Before everyone starts bickering/bantering about Trump vs. DeSantis, ask yourself honestly what the c19 scam would've looked like had DeSantis not been decisive about FREEDOM very early on in the Summer of 20'.
It wasn't the perfect "Placebo state," but it's about as close as we can get. I live next door in Alabama. Florida had fewer cases, deaths and hospitalizations on a per capita basis than Alabama did ... and Florida has the oldest population in the country. Alabama did lockdown harder and much longer than Florida.
People in my town - 2 hours and 15 minutes from the Panhandle beaches of Florida - were flocking to Florida to get some normalcy. DeSantis was a rock star in Alabama ... So it's bizarre that he has suddenly become this political villain.
I’ll add one thing about Reagan. I met him as a 10 year old in 1976 at a Florida fundraiser. He spent 15-20 minutes just talking to me with my parents standing by. He was personable, pleasant and could carry on a conversation.
As far as Ron goes, he comes from NE Florida, our district, and he is smart and funny. And likable as a person. He just needs to let people see it and not listen to the press.
To be clear, either Trump or Ron D are preferable to Biden. Very much so. Easily.
Here are some of my "Florida observations" after a long weekend in Destin.
In four days, I saw ONE person wearing a mask. I think if we had gone to some beach community in California we would have seen a lot more .... As I write, "It's just the little differences."
Regarding American propaganda, it's all made possible by mass censorship. Which is why Missouri v. Biden might be the most important legal case in U.S. history ...
Even more importantly Ryan...imagine IF DeSantis had lost that razor thin win in 2018 to the felon out of Tallahassee. Where would Florida have gone and America in general on this ONE state alone not holding the line in the great plandemic of 2020. Imagine!
And YET Trump say's DeSantis has done a terrible job in Florida. How those who voted for Trump allow him to get away with saying something so overtly wrong is amazing, and I voted for T twice loving his policies
Missing the point of - without DJT endorsement of RD, none of this would have happened as RD would have been an also ran. It was a 27 point bump with DJT ENDORSMENT!
Your missing the point of- Getting DJT out of office was the whole point of the release of Covid onto the world. He hurt China, they didn’t want 4 more years of DJT. C19 is man made, gain of function virus. Released at just the right time to create an “emergency” to change election laws, put in drop boxes, standardize mail in ballots and count for days until you win. Biden installed as POTUS, beholden to China.
I guess you don’t remember that each state could determine its own response. That’s why RD had the freedom to do what he did. DJT didn’t force Newsome to do what he did either.
Ron is re-writing what he did and said. And you all are pushing the propaganda. He was wearing a mask long after Trump. He closed beaches. He praised Fauci. He praised vaccines.
Simply no. DeSantis was slaying in Congress before he left to go run for Governor. You are rewriting history, my friend. (Also, Trump in fact ENDORSED him!!)
You must not have read my post very well as that is the single solitary point I made. And you start off with simply no, but then you repeat my point as if it’s an original thought. Get your chat bot working right or do some actual reading before you chime in with a nonsensical response. RD doesn’t have the “It” factor he needs to win against DJT. His WIFE is the more charismatic of the two. His speeches are lackluster, so that has to improve and in a hurry. They botched his debut online, which you can never get back. We will see if his endurance is as good as an old man, and if his fighting ability can match up soon.
Election process matters as much or more than candidates.
Stalin in 1923:
"I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this—who will count the votes, and how.
Boris Bazhanov The Memoirs of Stalin's Former Secretary (1992)
DeSantis has done a great job in FL. I think his policies are great. I would vote for him if he is the nominee. I worry that he won't be able to stand up to the establishment Republicans if he accepts their help. They will try to mold him into the "go along to get along" type of Republican that people don't want anymore.
Think your insight on this is more right than wrong. Its pretty amazing how RD is taking so much unjustified heat after what he has done as a true servant just cutting thru all the BS as other RED state Gov's come no where close to having the balls RD has. Rather telling for sure!
Wow nothing is banning gay people so you need to stop saying it is. The so called don't say gay bill said teachers or faculty couldn't talk to third graders about any kind of sex. No books are banned in Florida. Pornographic books are banned in schools. Why in the world should elementary schools be teaching anything about sex.?
I would just stop using that phrase right now. It doesn't exist in the law and never did. It's a lib talking point, period. Just say Parental Rights in Education.
I found the charge that DeSantis is a "book banner" funny in a hypocritical way. I just returned from Seaside, Florida and visited one of our region's most famous book stores. I noted the store did not have ONE "contrarian" Covid book in stock, including The Real Anthony Fauci by a Kennedy who had just announced he was running for president.
I don't think Gov. DeSantis caused this book store owner to not stock (ban) this book. The book store owners do this on their own because they know such books go against "The Current Thing." I also wonder who made the decision at all the newspapers that this book could NOT be reviewed?
In other words, who are the real book banners in our society?
The first mistake is thinking DeSantis spends more than .001% of his time fighting Disney, or that Disney does not enjoy a very favorable/uncompetitive advantage over other competitors in Florida in the first place. The second mistake is thinking DeSantis is only the Governor of Florida, because he absolutely kicked ass when he was in Congress, too. Thirdly, this article failed to mention Reagan would NEVER watch Republicans bashing each other when the real opponent is the Democrats that are fine with $6 trillion in annual spending with $4 trillion in annual tax revenues. We need to stand above the noise and pick the conservative most likely to win in November 2024 - or else it's all coming to an end sooner than anyone can imagine.
"It is alone among major states in lacking any first-rate colleges or universities"
What??
Alex, Florida's colleges and universities are rated NUMBER 1 pretty much every year by US News, the ranking that most people care about. And thanks to DeSantis and a supportive Legislature, they will be a lot less woke than institutions in other states, which will only serve to attract more students here than ever.
