The governor should represent all Floridians, including those who disagree with him or didn’t vote for him. Charlie Crist would do that. Gov. Ron DeSantis does not — and would not. In 2018, DeSantis got 49.6% of the vote. In other words, more people voted for someone else. We thought that might encourage him to build consensus. Instead he doubled-down on the tribalism that plagues too much of today’s politics. We wanted to believe in him, for the good of the state. But he has always acted as if he won in a landslide, with a mandate not just to govern but to rule. It is not enough for him to win. He has to crush those who oppose him, whoever they are.
A bully. Look at how he hectored high school students — teenagers! — who were brought to the University of South Florida for a photo-op in March. Seemingly irritated that several kids standing behind him on the stage were masked up, he told them, “You don’t have to wear those masks. Please take them off.” “This is ridiculous,” he went on. His behavior — for all the world to see — would have been unacceptable for their teacher or their principal. Yet, here was the governor bullying a bunch of teenagers. That boorish behavior elicited an avalanche of objections. The critics knew a bully when they saw one, and they were outraged.
Unite or divide. It’s hard to imagine Charlie Crist acting that way, because he wouldn’t. Crist is a decent man who always asks, “What do you think?” or “What would you do?” That’s not DeSantis’ style. Crist will compromise, which is essential to the long-term health of Florida. At heart, he is a uniter. DeSantis is not. He divides to conquer.
