Extremism revealed in DeSantis attack on Special Olympics – Palm Beach Post

Until recently, it seemed that Gov. Ron DeSantis had positioned himself as the saner, safer alternative to Donald Trump as Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential race.

Now he sounds as off the rails as the 45th president at his worst. If that was his intent, he’s doing a great job.

After the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team tweeted support for sane gun control following the murder of 19 children at Uvalde, Texas, donating $50,000 to an organization dedicated to preventing more gun violence, Governor No-Background-Check threw a tantrum. His spokeswoman, Christina Pushaw, tweeted: “Corporations do not have the right to get corporate welfare, turn around and ‘donate’ taxpayer dollars to communist progressive causes nobody voted for.”

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Wait a minute — sane gun control is a “communist progressive” cause? My God, that makes 89% of Americans communist progressives!

DeSantis then figuratively took the Rays’ baseball and chucked it over the fence, vetoing $35 million from Florida’s budget designated for funding a new training facility and youth complex. That will show those damn kids.

But wait, there’s more. The New York Yankees joined the Rays in using their Twitter accounts to try to stop the spread of Uvalde-style slaughter of innocents. Hey, New York’s always a juicy DeSantis target, right? But the governor now had his eye on a different sports organization to bully — the Special Olympics. No, I’m not kidding.

Why the Special Olympics, which provides sports competition for athletes with physical and intellectual disabilities and has earned virtually universal admiration? Could it be because DeSantis idol Trump tried to kill funding for the group in 2019, and he decided to finish the cruel job?

What crime did this praiseworthy group commit? One of their requirements for participants to take part in the Special Olympics Games in Orlando this past weekend was to be vaccinated against COVID.

Why would DeSantis threaten to fine the Special Olympics $27.5 million for doing what the majority of those reading this column have already done? To appeal to the anti-vax mob, that’s why. Just when you think DeSantis has hit bottom, demonizing gays (his “Don’t Say Gay” bill) and the Rays (“Communist Progressives!) the trap door opens.

DeSantis’ threat caused the Special Olympics to drop the vaccine mandate at the last minute, despite the fact that statistics clearly show getting participants vaccinated is likely to save lives. “We don’t want to fight,” said a spokesman for the organization in a statement. “We want to play.”

Wow, DeSantis sure kicked their butt! In that mean-spirited tribe where gay tolerance, sane gun control and vaccine protection are dirty words, DeSantis is a brave MAGA warrior. But for the majority of Floridians who support all three, DeSantis has become an out-of-control bully.

So yes, Governor DeSantis has now moved his scorched earth, vindictive campaign to the field of sports. But will this continued display of heartlessness be enough for a majority of fed-up Florida voters to say “You’re out” in November?

Michael J. Vogel is a resident of Boynton Beach.