Big business has become one of the radical left’s most reliable allies in the fight to force the woke agenda on the nation.
But it turns out that alliance isn’t working out so great for big business.
That’s why Disney has fled the field of battle after their huge defeat in this fight over woke ideology.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stood strong against Disney’s woke bullying
Disney’s current troubles all began when then CEO Bob Chapek caved to a pressure campaign from a few radical woke employees and the mainstream media.
They announced the corporate mouse would actively work to try and defeat common sense legislation in Florida that prevented teachers from brainwashing children in grades K-3 into transgenderism by using sexually explicit and inappropriate lesson plans.
Conservatives were sick of red state politicians continually folding anytime corporations threatened economic boycotts in order to try and force the Left’s culture wars on their communities.
But Florida Governor Ron DeSantis refused to back down and signed legislation appointing a new board in the Reedy Creek special taxing district where Disney previously operated as its own government.
In response, the pro-Disney board passed a number of rules in the 11th hour attempting to curtail the powers of the new DeSantis friendly board.
This led to years’ worth of litigation as DeSantis argued the old, pro-Disney board lacked the authority to handcuff the new board since it was backed by the force of an act of the legislature.
DeSantis emerges as the clear winner against Disney
Both sides agreed to settle the lawsuit, but in reality there was only one winner.
The settlement stipulated that DeSantis was right all along and that the new rules passed by the pro-Disney board in the Reedy Creek District were “null and void.”
“The board sued in state court, and Wednesday’s settlement declares that actions taken by the former Reedy Creek special taxing district days before it was taken over by DeSantis appointees would be ‘null and void.’ That included a long-lasting development agreement that would have greatly limited what the new board could do,” the Washington Post reported.
Disney, of course, tried to spin the settlement as a win-win.
“This agreement opens a new chapter of constructive engagement with the new leadership of the district and serves the interests of all parties by enabling significant continued investment and the creation of thousands of direct and indirect jobs and economic opportunity in the State,” a statement from President of Walt Disney World Resort Jeff Vahle read.
But everyone else knew what the real score was.
“This is a political victory for Gov. DeSantis,” political science professor at the University of Central Florida Aubrey Jewett told the Washington Post. “It seems like the white flag of surrender has been raised over Cinderella’s castle.”
DeSantis also knew he scored the win and took the high road pledging to work with Disney in whatever manner would be helpful to boost the state’s tourism industry.
“Moving forward, we stand ready to work with Disney and the District to help promote economic growth, family-friendly tourism, and accountable government in Central Florida,” DeSantis communications director Bryan Griffin stated.
The DeSantis victory should give other red state politicians the backbone to stand up against other such woke corporate actions in the future.
Political Animal News will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.