Some measures raise questions about the impact on the rights of individuals and local government or challenge the constraints of constitutionality. But the policies have helped to maintain the governors’ popularity with their conservative bases.
In recent weeks, however, both governors may have gone too far.
Abbott took a pair of questionable initiatives designed to show he is doing more to contain the nation’s porous Southern border than the Biden administration. One caused such a counter-reaction he had to withdraw it.
Abbott dispatched state troopers to stop much of the incoming truck traffic from Mexico to inspect it for contraband drugs and illegal immigrants. He also launched a plan to bus migrants north to embarrass opponents of stricter border enforcement.
Neither seems to have achieved the desired results.
The enhanced border inspections created a massive traffic jam. Abbott’s inspectors reportedly found many safety violations but few illegal materials or people, while threatening spoilage of millions of dollars of Mexican agriculture products. Within days, he backed off, citing agreements with four Mexican states that mainly reiterated prior efforts.
In Washington, D.C., the arriving migrants were greeted by social groups and other charitable organizations who welcomed them and planned to facilitate their settlement in the United States. Many migrants said they were happy to be there.
Meanwhile, in Florida, DeSantis signed a new law critics nicknamed “Don’t Say Gay,” which limits classroom discussions of sexual-related issues. The legislature also passed his “Stop WOKE (the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employers) Act” curbing workplace and classroom discussions of diversity issues and stripped the special tax status of one of his critics, the Walt Disney Co.
Last week, he took the unusual step of inserting himself into post-census congressional redistricting, expanding what had been a typical effort by a majority party — in this case, Florida’s Republicans — to take political advantage of the minority.
On Thursday, the legislature approved it, eliminating districts represented by Reps. Val Demings in Central Florida and Al Lawson in northern Florida, redrawing the lines so the areas they represent would be folded into majority white Republican districts.
In a sense, DeSantis seeks to expand on what Abbott and the Texas GOP did in their post-2020 redistricting by reducing the number of Hispanic-majority districts at a time when the state’s population growth is mainly Hispanic.
Florida Democrats made clear they will appeal the redistricting plan, and federal courts will ultimately decide the issue, as they will in Texas.
One aspect of good government is fair representation. Whatever the legal outcome, however, Abbott and DeSantis have once again shown that their No. 1 governing principle is the satisfaction of their conservative political bases.