That "state's most important company" had a sweetheart deal as regards their property that they no longer deserve. Gov. DeSantis leveled the playing field for all the other large employers. We can debate whether DeSantis would have taken that step had Disney not sided with the child groomers but we'll never know and it doesn't matter. Where is Disney World gonna go?
I don't think that any company should get special deals, including Disney. My family's small business doesn't get any special consideration, and neither do most others. Unfortunately, this also kind of felt like government punishing a company for something it disagreed with, and I absolutely disagree with that, too. I think DeSantis could and should address that. At the same time, I detest what Disney has become, and I confess it felt good to see them smacked down, but ultimately, we must stick to our principles.
I'm sorry, you're what you're advocating would essentially destroy all rule of law. How do you feel about Biden using executive power to destroy companies he disagrees with?
Beyond that, it is captured to an extent. The Law has become an instrument for illegality itself. Not to mention all the egregious double standards.
So I guess the question is; can you have a judiciary that is only partially "captured"?
One ruling/precedent leads to another. It seems as if many laws are established (their rulings) precisely to paper over the preceding nonsensical law. To either narrow rights, or expand state power, to confuse/conflate rulings orthogonal to other areas of the law.
I think Tacitus said:
"The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the state." (Or vice-versa)
And what to make of SCOTUS sitting on their hands for two years while virtually every amendment was neutered during c19?
Lastly, there's no doubt the legal system has been compromised by the influence of the Intel Agencies.
You're not wrong, sadly. We're really descending into a banana republic, though, and those of us who try to maintain a moral code cannot become what we hate. Perhaps just wishful thinking on my part!
I know, it's not pretty. But I feel the same way about Biden using EOs the way I felt about Trump using EOs. Neither one could get what he wanted through the legislative process.
Alex Berenson is an American treasure-and that's why I subscribe to his Substack and read all of his John Wells novels. What he isn't, however, is an astute political analyst. In his panegyric supporting Governor DeSantis-a political leader with some very strong credentials-he misses the forrest from the trees. The biggest issue in my view is that this country is in danger of being suborned by a congerie of anti-democratic, free speech hating, deconstructors of all the values that have made this country great. In pursuing this essentially fascist agenda, they illegally conspired to spy on the democratically elected President, colluded with a like-minded corporate media to suppress damaging information of the incumbent's opponent, and have developed a sophisticated disinformation complex to suppress views that threaten this growing interlocking leviathan of antidemocratic institutions. The reactions to Covid are the tip of a much larger sinister iceberg. The political threat we face as a country goes way beyond the microcosm reflected by the actions of a single governor of one state. The country needs a charismatic leader who can galvanize a cross section of Americans. There is a nasty battle ahead. Everyone should understand that political leadership in this moment needs to be courageously sui generis. I'm not convinced Ron Desantis is that leader; and whether that leader exists.
You have to pick a dance partner, and there is no better alternative than DeSantis at the ball, Richard. Do you really think Biden or Harris or DJT or RFK Jr. or any other the other Republican candidates offer 1) better vision and capability and 2) a real shot at victory in 2024?
Richard. Very well thought out and agree we are lacking a Reagan type charisma for sure. The sad part is, there are a few out there that would foot the bill IMO (Mitch Daniels comes to mind), but these folks will not run. It's a shit show to run for President now, especially if you are a Republican or even an independent. I feel 2024 is going to make 2020 look like a walk in the park.
This all sounds wonderful and how I wish it were true. Ron won't be that if he gets in office, not with being backed by the Bush dynasty and other RINO elitists. He is already being controlled by them with this flip flopping on Ukraine. Sorry, just not wanting to gamble when I know what we had with Trump--America WAS great again. We all felt that in our pocketbooks and in the safety we had in our country. DeSantis is too weak, plain and simple. Trump is a proven fighter each and every day.
You are entitled to your opinion, but I am sick and tired of idiot Trump whining and bitching and blaming others. I voted for him twice and will vote again if he wins the nomination, but the entire lockdown and Fauci-mania started with idiot Trump. Let's be honest. I can't wait for Ron to put Trump in a rearview mirror.
Wolfpak, I have been a Trump fan for a very long time. I've reamed Alex out about his TDS countless times. I love what he did for the country. Unfortunately, he cannot control his emotions and is too easily triggered. He is reactive and explosive and hasn't served him well. Latest example: He couldn't help himself on the CNN town hall, and now he's in even MORE legal hot water with that crazy lady who claimed he "raped" her some time ago that she can't even remember.
Trump trips over himself too often. And his campaign cranked up the anti-DeSantis attack ads way too early. The "Ron DeSalesTax" ad has been on loop day and night for months here in Florida. It's absurd, and it's filled with lies. DeSantis has CUT TAXES for Floridians, not raised them. Trump is wasting his money here in Florida; we aren't going to vote for him.
If your vote is that easily swayed than it tells me your not very concerned about the real issues. Enjoy more of your uniparty swamp BS with DeSantis. I’ll vote for RFK Jr. before I’ll ever vote for another swamp member, DeSantis included.
Why is anyone voting for anyone, when fair and free elections have been eliminated. It’s like people just forgot the last election, and are pretending that legitimate elections actually exist.
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
Easily swayed? No. I've been torn about this for a very long time. Trump just keeps digging himself into an ever-deeper hole. I finally made my decision after RDS finally made it official. I'd be bummed to lose my governor, but the USA needs him more than Florida does. Byron Donalds would fill those big shoes well in Tallahassee.
the way ron desantis becomes president is to end his campaign immediately, become a huge booster for trump, and finally moving on to crush newsome in 2028
ha thanks, "Darek" if that is your real name and not just a typeo.
it's actually pretty benign compared to what i usually post.
i normally implore ron to grow about 4 inches taller and/or start working out because being short-ish & dumpy doesn't get it done in the age of social media.
it's really the only reason he wouldn't be a lock to defeat gavin newsome when it really comes to it.
