News Reedy Creek Improvement District and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District

[scottieRoss]

I'm explaining a strategy, not justifying it.

Whether it's sports, business, or politics, you have a much better chance of defeating your opponent if you dispassionately analyze their plan. Figure out what they are trying to do, and then use that against them.

I posted a link to the Washington Post article. That post got deleted so I am not reposting it. Try Googling Most Americans support policies favored by GOP, poll shows.

I did google. Thats how I got both the Wall Street Journal and USA Today polls

 

[StaceyH_SD]

But beyond those of us who post on various WDW sites, the rest of the country will treat DeSantis with a collective yawn.

Not if he keeps picking fights with businesses and pushing his authortarianism. That may appeal in FL and some other places but it won’t fly everywhere.

Biden's support is so weak among Democrats, they just might stay home as long as it's not Trump.

I guarantee you Dems are not staying home.

 

[GoofGoof]

To the general public, DeSantis is not taking on Walt Disney World. It was the Disney CEO (headquartered in California) that criticized the Parental Rights In Education Act. It was the Disney CEO (headquartered in California) who said, "Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts."

News outlets are not framing this as a WDW/DeSantis battle; they are framing this as a Disney/DeSantis battle.

Disney is one of the richest, most liberal companies in the United States.

Previously, I posted a link to a Washington Post article titled: Most Americans Support ... Policies Favored by GOP, Polls Show. (Edited the exact title to avoid veering into politics.) This is not the New York Post; this is a Washington Post poll.

Fighting "woke corporate America" is a winning strategy for Republicans. (This is how DeSantis will frame it.)

There are other things that DeSantis (and other Republicans) are doing that will cost them in the general election. Fighting "woke corporate America" is not one of them.

P.S. I'm not trying to justify DeSantis' strategy; just explain it. Some are acting like DeSantis is an idiot. He's not. Whether his strategy will work, we'll know in less than 12 months.

As I wrote before, he's behind Trump in the polls and has decided the only way he's going to win is by going all-in.

To be clear those polls asked about 2 separate issues (related topic) but not the specific bill passed in FL. It would be like saying because a poll shows the majority of Americans support universal background checks for guns that the majority support any gun related bill. I don’t think most Americans support what DeSantis is doing vs Disney.

 

[scottieRoss]

Hillary Clinton was the most hated person in America, and likely the only person who could have lost to Donald Trump. Republicans and Democrats aren't the only ones more likely to vote against a person they dislike than for a person they do like. Independents do it too.

Except, again, that is false. She received more votes than Donald Trump.

 

[Jeffxz]

DeSantis’ public statements are not stupid; they are calculated.

It comes down to a simple question: Would DeSantis rather win the Republican Primary or the Disney lawsuit?

NBC News covers his strategy in this May 8 article: Ron DeSantis bets big on his Disney feud

DeSantis cannot win the general if he doesn't win the primary, meaning he has to appeal to those "Ultra MAGA Republicans" President Biden rails against.

Earlier this year when it looked like Disney was just going to roll over and let DeSantis have his way, there was a view among some that this was bad for DeSantis. A victory in early 2023 is quickly forgotten by primary season.

By fighting back, Disney might very well be helping DeSantis among those he needs the most.

According to the previously mentioned NBC News article, three different surveys all say the same thing: Republicans are siding with DeSantis.

DeSantis doesn't particularly care who controls Disney. He just needs to keep the lawsuit alive through primary season.

I think this WAS the plan. DeSantis wanted the fight, he wanted to be able to campaign about how much of a fighter he was. He wanted to be able to stand on a debate stage and look into every camera that anyone would point at him and talk about how he was the only one brave enough to take on the woke corporations.

The development agreement ruined his plans.

At best the development agreement move by Disney made DeSantis look incompetent, at worst it made him look like a complete fool.

Now every time he says anything about a woke corporation, every talking head on cable news is going to be quick to point out how he got completely outmaneuvered by Disney. If he dares bring this up on a debate stage, anyone standing across from him will be quick to point out in a perfect soundbite how Mickey Mouse made him look like an idiot.

From your linked article:

“The Republican base wants to see a fighter,” said Matt Salmon, a former Arizona congressman and state party chair.

The Republican base might want to see a fighter, but they don't want to see a loser. The current state of events makes it very easy to portray DeSantis as a loser in this fight by all opponents from both sides of the aisle.

Disney's development agreement didn't just lock in their plans for the next 30 years - it completely neutralized one of DeSantis' main campaign talking points, and with it, his plans of becoming the nominee in 2024.

 

[GoofGoof]

I guarantee you Dems are not staying home.

