Dem
51
GOP
49
Perhaps you are left with the impression that we are underwhelmed with Ron DeSantis as a presidential candidate. If so, good, it means we are communicating effectively. Part of it is the strategizing we describe above, which is both transparent and transparently unworkable. And another part of it is his fight with Disney; although the governor is allegedly smarter and less impulsive from Trump, that certainly hasn't been the case with DeSantis' fight against the Mouse. It sure looks like he shot from the hip, and did not think about consequences or counter-moves at all.
See, (Z) has lectured many times on Disney and also grew up in the shadow of Disneyland. And if there is one thing that you learn very quickly, it's that the Disney Corporation has the best group of corporate lawyers in the world. This makes sense; Disney's cash flow depends on its ability to maintain its intellectual property and its ability to maintain its favored-nations tax and infrastructure status. Both of those things require lots and lots of top-notch lawyers.
And so, if one is considering taking on the Empire of Walt, one should make very certain that one has also retained some very, very good lawyers and has worked through all the possible permutations. It is clear that DeSantis did not do that; he obviously did not foresee that the Disney-controlled board members of the Reedy Creek Improvement District would cede virtually all of its powers back to Disney before vacating their seats in favor of DeSantis' handpicked cronies. If the Governor had foreseen this, he surely would have implemented at least some proactive defensive measures, right? Or, at very least, he wouldn't have sputtered like a teapot when he found out what Disney had done.
Now, after dealing Disney a glancing blow (Round 1), and then getting punched squarely in the mouth (Round 2), DeSantis has decided he's hungry for more. So yesterday, he decreed that he will take his revenge. Among the ideas he's bandying about:
It would truly be a gift to the universe of snark if DeSantis pursued the theme park option. Our suggestion? "Disneyland 1955." Get rid of "It's a Small World" and any other rides that have a diverse cast of characters. Let the "Pirates of the Caribbean" go back to sexually harassing their female conquests. Restore the rifles with live ammunition to the Main Street shooting gallery (true fact!) and sell a title sponsorship to the NRA. Get rid of the "Princess and the Pea" stuff at Splash Mountain, and bring back the "Song of the South" stuff, perhaps even adding an Uncle Remus statue. Have the "Jungle Cruise" guides talk about how "civilizing the natives" is tough work, but that's the White Man's Burden. Put the redface characters back in "Peter Pan." Switch "Autopia" from electrical cars back to gasoline-powered. It would be an anti-woke paradise!
If DeSantis is actually as smart as he's supposed to be, he'll do a bit more bloviating, then have a sit-down with Disney CEO Bob Iger and work out some sort of "truce." If not, well, we're not crackerjack corporate lawyers, but we know that Team Disney outdueled DeSantis the first time out without breaking a sweat. So, our money would be on them. Their worst case scenario is that they pull a Trump, tie up anything DeSantis tries to do in court for the next 5 years, and then work with the next Florida governor. (Z)