It’s that time, again, America. Every four years, at least since 2012 (when Barack Obama ran for re-election), millions of Americans warn that we’re facing the most important presidential election in history.
While the warning rings true for 2024, House and Senate races, along with gubernatorial and state legislative elections will be critical, as well, as the radical left continues to tighten its grip on what seems like every facet of American society. As has often been said, elections have consequences — and 2024 will prove to be the most consequential in at least the modern history of America.
While speaking to a crowd of more than 1,000 top conservative activists, leaders, and officials, on Friday, at an event organized by the Heritage Foundation just outside Washington, D.C., the Florida governor emphasized that the “left is playing for keeps.”
If you look at what happens in 2024 — if the Democrats are able to sweep all the offices, president, Senate, and House — what will they do with that power? They will try to pack the U.S. Supreme Court. They will try to abolish the Electoral College. They will try to make Washington, D.C., a state, so they get two left-wing senators, virtually for life, and they will try to eliminate voter ID across this country and mandate ballot harvesting in every state of the union.
Let’s stop right there, for a second. Regardless of one’s preference for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, any conservative with even a modicum of understanding of the Democrat Party’s radical path of destruction over the last nearly 18 months should know — without a doubt — that the short list of threats DeSantis ticked through couldn’t be more spot on.
“That’s not an agenda that’s speaking to the aspirations of the average American,” DeSantis added: “It’s an agenda that a political movement is pursuing to try and block the conservative half of the country out of power, to try to keep our voices from being heard.’’
The popular Florida governor, widely expected to enter the 2024 race — perhaps in early Summer — made no reference to his plans, other than to repeat his often-used line: “Freedom is worth fighting for” and “We have only begun to fight.”
As my colleague Joe Cunningham reported, someone who did mention DeSantis and his potential 2024 plans was Donald Trump — a subject the former president “mentions” with regularity. In a lengthy statement, Trump wrote (random capitalization, his):
Now that Ron DeSanctimonious is finally admitting he’s in the Race by beginning to fight back, and now that his Polls [sic]have crashed so he has no other choice, let me explain the facts…
Trump titled his statement “The Real Ron DeSantis Playbook.”
INBOX: Trump releases a lengthy statement trashing DeSantis, claiming he's made "Florida…one of the least affordable states," "raised taxes…$1.5 billion," & one of the worst states to work, retire, raise kids, crime, rent, give birth, die, be a cop, teach, & pay energy bills pic.twitter.com/0FyYl98TM6
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 21, 2023
Setting aside the fact that DeSantis has admitted no such thing, here’s just a bit of the former president’s missive:
He is, for a Republican, an average Governor, he got 1.2 million less [sic] Votes in Florida than me, he fought for massive cuts in Social Security and Medicare, and wanted Social Security minimum age to be raised to 70-years-old [sic], or more. He is a disciple of Paul D. Ryan, and did whatever Ryan told him to do.
[…]
Florida has been successful for many years, long before I put Ron there — It’s amazing what Ocean and Sunshine will do!
[…]
Surprise, Ron was a big Lockdown Governor on the China Virus, sealing all beaches and everything else for an extended period of time, was Third Worst in the Nation for COVID-19 Deaths (losing 86,294 People), Third Worst for Total Number of Cases, at 7,516,906.
[…]
Other Republican Governors did MUCH BETTER than Ron and, because I allowed them this “freedom,” never closed their States. Remember, I left that decision up to the Governors! For COVID Death Rates Per State, Ron, as Governor of Florida, did worse than New York.
[…]
In Education, Florida ranks among the worst in the Country and on crime statistics, Florida ranked Third Worst in Murder, Third Worst in Rape, and Third Worst in Aggravated Assault. For 2022, Jacksonville was ranked as one of the Top 25 Major Crime Cities in the Country, with Tampa and Orlando not doing much better.
OK, that’s enough — you get the drift.
While DeSantis remains unannounced, he continues to crisscross the country, highlighting his “Florida blueprint” and promoting his newly released memoir, “The Courage to Be Free.”
As he has in other recent speeches, DeSantis on Friday touted his record in the Sunshine State, pointing out that “Florida is the fastest-growing state in the country,” which raises a couple of logical questions:
If Florida is such a terrible place to live, as suggested by “some,” why was DeSantis re-elected in November by 19 points, and why have nearly half-a-million Americans moved to the Sunshine State over the last year?
Then again, if DeSantis has been such a terrible governor, why are “some” so consumed with him running for president in 2024?
Very confusing. [sarc]
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