there are many things i've heard ron desantis say and things i've seen him do that had me heading down the road thinking he might be an actual good president, until i encountered this essay;

Ron DeSantis comes sputtering into the Republican primary claiming that he can make America as inhospitable to minorities as Florida. His commitment to Israel is unwavering, and he’s framed it as the touchstone of his foreign policy agenda. He’s visited the country multiple times as a congress member and now as a Governor. He was there last month, delivering a keynote address at the Museum of Tolerance, which was erected atop a Muslim cemetery. “Israel stands tall as a beacon of freedom in a troubled region, an engine of economic growth and opportunity and center of innovation and technology, that is the envy of the world.”

“Israel is also one of America’s most valued and trusted allies,” he told the crowd. “Maintaining a strong Israel relationship has been a priority for me during my time in elected office, and I know it’s been a priority for the overwhelming majority of the American people.”

In 2019 DeSantis signed an antisemitism bill that would censor some criticisms of Israel throughout the state. He celebrated the legislation during a ceremonial cabinet meeting in Israel that ended with Florida lawmakers issuing a declaration of support for Israel. The delegation included the late pro-Israel megadonor Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam. You can imagine the reaction if such a thing happened in any other country on earth, but because of the “special relationship” this moment was barely covered by national media. A group of organizations actually filed a lawsuit against Florida’s government, claiming the meeting violated Florida’s transparency laws by taking place in a foreign country, but that didn’t get a whole lot of press either........more.......