Looks Like Someone Is Getting Tired of Florida's 2nd Most Worthless Citizen

And by, "Someone," I mean Republicans in the Florida House, and by, "Florida's 2nd most worthlesss citizen," I mean Governor Ron DeSantis, who just had his initiative to block vaccine requirements in the state shut down.

I think that someone out there believes that goose-stepping in lock-step with the Governor is antithetical to reelection.

The anti-vaccine sugar rush that has infected some portions of the country, largely thanks to the profane appointment of RFK Jr. to head HHS, is incredibly frustrating. That makes it all the more important when the movement receives not just pushback when trying to enact absurd policy based on conspiracy theories, but specifically when that pushback comes from the same party engaging in the absurdity.

Earlier this year, flanked by Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo, announced that the state government was seeking to end all vaccine requirements for school children in the state. And, because Ladapo is a hack, he postured this move in the silliest way possible.

Ladapo said the Florida Department of Health would be working with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office to end all mandates in state law, at the event at Grace Christian School in Valrico, located just east of Tampa.

“Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo said of vaccine mandates.

As Anna Russel would say, "I'm not making this up, you know."

He really did say that. 

………

DeSantis, for his part, stated that some vaccine requirements could be removed immediately, while others would require state legislation. But the legislation drawn up to achieve that has hit a major roadblock, and that roadblock is Florida’s House GOP.

Just minutes into a special session on Tuesday, Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez announced that the Republican-led chamber would not take up a proposal from DeSantis to allow children to opt out of certain school vaccination requirements. The move effectively killed the proposal, which had been backed by the Senate. 

I do not think that Republicans have suddenly ended their opposition to the basic concept of public health, it's just a political calculus about how Trump, Kennedy, et al have become so toxic even among the Republican base.