DeSantis Has a Record of Winning The media sneer that he’s ‘unlikable’ and distort his legislative achievements. Now that he’s entered the 2024 presidential election, here are the facts By Dave Seminara
The media has settled on two narratives about Gov. Ron DeSantis, both designed to help nominate Donald Trump and thereby re-elect Joe Biden. The first narrative is that Mr. DeSantis is unlikable. The second is that he is an extremist who bans books, erases black history and persecutes immigrants and gay people.
The narrative that Mr. DeSantis is unlikable, and therefore unelectable, is an interesting critique for a politician who has never lost an election. Politico published a lengthy column in January titled “Ron DeSantis Takes On the Likability Issue (Sort Of).” In May it added a piece asserting his wife is just as unlikable, if not more so, portraying her as a kind of Lady Macbeth. Vanity Fair published a similar piece in May, with the headline “Being an Unlikable Jerk Not Working Out So Well for Ron DeSantis.” The Atlantic ran a lengthy piece on the topic last year, with the subhead: “People who haven’t met him think he’s a hot commodity. People who have met him aren’t so sure.”
At least since 2008, we’ve heard repeatedly that it’s sexist to assess likability in politicians. The Atlantic published a piece with the subheadline, “ ‘Electability.’ ‘Likability.’ ‘Authenticity.’ The 2020 Democratic primary has found many canny ways to make misogyny plausibly deniable.” In November 2022 Politico complained about “the return of the Lady Macbeth trope” and characterized criticism of Hillary Clinton, Jill Biden and Gisele Fetterman as “a reinforcement of traditional gender roles that make any ambitious woman suspect.” Apparently, questioning a candidate’s or spouse’s likability is misogyny if the target is a female Democrat but good sport if the target is a Republican.
A common critique of Mr. Trump was that he isn’t a serious person. We were told repeatedly that we needed an adult to assert control. But now that Republicans have a serious candidate in Mr. DeSantis, focused on implementing a conservative agenda, the media almost seems to miss Mr. Trump, who was at least good for clicks.
Whatever one thinks about Mr. DeSantis, it’s hard to dispute his productivity. Consider some of the bills he’s recently signed into law. SB 266 prohibits Florida’s public universities from spending money on programs or activities that “advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion or promote or engage in political or social activism” and weakens tenure protection for professors.
HB 1069 liberates teachers and students from having to use fashionable nonstandard pronouns. The law (which the media tendentiously label the “don’t say gay” bill) also expands parental rights in education by prohibiting classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity through eighth grade. The law also establishes a review process that allows parents to object to inappropriate books in schools and requires school boards to discontinue the use of any material the board doesn’t allow a parent to read aloud in public meetings.
Florida now also has universal school choice, regardless of income, thanks to another new law, HB 1. Families are eligible for a credit of up to $8,000 a child, which they can use at the school of their choice. Far from erasing black history as has been alleged, Mr. DeSantis also signed into law HB 551, which strengthens reporting requirements to make sure schools are teaching black history.
Mr. DeSantis also signed SB 254, which outlaws “permanent mutilating surgeries and experimental puberty blockers” for children. HB 225 protects female athletes from having to compete against males and allows public prayers at school sporting events. HB 1438 protects children from “sexually explicit adult performances in all venues—including drag shows and strip clubs,” while HB 1521 requires “educational institutions, detention facilities, correctional institutions, and all other public venues in the state with restrooms, changing facilities or locker rooms to have separate facilities available for men and women based on their biological sex.”
SB 1718, Florida’s new immigration law, requires employers with at least 25 employees to use E-Verify, creates penalties for smuggling illegal aliens across state lines, invalidates out-of-state driver’s licenses given to illegal aliens, and requires hospitals to file reports about the cost and impact of uncompensated care given to illegal aliens. Mr. DeSantis also signed a host of crime-control bills, including one to increase the penalties for fentanyl dealers, another to permit the death penalty for child rapists, and another that allows for the death penalty with at least an 8-4 jury vote.
SB 300 outlaws abortion after six weeks with exceptions for victims of rape, incest and human trafficking, as well as when it is medically necessary to save the life of the mother or to “avert a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman other than a psychological condition.” Mr. DeSantis also signed a medical-freedom law, SB 252, that makes it illegal to require masks, Covid tests or mRNA vaccines in the state.
Mr. Trump grouses about the 2020 election being rigged. Mr. DeSantis avoids such debate but focuses instead on election-integrity legislation, signing into law SB 524 last year, which banned ballot harvesting, stopped drop boxes and the mass mailing of ballots, and banned “Zuckerbucks,” the use of private funds for official government vote counts.
The left hates his agenda but hasn’t debated the merits honestly. Instead, they’ve issued bogus warnings against travel to Florida and resorted to name calling: mischaracterizing legislation as “don’t say gay” and falsely labeling as “book banning” the removal of age-inappropriate books from school libraries.
Mr. DeSantis isn’t an entertainer or a stand-up comedian, like Mr. Trump. If he’s the Republican nominee, the national debate should be policy-oriented, based on what’s in the laws he’s signed—rather than wild distortions and irrelevant claims that he and his wife are unlikable.
Mr. Seminara is a former diplomat and host of the “DeSantisland” podcast.
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