Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., has done another favor for his fellow red state governors — even if some of them don’t recognize it. He’s freed them from indentured servitude to the chamber of commerce and shown how to fight back against woke corporations.
It all started when Disney decided to jump in with both feet and oppose DeSantis’ parent’s rights bill that prohibited government school teachers from discussing sex and genitals with kindergarten kids.
Exposing innocent children to sex topics they are not equipped to understand is a key component of the consonant crusader’s grooming regime.
Alternate lifestyle elementary school teachers employ a demonic combination of indoctrination and imprinting to influence impressionable and defenseless minds.
Naturally enough, DeSantis decided this was perverse and depraved and he convinced the legislature to prohibit this misuse of government schools.
Disney decided that grooming innocents was fine with the Mouse and the company’s CEO, Bob Chapek, began a public campaign against the bill that employed lies and mischaracterizations about what the bill contained.
Prior to DeSantis’ election, red state governors caved in when a corporation threw its weight around. The governors would tuck their tails between their legs while mumbling something about a "healthy business climate" and "not interfering with the free market."
DeSantis has freed them from their slavish devotion to the chamber of commerce.
He went toe-to-toe with Disney and won. After the Mouse slandered him and the legislature, DeSantis drew a line in the sand and said, "Disney is a guest in Florida."
Then he signed a bill that ended all the special tax breaks Disney had been enjoying in Florida for decades.
Disney got the message and so did much of the rest of corporate America.
The Wall Street Journal says corporate CEOs are now much more wary of mixing business and politics. "The No. 1 concern CEOs have is, 'When should I speak out on public issues?'" former Medtronic CEO and current Harvard Business School senior fellow Bill George said. "As one CEO said to me, 'I want to speak out on social issues, but I don’t want to get involved in politics.' Which I said under my breath, 'That’s not possible.'"
Wanting to enjoy moral exhibitionism on social issues and thinking he can do it without being political just shows you how little the CEO class knows about politics.
Which is another reason they should stay out.
The desire to dabble in politics is not a universal opinion among the business set.
Another outcome of the Disney battle is corporate leadership is learning their past belief that dumping affirmative action hires into the human resources department was a no-lose proposition, is in fact a losing proposition.
Once in the HR department these folks got busy hiring more people like them and now in some companies the inmates run the asylum.
Post-Disney "some executives may feel a sense of relief, as they can focus on maximizing shareholder returns while staying away from raging political debates."
Corporate America has learned a useful lesson.
Let’s hope red state governors, America has, too.
Red State leadership doesn’t have to be a doormat for corporate wokesters any more.
Ron DeSantis’ example should serve as a spinal implant for the likes of Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D.
She crumbled earlier this year when woke corporate objected to a bill that kept "hemale" athletes out of female sports.
And if weak governors haven’t gotten the message, their voters certainly have. They won’t settle for excuses in the future.
It’s time for them to make a choice, organized as . . . the chamber of voters.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker's bureau. Read Michael Reagan's Reports — More Here.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!)" Read Michael Shannon's Reports — More Here.