It was announced earlier this week that the debate showdown between California Gov. Gavin Newsome and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is scheduled for Nov. 30 at 9 p.m. on FOX News, with Sean Hannity serving as moderator. The 90-minute debate is being advertised as a “red state vs. blue state” event and could very well be a ratings bonanza for the conservative host and cable network. Whether it be the gust of wind to DeSantis’ sails that he needs to push him back to the front of the minds of Republican voters is the question.

DeSantis is rapidly slipping in the polls to third place behind former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and controversial businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. Newsome is not a candidate nor opposing the Democratic ticket of President Biden and Vice President Harris for a second term in the White House. So, what Republican voters will see in November will be nothing more than political theater and possibly a final gasp from the DeSantis campaign.

As DeSantis prepares, and continues to woo Republican voters and super PACs to return to his floundering campaign, his authoritarian grip on Florida tightens. In a press statement released last week, DeSantis revealed that he would be suspending “the availability of school choice scholarships to four schools that have direct ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).” Four private schools known as the Spring Education Group under the investment portfolio of Primavera Holdings Limited were informed of the decision by letter on Friday. The press release titled “Florida Takes Action Against Four Florida Schools With Ties To The Chinese Communist Party” on the state’s official government website detailed that after “a thorough investigation, FDOE has determined that Lower and Upper Sagemont Preparatory Schools in Weston, Parke House Academy in Winter Park, and Park Maitland School in Winter Park have direct ties to the CCP and their connections constitute an imminent threat to the health, safety, and welfare of these school’s students and the public.”

The schools vehemently deny the claims. “Our schools are locally run, abide by local, state and federal laws, and do not have ties to any government or political party, either foreign or domestic,” Sagamont Preparatory Schools said in a statement. The question that should be on the minds of Floridians is what did this “thorough” investigation find and how has it impacted the education of the students who have attended the private schools in the past … and present?

The one thing we know about DeSantis is that he loves a good culture war. He thrives on it. Could this just be more of the same political theater that DeSantis is planning to use as empty big talk on the campaign trail?

“We will not put up with any attempt to influence students with a communist ideology or allow Floridians’ tax dollars to go to schools that are connected to our foreign adversaries,” DeSantis concludes.

But where are the reported attempts at influence? Is communist ideology being instructed at these four schools?

When pressed for details about the socalled “thorough” investigation, neither Tallahassee nor FDOE would comment further. Why hasn’t the investigation findings been made public for Floridians? The vouchers and scholarships are Florida taxpayer dollars. Should there not be receipts to back up the actions of DeSantis and the FDOE?

Influence and indoctrination are the key words in DeSantis’ language arsenal in his culture wars. When the FDOE slapped down advanced placement courses in African American studies in Florida high schools this year, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. tweeted that “we do not accept ‘woke’ indoctrination masquerading as education.” Critical race theory became the hot potato topic for Republicans in 2022 and Tallahassee passed legislation signed into law by DeSantis that banned the teaching of it in public schools. But was there ever any evidence that proved public schools were teaching K-12 students CRT? Or was this just political rhetoric meant to scare and rile up the Republican base and extremists?

Then there are the bills that DeSantis signed in May that ban drag shows, gender health care, diversity, inclusion and equity programs, and pronoun usage. If one does just five minutes of critical thinking the consensus would be that these new laws target minority populations. Transgender Americans only make up less than 1% of the country. Florida’s population in 2022 was 22,244,823. If fewer than 1% of Americans are transgender, then how many Floridians are transgender, and how could this be such a crisis that laws are targeting this segment?

Communist indoctrination, African American history indoctrination, CRT indoctrination, drag queens’ indoctrination, touch buttons of fear and political propaganda. Baseless rhetoric used to manipulate those who are already sensitive and primed to radical theories and racist ideology. DeSantis plays on the fears of his dwindling base and hopes that it translates into votes which won him a second term as governor. It is something that opponent Republican frontrunner and four-time indicted Trump has done masterfully. Will this possibly last-ditch effort to revitalize his campaign ignite movement for DeSantis, amid the threat of even more campaign cuts? One thing is for certain, and two things are for sure: DeSantis’ little engine that could is running out of steam.