Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) – a total whacko in my view – wants to turn America into the model just for himself tailored after FL and the damage he has inflicted there and yes, he has.
This topic is in this fine Guardian article with this
headline:
“Fewer
pronouns, more guns: Ron DeSantis’ plan to turn the U.S. into Florida”
Florida governor sees his state as ‘blueprint for America,’
but his policies may not be as popular – or successful – as they seem to him (and to him and him alone it seems)
The title of Governor Ron DeSantis’ book, which he is zealously promoting across the nation, is less important than the subtitle: “The Courage to Be Free.”
It is a forgettable title shared by a volume by actor and gun rights activist Charlton Heston. But the subtitle: “Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival,” unlocks DeSantis’s national ambitions.
While Trump labors under the frayed slogan of “Make America
Great Again,” DeSantis is building a case to “Make America Florida” – a phrase
that appears on caps, flags, and other campaign merchandise.
If and when he announces a
run for president in 2024, he will claim that he can repeat the formula in
state after state across the U.S.
Florida his theory goes,
is an incubator of conservative ideas that work.
He dangles a carrot to Republicans who, weary of Trump’s losing streak, are seeking a savior.
DeSantis writes that when he was elected in 2018, there
were nearly 300,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans in Florida; by
October 2022, there were more than 300,000 more registered Republicans than
Democrats.
In his book, he also writes:
“What Florida has done is establish a blueprint for
governance that has produced tangible results while serving as a rebuke to the
entrenched elites who have driven our nation into the ground.”
But his critics also question whether his fixation on
culture wars (e.g., “Florida is where woke goes to die!”) is quite as popular
as it seems. They also contend that, with numerous climatic, economic, and
social problems, Florida is not
quite the paradise that DeSantis likes to portray.
Rep. Maxwell
Frost (D) the youngest member in Congress who represents a Florida district
says: “What it is, is a blueprint for people who want to abuse their power in
order to target people who disagree with them politically. That’s what we’ve
seen from someone like Governor DeSantis. What we’re exporting out of Florida
is fascism. For him to sit there and say: “Oh, yeah, my bill on banning
trans kids from talking about who they are is now equated to a top education
system,” it’s just a bunch of BS, to be honest. Most Floridians hopefully will
see through that.”
His so-called accomplishments:
· He has imposed limits on how race and sexuality
can be taught in schools/
· He has forced some teachers to remove books from
their libraries.
· He has banned transgender girls from school
sports.
· He has redrawn the state’s political maps to 100%
favor Republicans.
· He attacked Disney World and other businesses
that disagree with his ideology.
· He has cracked down on Black Lives Matter
protests.
· During the CoVID pandemic, he mostly followed
guidance from the CDC during the early months by closing Florida’s beaches,
bars, and schools.
But, then he pivoted in early 2021, reopening schools before
other states, and by banning face mask and vaccine mandates in businesses and government.
When the media questioned his approach, he hit back
pugnaciously to the delight of a base that revels in “owning the libs.”
He claimed vindication last year when he smashed fundraising
records and won re-election by
nearly 20 percentage points in what used to be a swing state, albeit against a weak
candidate from a disorganized Democratic party.
Republicans saw hope that DeSantis has cracked the code for
a party that has lost the popular vote in six of the last seven presidential
elections.
The GOP now enjoys a supermajority in the Florida state
legislature, and they pushing issues such as telling teachers which pronouns
they can use for students, making guns more available and easier to carry,
keeping immigrants who are in the country illegally out of the state, and criminalizing
some drag shows.
Republicans argue that DeSantis’s agenda explains why
Florida ranks number one in the nation for net in migration. About 319,000
people moved there last year, according to an analysis of census data by the National Association of Realtors, while
California lost the most residents, with 343,000 departing.
Then look at Where
Florida ranks among states in this quality of life metrics graph:
While DeSantis wants to put the rest of the country on
Florida's path, the state’s socioeconomic indicators don’t always show a
glowing picture as noted.
This full lengthy story continues here:
My 2 Cents: This excellent article nails DeSantis effectively and is spot on.
He does not deserve to ever be president – ‘nough said about that. Plus he isn’t done in FL yet, so be forewarned.
Thanks for stopping by.
No comments:
Post a Comment