DeSantis in Iowa

At high noon on May 31, 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis appeared at Council Bluffs, Iowa’s famous Grass Wagon event center.  The last time I was at the Grass Wagon was to hear Joe Biden.  Joe’s address was way too short while Ron’s address was 5 to 10 minutes too long.  DeSantis, however, had much of substance to talk about.  He had two main themes: His record of achievement running the state of Florida and contrasting himself with the leader in the polls without ever once mentioning the name Trump.

Elon Musk has said that he wants a “normal person” as president.  DeSantis actually said, “We’re regular people.”  DeSantis is very much a normal person with extraordinary accomplishments. He listed them.

• Went hard against the consensus regarding Covid.
• He won his first term by 32,000 votes, but by 1.2 million for his second term.
• Constitutional carry.
• Heartbeat abortion bill.
• Largest tax relief package in the nation.
• Kneecap ESG.
• All conservative members on the Florida Supreme Court.
• No pornographic books in school libraries.
• Eliminated CRT in K-12.
• No sex changes on minors.
• “We don’t play the pronoun sweepstakes in schools.”
• Took on the Disney company. No compromise in protecting children.
• School choice.
• The Chinese Communist Party can’t purchase land in Florida.
• No sales tax on any baby items.
• Parental right to know what is being taught in schools.
• One school day devoted to explaining the evils of communism.

DeSantis says he is a leader who is not captive to the polls.  He was told to back down on Covid and not rock the boat, but he wanted to save the jobs of the people who put him in office rather than save his job.  He’s learned that boldness is rewarded and results matter.  He went on to say that people appreciate when you fight for them.

I spoke to a sixth-grade teacher who is originally from Chicago.  She is fed up with Republicans (e.g. Senator McConnell) who don’t fight effectively against the Democrats.  She was very pleased with this speech as it very much resonated with her.

Casey DeSantis spoke briefly.  She reassured the crowd that Ron won’t back down and he won’t be captured by the D.C. swamp.

The sideswipes against former President Trump were:

• Ron would be an energetic and focused President.
• Leadership is not about entertainment.
• He would have fired Fauci.
• His kids are 6, 5 and 3.
• He’d hire the “right” people to help him.  

If elected President, he promised to do the following:

• Close the border.
• American energy independence.
• Fire FBI director Chris Wray on day one.
• Rein in the administrative state; the unelected fourth branch of government.
• Reverse all of Biden’s destructive economic policies.

He closed by noting that America’s decline is not inevitable; it is a choice.  When DeSantis first heard Ronald Reagan’s comment that freedom could be lost in a generation, he thought it was hyperbole.  But after the last 4 to 5 years, we can see that freedom is very fragile.  By nominating Ron DeSantis, the GOP would dispense with its culture of losing.