
<p>There is no doubt that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has hit a political headwind in his move toward a presidential campaign.</p>



<p>His drop in the polls is not solely due to a few political missteps. ; Trump is picking up support because he is being increasingly seen as a victim of prosecutorial excesses and abuse. ; His many court cases have the stench of politics – and a lot of Republicans do not like it.</p>



<p>Part of DeSantis’ decline is from the pitch and yawl of politics over time. ; Polling numbers constantly change over time. ; It would be virtually impossible for a candidate to sustain a lead over a year and a half – especially with Democrats and other GOP presidential contenders taking pot shots at DeSantis. ; Based on history, there seems to be no advantage in being an early frontrunner.</p>



<p>But … then there are the DeSantis missteps.</p>



<p>Allow me to preference my further comments by saying that I am a strict constitutional conservative. ; I believe the people should have the greatest voice and impact on policy – not the government.</p>



<p>I previously criticized DeSantis for interfering in school board actions. ; He was elected to set broad educational policies. ; That means his legislation to prevent the sexualizing of early public school education is a good and proper move. ; But I do not agree with micro-managing administrative issues at the local level that do not necessarily violate the broader policies. ; ;</p>



<p>Local officials are elected by the people. ; We should presume that they represent the collective view of the people who elected them. ; If not, it is up to the voters to remove them in the next election. ; That is why I pushed back on the Republican members of the Tennessee House for removing two members over actions that warranted nothing more than censure – and the banning of transgender member Zooey Zephyr ;of the Montana House for saying things that were clearly inappropriate in a civil forum. ; It is why I would not boot Congressman George Santos for his inexplicable lies during the campaign. ; Such actions disenfranchise the voters.</p>



<p>I applaud DeSantis for supporting a 6-week ban on abortion. ; That puts Florida more closely aligned with the view of the people. ; Oh yeah! ; I know leftwingers keep parroting the poll numbers that show 60 percent of Americans support abortion – but they omit that MOST Americans oppose abortions in later months – as high as 70 percent in the third trimester.</p>



<p>I believe DeSantis was right to amend the special status the Disney Company enjoyed under Florida law – essentially making a private corporation an autonomous zone. ; That kind of legislation is not a good idea … period.</p>



<p>Where DeSantis went off the conservative rails was in seemingly – or really – going after Disney for taking a position against the proposal to protect young students from sexualized content and even gender determination. ; Disney was wrong on the issue, and politically tone-deaf in taking it up. ; BUT … that is their right.</p>



<p>Businesses lobby. ; Corporations are constitutionally considered to be “people” … “citizens.” ; That means a right to free speech. ; They also have responsibilities to employees and fiduciary responsibilities to stockholders. ; They should not do things – or say things – that damage their businesses and violate their responsibilities – things that offend their customers. ;  ; But … if they do, it is NOT up to the government to intervene or punish them. ; That is up to their stockholders and customers. ; ;</p>



<p>We had recently seen a good example when Anheuser Busch featured a transgender influencer on the Bud Lite cans. ; AB ran across the grain of public sentiment, and customers responded. ; AG had an organic $6 billion drop in valuation and a 17 percent decline in sales – picked up by Coors and others. ; I say “organic” because it was not the result of a formal boycott – which I generally oppose.</p>



<p>DeSantis should have let the people speak with their feet and their money. ; Disney has suffered from a decline in ticket sales as reaction to woke policies. ; DeSantis can – and should – speak out against Disney. He can be the counterpoint to their lobbying positions – but not use legislation as a cudgel.</p>



<p>The power of the people not only rests in their votes – but in their purses and their shoes. ; We need to respect that power – not thwart it or circumvent it with oppressive government power. ; ;</p>



<p>DeSantis is not yet an official candidate for President. ; He is in the evolving mode. ; What he needs to work on is HIS message – and how to best get it across to the American people.  ; Regardless of his current standing, it is way too early to suggest that his dip in the polls is anything more than a fleeting reality – to be relegated to insignificance by future events. ;</p>



<p>DeSantis remains the leading potential candidate to take on President Trump. ; Unless DeSantis flounders badly – or does not throw his hat in the ring – the 2024 GOP contest is a two-man race.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

DeSantis Has Labored Mightily … But Only Brought Forth a Mouse