Thank you Alex, great column. I live in Florida and we love DeSantis and I support 100% his fight against “wokeism”. I believe that presently one of the greatest dangers for my grandchildren is this out of control transgender movement which has taken over the country. DeSantis has made it illegal to perform any sex change surgeries on children. He moved on this fast, and yes, they were grooming our children. Teacher’s job is to teach Math, Reading, History etc It is not their job to teach little ones ANYTHING sexual. A law had to be passed to keep this from happening. Unbelievable that it has come to this. We have lived in Florida since my husband and I were children. We visited Disney World since it opened, with our children and then our grandchildren for many, many years. Last time we were there was 2019. We were noticing the changes. We haven’t been there since. We do support DeSantis fight with Disney. Now we go to Universal Studios.
I get a kick out of folks who think DeSantis is a puppet for the establishment or a bitch-boy for Trump.
He was a lowely congressman, who was governor for only one year before he stood up against POTUS, the media, a terrified/cowardly public and the establishment on Covid.
Pressure breaks pipes. He didn't crack...Trump did.
He's got some pretty big cojones for being a so called lightweight.
He keeps being compared to Jeb Bush or criticized because the Bushes have supposedly endorsed him. Well, Jeb Bush (or W. Bush) would have never made the decisions DeSantis made.
How is he losing? My wife and me as well as many people in our neighborhood canceled or declined to renew our annual passes to Disney world....that includes many folks who aren't Republicans.
Our family went to Disney World last spring break. One of my favorite rides was Splash Mountain, which is now closed because four or five people said they were offended by the Uncle Remus characters frolicking besides the river.
i think you are confusing the heroic triumphs of ron desantis with the heroic triumphs of you & your wife. easy to do.
what ron desantis did was rename the Reedy Creek District to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. not going to lie, that is a good change, the old name is kind of stupid.
however he did this to help gain some partial control over the district itself, but they completely outmaneuvered him.
to be clear, we also cancelled disney+ plus because we love our children and would never bring them to disney world to keep disney employees from trying to "love" our children.
i honestly do think it's heroic to keep all these groomers away from our children and villainous not too, and there is no in-between.
In the end, unfortunately, Trump failed when it mattered - in crisis. He sat by while the biggest violations of constitutional rights and freedoms took place on a massive scale. He let the cities burn, riots to continue - including just outside the White House. Many of the people he hand-picked for key roles turned on him. He did accomplish many important things during his administration (both foreign and domestic) even while being hamstrung by the Russian collusion thing - so credit where credit is due. But he failed utterly when it mattered most. DeSantis, on the other hand, performed best when under the most pressure.
Really? Trump mandated nothing. He is also 78 in the high risk category. It’s great to be an armchair quarterback but every health authority screamed that the world was ending. That everyone his age would die! Did Trump wear a mask? NO! Did he lock himself in his basement? NO! Was he crucified for it? YES! Did he try and find solutions? YES! Would Ron have even been allowed to do something else if not for Trump? NO! Trump tried everything from looking at medications like ivermectin to sunlight to vaccines etc. If he had simply locked the world down and masked and forced the vaccine you may have a point. Instead Trump looked at every option DESPITE the media, the government, the elites, the CDC, the FDA, everyone challenging everything! DeSantis took some heat but only because Trump stood firm.
Trump was the president when the country was placed under house arrest for months (stretching to years) and the cities burned. Sorry, but the buck stops with the president.
There is no “high risk category”. The entire “pandemic” didn’t exist. CONvid was a means to get Warp Speed (bioweapon) into every, single person’s arm! I knew this was crap in 2020, and I lost my job of 23 years because I refused the test/jab. It was the biggest transfer of wealth in history.
Dropping this here while it's still early in the thread....
Anyone who truly believes that DeSantis will be beholden to "elite" donors, tell me this: Do those elite donors support all these ultra-conservative things that DeSantis signed into law?
* Parental Rights in Education (i.e., the No, You Can't Sexualize Our Kids at School law)
* Transgender bathroom law
* 6-week abortion ban
* Banned vaccine mandates
* Banned mask mandates
* Banned drag shows in front of minors
* Banned CRT
* Banned ESG investment policies at the state level, and prohibited ESG bond sales
* Shipped a planeload of illegal aliens to a self-avowed "sanctuary" destination to prove its hypocrisy
And those are just the highlights! There is so much more...
DeSantis wasn't beholden to his gubernatorial donors, nor his Congressional donors. Why would he behave any differently as president?
If you accuse RDS of being a "RINO" or an "elitist" but you don't live in Florida and/or haven't been keeping up with the governor's activities, you might consider sitting this one out.
Given that RDS' largest donors own massive businesses in Florida, I think that's your answer. They wouldn't have done nearly as well with Crist in Tallahassee.
The bottom line is Trump is a billionaire - so he isn’t beholden to elite donors. But DeSantis is - because otherwise he wouldn’t even have a campaign. In fact, the only reason he’s in office is because Trump supported him at the 11th hour.
Because he's good at it - he's the quintessential promoter. My point is that he doesn't have to do it. Another sign he is worthy - he does a lot of things which, strictly speaking aren't necessary - like donating his Presidential salary to charity.
I'm sure it is because Trump screwed up the COVID response. LOL At least that is what everyone on here claims is the reason they cannot vote for him. That, or they are all paid trolls. One can never tell these days!
Alex, you just can't help yourself. You just can't let go of deeply ingrained Northeast regional leftist thinking and a tendency to make statements rooted in ignorance or regional arrogance ("lacking in first rate colleges and universities"). And most of the country doesn't see a problem with anti-grooming laws, regardless of what New Yorkers think is "naive". It's also funny that the article you linked proudly proclaims "PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida" at the top of the page.
I'll vote for either Desantis or Trump. But I don't think that either one of them should be taking campaign advice from someone who just can't let go of his inner liberal - even when he knows deep down that his inner liberal is a liar. It's kind of like people who still advocate for masks and vaccines, regardless of what the data shows.
