'Sloppy' Ron DeSantis' history of 'big screw-ups' highlighted in brutal analysis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis presents himself as a conservative culture warrior with a strong legislative track record, but a new analysis finds his reputation for competence nothing but "a Disney-esque fairy tale."

The Florida governor likes to boast about legislative wins in the Republican-dominated statehouse, but Washington Monthly columnist Bill Scher argued that putting points on the board with that vast majority isn't quite the same thing as achieving positive results for his state.

"Mere enactment is not competence," Scher wrote. "The more pertinent question is whether DeSantis has shown the foresight to use those majorities to craft good legislation that helps his state prosper. Or did he use them to pass legislation that looks good to Republican presidential primary voters but will backfire on Florida voters?"

The most glaring example is the governor's vengeful feud with Disney, the state's largest employer, over the company's objection to the DeSantis law prohibiting classroom discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation.

IN OTHER NEWS: GOP lawmaker: We just got 'outsmarted by a president who can’t find his pants'

"The 44-year-old governor was so proud of his retribution that 'The Magic Kingdom of Woke Corporatism' is a chapter in his bestselling campaign book," Scher wrote. "But DeSantis was sloppy. In February, Disney signed a contract with the outgoing local government to preserve its powers, and a hapless DeSantis didn’t realize he’d been had for weeks. The new board, all gubernatorial appointees, nullified the contract in April."

Disney sued the state and canceled a planned $1 billion office complex, which would have brought 2,000 jobs to Florida, and Scher said that's just one example of DeSantis choosing short-term political gain over long-term prosperity.

"If Mickey Mouse can give DeSantis the runaround," Scher wrote, "Republicans may ask, how will he do against Xi Jinping?"