FLORIDA FAILURE: Ron DeSantis is losing his war against Disney
In Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ narrative, Disney was the villain for standing up to his anti-LGBTQ tactics — but his efforts to take down the entertainment giant were laughably unsuccessful, and a new agreement may cancel out his legislative vengeance.
When DeSantis pushed legislation attacking teachers and the LGBTQ community, Disney spoke up, and DeSantis responded by declaring that the company could no longer have the longstanding ability to run Walt Disney World Resort as its own city.
He campaigned on the legislation, declaring Disney “woke” and saying that it didn’t deserve special dispensation in his state.
However, DeSantis won his re-election, and the fight with Disney no longer seems to be at the top of his priority list.
Now Florida lawmakers are working out a deal with the corporation that would essentially restore the resort to its city status.
Meanwhile, DeSantis has moved on to other battles, keeping up with the GOP war on anything and everything that conservatives see as too woke, too progressive, or too inclusive.
His latest corporate enemy is Apple, which he said should have to answer to Congress if they make the business decision to boot Twitter off the appstore over concerns about identity theft and security.
From the New York Times:
If passed, that new legislation would undo much of the fallout from what critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that had made the entertainment giant a target of conservative critics. And it would be a quick victory for Disney’s newly returned chief, Robert A. Iger.
DeSantis did weigh in on returning Disney CEO, Bob Iger’s statements about the company being “dragged into” the debate, seeming to affirm that the legislation removing Disney’s tax status was punitive, as he told Tucker Carlson that it was all Disney’s doing for involving their company in his state’s business.
We didn’t drag them in, Tucker. They went in on their own, and not only opposed the bill, they threatened to get it repealed.
He insisted that the original legislation, rather than endangering LGBTQ children by removing potential allies, actually protects the rights of parents.
You can see that clip below.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 30, 2022
Steph Bazzle is a news writer who covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph. Sign up for all of her stories to be delivered to your inbox here: