Dana Milbank has a must- read Washington Post op/ ed on Floriduh Gov. Ron "DeSanty" DeSantis' so far successful efforts to remake his state into a MAGA/ Putinesque Christian nationalist hellscape.
"[DeSantis'] “don’t say gay” legislation makes Florida unwelcoming to LGBTQ people. His voter-suppression laws and race-baiting attacks on teaching history and race make Florida hostile to Black, Latino and Asian Americans. Rising antisemitism (Florida’s most famous resident just had a film screening at Mar-a-Lago characterized by antisemitic swipes at Mark Zuckerberg) gives Jews pause about the state. DeSantis’s MAGA-signaling anti-immigrant and antiabortion laws repel more large swaths of the population. His banning of math textbooks should send educated Floridians packing. His opposition to Medicaid expansion and Florida’s excessive covid-19 death rate over the past year have sent many Floridians to the morgue.
Should Disney abandon Floriduh, what could DeSantis do with the 25,000 acre resort? Re-make it as "DeSanty World"!
"DeSanty World would make the Carousel of Progress turn in reverse, reimagining the Disney classics to suit its growing audience of Snow White nationalists. Pinocchio would dream of becoming not a “real boy” but a Proud Boy. Lady Tremaine, the wicked stepmother, would become the heroine of Cinderella, championing parental rights. Bambi would be seen from the hunters’ point of view. Aladdin’s new soundtrack would warn of “A Whole New World Order,” and Mulan would be reviled for spreading the coronavirus. Brave Frollo would fight valiantly to free France of minority groups and the disabled. And all would cheer for QAnon’s own Captain Hook as he battles to prevent villainous Peter Pan from grooming the Lost Boys.
"Some attractions would require only minor changes. The Barnstormer roller coaster (“a staggering series of stupendous stunts”) would be dedicated to DeSantis instead of Goofy. The Mad Tea Party and Festival of Fantasy Parade could pretty much stay as they are, and the Hall of Presidents would just be dispossessed of its 46th inductee. DeSanty World would build a wall around the Alien Swirling Saucers. And, because of the park’s new open-carry gun policy, the whole thing would become a Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade..."
Meanwhile, The Boston Globe's Renee Graham compares DeSantis with another bully:
He seeks vengeance against his perceived enemies. Accusations he levels at others are usually a description of his own actions. While he pretends to care about those he governs, he is most concerned with unchallengeable power. Under the guise of protecting children, he demonizes the LGBTQ community, jeopardizing their safety, health, and basic rights.
I’m not talking about President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I’m talking about Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida.
Graham offers plenty of example of the Christofascist similarities between the two bullies, and concludes:
Anyone who works this hard to garner national headlines is plotting a move up the Republican food chain. In scraping the depths of white fear and outrage, DeSantis is borrowing from Trump’s campaign road map, but these days he seems to find as much inspiration in Moscow as Mar-a-Lago. On the backs of trans kids, reproductive rights, and Black voters, DeSantis is banking on it that his inhumane policies, coupled with his party’s no-limits depravity, will propel yet another Putinista fanboy closer to the White House.
DeSantis, who's favored for re-election later this year (!), is on a collision course with the Malignant Loser and is determined he won't be outflanked on the lowIQAnon/ MAGA far right by him. If anything, as a more ruthless, ambitious and skilled demagogue, he's far more of a threat to the Republic than almost anyone else on the scene today -- including the Malignant Loser.
