Post #83

As we head into 2023, let’s do a deep dive on where presidential hopefuls stand, from our magazine contributor Bill Scher. Scher thinks the best-positioned Republican is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who won reelection by a “ludicrous” 19 points and whose national profile continues to grow. In several post-midterm polls testing Trump v. DeSantis among Republican voters, DeSantis leads anywhere from 2 to 23 points. How did he do this? By governing with Trump-esque pugnacity, unrivaled ruthlessness and uncompromising ideology. 👉 He revoked tax and zoning benefits from Florida’s biggest cash cow (Disney) for criticizing his new law that effectively banned discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K–3. 👉 He used taxpayer dollars to fly Venezuelan refugees from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard to tweak blue state liberals. 👉 He fired an elected Democratic county attorney who pledged not to prosecute abortion cases under DeSantis’ new 15-week ban. Most central to DeSantis’ persona is his anti-expert attitude toward Covid-19 vaccines. His statements have been regularly corrected by fact-checking journalists, but they clearly appeal to some in the GOP base.