Governor DeSantis (R-FL) may have been a competent lawyer who did honorable service while in the Navy, including time in Afghanistan, and that’s important. He has some competency.
But his domain of competency may not include power politics. His electoral career and its underpinnings have been lackadaisical: representing a heavily Republican Florida district in the House, then riding a Trump endorsement in 2018 to the governor’s office after being a solid middle of the pack candidate. Only in his 2022 run did he seem convincing.
And, in a State that really counts entertainment as a leading industry, he’s become rather famous for his antics. From anti-vaxxers as official medical advisors, to baiting the left by signing laws formulated by the far right, he’s kept those who adore entertainment voting for him.
But that doesn’t mean he knows what he’s doing. From RawStory comes an account of his latest antics:
The Disneyland resort in California will hold a new LGBTQ-themed event night, according to the company in a tweeted statement on Monday.
“The first-ever Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite is coming to @Disneyland during Pride Month in June!” said the statement. “This separately ticketed event celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community & allies will have themed entertainment, Disney characters, specialty menu items & more.”
This announcement comes just hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) announced at a press conference in Lake Buena Vista that he would be pursuing punitive policies against Disney in an escalating feud that began over the company’s criticism of his handling of LGBTQ rights.
Among other things, DeSantis suggested he could authorize a state park, a rival amusement park, or even a state prison on the land immediately adjacent to the Walt Disney World resort complex.
And, as former RNC Chairman Michael Steele notes:
So you want to “analyze” putting a state prison next to Disney? When families stop visiting & Disney’s $75.2B economic impact & $5.8B tax revenues drop; its 75K employees face layoffs & 463K jobs are also imperiled what would your analytics say caused that to happen?
WTF, Dumbo
Trump and DeSantis
The point here isn’t his risible failure in this matter, or his entertainment value. Rather, he doesn’t seem to have a real competency for the executive of Florida, much less that of his ambitions: the Presidency. Between the odd, and perhaps sinister, way he’s run his State, reports of his personality being unengaging and even repellent, and his clumsy use of threats against corporations which form the backbone of his State, he doesn’t seem so much menacing as simply not up to the task of running a campaign against his fellow Republicans, much less a Democrat who, despite a lot of complaints and grumbling, has a mountain of achievements in his first term, and a connection with a lot of voters that comes from his old fashioned language and occasional stutter.
I’m not seeing a Presidential nomination in DeSantis’ short-term future. I think Trump will find a way to chew him up. I’m not convinced that “DeSanctimonious” is the key; I think it’s going to be in pointing at DeSantis’ clumsy, ill thought out threats. Making an adversary laugh doesn’t count as a successful threat.
Look for someone else to beat Trump for the nomination. I don’t think voters will see victory in DeSantis.
