AKRON, OHIO — This morning, Governor Ron DeSantis spoke about “bucking the elites and people like Fauci” at a Summit County Lincoln Day breakfast in Ohio. DeSantis boasted about his Ohio roots on his mother’s side and his wife Casey’s family and gave a shout-out to Florida transplants – calling parts of Florida “Ohio South.”
As he reminisced of a Ronald Reagan quote that freedom is one generation away from extinction, DeSantis reminded the crowd that freedom can be squandered. But Florida chose a different path in 2018, according to the governor.
“People told me, you know, it’s a closely divided state you barely got in. Don't rock the boat,” DeSantis said.
“I rejected that advice,” he stated – in spite of pressure not to upset the delicate political balance of a swing state. The governor said he had an agenda but wanted to ensure that he could get it to stick by strategically navigating a constitutional system of checks and balances.
LEADING ON ISSUES
DeSantis later expressed that a good leader is not captive to polls. A good leader, according to the governor, is one who delivers results, “and guess what happens when you do that – the polls change in your favor.”
“I'm going to be leading on issues. I don't care what the left says,” DeSantis said. “I don't care what the media says – we are going to deliver big victories.”
The strategy, according to DeSantis, is to lead on the offense because it makes it hard for critics to keep up when they don't know what he’s going to do next.
WINNING BIG VICTORIES
And that strategy, the governor says, accelerated a red wave that carried super majorities in both chambers of the Florida legislature, four conservative members to Congress and 29 conservative school board members throughout the state.
“We've been able to beat the Democratic Party into the ground,” DeSantis said. “That is what you call winning and why shouldn't we win big? So we lead in Florida not merely with words, but with deeds.”
He then referenced a quote from the legacy media in Florida in the aftermath of the 2022 election:
“‘There's no plan, there's nothing. Florida Democrats in despair over the future,’” DeSantis quoted.
DELIVERING RESULTS
In what seemed to be a jab at former President Donald Trump, DeSantis said politics is not entertainment and is not about building a brand on social media.
“It's not about engaging in useless virtue signaling,” DeSantis insisted. “It's about delivering results. And our record in Florida of delivering results is second to none.”
The governor also touted his education agenda to free students in both grade school and higher education from political ideology funded by tax dollars. He told supporters that the purpose of school is to teach kids how to think for themselves.
“One of the things I'm most proud of and I don't think anybody has led more forthrightly on this issue than Florida is on the issue of education,” DeSantis proclaimed. “We in Florida believe in the rights of parents to direct the education and upbringing of their children.”
Higher educational institutions are not “playthings for the political left” but should serve a public purpose and serve state interests according to the governor. DeSantis said that's exactly what Florida is orienting its education system to do.
HIGH STAKES ELECTION
DeSantis told supporters that during his campaign for governor last year he had an appreciation for the direction that Florida was going. But now he says everyone is aware that the nation as a whole is floundering.
According to the governor, the Left is battling for unified control of the government to impose a radical agenda that would involve trying to pack the Supreme Court, abolish the electoral college and make Washington D.C. a state. Speaking as if he were running for President of the United States, DeSantis brought the focus back home.
“Now, the typical family, they're talking about inflation, they're talking about crime, they're talking about education, they're talking about the issues that affect them in their daily lives,” DeSantis said. “So the stakes of this upcoming election are very, very high.”
In times like these, DeSantis says there is no substitute for victory.
“Winners get to make policy, the losers go home. But I think nationwide, the Republican Party has developed a culture of losing,” DeSantis said. “I think that needs to end. No more excuses, just get it done so we can save our country.”
