If you’re wondering whatever happened to Ron DeSantis, he’s now re-ensconced in Florida… goofier than ever.
Last year, backed by a covey of billionaires, Governor Ron was all set to be our next president until national voters discovered he has the personality of a dirt clod and the political sensibility of a tin-pot totalitarian.
Even in the GOP primaries, most voters gagged at his ruthless anti-abortion absolutism, his Fahrenheit 451 book bans, his vigilante rampages against local librarians, his dictate that textbooks whitewash American history, his cruel toying with desperate asylum seekers, and so awful much more.
Thus, the Potentate of Tallahassee limped back home. But far from chastened, Ron has doubled down on political goofiness, frittering away his remaining prestige and gubernatorial credibility on right-wing hokum. For example, he has banned the sale of alternative meat products in Florida. Also, in a bizarre commandment he calls “Freedom Summer,” he has decreed that Florida’s bridges can only be lit up in hues of red, white, and blue – no “liberal” colors like green or purple.
His latest tilt-at-windmills stunt is to repeal state efforts to fight climate change! He’s reversing state policies encouraging agencies to switch to electric vehicles, prohibiting several wind and solar-powered projects, and eliminating state incentives for energy efficient homes. As sea levels rise all around Florida – flooding its coastal cities – DeSantis rants against “the agenda of radical green zealots,” maniacally declaring: “We’re restoring sanity” to energy policy.
If Republican Party strategists wonder why voters think the GOP has gone nuts, look no further than Florida’s authoritarian governor, who’s busy dictating people’s meat choices – and the color of bridges – while his state sinks into the sea.
Do Something!
There’s a lot happening in progressive Florida politics these days—no, really! Check out FloridaRising.org to get involved.
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