DeSantis drowning

Bombs are clustered and grandchildren are ignored

Writing long form is hard. Let’s just go back to the old Free Political Newsletter.

Here are the stories I am tracking this week…

Cluster Bombs

President Joe Biden's decision to include cluster bombs in the recent $800 million weapons package for Ukraine has sparked a mixed response among members of Congress. Several Democrats, including Rep. Barbara Lee, expressed their opposition to the use of cluster bombs, emphasizing that they should never be employed due to their indiscriminate nature and the potential harm they cause to civilians. These Democrats argued that providing such weapons, which are banned by over 120 countries under the Geneva Convention, would compromise the United States' moral leadership and could lead to civilian casualties.

The Biden administration itself displayed conflicting views on the matter. While Biden's former press secretary, Jen Psaki, suggested that Russia's use of cluster bombs could be considered a war crime, President Biden acknowledged the difficulty of the decision but ultimately justified sending the munitions to Ukraine in an interview. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby and Senator Chris Coons defended Biden's decision, asserting that the use of cluster munitions by Ukraine would likely cause fewer civilian casualties compared to Russia's actions. On the other hand, some Republicans, including Senator John Barrasso and Rep. Michael McCaul, supported the administration's move, stating that providing Ukraine with these weapons was necessary for its defense against Russian aggression.

By the way, this is what ChatGPT says is the difference between “Cluster Bombs” and “Cluster Munitions”

A "cluster bomb" usually refers to an air-dropped bomb that contains multiple smaller explosive submunitions, or "bomblets". After the cluster bomb is released from an aircraft, it opens up in mid-air to disperse these bomblets over a wide area, causing damage to personnel, vehicles, or other targets.

On the other hand, "cluster munition" is a broader term that encompasses all types of weapons that disperse or release smaller submunitions. This includes not just air-dropped bombs, but also artillery shells, rockets, and missiles that contain submunitions. So, a cluster bomb is a type of cluster munition, but not all cluster munitions are cluster bombs.

• This is another escalation of the war beyond what we initially laid out as purely a money and moral support play.

• If Barbara Lee, a frontrunner for a Senate seat in California, says she hopes the Biden administration changes their mind then this has the capacity to erode support for the war on the left.

• We’ve yet to really see a lot of gore from this war break into the mainstream. Stuff like this gives a news peg to show the kind of wounds that require peg legs.

How many grandkids, Joe?

The details of a Hunter Biden love child, including a recently settled back and forth over child support, has begun to stick to Hunter’s father. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd ripped the president for not saying he has seven grandchildren.

President Biden has been accused of neglecting his estranged 4-year-old granddaughter, Navy Joan Roberts, who is the daughter of his son Hunter and former stripper Lunden Alexis Roberts.

The years-long child support case between Hunter Biden and Roberts was recently settled, with Hunter agreeing to pay reduced child support and Navy Joan not carrying the Biden surname. Although Maureen Dowd sympathizes with Biden's attempts to support his son, she criticizes his refusal to acknowledge and accept his seventh grandchild. Hunter has had no contact with Navy Joan, and the Bidens remain estranged from her. While Navy Joan is surrounded by love from her maternal family, there is disappointment regarding the lack of contact with the Biden family.

• The biggest defense that Joe Biden has to Hunter allegations is that he desperately cares about his family, this gives an in to attack him.

• It allows GOP voices to highlight elements of the rich Hunter Biden lore that can get overlooked by casuals. For example, Hunter was such a patron of Washington DC strip clubs (where he met the baby mama in question) dancers knew which private room he occupied after he left because of the district smell of crack.

DeSantis DeSucking

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis addressed concerns about his standing in the GOP primary race, dismissing reports that his support has declined since January. Speaking to Maria Bartiromo on Fox News, DeSantis attributed the perception of his struggles to media narratives and their preference for other candidates. Despite polling in second place behind former President Donald Trump, DeSantis has become a target for attacks from the frontrunner while avoiding direct hits on other opponents. While his campaign raised an impressive $20 million in its first six weeks, DeSantis's poll numbers have dipped from a peak of 40.5% in January to around 20% recently, leading some to label him as an underdog. However, DeSantis highlighted his successful reelection as Florida's governor and emphasized his commitment to distinguish himself from Trump by criticizing the former president's handling of Hunter Biden's leaked computer files and vowing to make changes in law enforcement agencies.

Despite facing a decline in his poll numbers, Governor Ron DeSantis remains undeterred by the perception that he is struggling to gain ground in the GOP primary. He dismissed reports of waning support as media narratives aimed at hindering his nomination. However, DeSantis pointed to his successful reelection as Florida's governor and distanced himself from Trump by criticizing his handling of Hunter Biden's leaked files and pledging to take action against law enforcement officials responsible for colluding with social media companies.

• We are at the beginning of the “What Is Wrong With Ron?” cycle. Despite being a clear number two in a two horse race, DeSantis’ first two months have been inert. His polls have softened and conservative voices are starting to pick him apart.

• Look to see if we see a shakeup in leadership on his campaign or testing of new lines to conversation.

• All eyes are on the first debate in August. If Trump skips it, this will be DeSantis’ big opportunity to look like the frontrunner. The problem? He’s never been a good debater and thought he’d be able to rely on his Florida record.

Speaking of Florida. The Florida Democrats had their annual gala last night and counted Ron DeSantis’ floundering presidential campaign as a turning point for their party. Born losers.

Also, Bradley Whitford was there and said Florida was turning into the christo-fascist nation of Gilead from his show Handmaid’s Tale. I’m just saying that Gilead didn’t have Pub Subs.

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Justin