I actually think some (maybe a lot) may have stayed home if the other candidate was more moderate. Not if it’s Trump and now maybe even more so not if it’s DeSantis. Far right candidates faired poorly in the last midterm when they pushed radical agendas.

 

[StaceyH_SD]

The next CFTOD meeting is Wednesday. The Disney earnings call is also Wednesday. Should be an interesting day.

 

[GoofGoof]

Irony if she was so hated , she won the popular vote with 2.9 million in 2016.

So I guess she was second most hated

 

[GoofGoof]

Hillary Clinton was the most hated person in America, and likely the only person who could have lost to Donald Trump. Republicans and Democrats aren't the only ones more likely to vote against a person they dislike than for a person they do like. Independents do it too.

What makes you think independents would “hate” Biden more than DeSantis? Seems unlikely. He’s old and kinda boring but not much about him that’s particularly hate worthy.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I actually think some (maybe a lot) may have stayed home if the other candidate was more moderate. Not if it’s Trump and now maybe even more so not if it’s DeSantis. Far right candidates faired poorly in the last midterm when they pushed radical agendas.

I agree, IF the Reps are smart enough to put forth a moderate Rep (they aren’t) they likely win in 2024, but both DeSantis and Trump hand us 4 more years of bumbling Joe (and I say that as someone who voted for him as the lessor evil despite suspecting he was going a bit senile).

A year ago I thought DeSantis had stayed moderate enough to be that guy, then he went off the deep end “fighting woke”. It’s a popular strategy to a point, but go too far and you just look like an extremist.

You need the extremes to get nominated but you need the middle to get elected, it’s a very screwed up system.

 

[James Alucobond]

What makes you think independents would “hate” Biden more than DeSantis? Seems unlikely. He’s old and kinda boring but not much about him that’s particularly hate worthy.

You also have to consider that Harris is an important part of the ticket due to the propensity people over 80 have for croaking, and even Biden himself hasn’t done much to pretend that he likes her.

 

[seascape]

DeSantis could gain support for attacking woke companies. However, harming companies is anti Republican attacking the First Amendment Rights of a company is way too much for a huge percentage of the USA. It is all how the story is written but if the Federal Courts rule that DeSantis violated The US Constitutional Rights of The Walt Disney Company his campaign is over. At this point DeSantis's future depends on winning this battle.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

To the general public, DeSantis is not taking on Walt Disney World. It was the Disney CEO (headquartered in California) that criticized the Parental Rights In Education Act. It was the Disney CEO (headquartered in California) who said, "Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts."

News outlets are not framing this as a WDW/DeSantis battle; they are framing this as a Disney/DeSantis battle.

Disney is one of the richest, most liberal companies in the United States.

Previously, I posted a link to a Washington Post article titled: Most Americans Support ... Policies Favored by GOP, Polls Show. (Edited the exact title to avoid veering into politics.) This is not the New York Post; this is a Washington Post poll.

Fighting "woke corporate America" is a winning strategy for Republicans. (This is how DeSantis will frame it.)

There are other things that DeSantis (and other Republicans) are doing that will cost them in the general election. Fighting "woke corporate America" is not one of them.

P.S. I'm not trying to justify DeSantis' strategy; just explain it. Some are acting like DeSantis is an idiot. He's not. Whether his strategy will work, we'll know in less than 12 months.

As I wrote before, he's behind Trump in the polls and has decided the only way he's going to win is by going all-in.

I agree with you that the general public has at best a fuzzy understanding of this issue, but that also means that almost none will be able to quote the line from Chapek's statement and are probably only vaguely aware how this all began.

Where I lean more toward him being an idiot than a master strategist is that this could have been a feather in his cap with a verbal slap down from which he moved on. Instead, he backed himself into a corner such that he is increasingly defined as the guy at war with Disney. I'm sure most Republican primary voters are sympathetic to that war, but I doubt that combatting Disney specifically is a frontline issue commensurate with the amount of time and capital he seems to be spending on it. The fact things have gotten this far and he stands a reasonable chance of losing the legal battle launched by Disney also doesn't exactly make him look like the most effective culture warrior.

 

[GoofGoof]

You also have to consider that Harris is an important part of the ticket due to the propensity people over 80 have for croaking, and even Biden himself hasn’t done much to pretend that he likes her.

I don’t think VP is a if factor for most voters. His age might make it a little more relevant but he wasn’t a spring chicken last time around either. I also think most of the “hate” for Harris is from people who already won’t vote for Biden anyway. The independents and moderates are who matters.

