Live Laugh Lay Waste

Moms for Liberty is upending schools and radicalizing parents and it could decide the midterms.

- KIERA BUTLER

IT is the first full day of the inaugural Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors National Summit, and 500 such warriors are listening raptly as Florida governor Ron DeSantis delivers the keynote address. They fill tables in the grand ballroom of the Tampa Marriott, waving "Mamas for DeSantis" signs, and wearing T-shirts bearing the slogans "We do NOT CO-PARENT with the GOVERNMENT" and "Stop woke indoctrination." They jump to their feet and cheer when DeSantis, who is obviously considering a presidential run in 2024, brags about having stood up to Disney's "leftism" and again when he refers to President Joe Biden as "Brandon blundering around every time you go get gas."

The moms have been primed by a morning program that has been nothing short of a pep rally. First came a deluxe version of the national anthem, replete with an extra verse written by a Christian singer in 1986. A color guard of four teenagers looked on, flags, sabers, and rifles by their sides. A prayer followed, enlisting God in the fight against the scourge of progressivism in schools. When DeSantis finally took the stage, three Moms for Liberty leaders presented him with a bright blue sword, emblazoned with the group's logo. "It is what the gladiators were rewarded with after they had fought a long, hard battle for freedom," said co-founder Tina Descovich. "So this is a representation from all of us moms here in Florida and across the country that appreciate all you've done to stand up for parents' rights." Clutching the sword, DeSantis grinned at the crowd as the press at the back of the ballroom snapped pictures.