Like Reagan Democrats once upon a time, these voters have already reshaped the political landscape in Florida. Can they do the same nationally in 2024?
“Don’t Say Gay” encapsulates DeDantis’s broad appeal. Not one Democrat who tells me they hate DeSantis has actually read the bill, yet they all have said it’s a reason they don’t like him. When I tell them what’s actually in the bill, namely that teachers can’t teach sexual topics to kids in grades K-3 (i.e., kids who are 5 to 8 years old) and that teachers must share information about children’s emotional health with their parents, the response is pretty muted —because what parent would argue against those things?? DeSantis stood up against the far left onslaught and practical Democrats, Independents and Republicans showed appreciation for his pragmatic approach to this and other issues in the voting booth.
Action speaks louder than words and serving the people-all the people-works. Watch Youngkin in Virginia. He includes the Democrat office holders in everything he does. He delivers everyday just like Governor DeSantis. Why? He was elected to do so and follows his oath. Finally, he refuses to engage the toxic Trump trash.
I'm a former Democrat in Florida and voted DeSantis. First, can we stop calling the Parental Rights in Education law the "Don't say Gay" law? The bill is a comprehensive 7 page document giving parents more rights over their kids' education in public schools. The "Don't say Gay" part is literally two sentences that prohibit teaching kids ages 5 - 9 about complex issues regarding gender and sex. I support LGBTQ rights, but it's my responsibility to have these discussions with my kids, not an activist teacher.
The left wing media portrayal of DeSantis is generally wrong. Read his budget. He's invested quite a bit into preserving and restoring Florida's natural resources, saving Florida's manatees, infrastructure improvements, healthcare, mental health, education and public safety. At the same time, his budget is fiscally responsible.
DeSantis made it much easier for me to help my kid with learning disabilities get a good education. Parents of students with disabilities qualify for nearly $9k in educational assistance that can be used for private school tuition or other services such as therapy or tutoring.
The media seems to miss how terrible Charlie Crist was as the Democrat nominee for Governor. Why would Florida voters be energized to vote for the former Republican governor with a poor track record?
My takeaways here are that Democrats and Republicans are currently better at pushing followers away than attracting new supporters.
I think there is something potentially big however, about the rise of DeSantis via disaffected Democrats. Progressives really are an unhappy bunch, to whom all who are not on board 110% with their full agenda are treated as enemies.
But, to win the Senate, Presidency, or House (convincingly), Republicans need to do more than simply lose fewer followers than progressives. They need to start winning people over with ideas.
So in closing the article the way you do you make it seem that everybody who has flipped for DeSantest is simply an opportunist. Which doesn't support the original thesis at all of your article. And many ways this is not unlike the previous article you wrote about pro-choice voters. Feels as if you're pursuing your own narrative and not the story.
"When I ask Democrats why Ron DeSantis won big in 2022, they insist it was all a matter of tactic or turnout. It had nothing to do with DeSantis the man, or the Democratic agenda, or the people and values behind that agenda."
This is the problem with many left wing parties. They believe they are the moral camp and you have to be insane or evil to not support them and their policies. Therefore when their own base doesn't turn out it can't be because they don't agree with their policies, it's because... don't ask such questions!
Any party that cannot self-reflect does not have a bright future.
As an ex New Yorker where the day to day interaction with any and all government services from subways to garbage to tax’s was a dark grind the experience in Florida is a new world. Things here WORK WELL. I am selfish and don’t want DeSantis to run for president but rather keep him here as governor!
"This is, in fact, disputable. The showdown, which led Florida to strip Disney World of its independent status, may force nearby county governments to pay for services once covered by Disney."
NPR: "The state Senate's analysis concluded that the bill would have an "indeterminate fiscal impact" on residents and businesses in special districts, as well as on local governments that will assume debts and assets."
When your liberal in all your views and NPR is your quoted news source and the quote says "indeterminate" that immediately equates to GOP is bad and groomers are good.
This is the key line and why DeSantis should be the 2024 Republican nominee:
"He defends his priorities...it may not be the ones that some people like, but he has those priorities."
The country is in desperate need of leadership and competence. That's what DeSantis delivers in spades. Even if you don't agree with his vision, at least he has one, and one he's willing to stake his career on.
