The GOP has a new sheriff in town and his name is Ron DeSantis. DeSantis, currently the governor of Florida, is fast emerging as the best alternative to Donald Trump to head the post Trump GOP. DeSantis is whip-smart and politically very savvy. Love him or hate him, DeSantis has both solid political chops and a deep understanding of how to govern effectively from the right. He is, in my opinion, a better facilitator for what Trump claims to stand for than Trump himself. He's Trump minus the thin skin, intellectual laziness and sullen demeanor. He's Trump with a brain.
I understand the loyalty to Trump from a large portion of the American electorate. For one thing he drives progressives crazy – almost literally. That's a good enough reason for a lot of people to love Trump all by itself. But I think that the thing that really captivated people about Trump during his politically ascendant phase was his unwillingness to ever back down. The perception among those who supported Trump then (and those who continue to support him now) is that he can not only take a punch, but that he punches back harder. A lot of people respect that in a leader. I'm one of them.
That inexorable Trump brand of pugilism directed at opponents and unpopular institutions resonates with a lot of people - especially with those who have come to distrust the media, government bureaucracy and the like. It's not really that difficult to understand. People tend to rally behind those they believe are willing to fight for them. Trump, a showman if there ever was one, understands this well and used his brashness and talent for jabbing at political opponents to win the 2016 presidential race. From a purely academic perspective it was a sight to behold. I'm still amazed.
But I would argue that in the end Trump betrayed his supporters. Candidate Trump was successful due to showmanship – a notable strength. President Trump, on the other hand, had no idea how to actually govern and seemed eminently disinterested in learning. Trump, despite having the great advantage of Republican control of Congress for several years, governed mostly by fiat through the use of executive orders. This meant that most of the things that Trump managed to accomplish during his term were rendered null and void after he left office.
Conservatives have one enduring big win from the Trump presidency – the remaking of the federal judiciary. That's no small feat. But from a conservative point of view it's far less than might have been accomplished by a POTUS more interested in advancing an enduring conservative agenda than vituperation on Twitter.
Enter Ron DeSantis: Yale/Harvard educated attorney, naval officer, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, three-term Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives and successful Florida governor with impeccable conservative bonafides. DeSantis is Trump without the personal baggage and Twitter tantrums. If you are a traditional conservative DeSantis probably ought to be your guy. If you are a progressive be afraid. Be very afraid.
On whether or not I would support DeSantis in the 2024 presidential election I am, at this point, agnostic. It would depend entirely on who else is running. But he'd sure get my serious consideration. I admire the manner in which DeSantis takes the fight to his opponents, generally coming out ahead. DeSantis, like Trump, does not back down. The difference between DeSantis and Trump is that Trump did it on whims and stupors to antagonize opponents. DeSantis, on the other hand, stands up for what he thinks is right based on solid conservative principles. DeSantis does his homework. When Ron DeSantis is convinced that he's right you'd best watch out if you are in his way.
The one high-profile DeSantis move that I take issue with is his feud with Disney. In March of this year, Florida passed the Parental Rights in Education Act, the dishonestly labeled “Don't Say Gay” bill. This bill is similar to many others being floated in Republican-controlled legislatures across the country. At first Disney wisely chose to stay our of it. But at the behest of some Disney employees, CEO Bob Chapek relented to pressure and elected to start a fight with DeSantis by mischaracterizing and publicly denouncing the law while criticizing DeSantis for his support of it.
It was a bad move. Disney has benefited greatly from this special taxing district created specifically for their use when they came to Orlando decades ago. DeSantis responded to Chapek with a plan to void this zoning provision.
My issue with this is that I'm generally against government interfering with businesses that are operating legally and ethically. If Disney wants to go woke that's their prerogative. Anybody who doesn't like a woke Disney can go to Universal or SeaWorld instead (we happen to prefer Legoland). I'm not comfortable with the DeSantis response to Disney even though I generally support parental rights because I'm for less government interference, not more, almost regardless of the situation.