Ron DeSantis may well fancy himself as a subtropical Viktor Orban. Based on the characteristics of illiberalism that I have identified previously, how does he stack up?
Pretty well, albeit in a somewhat petty way. Here is the record:
- STACK THE ELECTORAL DECK IN YOUR FAVOR: The Florida GOP has, of course, pushed the envelope on gerrymandering. In addition, Florida approved legislation making it more difficult for minorities to vote in a myriad of small ways in the last session.
- STIFLE THE VOICES OF THE LEFT: The best way to prevent the circulation of ideas you don’t like, of course, is to fire people or impose criminal penalties on them for using their First Amendment rights. Here, we have the unconstitutional legislation (enforcement currently enjoined) disregarding the free speech rights of large social media companies (but not Disney), the new rules prohibiting the teaching of what is alleged to be CRT, and the proposed “Stop Woke Act,” which will provide right-wing parents with a civil cause of action against local school boards which permit the teaching of CRT. The last of these was obviously inspired by the Texas abortion vigilante act. Who says Florida has nothing to learn from Texas?
- LIMIT FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY AND POLITICIZE LAW ENFORCEMENT: Thanks to another piece of GOP legislation, people participating peacefully in a demonstration may now be held criminally liable for the violent acts of others. It has already been made clear that this act will not be used against Cubans rallying against the Cuban regime in Miami; it will be employed purely against left-wing protests.
- FIGHT THE CULTURE WARS TO KEEP THE BASE HAPPY: The “Stop Woke Act,” again, as well as rules against transgender athletes and, of course, consistent and vehement support for anti-vaxxers. Set the virus free, I say!
Sound familiar? It may be small potatoes, in the big picture, but the trend is painfully clear. Imagine what could be done at the federal level with some imagination.