Ron DeSantis Is Doubling Down On His Education Crusade. Will It Work With GOP Voters In 2024?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Florida’s legislative session may have just gotten underway, but lawmakers there already have plenty to do. That’s, in part, because Republicans there have presented a flurry of bills that would transform K-12 and higher education in the state — from forcing state colleges and universities to shut down any diversity, equity and inclusion programs and eliminating college majors and minors in “critical race theory, gender studies, or intersectionality,” to boosting oversight of school libraries.

The lawmaking session will be guided by Gov. Ron DeSantis’s priorities — but as he teases a run at the national level, DeSantis appears more focused on appealing to the broader, national GOP electorate than to the average Floridian. In fact, his continued attacks on so-called “woke” ideology — especially as it pertains to the public school system, which he’s previously said is “indoctrinating kids” — is one of the strongest signals that if DeSantis does run for president, he’ll seek the nomination by stoking some of the same cultural grievances that Republicans have stressed for years.

This approach could work — at least in a GOP primary. After all, those messages helped enable former President Donald Trump’s ascent to power. But if DeSantis manages to actually clinch the nomination, his tactics could come at the price of repelling general election voters — especially suburbanites and independent voters.

First things first, though. If DeSantis wants to win the Republican nomination (assuming he does decide to throw his hat in the ring), his focus on race and education makes a lot of sense. That’s because GOP primary voters — particularly social conservatives — who have long lamented their supposed waning lack of clout in American society are likely to be quite receptive to these messages. Case in point: In a joint survey with FiveThirtyEight, the nonpartisan research firm PerryUndem found that support — or a lack thereof — for the Black Lives Matter movement was the No. 1 attitudinal predictor of 2022 vote choice1 and a number of policy positions. As Tresa Undem, co-founder of PerryUndem, told me, racial resentment is powerful and might land differently than, say, bills targeted toward LGBTQ students.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/ron-desantis-is-doubling-down-on-his-education-crusade-will-it-work-with-gop-voters-in-2024/

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

1. evil man

[BlueTsunami2018]

2. Of course it will work with GOP voters.

It doesn’t matter what they do. There is no bridge too far.

[ancianita]

3. Of course it will work with GOP voters. He knows they don't know shit about

how public education works in this country. The 22%'s minds broke long ago, and he knows their minds are broke. So he picks the new national scapegoat, and whatever New Dear Leader says goes.

[Chakaconcarne]

4. It will backfire.... He can't win with MAGA, white only votes.....

That is my opinion.

[Chainfire]

5. DeSantis has calculated that he will be able to goosestep his way to the White House.

He is trying to out-Nazi the rest of his possible opposition. He is hitting all of the hot buttons; immigration, education, women's rights, support for Russia and he is trying to dehumanize trans and gays. He is the White, God, Mom and Apple Pie candidate. He will be loved by millions of knuckle-draggers. If he is successful we will turn away from the light and enter a dark-age of American history.
We will be known to the rest of the world as the United Hates of America.