Why all the head scratching? Desantis’ formula really isn’t rocket science. He’s just the reasonable candidate all of us politically homeless people are looking for, but he happens to have an R behind his name. Stop telling us what to do and think and say, whether it’s Covid policy, vaccines, dirty green energy, gender ideology, race relations, abortion (he signed off on Florida’s popular 15 week limit), what kind of car to drive, where to send our kids to school, whether to eat bugs, and for goodness sake, it would be nice if you knew a little bit about the world around us. If there was a Leave Us Alone party, he’d be the leader.
(The part about Disney’s tax status thrown in parenthetically warrants more discussion, if Disney is paying millions more in taxes, how does that increases taxes on other businesses? but ok fine)
Maybe, just maybe, people are starting to grow so tired of the Liberal bullshit on any topic or issue that comes along. You see, most folks just want an opportunity to raise their families and make a living. Telling me I am destroying the planet by driving to work, while the so-called jackass elites fly private aircraft or live in private, luxury homes doesn't help. How about you are causing a hostile atmosphere to LGBTQRMSP or whatever? The average person has nothing to do with it and it is a choice and not for a minor. So, the more you advertise it, the more likely people are to get pissed off by having it thrown in their faces.
So maybe people just want someone to tell the truth, not lecture, and just do the damn job. Stop trying to analyze everything to justify people not accepting the crazy Liberal beliefs.
DeSantis is effective. Gosh. And The Progressive left? Open Borders, $5 Trillion in spending, Surrender, Defund, Iran, Deficits, Inflation...Suppression, Hunter and Joe. The political parties are both polarizing. I think a lot of citizens like effective.
A good piece but marred by the idea that there should be Republicans; there should be Dems. No, we all should be Americans, voting for whomever we believe will do the best job of running the country. DeSantis has done an outstanding job as Governor of FL, and his methods (thoughtful fact-finding resulting in well-articulated solutions followed up in decisive action) could translate well to governing the nation. His biggest difficulty would be getting his clearly reasoned solutions though the MSM's clogged filters.
“Don’t Say Gay” encapsulates DeDantis’s broad appeal. Not one Democrat who tells me they hate DeSantis has actually read the bill, yet they all have said it’s a reason they don’t like him. When I tell them what’s actually in the bill, namely that teachers can’t teach sexual topics to kids in grades K-3 (i.e., kids who are 5 to 8 years old) and that teachers must share information about children’s emotional health with their parents, the response is pretty muted —because what parent would argue against those things?? DeSantis stood up against the far left onslaught and practical Democrats, Independents and Republicans showed appreciation for his pragmatic approach to this and other issues in the voting booth.
Action speaks louder than words and serving the people-all the people-works. Watch Youngkin in Virginia. He includes the Democrat office holders in everything he does. He delivers everyday just like Governor DeSantis. Why? He was elected to do so and follows his oath. Finally, he refuses to engage the toxic Trump trash.
Thanks for the information.
I'm a former Democrat in Florida and voted DeSantis. First, can we stop calling the Parental Rights in Education law the "Don't say Gay" law? The bill is a comprehensive 7 page document giving parents more rights over their kids' education in public schools. The "Don't say Gay" part is literally two sentences that prohibit teaching kids ages 5 - 9 about complex issues regarding gender and sex. I support LGBTQ rights, but it's my responsibility to have these discussions with my kids, not an activist teacher.
The left wing media portrayal of DeSantis is generally wrong. Read his budget. He's invested quite a bit into preserving and restoring Florida's natural resources, saving Florida's manatees, infrastructure improvements, healthcare, mental health, education and public safety. At the same time, his budget is fiscally responsible.
DeSantis made it much easier for me to help my kid with learning disabilities get a good education. Parents of students with disabilities qualify for nearly $9k in educational assistance that can be used for private school tuition or other services such as therapy or tutoring.
The media seems to miss how terrible Charlie Crist was as the Democrat nominee for Governor. Why would Florida voters be energized to vote for the former Republican governor with a poor track record?
My takeaways here are that Democrats and Republicans are currently better at pushing followers away than attracting new supporters.
I think there is something potentially big however, about the rise of DeSantis via disaffected Democrats. Progressives really are an unhappy bunch, to whom all who are not on board 110% with their full agenda are treated as enemies.
