Ron DeSantis’ humiliating defeat in his presidential race against former President Donald Trump isn’t funny to the large group of Floridians who fear their governor’s return — and the entire nation should beware, a new political analysis contends.
Salon’s Chauncey Devega Monday issued a warning about the much-mocked Republican contender who rose to political stardom implementing far-right policies aimed to appease his ultra-conservative base.
“DeSantis is still governor of Florida and the cruel policies he put in place, and which will continue (and get worse), have not ended,” writes Devega. “The cruelty is the point.”
Floridians with futures to fear include members of the LGBTQ+ community, women, people of color and migrants, all of whom have already suffered under DeSantis' policy Devega argues.
Those policies include the notorious “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the loss of reproductive rights, a de facto poll tax and the sudden relocation of Venezuelan immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard that raised concerns of human trafficking.
Devega argues that while DeSantis may not have won the White House in 2024, he returns to a far-right state to restrengthen and regroup. And, being “relatively young,” DeSantis has time on his side.
“He will come back stronger and more polished from his losing experience in the 2024 Republican primaries,” Devega argues.
“Ultimately, DeSantis, because of his education and deep understanding of the law and how to exploit the vulnerabilities in America’s institutions, is actually a much greater threat than Donald Trump.”
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Devega concludes that, while it is was easy and understandable to laugh at DeSantis’ demise, it’s also important to remember the extent of the harm he has already caused in his state.
The Salon writer relies on the words of Malcolm X:
"If you stick a knife in my back 9 inches and pull it out 6 inches, there's no progress,” the civil rights leader once said. “The progress is healing the wound that the blow made. … They won't even admit the knife is there."
