Ron DeSantis has recently declared running for the president of the United States. DeSantis is the current governor of Florida state. Before attaining the governorship, he served three terms in U.S. Congress, where he co-founded the Freedom Caucus. Who is Ron DeSantis?
Ron DeSantis is a highly-lettered ambitious man whose intelligence is not in question. However, DeSantis is a politician with two conflicting head caps. One is to articulate the founding principles of the Constitution. The other is to thwart those principles for self-aggrandizement. This attribute could be better for someone who aspires to the highest office in the land.
Ron DeSantis opposes racial equality, social safety net, women’s rights, consumer protection, environmental protection, gun control, labor rights, commensurate wages, public health, disaster relief, financial sector regulation, education funding, increasing revenues, countering Russian interference in our elections, and so on. DeSantis has proven to be an ideologue – one who does not have a tolerance for opposition. After all, the U.S. presidency is not only for conservatives but also for liberals, moderates, and whatever the political beliefs. The sole vote of the MAGA base voters cannot elect a president in the United States. We saw that before, even before the Trump world. It usually takes someone with moderate views on social and economic issues – not on the fringes — to win the national office of the U.S. presidency.
DeSantis is on a mission to “destroy leftism,” he said. What if another opposing candidate were out to destroy neo-conservatism? A culture war is not ideal for any serious-minded politician to wage. A moderate posture in politics is what we need in our polity.
The fact is that DeSantis has betrayed a tenet of his conservative party that supports small government and big business. For disagreeing with the governor on social issues, DeSantis decided to punish Disney World by revoking its status as a self-regulated private entity, which Disney had for many decades, even before the governor was born in Florida. So, it begs the question. Why would a politician with the so-called conservative pedigree — for political reasons — pick a silly fight with a private enterprise that has provided massive employment and economic succor to his state for decades? This idea is not a conservative principle.
In 2011, in his quest to outdo President Obama’s literary status as a bestseller, DeSantis wrote “Dreams from Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama.” In the book, DeSantis claimed to be the defender of “freedom.” And said, “The government’s most important job is the protection of individual liberty.” But DeSantis’s government has grown so powerful that it tells its citizen what to do or not to do – what books to read or not to read. DeSantis’ government has banned historical books from classrooms so its students would not read all that is right and wrong about American history – infringing on their freedoms and fundamental human rights to read and acquire personal knowledge. DeSantis has not only stifled freedoms for individuals but also for private business entities.
DeSantis has also failed the hawkish foreign policy test of his party. He supported the unprovoked Russian war against Ukraine and questioned the U.S.’s support to aid Ukraine. DeSantis vehemently criticized Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He displayed a soft spot for the January 6th insurrectionists that attacked the U.S. government. He also supports U.S. isolationism and the “MAGA-America First,” a policy that has questioned the U.S. revered leadership in the world, which could lead to the disbanding of NATO and further isolation of the U.S., paving the way for China and Russia to rule the world. Ron DeSantis would let the nation default on her debts to promote his MAGA priorities. He is not fit for the U.S. presidency. He is an opportunist, even lacking the courage to confront Trump for primary nomination until very late, hoping that Trump would fall over his legal liabilities and then inherit the MAGA voters.
Finally, I am not a Republican or a Democrat, so my vote may not matter to DeSantis. But I am sure my independent ballot will never go to Ron DeSantis because he does not qualify as a leader in good faith. DeSantis is a demagogue who intentionally plays to the MAGA base voters only to win the primary nomination. But does he think winning a party nomination amounts to winning a general presidential election? What a myopic view of the electorate. But we shall see on election night!
Written by
Nicholas A. Owoyemi
Moderate Voices of America