By Thomas Kennedy

I think we might have seen one of the worst presidential campaign launches in United States history. Ron DeSantis took to Twitter Spaces to make his announcement and it was terrible. Several minutes of silence were broken by the sound of intense microphone feedback as soon as audio began. I literally turned to my colleague with a smile on my face and said “this is not going to go well.” This was followed by extended periods of silence, interrupted by uncomfortable throat clearing, Elon Musk complaining on what appeared to be a hot mic about why the Space was not working, hosts, including DeSantis himself disappearing, and the Space itself crashing several times.

After about 25 minutes or so, they were finally able to get it working and DeSantis began delivering the driest and most boring prepared remarks possible. He railed against Covid mitigation policies, the woke, the left and the usual insipid and meaningless bullshit that he likes to ramble about. The format was definitely not good for DeSantis. First of all, there was no video, a fatal mistake in my opinion, since none of it can be reshared on social media apps or clipped in traditional media outlets. DeSantis’ voice just sucks, it’s nasally and whiny, just plain annoying to listen to. How his advisors thought that this would play to his strengths is beyond me but that’s what happens when you hire a bunch of hyper online lunatics who can’t log off to advise your presidential campaign.

It looks like the DeSantis campaign is imploding as it begins. This could very well be remembered as a sort of Howard Dean scream moment but for the social media era. This is good news for the United States, because the Florida blueprint would be a disaster for the nation, and the state is going through its own kind of slow moving implosion.

DeSantis recently signed into law Senate Bill 168. The law is a broad package that includes a bunch of unhinged anti-immigrant policies meant to terrorize undocumented people and those in any sort of relationship with them, including family members. It establishes punishment of up to a second-degree felony for transporting any person you “reasonably” should know is an undocumented person into Florida, even if they are family. It would require all hospitals that accept Medicaid and emergency departments to ask questions about citizenship and lawful presence in the United States on their admission or registration forms, creating a climate of intimidation and fear that will discourage patients from seeking care. It also prohibits local funding of community identification programs (such as popularly-supported municipal level identification cards); creates new restrictions for small businesses to hire immigrant workers; and repeals language that allows undocumented people to practice law in Florida. The law will take effect on July 1, 2023.

Florida is already feeling the economic consequences of DeSantis’ extreme anti-immigrant policies. The state is facing work shortages and empty work sites due to increasing fears among immigrant workers in the state. The law has also left employers trying to navigate the incredible amount of “uncertainty” created by the law as economic observers point out that Senate Bill 1718 “could bring Florida’s economy to a halt.” There are 4.5 million immigrants who call Florida home and 2 million Floridians who have at least one immigrant parent.

Florida Organizations like Unidos Immokalee, Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Florida Immigrant Coalition, along with small business owners and workers will join pro-immigrant mobilizations on June 1st, also known as a “Day Without Immigrants.” They will be joined by organizations in other Florida cities and across the country in peaceful protests and marches to make a clear stand against SB 1718. Advocates and organizations are coming together to demand justice for immigrants and highlight the destructive consequences of DeSantis’ agenda for Florida communities, our economy, and what the implications are for the rest of the nation. Kansas just recently passed an even harsher version of the Florida law, which includes third and second degree felonies for having an undocumented person in your home or car, even if they are family. This is what DeSantis and his cronies want to do nationwide, terrorize immigrants and make their lives a living hell. We can’t let that happen.

In addition to the marches and rallies, there is a call to action on June 1st for immigrants and allies to not work and to not buy goods from Florida. The June 1st actions follow a successful mobilization in Homestead that saw over 3,000 people turnout to protest SB 1718. Organizers of the June 1st rallies and boycotts are working to replicate similar turnout across the state and country.

Let’s remember what DeSantis’ “Florida blueprint” actually means:

– A Disintegrating property insurance market

– Skyrocketing housing and rental costs

– Banned books in schools 

– Most toll roads in the nation

– Abortion bans

– Criminalization of immigrants

– Union busting

– Anti-LGBTQ laws

– Massive taxpayer funded corporate giveaways

No thanks.

List of ‘Day Without Immigrants’ Protests Scheduled Across the Country

California

Los Angeles: Placita Olvera

Santa Ana: Memorial Park

Colorado

Denver: State Capitol

Florida

Pierson: Saint Peter’s Catholic Church San Jose Mission

Jacksonville: Drew Park

Vero Beach: Riverside Park

Immokalee: Fiesta Parking Lot

Tampa: Al Lopez Park

Orlando: State Rep. Carolina Amesty’s Office

Illinois

Chicago: Union Park

Minnesota

St. Paul: State Capitol

South Carolina

Charleston: City Hall

Texas

Houston: City Hall

Fort Worth: La Gran Plaza

Thomas Kennedy is an elected Democratic National Committee member from Florida. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram at @tomaskenn and on Substack at Tomaskenn.Substack.com