Exactly. Not in a million years would I ever send my kid to an indoctrination factory like Columbia University--not even with a free ride. And then there's Hunter College...which only hires the best people!
Art professor arrested after threatening reporter with machete
I for one can’t forgive Trump for the whole vaccine debacle, he and he alone pushed operation warp speed. No candidate is going to be perfect but I like Desantis’s record and accomplishments.
Yeah, it must have been hard to have the choice to not take the jab, huh? Trump never mandated it. Yes, he believed the experts and so-called health professionals who all lied to us. But a majority of Americans did as well. How many times did you go and get jabbed with a vaccine because your MD told you it was due? Let me guess, you trusted his expert opinion and didn't question it. Yet people like you need to blame Trump for something that was your choice. Take some personal responsibility.
Trump should have fired both Fauci and Birx instead of elevating them. He had Scott Atlas there, but gave him no real authority to impact policy. Pence is also complicit because he was over the COVID task force and let Fauci and Birx do as they please despite having Dr. Atlas contradicting much of what they were pushing. Trump and Pence both failed the country on a pivotal issue. DeSantis held ground under great pressure while Trump failed to fire Fauci for fear of the media fallout prior to the 2020 election.
Yes and had he fired him, they threatened to impeach him over it. He couldn't win. He had Atlas there and tried to elevate him and yet he was met with much resistance. Again, I find it sad that there are people who focus on this issue and yet they know he had his hands tied. But that is exactly what the left and rinos want, is for you to focus on this and forget about secure borders, no wars, how great the economy was, highest unemployment numbers, peace in the Middle East, school choice....I could go on. It makes me sad to see how people are so easily swayed by COVID, knowing how he had everyone working against him. All done intentionally to get him out of office. Did you have issue with how hard he tried to get the hospitals PPE supplies, the ships sent that were never used, the ventilators that he had sent because hospitals were demanding it? Funny how everyone forgets all the good he tried to do as well. I just find it so shallow to concentrate on this issue because you need someone to blame. No one knew what we were dealing with, yet so many are playing armchair quarterback. Congrats, their plan is working on you!
Your right he didn’t “mandate” it but he still pushed this like it was some big accomplishment and still does to this day! I’m not blaming him for me deciding to take one shot, geez relax
No need to relax since I am not upset. (Why are you so defensive might be a better question to ask yourself.) I don't agree with him supporting the jab either. I too wish he would distance himself. But I don't focus on one issue either.
Before everyone starts bickering/bantering about Trump vs. DeSantis, ask yourself honestly what the c19 scam would've looked like had DeSantis not been decisive about FREEDOM very early on in the Summer of 20'.
It wasn't the perfect "Placebo state," but it's about as close as we can get. I live next door in Alabama. Florida had fewer cases, deaths and hospitalizations on a per capita basis than Alabama did ... and Florida has the oldest population in the country. Alabama did lockdown harder and much longer than Florida.
People in my town - 2 hours and 15 minutes from the Panhandle beaches of Florida - were flocking to Florida to get some normalcy. DeSantis was a rock star in Alabama ... So it's bizarre that he has suddenly become this political villain.
Yup. And it's not just covid. You can smell the freedom in the air in Florida.
What I like in particular is virtually everyone has disdain for the sprawling bureaucratic state.
It is the only place where people get that love of country is different than love of government across all stripes.
I’ll add one thing about Reagan. I met him as a 10 year old in 1976 at a Florida fundraiser. He spent 15-20 minutes just talking to me with my parents standing by. He was personable, pleasant and could carry on a conversation.
As far as Ron goes, he comes from NE Florida, our district, and he is smart and funny. And likable as a person. He just needs to let people see it and not listen to the press.
To be clear, either Trump or Ron D are preferable to Biden. Very much so. Easily.
Here are some of my "Florida observations" after a long weekend in Destin.
In four days, I saw ONE person wearing a mask. I think if we had gone to some beach community in California we would have seen a lot more .... As I write, "It's just the little differences."
https://billricejr.substack.com/p/book-lovers-dont-mind-banning-books?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
Regarding American propaganda, it's all made possible by mass censorship. Which is why Missouri v. Biden might be the most important legal case in U.S. history ...
https://billricejr.substack.com/p/missouri-v-biden-might-be-most-important
Even more importantly Ryan...imagine IF DeSantis had lost that razor thin win in 2018 to the felon out of Tallahassee. Where would Florida have gone and America in general on this ONE state alone not holding the line in the great plandemic of 2020. Imagine!
Exactly!
This is what I said yesterday:
DeSantis turned a deep purple state ( which he only won the governor race by 0.02% in 19') into a red state with a 20% margin of victory in 22'.
That is the equivalent of Ronald Reagan winning 49 states in 84'
He's doing something right.
And he's 44 vs. 76 years old!
And YET Trump say's DeSantis has done a terrible job in Florida. How those who voted for Trump allow him to get away with saying something so overtly wrong is amazing, and I voted for T twice loving his policies
Same
Missing the point of - without DJT endorsement of RD, none of this would have happened as RD would have been an also ran. It was a 27 point bump with DJT ENDORSMENT!
We can play that game all day.
Let's try this hypothetical:
What would this country look like right now if DeSantis had been president in 20' during covid?
I wonder if 2nd class citizens would've been accepted and treated as vermin?
I wonder if the world would've succumb to Chinese propaganda and lockdown.
I wonder if cowardly Republican voters would've laid down in fear and accepted election laws to be changed.
I wonder if you'd still have to wear a mask?
I wonder if DeSantis would've been reelected in 20'?
The fact is, nobody could've done what Trump did in 2016. I will forever be grateful for that.
But he worked in the oval office and decided to let FEAR rule the day.
I can not forgive him for that.
