Over the last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis has been campaigning on Florida being a “free state” compared to other states and their COVID restrictions.
According to recent polls, the governor is winning on this issue. But Democrats are now trying to counter by insisting Florida isn’t a free state under DeSantis.
The Democrats new attacks against DeSantis have nothing to do with COVID related policies but focus on social issues.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., told MSNBC that DeSantis is running the “communist dictator playbook” in Florida.
“I have constituents who’ve fled Venezuela and Cuba, and they, what they’re facing now under a governor like Ron DeSantis, is he’s essentially prohibiting protests, is telling schools and teachers what words they can say through the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation. The list goes on,” she said.
Wasserman Schultz said the only thing DeSantis and Republicans focus on are culture war issues and have no agenda outside of that.
Democrats also are bashing Florida Republicans for backing a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks.
Democrats are also taking aim at the GOP on education. Florida Republicans have supported the “Parents’ Bill of Rights” giving parents more options over their children’s education.
But now, relying on the same type of rhetoric, Democrats are arguing that the GOP’s support for not allowing LGBT issues as part of school curriculum is an attack on parental rights.
Going back to the “communist playbook,” Wasserman Schultz said the move by Republicans and DeSantis on the “Don’t Say Gay” bill fit that bill.
Former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., now a regular on MSNBC and a vocal critic of the GOP and former President Donald Trump also is going over DeSantis.
In a recent interview, Jolly said that “DeSantis has made Florida less free.”
Jolly laid out several reason why he didn’t think Florida is a free state.
“Florida’s not free if your kids can’t be exposed to the full curriculum that would make them smarter and better educated students. Florida’s not free if you can’t get a test or treatment for Covid. Florida’s not free if you don’t have access to the ballot box. Florida’s not free if you’re a voter and you vote and by a majority, determined home rule and then Governor DeSantis says, ‘I’m not going to let you do that’ and he knee-caps local voters,” Jolly said.
Jolly also added that DeSantis is far more dangerous than Trump.
Supporters of DeSantis chuckle over and dismiss claims that Florida isn’t a free state.
“If Florida was such a lousy state and there were less freedoms, then why are there a record number of people moving from more covid restrictive places and coming to Florida?” asked economist Jonathan Williams from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis also disagreed with the comments from Democrats and Jolly.
Patronis told WBOB, a talk radio station in Jacksonville, that the amount of new business and tourism coming into the state is because of less regulation and marketing efforts to showcase that Florida is open for business.
“Many of my radio listeners thought it was hysterical when Congressman Schultz and Democrats tried to use the communist argument against Governor DeSantis,” said Roger Henderson, a morning show host on WBOB. “If that were so then you would see many Cubans oppose Gov. DeSantis and we know that isn’t happening.”
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