I see a lot of people saying DeSantis is criminally stupid and I have to disagree, he has an undergrad degree from Yale and a JD from Harvard and was also a member of the Judge Advocate General's Corps in the military.
Stupid people don't accomplish these kinds of achievements, what I see is that he's all in on a strategy aligned with the values and beliefs of Trump's base that is purely for his own political gain and I suspect that includes a 2024 presidential run if Trump doesn't give it another shot. Unfortunately for the citizens of the state, his laws aimed at torpedoing COVID mitigation measures for the sake of "freedom" couldn't have come at a worse possible time.
You see the same thing in Texas, Abbott is all in on the COVID denialism and cases are exploding there too.
I myself have also said that DeSantis has zero qualms about playing directly to the Trump/Republican base. I could get into an argument about academic smarts do not necessarily translate into general smarts but it would be redundant because I agree in that actors such as DeSantis, or Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz are undoubtedly intelligent but completely lack a moral compass.
People were dying unnecessarily through 2020 (in the US and other countries) but since the vaccination arrived and was distributed, any remaining excuse for a belligerent red state take on the matter evaporated.
I was actually furious today to see the likes of Asa Hutchison, Arkansas governor portrayed as some kind of good actor because he now regrets the ban on mask mandates his state passed. But Hutchinson encouraged it and signed it into law. Now they have run out of ICU beds (as has Mississippi etc.)
As for DeSantis- someone should have the moxie to throw negligent homicide in his face- you're going to stand there and ban mask mandates in schools, then you should face the consequences. DeSantis disingenuously talking about 'freedom' whilst imposing bans on school districts.
Meanwhile as noted above the US this week is now back running at 500 to 600 deaths a day with over 100,000 getting infected daily largely with Delta.
It has become a complete (and fatal) disgrace.