Your missing the point of- Getting DJT out of office was the whole point of the release of Covid onto the world. He hurt China, they didn’t want 4 more years of DJT. C19 is man made, gain of function virus. Released at just the right time to create an “emergency” to change election laws, put in drop boxes, standardize mail in ballots and count for days until you win. Biden installed as POTUS, beholden to China.
Well yes. But don't you think his undoing was allowing the "15 days to slow the spread" bullshit to be re-uped for another 30 days?
That was the point of no return.
He made that decision, right? It was his alone.
I guess you don’t remember that each state could determine its own response. That’s why RD had the freedom to do what he did. DJT didn’t force Newsome to do what he did either.
I have a real problem with his leadership during covid. He panicked and then refused to course correct.
He allowed his choice of not making a choice in regards to freedom, to be hijacked by haters of freedom.
He allowed cowardness to become an indulgence. Just the opposite of what a leader does in a crisis.
Indecision of a leader creates indifference of followers.
Ron is re-writing what he did and said. And you all are pushing the propaganda. He was wearing a mask long after Trump. He closed beaches. He praised Fauci. He praised vaccines.
Stop.
Simply no. DeSantis was slaying in Congress before he left to go run for Governor. You are rewriting history, my friend. (Also, Trump in fact ENDORSED him!!)
You must not have read my post very well as that is the single solitary point I made. And you start off with simply no, but then you repeat my point as if it’s an original thought. Get your chat bot working right or do some actual reading before you chime in with a nonsensical response. RD doesn’t have the “It” factor he needs to win against DJT. His WIFE is the more charismatic of the two. His speeches are lackluster, so that has to improve and in a hurry. They botched his debut online, which you can never get back. We will see if his endurance is as good as an old man, and if his fighting ability can match up soon.
Trump traded freedom for safety. Is that okay?
The founders would've bitch slapped him.
He gave away my freedom. Your freedom.
Do you realize how dangerous that is?
A leader is tested in the crucible. He failed.
Yep. Ron wasn't well known outside of the district he represented in FL. Trump's endorsement made a difference.
Election process matters as much or more than candidates.
Stalin in 1923:
"I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this—who will count the votes, and how.
Boris Bazhanov The Memoirs of Stalin's Former Secretary (1992)
A point that has to be considered for sure since IF true, none of this discussion matters with the choice already made in 24 and beyond...
FL dodged a bullet in 2018.
So few remember just what that would have meant had he lost. Then and post 2020 plandemic
DeSantis has done a great job in FL. I think his policies are great. I would vote for him if he is the nominee. I worry that he won't be able to stand up to the establishment Republicans if he accepts their help. They will try to mold him into the "go along to get along" type of Republican that people don't want anymore.
Think your insight on this is more right than wrong. Its pretty amazing how RD is taking so much unjustified heat after what he has done as a true servant just cutting thru all the BS as other RED state Gov's come no where close to having the balls RD has. Rather telling for sure!
Haven't you heard? He's worse than Hitler. He's worse than Trump. He's Mussolini!!!
All kidding aside, I think voters are afraid Ron DeSantis, the great governor, will be pressured to change.
He just followed what Sweden was doing... as did a lot of Governors who still believed in Freedom.
Wow nothing is banning gay people so you need to stop saying it is. The so called don't say gay bill said teachers or faculty couldn't talk to third graders about any kind of sex. No books are banned in Florida. Pornographic books are banned in schools. Why in the world should elementary schools be teaching anything about sex.?
I would just stop using that phrase right now. It doesn't exist in the law and never did. It's a lib talking point, period. Just say Parental Rights in Education.
And the reason we have the cultural rot we have is that we didn't engage in the culture wars early on.
I found the charge that DeSantis is a "book banner" funny in a hypocritical way. I just returned from Seaside, Florida and visited one of our region's most famous book stores. I noted the store did not have ONE "contrarian" Covid book in stock, including The Real Anthony Fauci by a Kennedy who had just announced he was running for president.
I don't think Gov. DeSantis caused this book store owner to not stock (ban) this book. The book store owners do this on their own because they know such books go against "The Current Thing." I also wonder who made the decision at all the newspapers that this book could NOT be reviewed?
In other words, who are the real book banners in our society?
https://billricejr.substack.com/p/book-lovers-dont-mind-banning-books?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
BTW, I didn't check, but I guarantee you book stores like this don't stock Alex's Covid books.
Bullseye
I still disagree with RFK Jr. on about 90% of things but on COVID, Fauci and the Fauci Ouchie, he was 100% right.
The first mistake is thinking DeSantis spends more than .001% of his time fighting Disney, or that Disney does not enjoy a very favorable/uncompetitive advantage over other competitors in Florida in the first place. The second mistake is thinking DeSantis is only the Governor of Florida, because he absolutely kicked ass when he was in Congress, too. Thirdly, this article failed to mention Reagan would NEVER watch Republicans bashing each other when the real opponent is the Democrats that are fine with $6 trillion in annual spending with $4 trillion in annual tax revenues. We need to stand above the noise and pick the conservative most likely to win in November 2024 - or else it's all coming to an end sooner than anyone can imagine.
"It is alone among major states in lacking any first-rate colleges or universities"
What??
Alex, Florida's colleges and universities are rated NUMBER 1 pretty much every year by US News, the ranking that most people care about. And thanks to DeSantis and a supportive Legislature, they will be a lot less woke than institutions in other states, which will only serve to attract more students here than ever.
I think you should take that back.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education
Alex is out of his element with regard to Florida universities and colleges. Look at UF Medicine for example.
Ditto with his comments re book banning.
And if i may add, those students, comprised of all races, will more likely be merit based.
That "state's most important company" had a sweetheart deal as regards their property that they no longer deserve. Gov. DeSantis leveled the playing field for all the other large employers. We can debate whether DeSantis would have taken that step had Disney not sided with the child groomers but we'll never know and it doesn't matter. Where is Disney World gonna go?
