A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis, addressing the Republican Party of Florida during a breakfast meeting at Milwaukee’s Republican National Convention, heralded registration trends that are going the GOP’s way in once purple Florida, where Republicans have a 963,000 voter advantage over Democrats.
And he suggested that one outlier could somehow be resolved through executive policy.
“Really the only places that we haven’t really outpaced them are the places that have universities in them. Orange (County, home of) UCF, Gainesville (the home of the University of Florida, and) Tallahassee (the home of Florida State University),” DeSantis said. “But I will tell you no one is doing more on reforming universities than we are.”
DeSantis, of course, has made moves to reorient universities in a more conservative direction, in efforts to create a higher education system in the state that is the “Harvard for the unwoke.”
Some of them have included administration choices, like the restructuring of New College from a “Marxist commune” to the “Hillsdale of the South” through purging the board and installing President Richard Corcoran.
Other moves have included banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which he calls “discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination.”
Beyond those college towns, DeSantis is bullish on progress elsewhere, saying “pretty much everywhere has moved in our direction.”
“Palm Beach, even Broward — I mean, we’ve got a long way to go in Broward — but it has moved,” DeSantis said.
“Hillsborough County is on the brink. We’re not there quite yet. But we will definitely get there. We’re going to have more registered Republicans in Hillsborough than Democrats very soon. That’s never happened. We weren’t even close for many years. It had been just viewed as a blue county and so we were able to win that.”
The Governor also cited gains in Pinellas, Osceola, and Duval County, which is “trending to where I think we’re going to be able to hopefully take that over.”
16 comments
My Take
July 17, 2024 at 12:58 pm
I wonder how Communists and Nazis “refomed” their existing universìties, especially large prestigious ones.
Frankie M.
July 17, 2024 at 5:07 pm
It could also lead to declining enrollment but that’s probably the end goal anyway.
Tom
July 17, 2024 at 1:03 pm
Everyone I know is registered ‘unaffiliated’ and change parties depending on the primaries and whether or not you feel like juking the stats as it were. I guess the R’s don’t mind being hounded for political contributions.
MH/Duuuval
July 17, 2024 at 1:41 pm
The lesson from Soviet Russia about politicizing science: Don’t.
“Trofim Lysenko, a Soviet biologist, condemned perhaps millions of people to starvation through bogus agricultural research.” (The Atlantic, 2017)
My Take
July 17, 2024 at 1:55 pm
And destroyed the eminent scientist Vavilov. And killed him and other scientists.
Cheesy Floridian
July 17, 2024 at 2:07 pm
Proud independent. I still think Florida is a purple state. You don’t have to vote republican just because you are registered as one.
Paul Passarelli
July 17, 2024 at 4:28 pm
Oh good grief! Why would anyone with an ounce of self respect and more than two brain cells vote Democrat?
Handing over ones future to the dumbest of the dumb, is well, just, dumber than dumb! Or should I say ‘wronger than wrong’?
The better statement is: “You don’t have to vote Democrat for any reason whatsoever. Nobody does.”
Richard Paula
July 17, 2024 at 2:28 pm
God forbid that any of DeSantis’ desires, expectations or political maneuverings should come to pass. The man is a maniac. He finds “woke” in every nook and cranny. His actions have taken Florida back 100+ years.
Silly Wabbit
July 17, 2024 at 3:51 pm
He kwazy!
My Take
July 17, 2024 at 4:34 pm
New College — From commune to GOPhabbi madrassa
MH/Duuuval
July 17, 2024 at 9:42 pm
I’m told New’s a lot more jock-friendly environment — DEI for the non-cerebral.
Rev. Grant Balfour
July 20, 2024 at 2:13 pm
Actually, a New College grad rom before the “un-woke-ifying” is competing in this year’s Olympics. But the new crowd doesn’t like to admit athletics were a thing before. (She’s a sailor; the school had a long run in intercollegiate sailing conferences before all this.)
My Take
July 17, 2024 at 7:19 pm
Hillsdale College is a rightwing cesspool.
https://lp.hillsdale.edu/religious-liberty-survey/
Paul Passarelli
July 18, 2024 at 2:00 pm
It’s a good survey. There were only two or three bullet points I disagreed with.
Flash Light
July 18, 2024 at 12:22 am
True intellectual pursuits will always find a home. If not in Florida, our best and brightest students, professors, scientists and researchers WILL go elsewhere. It took decades to bring some of Florida’s universities into national prominence. Floridians should not accept Desantis’ efforts to take us backwards.
TruBlue
July 18, 2024 at 8:57 am
The destruction of New College of Florida is just shocking now! Much like Naomi Klein’s “Shock Doctrine.” Only this time it’s a college campus. Over paid administrators with no academic experience, but they do have loud boisterous voices commanding all to obey! (much like their hero DeSantis ) The corruption is so deep now, it’s truly a comedy and a tragedy. The books keep being cooked, AA degrees are now being offered and it’s obvious at this point, there needs to be a Federal investigation asap. They are all hoping and praying (to Jesus) that Trump wins in November.
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