(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . DeSantis Will Lose To Disney And Lose His Chances At The Presidency [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-28 In his 2022 victory speech, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) boasted that he had made Florida the state where “Woke goes to die”. He followed that speech by stepping up his war against Disney, a war that has now gone on for over a year. Yet, the governor has failed to bring the entertainment giant to heel, with Disney recently blocking his oversight board. Instead, DeSantis has watched all his momentum evaporate, and questions emerge about his strategic nous and his ability to win. If DeSantis can’t beat Disney, can he be trusted to outmaneuver Russian president, Vladimir Putin, or Chinese leader, Xi Jinping? DeSantis is losing his war in diversity and inclusiveness, and in doing so, he is quickly losing the support of Republicans. An Un-American War Every nation needs spaces that are free from politics and where everyone can participate equally and experience a sense of belonging. Unlike the United Kingdom, for example, America does not have an established church, or a monarchy. The institutions that unify us are places like Disney’s theme parks, and the businesses who create these spaces. In recognition of this, we have built the best country in the world to establish a business. DeSantis’ war against Disney breaks a fundamental principle of American life. “Woke”, which, in its truest sense of the word refers to being alert to racial discrimination and prejudice, has expanded to refer to being alert to all forms of discrimination and prejudice. It has been weaponized by Republicans to refer to progressive politics, which Republicans assume can only exist for performative purposes. Who, they must think, would genuinely want to fight discrimination and prejudice? DeSantis’ war on Disney seeks to politicize an aspect of American life and segregate it such that the LGBTQIA community cannot fully participate. America is a nation of entrepreneurs, from the influencer on TikTok to the leader of a multinational, we have created a nation of wealth creators. This is to be celebrated. DeSantis is essentially trying to stop a legitimate business from embracing diversity and inclusiveness and creating content that reflects those principles. If the government can limit a company’s ability to embrace diversity and inclusiveness, it will take us back into a dark era of segregation. An Un-Republican War DeSantis’ war is not only un-American, it is also deeply opposed to Republican principles, given that Republicans have, for very long, defined themselves as the party of big business. This war pits him against one of the biggest businesses in the world, a key constituency for the party. It isn’t surprising that it has sent shivers down the spines of many Republicans. At one point, DeSantis looked like the man to finally knock Donald Trump off his perch. Some wondered if he was a more competent, more challenging opponent than Trump for President Joe Biden. The reality is that he has proved remarkably inept, and his pathetic un-official campaign has become a joke even before he has declared his candidacy. Polls now show him far behind Trump, and, the way his war against Disney is going, it’s unlikely he will ever be president. His time has passed. DeSantis has systematically targeted Disney ever since it went against him. His first strike was through a bill taking control of the Reedy Creek Development District, a special tax zone where Disney World had operated largely autonomously for fifty years. He renamed the district the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, appointing five allies to its board. These allies include a parental rights activist, a Christian nationalist, and a lawyer who gave $50,000 to his campaign. The new board quickly threatened Disney with taxes, rate hikes and affordable housing programs. Although this was not in its charter, DeSantis was open that he wanted the new board to rein in a company that had lost its way, and tell it “the truth”. Sadly for a man who sees himself sitting across Putin and Xi and bending them to his will, Chapek had already cut the board’s powers, leaving DeSantis with egg on his face. What made this worse is that Disney’s actions to neutralize the board were done in public, and he had every opportunity to stop them, but his office proved so inept they were not aware of what was going on. He has not covered himself in glory. Being sued by Disney for being politically targeted is perhaps the worst thing that can happen to a Republican. The truth is, he is likely to lose the case, and with it, his bid for the presidency. Un-American and un-Republican, his constituency is fast evaporating. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/28/2166433/-DeSantis-Will-Lose-To-Disney-And-Lose-His-Chances-At-The-Presidency Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/