I don't think that any company should get special deals, including Disney. My family's small business doesn't get any special consideration, and neither do most others. Unfortunately, this also kind of felt like government punishing a company for something it disagreed with, and I absolutely disagree with that, too. I think DeSantis could and should address that. At the same time, I detest what Disney has become, and I confess it felt good to see them smacked down, but ultimately, we must stick to our principles.
Sadly, we no longer live in a Queensberry rules world. As Rush used to say (essentially), we need to destroy the enemy.
I'm sorry, you're what you're advocating would essentially destroy all rule of law. How do you feel about Biden using executive power to destroy companies he disagrees with?
What "rule of law"?
You mean now vs. what our Founders intended?
Beyond that, it is captured to an extent. The Law has become an instrument for illegality itself. Not to mention all the egregious double standards.
So I guess the question is; can you have a judiciary that is only partially "captured"?
One ruling/precedent leads to another. It seems as if many laws are established (their rulings) precisely to paper over the preceding nonsensical law. To either narrow rights, or expand state power, to confuse/conflate rulings orthogonal to other areas of the law.
I think Tacitus said:
"The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the state." (Or vice-versa)
And what to make of SCOTUS sitting on their hands for two years while virtually every amendment was neutered during c19?
Lastly, there's no doubt the legal system has been compromised by the influence of the Intel Agencies.
You're not wrong, sadly. We're really descending into a banana republic, though, and those of us who try to maintain a moral code cannot become what we hate. Perhaps just wishful thinking on my part!
Yeah. I agree. Usually I always say "hit on 16", but that's when I know the "house" odds by virtue of the deck odds.
But when the "house" changes the designation of the cards....well....all bets off.
There are no good answers.
I know, it's not pretty. But I feel the same way about Biden using EOs the way I felt about Trump using EOs. Neither one could get what he wanted through the legislative process.
Alex Berenson is an American treasure-and that's why I subscribe to his Substack and read all of his John Wells novels. What he isn't, however, is an astute political analyst. In his panegyric supporting Governor DeSantis-a political leader with some very strong credentials-he misses the forrest from the trees. The biggest issue in my view is that this country is in danger of being suborned by a congerie of anti-democratic, free speech hating, deconstructors of all the values that have made this country great. In pursuing this essentially fascist agenda, they illegally conspired to spy on the democratically elected President, colluded with a like-minded corporate media to suppress damaging information of the incumbent's opponent, and have developed a sophisticated disinformation complex to suppress views that threaten this growing interlocking leviathan of antidemocratic institutions. The reactions to Covid are the tip of a much larger sinister iceberg. The political threat we face as a country goes way beyond the microcosm reflected by the actions of a single governor of one state. The country needs a charismatic leader who can galvanize a cross section of Americans. There is a nasty battle ahead. Everyone should understand that political leadership in this moment needs to be courageously sui generis. I'm not convinced Ron Desantis is that leader; and whether that leader exists.
You have to pick a dance partner, and there is no better alternative than DeSantis at the ball, Richard. Do you really think Biden or Harris or DJT or RFK Jr. or any other the other Republican candidates offer 1) better vision and capability and 2) a real shot at victory in 2024?
Richard. Very well thought out and agree we are lacking a Reagan type charisma for sure. The sad part is, there are a few out there that would foot the bill IMO (Mitch Daniels comes to mind), but these folks will not run. It's a shit show to run for President now, especially if you are a Republican or even an independent. I feel 2024 is going to make 2020 look like a walk in the park.
Agreed. What are your thoughts about RFK Jr.?
I really appreciate everything RFK Jr. has done to shine a light on the vaccines, but I do not trust him on other issues. I have heard he is an extremist when it comes to his environmental stance. Here is one article I found: https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/flashback-robert-f-kennedy-jr-once-called-for-koch-industries-and-exxonmobil-to-be-put-to-corporate-death
Would love to see RFK beat Biden in the Dem primary! 🤣
The University of Florida is a top-10 public school nationally, top 5 in some rankings.
Sexual orientation discussion is allowed in schools for 4th graders and older, as long as it is age appropriate.
This all sounds wonderful and how I wish it were true. Ron won't be that if he gets in office, not with being backed by the Bush dynasty and other RINO elitists. He is already being controlled by them with this flip flopping on Ukraine. Sorry, just not wanting to gamble when I know what we had with Trump--America WAS great again. We all felt that in our pocketbooks and in the safety we had in our country. DeSantis is too weak, plain and simple. Trump is a proven fighter each and every day.
You are entitled to your opinion, but I am sick and tired of idiot Trump whining and bitching and blaming others. I voted for him twice and will vote again if he wins the nomination, but the entire lockdown and Fauci-mania started with idiot Trump. Let's be honest. I can't wait for Ron to put Trump in a rearview mirror.
And as long as you keep focusing on that BS, you'll continue to play into their hands. Wake up and think with your head and not your tummy.
Wolfpak, I have been a Trump fan for a very long time. I've reamed Alex out about his TDS countless times. I love what he did for the country. Unfortunately, he cannot control his emotions and is too easily triggered. He is reactive and explosive and hasn't served him well. Latest example: He couldn't help himself on the CNN town hall, and now he's in even MORE legal hot water with that crazy lady who claimed he "raped" her some time ago that she can't even remember.
Trump trips over himself too often. And his campaign cranked up the anti-DeSantis attack ads way too early. The "Ron DeSalesTax" ad has been on loop day and night for months here in Florida. It's absurd, and it's filled with lies. DeSantis has CUT TAXES for Floridians, not raised them. Trump is wasting his money here in Florida; we aren't going to vote for him.