 

[JohnD]

I agree with those who would raise an eyebrow at the idea that what DeSantis wants to be talking most about this as he launches a presidential bid is his legal battle with Disney. Does he really want to be standing on that stage announcing his candidacy and telling people to vote for him as the one leader who had the courage to take on Walt Disney World? I would think he'd want to be talking about the legislation he did pass that makes him look like an effective culture warrior, not a protracted and costly legal battle with Disney over their First Amendment rights that his legislation sparked and which could go either way.

As some may have figured out by now, I'm a Republican but if he announces for President he's going to have to answer this question which would be of more concern in the primary: How do you square being against weaponizing the government at the Federal level but seem okay with it at the state level?

 

[PizzaPlanet]

They would still have to get him to agree to recite a speech. I don’t think he will.

Might not even need to at his point with how far AI voices have come.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Except, again, that is false. She received more votes than Donald Trump.

She probably should have gone to Wisconsin.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

What makes you think independents would “hate” Biden more than DeSantis? Seems unlikely. He’s old and kinda boring but not much about him that’s particularly hate worthy.

Incumbents take the blame when things are bad and things are bad.

 

[James Alucobond]

I don’t think VP is a if factor for most voters. His age might make it a little more relevant but he wasn’t a spring chicken last time around either. I also think most of the “hate” for Harris is from people who already won’t vote for Biden anyway. The independents and moderates are who matters.

Probably getting off topic, so I’ll leave it at this … At the very least, it will be a bigger issue than it ever has been in living memory, especially if he runs against a younger opponent. Biden will be in the back half of his 80s by the end of a second term, so Harris stepping in becomes a very real possibility. I just think it’s disconcerting that even Biden hasn’t done much to elevate her; I don’t think you give someone the border crisis as a touchstone issue if you want them to succeed. I guess they’ve been rushing to rehab her image in recent weeks by giving her abortion and AI, but it’s really late in the game. Would also help if she could manage to comport herself in a way that was halfway relatable.

 

[mikejs78]

To the general public, DeSantis is not taking on Walt Disney World. It was the Disney CEO (headquartered in California) that criticized the Parental Rights In Education Act. It was the Disney CEO (headquartered in California) who said, "Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts."

News outlets are not framing this as a WDW/DeSantis battle; they are framing this as a Disney/DeSantis battle.

Disney is one of the richest, most liberal companies in the United States.

Previously, I posted a link to a Washington Post article titled: Most Americans Support ... Policies Favored by GOP, Polls Show. (Edited the exact title to avoid veering into politics.) This is not the New York Post; this is a Washington Post poll.

Fighting "woke corporate America" is a winning strategy for Republicans. (This is how DeSantis will frame it.)

There are other things that DeSantis (and other Republicans) are doing that will cost them in the general election. Fighting "woke corporate America" is not one of them.

P.S. I'm not trying to justify DeSantis' strategy; just explain it. Some are acting like DeSantis is an idiot. He's not. Whether his strategy will work, we'll know in less than 12 months.

As I wrote before, he's behind Trump in the polls and has decided the only way he's going to win is by going all-in.

I'm explaining a strategy, not justifying it.

Whether it's sports, business, or politics, you have a much better chance of defeating your opponent if you dispassionately analyze their plan. Figure out what they are trying to do, and then use that against them.

I posted a link to the Washington Post article. That post got deleted so I am not reposting it. Try Googling Most Americans support policies favored by GOP, poll shows.

To be clear those polls asked about 2 separate issues (related topic) but not the specific bill passed in FL. It would be like saying because a poll shows the majority of Americans support universal background checks for guns that the majority support any gun related bill. I don’t think most Americans support what DeSantis is doing vs Disney.

The actual poll is a *lot* more nuanced than the headline suggests. I'm not going to post it here out of respect for the rules, but DeSantis comes out more extreme than most Americans. Happy to discuss over PM.

On more relevant data, Disney, in the Ipsos poll, 73% of Americans and 37% of Republicans are *less likely* to support a political candidate that "Supports or passes laws designed to punish a company for its political, social, or cultural stances."

When asked how they feel which statement comes closes to their view, 64% of Americans said "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is punishing Disney for exercising their right to free speech" while only 36% of respondents agreed with "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is rightfully rolling back special treatment for Disney". That number was 36%-64% among Republicans.

When asked "Do you think Disney was acting within its right when it criticized the Florida law banning the discussion of sexuality and gender in public schools last year?", a majority (55%) said Yes, and only 23% said No (with 22% saying "don't know".). Among Republicans it was 40%-38%-22%.

When asked "How has your opinion of the Florida Governor Ron DeSantis changed, if at all, as a result of the fight over LGBTQ+ issues in Florida?". 23% said "more favorable". 42% said "less favorable", while 36% said no change.

You're reading this wrong. This hurts DeSantis and has the potential to really hurt him if this stays in the news.