Ron DeSantis is considered a normal Republican these days by the Beltway media, but he's as loony and dangerous as all the rest. The only thing better about him is his suit.

Indulging the MAGA cult's desire to blame Donald Trump's complete COVID dereliction of duty on Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gov. DeSantis is every bit as despicable as Trump.

Lying is their recipe for success, no matter the cost.

In a totally loony fundraising email, Gov. DeSantis claims he wants to incarcerate Dr. Fauci.

Being a governor in red states simply means you've been elevated from a typical wingnut pundit to a right-wing grievance performance clown with lots more authority.

As Digby says, "You read that right. He wants to prosecute Dr. Fauci for what he calls 'medical authoritarianism.'”

The Intelligencer puts it into proper perspective.

DeSantis’s call to jail Fauci is a pure echo of the Trumpian call to lock up Hillary Clinton over her violation of State Department email protocols. The thinnest pretext of a scandal is a sheen to cover the raw authoritarian ambition to imprison any figure who angers the right-wing base.

Whether DeSantis is a genuine authoritarian maniac or merely pretending to be one is immaterial. The structure of the party is such that it incentivizes these positions and rhetoric. He may be less unhinged than Trump, but DeSantis points the way toward a future in which the cancer that has consumed the Republican Party continues to grow.

Fascism rules for the Republican party. Whether they're subverting the CDC's guidance during a pandemic, defending QAnon conspiracy theories, or peddling dangerous anti-vax disinformation, the GOP is a full-blown death cult.

DeSantis' crimes are just as bad as Trump's, if not worse, because he appears to be smarter that the narcissistic buffoon. Not a very high bar, but still...