Ron DeSantis: Florida’s Success Is Held Back By a ‘Floundering Federal Establishment in Washington’

Yesterday Ron DeSantis delivered his second inaugural address as governor of Florida, and while he’s not a declared candidate for president yet… a speech like this won’t require much editing to be delivered on the campaign trail in other states. In fact, this section could be delivered in a presidential campaign announcement speech, verbatim:

We reject this woke ideology.

We seek normalcy, not philosophical lunacy!

We will not allow reality, facts, and truth to become optional.

We will never surrender to the woke mob.

Florida is where woke goes to die!

Now Florida’s success has been made more difficult by the floundering federal establishment in Washington, D.C.

The federal government has gone on an inflationary spending binge that has left our nation weaker and our citizens poorer, it has enacted pandemic restrictions and mandates – based more on ideology and politics than on sound science – and this has eroded freedom and stunted commerce.

It has recklessly facilitated open borders: making a mockery of the rule of law, allowing massive amounts of narcotics to infest our states, importing criminal aliens, and green lighting the flow of millions of illegal aliens into our country, burdening communities and taxpayers throughout the land.

It has imposed an energy policy that has crippled our nation’s domestic production, causing energy to cost more for our citizens and eroding our nation’s energy security, and, in the process, our national security.

It wields its authority through a sprawling, unaccountable and out-of-touch bureaucracy that does not act on behalf of us, but instead looms over us and imposes its will upon us.

The results of this have been predictably dismal.

This has caused many to be pessimistic about the country’s future. Some say that failure is inevitable.

Florida is proof positive that We the People are not destined for failure.

Decline is a choice. Success is attainable. And freedom is worth fighting for.

Last year I contended that a Ron DeSantis nomination would be good for just about everyone across the political spectrum.  From where I sit, DeSantis’ instincts are serving him well; there was no need to announce a bid shortly after Donald Trump did; the early start certainly hasn’t done Trump any favors. As governor, DeSantis can spend the coming legislative session enacting one more round of reforms and conservative initiatives, just to show that his first term wasn’t a fluke. The contrast between Trump ranting on Truth Social — and backing away from his pro-life victories, which Michael Brendan Dougherty accurately observes is counterproductive and political malpractice — and DeSantis enacting constitutional carry, another sweeping round of tax cuts, and perhaps a heartbeat law on abortion would be striking.