First, some throat clearing. I’m not a registered Republican. I’m not going to be voting in the primary. Unless the Libertarians have one in some weird alternate dimension stuff. However, I know some readers will be voting. And, after all, it’s my blog.

With that out of the way…

I was originally pleased to see DeSantis leading the pack of contenders that weren’t named Trump. DeSantis had done well in Florida during the pandemic. He kept us open. Now we have stuff like this. From the Tampa Bay Times:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, vowed to restore the former name of the base that until last week was called Fort Bragg in honor of a Confederate general, if voters elect him president.

“It’s an iconic name and iconic base, and we’re not gonna let political correctness run amok in North Carolina,” DeSantis said at the convention in Greensboro hours after Biden’s speech and signing ceremony at Fort Liberty.

Here’s why I’m bearish on DeSantis. After winning the pandemic, he pivoted to be a social justice warrior. Just, a right-wing social justice warrior. If he’d just been pontificating, that would be one thing. But he started bringing the online fight into the halls of Tallahassee. Some of it, I might have supported. Then he went after Disney. I can disagree with Disney’s views. I can decide not to support them by giving them my money. What I cannot do is ask my elected officials to punish Disney, which was what DeSantis did.

Then the State College of Florida issue. He could have worked with the legislature to reform the State Board of Governance to stop the use of political litmus tests – such as DEI statements. Instead, he singled out one school and installed his cronies to the cheers of the online mob. The cronies who immediately set about giving one of their friends the job as president – and a raise. In the midst of declining enrollment.

Instead of helping with real issues in Florida – such as the housing crunch, rising insurance, and strained infrastructure from a slew of new residents (welcome!), DeSantis decided to play Tribune of the Plebes to the online mob.

I didn’t like it when I saw it happening on the left. I’m damn sure I don’t like it on the right.