With no sense of irony, the latest Ron DeSantis ad flies in the face of his continued efforts to undermine freedoms in Florida
Ron DeSantis, fresh off another billionaire fundraising trip and attacking federal law enforcement, was the subject of a new ad from the Republican Party of Florida desperately attempting to rewrite the governor’s record of ripping away fundamental rights and abusing his office to punish people, organizations and businesses who speak out.
The Tampa Bay Times editorial board recently reminded DeSantis he is “not King of Florida,” writing his record includes “gross abuse of power,” “contempt” for voters,” and “disregard for due process.”
Below is a brief roundup of DeSantis's most egregious attacks on freedom in the last few months
- When the Supreme Court stripped women of long-held constitutional rights to reproductive freedom, Ron DeSantis promised to enact even more extreme bans and use the power of the Governor's office to mandate women’s personal health decisions.
- When twice elected State Attorney Andrew Warren promised to protect the rights of people in Hillsborough County, Ron DeSantis usurped the will of voters and removed Warren from office.
- When parents wanted to vaccinate their young children against Covid-19, he denied parents the freedom to make those decisions for their families.
- In order to implement his current extreme abortion ban, DeSantis has been fighting in court to remove Florida's right to privacy, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech.
- When Pediatrician Dr. Lisa Gwynn spoke out against his decision to be the only state in the country to deny children vaccines, his administration punished her.
- DeSantis’ divisive “Don't Say Gay” law prevents teachers and students from being themselves at school, and when Disney exercised their free speech to speak out, DeSantis held a special session to retaliate.
- DeSantis attacked the Tampa Bay Rays after they spoke out against gun violence.
“It’s become clear when DeSantis says ‘free state of Florida,’ it's a dog whistle to the most extreme factions of the MAGA Republican party, clamoring to watch freedoms stripped from anyone who disagrees with their right-wing agenda,” said Democratic Party spokesperson Kobie Christian. “Every woman in Florida today has fewer freedoms than their mothers and grandmothers because of Ron DeSantis. He has prioritized taking away a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions, undermined freedom of religion and freedom of speech, removed a State Attorney who was protecting Floridians' right to privacy and denied parents the freedom to choose whether to vaccinate their young children. Your freedoms are on the ballot in Florida, and the best way to protect them is to vote DeSantis out of office.”
Source: Florida Dems Press Release August 10, 2022