Ron DeSantis is attacking free speech in Florida

 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is putting free speech on the chopping block in his state, a sign of what the Republican Party could have in store for the rest of our country.   On the one hand, Gov. DeSantis recently passed a bill that fines private social media companies if they deplatform political candidates -- even if those candidates promote violence or harmful conspiracy theories. The GOP argues it benefits free speech, but it's really a radical intrusion of government into a private business's affairs, as well as a naked attempt by DeSantis to gain favor with his pal, Donald Trump.   Then DeSantis also just passed one of the strictest anti-protest laws in the country. The law provides extra leniency to police officers who use violent crowd control tactics, and his law enacts a swath of new penalties for actions that peaceful citizens might take part in during a protest -- all meant to intimidate people from protesting in the first place. This goes to show that freedom of speech is only a tool DeSantis and the GOP will wield to advance their vile agenda -- DeSantis couldn't care less about real freedom of speech -- he only cares about Donald Trump.   In DeSantis' Florida, there is no respect for the freedom of speech constitutionally guaranteed by our Founding Fathers. There is only a superficial caricature that he utilizes when it serves his political goals.   DeSantis is showing us what the GOP's America would look like -- a place where the endless culture war rules our politics, where laws can change at any moment to benefit the GOP or appease its leaders, and where power is all that matters.   DeSantis and other radical right-wing Florida Republicans are already trying to rig the rules in their favor by suppressing the vote. If we don't stop DeSantis in 2022, he could pass enough restrictions into law that Republicans will be able to rule Florida for the foreseeable future, no matter how hard Democrats campaign.   We have to defeat DeSantis in 2022. Failure just isn't an option. That's why we're raising the resources now to turn Florida blue. Democratic fundraising came in well below what we needed last month, so we need to turn that around in June. Please can you chip in $20.22 to send us to victory in 2022? Democracy may be fragile in America right now, but your support made the difference in 2020 -- we know it will again in 2022. Thank you.   Progressive Majority Progressive Majority PAC is leading the fight against Trump's GOP and their dangerous and divisive agenda by supporting elected progressives, helping elect even more progressive Democrats to Congress, and protecting the gains we made in the past election. This movement is powered by progressives like you.   Paid for by Progressive Majority PAC   Progressive Majority PAC 410 1st St, SE Suite 310 Washington, DC 20003 United States