how embarrassing

Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis’ week has gone from bad to worse to downright disastrous

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Karma has been catching up quick to Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis.

As his flailing presidential campaign continues on a death spiral, the Florida governor’s ongoing legal battle with Disney just gifted him yet another embarrassing rebuke.

DeSantis has been waging a war against Disney ever since the media giant came out against his draconian anti-LGBTQ+ “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

In April, Disney sued the gay-hating governor for weaponizing his political power against the company after he stripped the Orlando-based conglomerate of its special tax privileges and replaced its oversight board with his own cronies.

DeSantis’ lawyers claim replacing the company’s oversight board was not retaliation for opposing his authoritarian demands, but rather “overdue” reform on the special tax district.

In June, DeSantis tried to weasel out of having any responsibility for his actions by asking a federal court to dismiss Disney’s lawsuit claiming he is “immune” from the litigation.

Related:

Disney’s CEO is firing back against Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis, & this feud is about to get even messier

Bob Iger says DeSantis’ claim that Disney is sexualizing children is “preposterous” and “inaccurate.”

Now, Disney has responded to DeSantis’ attempt to have the company’s free speech case against him tossed out and they didn’t hold back in rejecting his request.

“This case presents the fundamental question whether the Governor and the State can escape accountability for their open defiance of our Nation’s most cherished liberties,” Disney attorneys wrote in a legal filing, per Deadline.

“The Governor seeks to evade responsibility for his actions on a narrower ground, asserting that a governor cannot be held officially liable for implementing, administering, and enforcing state laws that punish residents for political statements violating a state-prescribed speech code,” the filing continued in its dissent of DeSantis’ wish to have the case thrown out.

 “The motion seeks dismissal on Article III standing, sovereign-immunity, and legislative-immunity grounds, but those principles have no application here.”

While the case is making its way through the courts, Disney is requesting the trial date to begin on July 15, 2024, which just so happens to be the start of the Republican National Convention.

Taking a page out of his indictment-prone GOP rival, DeSantis would prefer the case begin after the 2024 election, that is if he can’t get it thrown out before then.

Reactions to Disney’s well-played moves was met with resounding applause.

The Disney lawsuit may be the least of DeSantis’ worries as his presidential campaign continues to careen off the rails.

With his poll numbers still in the toilet, DeSantis’ attempt to “reboot” his campaign has included firing staff (including an aide that made a video with Nazi imagery), cutting costs, and getting almost unanimous dissent to his Florida Education Department’s new “anti-woke” Black history curriculum requiring students to learn that enslaved people received some “benefits” from slavery.

Vocal detractors have included Vice President Kamala Harris, GOP presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott, Florida GOP Rep. Byron Donalds, and the NAACP, among others.

On Thursday, DeSantis took a defiant tone as he defended the updated slavery lessons.

“At the end of the day, you got to choose: Are you going to side with Kamala Harris and liberal media outlets or are you going to side with the state of Florida?” DeSantis said while campaigning in Iowa. “I think it’s very clear that these guys did a good job on those standards. It wasn’t anything that was politically motivated.”

Good luck with that, Ronnie!

Here’s a few more reactions to the latest salvo in DeSantis’ Disney feud:

Related:

Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis plots major shakeup amid reports his crappy campaign is “on the brink”

DeSantis can alter his strategy all he wants, but that doesn’t fix the central problem with his campaign: Himself.

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