As the GOP nomination race grows closer and the efforts of the Left to impose wokeness on all aspects of our lives, what should conservatives value more — principles or outcomes? The battle over Disney and Florida raises those questions, as does criticism of Ron DeSantis and also of Donald Trump. “There’s some tension between the limited government ideals” of conservatives, Larry O’Connor observes, “versus actually trying to achieve something using the power of government in the same way the Left does.” Should that be our goal, however — and what do we lose if it is?
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Welcome back to our VIP video series “Off the Beaten Path,” featuring my friend Larry O’Connor! The Townhall columnist and Salem News Channel host starts off our week by discussing stories and ideas that may fly under our radar, in culture, politics, sports, and more. Plus, Larry previews tonight’s SNC show!
This discussion got prompted by the lively, principled debate between our VIP members in yesterday’s thread about DeSantis’ presser. Larry doesn’t think DeSantis crossed any principled line in his war with Disney, although he’s sympathetic to that argument. “Is it using the power of government to punish Disney, or is it using the power of government to say, you know what, Disney? You’ve been given a lot of gifts by the taxpayers and voters of Florida over the decades you’ve been here,” Larry argued. “You are allowed to do things that no other company has ever been allowed to do in this state, or, I think, any state. The people of Florida voted for me, voted for the state legislature, they support these policies, and now you’re trying to intervene while you’re still granted all of these.”
Fair enough, I countered, but the intial issue wasn’t the corporatist deal Disney got in the 1960s. “The [original] basis of this wasn’t the idea that the Reedy Creek tax district was a bad idea suddenly, right? I mean, the basis of this was we’re going to punish Disney for mischaracterizing this law and for interceding, interjecting itself in this political debate,” I reply. “So I have sympathy for the people who are saying that DeSantis and the legislature may have stepped over the line.”
We have a lot more to discuss in today’s episode, too! We ask the eternal question for conservatives: What would Reagan do? In fact, we recall a few things Reagan actually did back in the day. We also laugh at the outrage of government-funded media outlets over being called government-funded media outlets, what’s coming up in the GOP primary, and more about Larry’s show tonight.
Be sure to watch it all and join us in the comments!