Here's the sales tax fact check:
https://www.wesh.com/article/trump-desantis-ad/43980716
And the tax reality here in Florida:
https://www.flgov.com/2023/05/25/governor-ron-desantis-highlights-largest-tax-relief-plan-in-floridas-history/
If your vote is that easily swayed than it tells me your not very concerned about the real issues. Enjoy more of your uniparty swamp BS with DeSantis. I’ll vote for RFK Jr. before I’ll ever vote for another swamp member, DeSantis included.
Why is anyone voting for anyone, when fair and free elections have been eliminated. It’s like people just forgot the last election, and are pretending that legitimate elections actually exist.
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
It’s actually pathetic, in my opinion.
I never said my vote was going to count;)
Oh. So DeSantis isn't really Florida's governor?
Personally, I don’t care.
Yet here you are, commenting...
Easily swayed? No. I've been torn about this for a very long time. Trump just keeps digging himself into an ever-deeper hole. I finally made my decision after RDS finally made it official. I'd be bummed to lose my governor, but the USA needs him more than Florida does. Byron Donalds would fill those big shoes well in Tallahassee.
Same.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
the way ron desantis becomes president is to end his campaign immediately, become a huge booster for trump, and finally moving on to crush newsome in 2028
This is a pretty stupid comment
ha thanks, "Darek" if that is your real name and not just a typeo.
it's actually pretty benign compared to what i usually post.
i normally implore ron to grow about 4 inches taller and/or start working out because being short-ish & dumpy doesn't get it done in the age of social media.
it's really the only reason he wouldn't be a lock to defeat gavin newsome when it really comes to it.
LOL!
Thank you Alex, great column. I live in Florida and we love DeSantis and I support 100% his fight against “wokeism”. I believe that presently one of the greatest dangers for my grandchildren is this out of control transgender movement which has taken over the country. DeSantis has made it illegal to perform any sex change surgeries on children. He moved on this fast, and yes, they were grooming our children. Teacher’s job is to teach Math, Reading, History etc It is not their job to teach little ones ANYTHING sexual. A law had to be passed to keep this from happening. Unbelievable that it has come to this. We have lived in Florida since my husband and I were children. We visited Disney World since it opened, with our children and then our grandchildren for many, many years. Last time we were there was 2019. We were noticing the changes. We haven’t been there since. We do support DeSantis fight with Disney. Now we go to Universal Studios.
I like Part 2 better than Part 1, but I still think DeSantis is onto something fighting this woke culture and companies.
https://billricejr.substack.com/p/powerful-people-and-organizations
I get a kick out of folks who think DeSantis is a puppet for the establishment or a bitch-boy for Trump.
He was a lowely congressman, who was governor for only one year before he stood up against POTUS, the media, a terrified/cowardly public and the establishment on Covid.
Pressure breaks pipes. He didn't crack...Trump did.
He's got some pretty big cojones for being a so called lightweight.
He keeps being compared to Jeb Bush or criticized because the Bushes have supposedly endorsed him. Well, Jeb Bush (or W. Bush) would have never made the decisions DeSantis made.
Great point. My quisling, backbencher R Gov in my State never stood up for freedom. DeSantis was our Covid Churchill. I'll never forget that.
well, i'm no political mastermind, but he should do the thing where he picks a fight with Disney and wins.
picking a fight and losing seems like it's been a bad idea.
but i guess "all press is good press" and all that...
How is he losing? My wife and me as well as many people in our neighborhood canceled or declined to renew our annual passes to Disney world....that includes many folks who aren't Republicans.
People are sick of the assault on our children.
Disney is in a lose-lose situation.
Our family went to Disney World last spring break. One of my favorite rides was Splash Mountain, which is now closed because four or five people said they were offended by the Uncle Remus characters frolicking besides the river.
i think you are confusing the heroic triumphs of ron desantis with the heroic triumphs of you & your wife. easy to do.
what ron desantis did was rename the Reedy Creek District to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. not going to lie, that is a good change, the old name is kind of stupid.
however he did this to help gain some partial control over the district itself, but they completely outmaneuvered him.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/29/politics/desantis-disney-board-control/index.html
he was limited because any substantial change could have incurred Disney's 1 billion dollars in bond debt which he should have known ahead of time.
in the end it was a lot of great posturing with essentially no direct effect.
then come disney's lawsuits, and any gain from them would put more points on the scoreboard.
Are you suggesting that I claim to be a hero?
For God sake I just love my children.
to be clear, we also cancelled disney+ plus because we love our children and would never bring them to disney world to keep disney employees from trying to "love" our children.
i honestly do think it's heroic to keep all these groomers away from our children and villainous not too, and there is no in-between.
We're on the same team.
I'd vote for a "Donald DeSantis" Frankenstein before I vote for the Ronald McDonald totalitarians.
In the end, unfortunately, Trump failed when it mattered - in crisis. He sat by while the biggest violations of constitutional rights and freedoms took place on a massive scale. He let the cities burn, riots to continue - including just outside the White House. Many of the people he hand-picked for key roles turned on him. He did accomplish many important things during his administration (both foreign and domestic) even while being hamstrung by the Russian collusion thing - so credit where credit is due. But he failed utterly when it mattered most. DeSantis, on the other hand, performed best when under the most pressure.
Really? Trump mandated nothing. He is also 78 in the high risk category. It’s great to be an armchair quarterback but every health authority screamed that the world was ending. That everyone his age would die! Did Trump wear a mask? NO! Did he lock himself in his basement? NO! Was he crucified for it? YES! Did he try and find solutions? YES! Would Ron have even been allowed to do something else if not for Trump? NO! Trump tried everything from looking at medications like ivermectin to sunlight to vaccines etc. If he had simply locked the world down and masked and forced the vaccine you may have a point. Instead Trump looked at every option DESPITE the media, the government, the elites, the CDC, the FDA, everyone challenging everything! DeSantis took some heat but only because Trump stood firm.
Trump was the president when the country was placed under house arrest for months (stretching to years) and the cities burned. Sorry, but the buck stops with the president.
