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This Week in Jaw-Dropping GOP Racism
DeSantis Suspends Second Elected Prosecutor in Florida (The New York Times)
SUMMARY: Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida suspended the top state prosecutor in Orlando on Wednesday, accusing her of incompetence and neglect of duty for what he characterized as lenience against violent criminals. The move was the governor’s latest aggressive use of executive power against local officials of the opposing political party.
Mr. DeSantis suspended Monique H. Worrell, the elected state attorney of Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit, which includes Orange and Osceola Counties, and cited as reasons her handling of three cases and a low overall incarceration rate, among other things. One of the three cases involved a man who shot and injured two Orlando police officers over the weekend.
It is the second time in a year that Mr. DeSantis, a Republican running for president, has taken the drastic and exceedingly rare step of removing an elected state attorney. Both have been Democrats.
MY TAKE: In a recent Time interview, DeSantis described his parenting technique: “Day to day, Casey [his wife] does more of the disciplining. But when I step in, and I do, if I’m a little stern, they snap into shape. I do that more rarely. But when things get out of hand, you kind of just lay the law down, and they respond to it. So I would say that they do respect the paternal influence.” Sadly, this same paternalistic attitude also seems to be his political philosophy. He’s the dad, and everyone else in Florida—and, if he becomes president, the country—are his doting children grateful for his strong disciplinary hand. DeSantis Knows Best.
The problem is that DeSantis, clearly no student of history, wants to be a strong man, not a good man. His idea of expressing strength is to force his will on people rather than be an example that people will want to follow.
In the play, Camelot, King Arthur discusses with Guinevere his plans for a new philosophy of knighthood: “[N]ow, the knights will whack only for good. Might for right… That's it, Ginny. Might. No, not might is right. Might - For - Right.” I’ve always found that moment in the play to be especially moving because King Arthur, who already has absolute authority, is still trying to find a way to do good for his people. This philosophy of Might for Right may serve the good of the people and help them thrive, but it doesn’t serve DeSantis’ personal ambitions. For him, might is right, and if you disagree, he relies on brute force, sending you to bed without supper—or freedom of choice.
This lack of regard or respect for people as rational adults capable of choosing their own path is reflected in his strongman tactic of removing two ELECTED state attorneys. DeSantis removed these duly elected officials, both Democrats, not because there were complaints from the people who elected them, but because removing them enhanced his political agenda. After his removal of Andrew Warren last year, a federal judge ruled that, although they did not have the authority to intervene, there was “not a hint of misconduct by Mr. Warren.” A federal judge reviewing the case noted that DeSantis had calculated the dollar amount of free media exposure the firing would generate. In fact, DeSantis has brought up Warren’s firing in most of his campaign speeches as a badge of honor when it should be a scarlet letter of shame. The fact that he doesn’t know the difference is the truly scary part. “Hey, voters, I decided to overturn democracy by firing your elected officials because I don’t like their politics. Feel free to applaud now and donate money.”
Warren is White, and Worrell is Black, so why is the suspension of Worrell racist? Because it’s about perception. Worrell is Florida’s only Black female state attorney, so by suspending her, DeSantis is making it clear that he can control all Black activists (as well as unruly women). She was elected with 67% of the vote, which signals to DeSantis’ base that he’s not bound by voters’ preferences, especially Black voters. His accusations that she was soft on crime do not hold up under examination, but the people he’s appealing to don’t want to examine. They want Daddy DeSantis to make the scary Black people go away and to take uppity women, whiny LGBTQ+ people, and dirty immigrants with them.
Daddy DeSantis has one rule: As long as you live under my state (or country), you will follow my rules—or get kicked out of the house. Unless, of course, voters remind him it’s not his house. It’s theirs.