And of course to top it all off, the governor's close political allies — the Zieglers before they went down in flames of sexual scandal — were very much driving the book-banning process, lighting the fires as it were.

DeSantis can claim that the book-banning wave wasn't what he intended, but when his own people were instigating the worst of it, his denials don't even begin to ring true.

He's seeking political cover right now, from an electorate he fears is increasingly unamused by what he's created.