I can’t believe you only have one person agreeing with you-ME. Lol…
There is no “high risk category”. The entire “pandemic” didn’t exist. CONvid was a means to get Warp Speed (bioweapon) into every, single person’s arm! I knew this was crap in 2020, and I lost my job of 23 years because I refused the test/jab. It was the biggest transfer of wealth in history.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-invokes-defense-production-act-what-is-it
Dropping this here while it's still early in the thread....
Anyone who truly believes that DeSantis will be beholden to "elite" donors, tell me this: Do those elite donors support all these ultra-conservative things that DeSantis signed into law?
* Parental Rights in Education (i.e., the No, You Can't Sexualize Our Kids at School law)
* Transgender bathroom law
* 6-week abortion ban
* Banned vaccine mandates
* Banned mask mandates
* Banned drag shows in front of minors
* Banned CRT
* Banned ESG investment policies at the state level, and prohibited ESG bond sales
* Shipped a planeload of illegal aliens to a self-avowed "sanctuary" destination to prove its hypocrisy
And those are just the highlights! There is so much more...
DeSantis wasn't beholden to his gubernatorial donors, nor his Congressional donors. Why would he behave any differently as president?
Here are his main gubernatorial donors:
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/575979-these-seven-donors-each-gave-ron-desantis-re-election-campaign-more-than-1m/
And his key Congressional donors:
https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00034746&cycle=2018
If you accuse RDS of being a "RINO" or an "elitist" but you don't live in Florida and/or haven't been keeping up with the governor's activities, you might consider sitting this one out.
Why do you think elite donors prefer DeSantis to Trump - because Trump makes mean Tweets?
Given that RDS' largest donors own massive businesses in Florida, I think that's your answer. They wouldn't have done nearly as well with Crist in Tallahassee.
The bottom line is Trump is a billionaire - so he isn’t beholden to elite donors. But DeSantis is - because otherwise he wouldn’t even have a campaign. In fact, the only reason he’s in office is because Trump supported him at the 11th hour.
Then why has Trump been relentlessly fundraising for years?
Because he's good at it - he's the quintessential promoter. My point is that he doesn't have to do it. Another sign he is worthy - he does a lot of things which, strictly speaking aren't necessary - like donating his Presidential salary to charity.
He wouldn't do it if he didn't have to do it. When all your money is being blown on legal defense...
Also, that "donating salary to charity" story is fake news. He "donated" it back to federal agencies, not charity.
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-didnt-appear-to-donate-presidents-salary-for-last-6-months-2021-7
I'm sure it is because Trump screwed up the COVID response. LOL At least that is what everyone on here claims is the reason they cannot vote for him. That, or they are all paid trolls. One can never tell these days!
The problem is, realistically, the only person who would’ve gone against the entire medical-industrial complex in early 2020 would’ve been RFK JR.
Alex, you just can't help yourself. You just can't let go of deeply ingrained Northeast regional leftist thinking and a tendency to make statements rooted in ignorance or regional arrogance ("lacking in first rate colleges and universities"). And most of the country doesn't see a problem with anti-grooming laws, regardless of what New Yorkers think is "naive". It's also funny that the article you linked proudly proclaims "PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida" at the top of the page.
I'll vote for either Desantis or Trump. But I don't think that either one of them should be taking campaign advice from someone who just can't let go of his inner liberal - even when he knows deep down that his inner liberal is a liar. It's kind of like people who still advocate for masks and vaccines, regardless of what the data shows.
Exactly. Not in a million years would I ever send my kid to an indoctrination factory like Columbia University--not even with a free ride. And then there's Hunter College...which only hires the best people!
Art professor arrested after threatening reporter with machete
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XPacIhHKZ0
I for one can’t forgive Trump for the whole vaccine debacle, he and he alone pushed operation warp speed. No candidate is going to be perfect but I like Desantis’s record and accomplishments.
Yeah, it must have been hard to have the choice to not take the jab, huh? Trump never mandated it. Yes, he believed the experts and so-called health professionals who all lied to us. But a majority of Americans did as well. How many times did you go and get jabbed with a vaccine because your MD told you it was due? Let me guess, you trusted his expert opinion and didn't question it. Yet people like you need to blame Trump for something that was your choice. Take some personal responsibility.
Trump should have fired both Fauci and Birx instead of elevating them. He had Scott Atlas there, but gave him no real authority to impact policy. Pence is also complicit because he was over the COVID task force and let Fauci and Birx do as they please despite having Dr. Atlas contradicting much of what they were pushing. Trump and Pence both failed the country on a pivotal issue. DeSantis held ground under great pressure while Trump failed to fire Fauci for fear of the media fallout prior to the 2020 election.
Yes and had he fired him, they threatened to impeach him over it. He couldn't win. He had Atlas there and tried to elevate him and yet he was met with much resistance. Again, I find it sad that there are people who focus on this issue and yet they know he had his hands tied. But that is exactly what the left and rinos want, is for you to focus on this and forget about secure borders, no wars, how great the economy was, highest unemployment numbers, peace in the Middle East, school choice....I could go on. It makes me sad to see how people are so easily swayed by COVID, knowing how he had everyone working against him. All done intentionally to get him out of office. Did you have issue with how hard he tried to get the hospitals PPE supplies, the ships sent that were never used, the ventilators that he had sent because hospitals were demanding it? Funny how everyone forgets all the good he tried to do as well. I just find it so shallow to concentrate on this issue because you need someone to blame. No one knew what we were dealing with, yet so many are playing armchair quarterback. Congrats, their plan is working on you!
Your right he didn’t “mandate” it but he still pushed this like it was some big accomplishment and still does to this day! I’m not blaming him for me deciding to take one shot, geez relax
No need to relax since I am not upset. (Why are you so defensive might be a better question to ask yourself.) I don't agree with him supporting the jab either. I too wish he would distance himself. But I don't focus on one issue either.