Governor Ron DeSantis, the Florida Republican who never shies away from a divisive controversy, wants to know what his state’s students and teachers are thinking – and if he doesn’t like, budget cuts might be coming.
On Tuesday, DeSantis “signed legislation that will require public universities and colleges to survey students, faculty and staff about their beliefs and viewpoints to support “intellectual diversity,” according to The Tampa Bay Times.
DeSantis’ intentions are clear – he thinks academia has become too left-leaning and he wants to make sure there’s a conservative influence in the state’s education system.
More from The Tampa Bay Times:
The measure, which goes into effect July 1, does not specify what will be done with the survey results. But DeSantis and Sen. Ray Rodrigues, the sponsor of the bill, suggested on Tuesday that budget cuts could be looming if universities and colleges are found to be “indoctrinating” students.
“That’s not worth tax dollars and that’s not something that we’re going to be supporting moving forward,” DeSantis said at a press conference at a middle school in Fort Myers.
The law also prevents universities from banning speech that “may be uncomfortable, disagreeable or offensive,” a thinly-veiled attack on the progressive preference for “safe spaces” on college campuses.
“It used to be thought that a university campus was a place where you’d be exposed to a lot of different ideas,” DeSantis said. “Unfortunately, now the norm is really these are more intellectually repressive environments.”
DeSantis is particularly irked by what he calls a “positive” image of Che Guevara, the Cuban revolutionary, set forth on college campuses.
“This guy was a total communist thug and yet that’s the kind of environment that you see,” DeSantis said. “And so I think by us having this, we’re really going to be, I think pushing back against some of the whitewashing that’s been done.”
Mark Ferrulo, executive director of Progress Florida, said DeSantis was ginning up a “fake controversy.”
“Floridians still believe in an American Dream that celebrates the successes of our country without focusing on distractions that seek to divide us instead of allowing all students the freedom to learn and understand other cultures and experiences,” Ferrulo said.
In recent months, DeSantis has signed or supported legislation and executive orders on a host of hot-button cultural issues. One new Florida law curbs voting rights. Another punishes social media companies if they de-platform politicians – a clear reaction to Donald Trump’s Twitter and Facebook bans. DeSantis has urged the state Board of Education to prevent critical race theory from influencing lesson plans.
Many of DeSantis’ priorities are catnip for consumers of conservative media, where DeSantis is a rising star. Meanness is an asset among right-wing culture warriors who brag about “owning the libs.” In that vein, there’s a troll quality to DeSantis’ governing style. A new state law bans transgender girls from high school sports teams; DeSantis signed it on the first day of Pride Month.
In an opinion piece, The Washington Post explains how a politically ambitious DeSantis is taking up the grievance and outrage agenda perfected by Trump.
The winner of “The Apprentice: Culture Warfare Edition,” so far, appears to be Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) of Trump’s new home state of Florida. He is setting himself up as Trump’s running mate or successor by showing a genius for appealing to every disreputable prejudice of the GOP base. This man knows how to outrage Democrats and, therefore, delight Republicans.
DeSantis topped a recent straw poll of contenders for the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary. He even edged out Trump.
