Ipsos Posted on 04/27/2023 7:11:43 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The fight between Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) and The Walt Disney Corporation (TWDC) has been going on for over a year, but the skirmish has intensified in recent weeks with the Florida legislature’s dismantling of Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District and setting up a new district under state supervision — all done with DeSantis’ full support.
TWDC has filed a suit against DeSantis, even as the state’s new Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board continues to shed light on how Disney took advantage of its quasi-governmental authority. But is the whole controversy putting DeSantis in a bad light, or can he benefit from it?
The short answer to that question is: it depends on who you ask.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll provides some interesting insight into what voters think about the DeSantis vs. Disney donnybrook. On the surface, the results look like a bad news/good news mix for the governor.
“Following recent arguments between Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, seven in ten Americans (73%) say they are aware of Disney objecting to recent Florida laws banning the discussion of sexuality and gender in public schools, while nearly four in five (78%) say they are aware of recent efforts to revoke some of Walt Disney World’s legal privileges in Florida,” reports Ipsos. “Despite such high awareness of these events, a plurality (47%) of Americans say they do not know who is winning the fight.”Ipsos
On the whole, voters view the state’s actions and DeSantis punishing Disney for exercising its free speech rights, with 64% agreeing to that statement and 36% saying that Florida is “rightfully rolling back special treatment for Disney.”
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
I don't live in FL so I don't pay too much attention. He's done a lot around the schools and universities, like the Stop WOKE act. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of governments fighting the culture wars but I know both sides do it.
But this has nothing to do with the fact that the state is punishing Disney for their political views.
Your criticism has been that Disney's Reedy Creek district was being singled out from all the other identical districts for punishment because the Governor considered them an enemy.
Now it turns out you are opposed to the duly elected governor and legislature adopting public policies on cultural issues like crime, schools, reparations, drugs, immigration, protecting children from predators, and state budgets that fund this and not that.
You are entitled to your preferences. Perhaps you know more about Florida that its citizens. Or less.
You first implied you don't support DeSantis on one thing but really you don't support DeSantis on a lot of things.
As you yourself asked: “Why the charade?”
My criticism was of the state punishing a private corporation for their political views.
You tried to pretend the legislation was about other issues.
Do you think the repeal of the Reedy Creek Improvement Act was primarily a reaction to Disney's opposition to the Parental Rights in Education bill?
You first implied you don't support DeSantis on one thing but really you don't support DeSantis on a lot of things.
As you yourself asked: “Why the charade?”
What charade? When did I imply I only had one issue with Florida's use of state power?
I don’t have a high bar for a republican to get my vote over a democrat. Supporting a corporation that targets children with LGBTQ+ comes under that bar. I’m out.
Lol. Wow, this is incorrect.
“When did I imply I only had one issue with Florida’s use of state power?”
Here: “My criticism was of the state punishing a private corporation for their political views.” The context was just Disney.
And here: “But this has nothing to do with the fact that the state is punishing Disney for their political views.” The context was just Disney.
And here: “They did it to punish Disney for opposing the Parental Rights in Education Bill.” The context was just Disney.
It wasn’t until your post 41 that you admitted to your larger animus: “Frankly, I’m not a big fan of governments fighting the culture wars but I know both sides do it.”
That has to mean you are opposed to people electing governors and legislators to set public policy on cultural issues like crime, schools, reparations, drugs, immigration, protecting children from predators, and state budgets that fund this and not that.
Let me get at it another way: name one piece of legislation in the past 50 years in Florida, or your state, or at the federal level that did not impact culture.
Exactly. The context was Disney so that's what I was addressing. It's kind of how this forum works.
It wasn’t until your post 41 that you admitted to your larger animus: “Frankly, I’m not a big fan of governments fighting the culture wars but I know both sides do it.”
Abuse of state power and government fighting the culture wars are different things. I'm not a fan of either but you're conflating them in an attempt to deflect.
Do you think the repeal of the Reedy Creek Improvement Act was primarily a reaction to Disney's opposition to the Parental Rights in Education bill?
That has to mean you are opposed to people electing governors and legislators to set public policy on cultural issues like crime, schools, reparations, drugs, immigration, protecting children from predators, and state budgets that fund this and not that.
Of course not, but I think those concerns are more legitimate when the governor isn't running around the country bragging about his war on woke as he contemplates a presidential campaign.