But, to win the Senate, Presidency, or House (convincingly), Republicans need to do more than simply lose fewer followers than progressives. They need to start winning people over with ideas.
Perhaps DeSantis will be the top to that spear.
"There should be only one political ideology and that is good governance." - Amit Abraham
So in closing the article the way you do you make it seem that everybody who has flipped for DeSantest is simply an opportunist. Which doesn't support the original thesis at all of your article. And many ways this is not unlike the previous article you wrote about pro-choice voters. Feels as if you're pursuing your own narrative and not the story.
"When I ask Democrats why Ron DeSantis won big in 2022, they insist it was all a matter of tactic or turnout. It had nothing to do with DeSantis the man, or the Democratic agenda, or the people and values behind that agenda."
This is the problem with many left wing parties. They believe they are the moral camp and you have to be insane or evil to not support them and their policies. Therefore when their own base doesn't turn out it can't be because they don't agree with their policies, it's because... don't ask such questions!
Any party that cannot self-reflect does not have a bright future.
As an ex New Yorker where the day to day interaction with any and all government services from subways to garbage to tax’s was a dark grind the experience in Florida is a new world. Things here WORK WELL. I am selfish and don’t want DeSantis to run for president but rather keep him here as governor!
"This is, in fact, disputable. The showdown, which led Florida to strip Disney World of its independent status, may force nearby county governments to pay for services once covered by Disney."
NPR: "The state Senate's analysis concluded that the bill would have an "indeterminate fiscal impact" on residents and businesses in special districts, as well as on local governments that will assume debts and assets."
When your liberal in all your views and NPR is your quoted news source and the quote says "indeterminate" that immediately equates to GOP is bad and groomers are good.
Great piece Olivia. DeSantis 2024!
This is the key line and why DeSantis should be the 2024 Republican nominee:
"He defends his priorities...it may not be the ones that some people like, but he has those priorities."
The country is in desperate need of leadership and competence. That's what DeSantis delivers in spades. Even if you don't agree with his vision, at least he has one, and one he's willing to stake his career on.
“Start spreading the news...” and the reality of what our country needs. INDÉPENDANT THINKERS AND ACTORS. Let’s follow Florida’s lead!!!
Why all the head scratching? Desantis’ formula really isn’t rocket science. He’s just the reasonable candidate all of us politically homeless people are looking for, but he happens to have an R behind his name. Stop telling us what to do and think and say, whether it’s Covid policy, vaccines, dirty green energy, gender ideology, race relations, abortion (he signed off on Florida’s popular 15 week limit), what kind of car to drive, where to send our kids to school, whether to eat bugs, and for goodness sake, it would be nice if you knew a little bit about the world around us. If there was a Leave Us Alone party, he’d be the leader.
(The part about Disney’s tax status thrown in parenthetically warrants more discussion, if Disney is paying millions more in taxes, how does that increases taxes on other businesses? but ok fine)
Maybe, just maybe, people are starting to grow so tired of the Liberal bullshit on any topic or issue that comes along. You see, most folks just want an opportunity to raise their families and make a living. Telling me I am destroying the planet by driving to work, while the so-called jackass elites fly private aircraft or live in private, luxury homes doesn't help. How about you are causing a hostile atmosphere to LGBTQRMSP or whatever? The average person has nothing to do with it and it is a choice and not for a minor. So, the more you advertise it, the more likely people are to get pissed off by having it thrown in their faces.
So maybe people just want someone to tell the truth, not lecture, and just do the damn job. Stop trying to analyze everything to justify people not accepting the crazy Liberal beliefs.
DeSantis is effective. Gosh. And The Progressive left? Open Borders, $5 Trillion in spending, Surrender, Defund, Iran, Deficits, Inflation...Suppression, Hunter and Joe. The political parties are both polarizing. I think a lot of citizens like effective.
A good piece but marred by the idea that there should be Republicans; there should be Dems. No, we all should be Americans, voting for whomever we believe will do the best job of running the country. DeSantis has done an outstanding job as Governor of FL, and his methods (thoughtful fact-finding resulting in well-articulated solutions followed up in decisive action) could translate well to governing the nation. His biggest difficulty would be getting his clearly reasoned solutions though the MSM's clogged filters.