sonnenrad, a symbol that was used in Nazi Germany and, today, by neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Silhouetted soldiers march toward DeSantis on both sides.
Even when you know what性视界传媒檚 coming, that spinning red wheel is jarring to see, instantly recognizable as a chilling Nazi symbol. So no, this wasn性视界传媒檛 a close call.
Hochman性视界传媒檚 departure came during a big reduction in presidential campaign staff as DeSantis struggles to regain his footing as the main challenger to Trump for the GOP nomination. Some media outlets reported that Hochman parted ways with the campaign over the video. The campaign told Axios that 性视界传媒淣ate Hochman is no longer with the campaign. And we will not be commenting on him further.性视界传媒 There was no response from the campaign when the Editorial Board reached out.
In saner times, Hochman性视界传媒檚 firing 性视界传媒 if, as reported, that性视界传媒檚 what happened 性视界传媒 would be the end of the whole shocking thing: The campaign rightly booted someone who promoted ideas that are against everything this country stands for. He slipped through the cracks on vetting. The campaign, in normal political times, would express horror. Case closed.
Except this is the same DeSantis who has repeatedly failed to denounce, in strong and certain terms, the appearances of neo-Nazi demonstrators in his state. In Orlando last year, a group of about 20 people shouted antisemitic slurs while waving Nazi flags near a shopping plaza and then again on an Interstate 4 overpass.
And in Tampa last summer, neo-Nazis demonstrated at a major Republican conference, Turning Point USA性视界传媒檚 Student Action Summit. They waved flags emblazoned with swastikas and white-supremacist SS bolts, held up placards with anti-Semitic slurs and someone unfurled a 性视界传媒淒eSantis Country性视界传媒 flag.
DeSantis性视界传媒 pulse, apparently, has been barely raised by the reprehensible actions that have happened on his watch. After the I-4 demonstration, it took him days to respond, and then it was mostly to shrug off the behavior, calling the demonstrators 性视界传媒渏ackasses.性视界传媒 Then he tried to change the narrative: He went after Democrats for trying to 性视界传媒渟mear性视界传媒 him by asking about it.
We性视界传媒檙e still waiting for the loud condemnation this time, too.
Democrats, of course, have seized on the video. Florida Democratic Party chief Nikki Fried said DeSantis has been 性视界传媒済iven every chance to denounce neo-Nazis and what they stand for, and he refuses to do it.性视界传媒
More than that, DeSantis isn性视界传媒檛 simply a governor anymore. He性视界传媒檚 a serious presidential candidate with a shot at the Republican nomination for the White House. He should be on the record, with no equivocation and no weasel words, because it is beyond obvious: Nazis are bad.
What does it tell us that he性视界传媒檚 not?