But as I said, it's fairly common political practice these days on both sides.
In Florida where it counts folks wonder why anyone would even ask such a silly question. Disney took aim at DeSantis and shot off a couple of its own toes.
The opinion in California and Maine doesn’t matter. In Florida DeSantis is a winner and Disney is using up all the bandaids and splints in the medicine box.
Disney says repealing Reedy Creek's “build a nuclear power plant in the back yard” provision is abuse of state power and you agree. Let's set that aside for now and focus on your announced opposition to government fighting “cultural wars.”
When asked, you could not identity a single piece of legislation - state or federal - in the past 50 years that did not impact culture.
So what, then, is a “cultural war.”
A cultural war is anything society does to protect itself that a liberal doesn't like.
In Florida if DeSantis opposes illegal immigration the left screams “cultural war.”
If DeSantis opposes grooming children the left screams “cultural war.”
If DeSantis swigs a beer that is not Bud Light the left screams “cultural war.”
And that is all it takes for libertarians and weak RINOs to run away from the fight.
When and if enough Floridians go missing in action, liberals will scream “cultural war” whenever string music is taught in school. You probably already know that math is racist.
The money grubbing wing of the conservative movement who would sell their mother to make a profit and sell our western-European descended culture to non-western elites in the name of money and meritocracy deserves the noose.
Do you think the repeal of the Reedy Creek Improvement Act was primarily a reaction to Disney's opposition to the Parental Rights in Education bill?
“Do you think the repeal of the Reedy Creek Improvement Act was primarily a reaction to Disney’s opposition to the Parental Rights in Education bill?”
The Florida House has 84 Republican members. The Senate has 28 Republican members.
When you ask about motives, which member are you referencing?
Or is it your claim that all Republicans think alike?
Or are you just asking about why the Florida governor signed the repeal legislation which passed with huge majorities?
I think I know where you are heading with this: Florida Republicans are bad. Florida Republicans are tyrants.
Most everyone here, probably including you, knows it was a punishment of Disney for their political stance. Most FReepers seem to support that and DeSantis is actively trying to milk it for his political gain.
Odd that you refuse to express an opinion on it.
If you can’t even say what you think there’s no use in talking.
As near as I can tell, Reedy Creek had never been an issue with DeSantis before Disney’s opposition to the Education bill. Clearly the Reedy Creek Improvement Act was a reaction to Disney’s opposition. Only the densest of Freepers would claim otherwise. DeSantis’s selective outrage over the issue of special corporate carve outs, paints an unflattering picture.
His whole purpose on FR is to troll for the opposition.
No. I think repeal of the Reedy Creek Improvement Act was in response to Disney's unhinged response to the legislature voting to protect children.
Everyone has known for a long time - Florida legislators included - that the Disney organization is shot-through with perversion.
Disney perversion notwithstanding, relations between legislators and Disney were at an equilibrium for decades. The legislature has not gone after Disney for its perversion alone.
But when Florida's increasingly conservative legislature voted to protect children, Disney's perverted leadership was caught flatfooted. And they paid a price when the larger perverted community attacked Disney for not opposing the parental rights legislation.
That's when Disney's perverted leadership panicked and sent their 40 paid lobbyists to entice, and then threaten, conservative legislators. The deal: repeal the protections for parents and children and publicly buy into Disney's perversions and there will be even more $ billions for you in the future. But if you oppose Reedy Creek's demands, Disney's private government and its auxilaries will attack Florida's public government.
This was not well received by the legislators sent to Tallahassee by the people of Florida.
Disney's corrupt offer and Disney's unhinged behavior have made Florida legislators rethink the wisdom of allowing Disney's team to build a nuclear power plant without some state oversight. One nuclear plant would require enough radioactive material to build several dirty bombs.
And then there was the fairness issue of allowing just the Disney tourist trap to build an airport without state oversight when other tourist traps were not given the same valuable privilege.
And then there is the safety issue of allowing Disney the right to manage the huge monorail - that some call the Death Train because of its unfortunate history - without state oversight.
Disney can rightfully claim the title of “The Most Perverted Huge Corporation” but that standing alone is not justification for the state to continue to place unlimited power and fissionable material in the hands of a corporation whose management team is unhinged and unstable.
Reedy Creek - the secret word for Disney used by the all-white legislature when the deal was cut in the 1960s - needs oversight.
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