GOP operative calls Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis the “worst candidate” he’s ever seen & all the latest polls agree

When former Texas governor and Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry talked about eliminating federal agencies–and then forgot which ones he would target–he turned into a laughingstock.

So naturally, Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis is following in his footsteps!

On Fox News Wednesday, the flailing Florida governor pledged he would try to eliminate the departments of education, commerce, energy and even the IRS if he were elected president.

When even host Martha MacCallum pushed back–“the IRS?!”–DeSantis went into full word salad mode.

“So if Congress will work with me on doing that, we’d be able to reduce the size and scope of government,” he said. “But what I’m also going to do is be prepared if Congress won’t go that far, I’m going to use those agencies to push back against woke ideology and against the leftism we see creeping into all institutions of American life.”

Now, how the IRS and Department of Commerce are pushing “woke ideology” and “leftism” is anybody’s guess. When DeSantis provided examples, he focused on the Department of Education, bloviating about how he would enact a nationwide transgender sports ban and reverse “DEI” (diversity, equity and inclusion) and “CRT” (critical race theory) initiatives.

It was like a game of GOP presidential campaign bingo. And at least one long-time Republican operative wasn’t impressed.

Jeff Timmer, who works for the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump Republican PAC, called DeSantis the “worst candidate” he’s ever seen.

“It’s like he’s been assembled from the discarded spare parts of Bobby Jindal, Bill deBlasio, Rick Perry, and Scott Walker,” tweeted Timmer.

They looked at the Paul Ryan spare parts and said “no these are still good for something”— Smile Liner (@HeadPurser) June 29, 2023

does he ever utter a sentence that doesn’t get “woke ideology” shoved in there?— olddognewtricks (@OldWhiteWestie) June 29, 2023

And dressed like a toddler pic.twitter.com/ydD0Kc1Rvh— i riot alone (@Firecrackerboom) June 29, 2023

Bobby Jindal throwback. I’m crying bc it’s funny but also true in a devastating, painful and crippling way.— lilly egan (@SheDoesSports) June 29, 2023

Poll numbers indicate that Republican voters aren’t enamored with DeSantis, either, despite his blatant pandering.

A new NBC News survey shows that DeSantis’ support has fallen by nine percentage points since April. When the GOP race is shrunk to a two-person contest, Donald Trump is at 60%, while DeSantis is at 36%.

Those numbers are in line with DeSantis’ rapidly declining favorables. His unfavorable rating currently stands at 48.1%. Back in January, it was 32.1%.

All of this has happened, by the way, while Trump faces a staggering 37-count federal indictment over his allegedly brazen mishandling of classified docs, and an indictment in New York over hush money payments he made to porn star Stormy Daniels. (Trump is also still being investigated for his efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election and role in ginning up the insurrection on the Capitol.)

DeSantis, meanwhile, has leaned heavily into the culture wars.

During Florida’s last legislative session, he expanded “Don’t Say Gay” to all grade levels, signed a bill outlawing gender-affirming care for minors and made it a criminal offense if adults don’t use the bathroom that corresponds with the sex they were assigned at birth. The legislature also passed a bill targeting drag shows.

And yet, he keeps faltering. DeSantis thought scapegoating LGBTQ+ people would boost his presidential ambitions. Instead, he’s sinking.

Scroll down for more reaction to DeSantis’ latest loathsome campaign pledge…

Once again, DeSantis is very open about using governmental powers to forcibly make people change their beliefs and ideology.— Aloha Solace (@alohasolace) June 29, 2023

It’s like that nerdy kid in school who is completely obsessed with one thing and no matter what you’re talking about they try to work that obsession into every conversation until you’re so tired of hearing about it you stop talking to them completely— why so smug (@whysosmug) June 28, 2023

Yes. He’s definitely the kid on the playground that nobody wants to play with.— NamasteSash (she/her) (@namatesash) June 28, 2023

He can’t make a single sentence without the word “woke” … — Jᴇ́ʀᴏ̂ᴍᴇ Gᴜʏ (@ScoonyDeus) June 28, 2023

Woke ideology? More like he wants to get rid of all oversight agencies gone, so the Cons want to get away with everything in sight. “law and order?” RIGHT.— randy_dot_wong (@randy_dot_wong) June 28, 2023

Sounds like weaponizing govt. agencies is just fine, as long as it’s in MAGA’s favor.— Kristian Meyer (@KristianMMeyer) June 28, 2023

So the IRS would be used to “push back against woke ideology?”

Did Ron get that out of “Little Lord Fauntleroy’s Guide to Theocratic Persecution”?— Jay Black (@jayblackisfunny) June 28, 2023

I am not sure about Yale (DeSantis’ undergrad) and Harvard (His law school) teaching Marxism and communism.

But DeSantis is living proof some Ivey students have been learning something similar to the curriculums of a Taliban Madrasas. (Madrasas: an Islamic boarding school)— Jing Gu (@gujingc) June 28, 2023

So the nation will have no way to collect revenue, and no way to regulate or implement any nuclear weaponry. Perfect.— Paul Gundlach (@PaulSGundlach) June 28, 2023

“I’m going to use those agencies …”

So much for limited government.

It’s increasingly clear that if you don’t want politicians using the power of the state to impose their cultural agenda, this party isn’t for you.— Will Saletan (@saletan) June 29, 2023