It stands to reason that in a competitive Republican presidential primary, candidates are going to look for opportunities to pander to the party’s far-right base. It also stands to reason that a race-to-the-bottom dynamic will become inevitable, as White House hopefuls appeal to conservatives’ worst instincts and try to convince rabid GOP primary voters that they’re more reactionary than their rivals.
But even with these expectations in mind, the anti-LGBTQ video released by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ operation is as ugly as it is indefensible.
The 73-second clip begins by targeting Donald Trump for espousing since-abandoned positions that were more respectful of the LGBTQ community. This, in and of itself, was low: The Florida Republican’s campaign was making an unsubtle appeal to bigots, effectively saying that the former president just wasn’t hateful enough.
But the video keeps going, touting the Republican governor’s anti-LGBTQ record, throwing together a series of headlines and excerpts, including one DeSantis critic saying the Florida governor “produced some of the harshest, most draconian laws that literally threaten trans existence.”
For reasons that weren’t altogether obvious, the video also interspersed a variety of cultural references, which were apparently intended to make DeSantis appear tough. Viewers saw fleeting images of Christian Bale’s character in “American Psycho” — he portrayed a serial killer — at least one topless male model, Brad Pitt in “Troy,” and Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” The message, evidently, is that the public is supposed to see parallels between these ruthless, debauched characters and the Florida governor as he wages an anti-LGBTQ campaign.
As The Bulwark summarized, “The ad’s intended message is that, unlike Trump, DeSantis will not show any humanity to gays and will be significantly more effective at targeting LGBT Americans by advancing the most ‘extreme slate of anti-trans laws in modern history.’”
I won’t pretend to know whether such a message will help the Floridian’s campaign. Republican politics is quickly regressing when it comes to basic human decency toward the LGBTQ community, and it’s certainly possible that some GOP voters will be impressed by DeSantis’ divisive appeal and appreciate the fact that his operation is trying to get ahead by going after a group of Americans that’s already too often targeted.
But the fact the governor is taking his campaign in this direction raises some important questions about what kind of politician he is. As NBC News noted, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — the first openly gay Cabinet member to be confirmed by the Senate — appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” and did a great job summarizing the problem. “I’m going to leave aside the strangeness of trying to prove your manhood by putting up a video that splices images of you in between oiled-up, shirtless bodybuilders,” he added. “And just get to the bigger issue that is on my mind whenever I see this stuff in the policy space, which is, again: Who are you trying to help? Who are you trying to make better off? And what public policy problems do you get up in the morning thinking about how to solve?”
I appreciate this approach because it shifts the focus to core questions that are too often unasked. Yes, we can and should talk about DeSantis’ anti-LGBTQ record. And yes, we can and should condemn appeals to bigotry. My point is not to undermine these important elements of the larger controversy. But Buttigieg’s concerns stand out because they’re foundational. Why did DeSantis take an interest in politics in the first place? Did he pursue power and influence to undermine the interests of Americans he doesn’t like? Is this how the Floridian intends to make a difference in the world?
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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