Ron DeSantis stole the show at the National Conservative Conference in Washington, DC, on Sunday evening. The Florida governor delivered a speech covering a wide range of issues, from the rise of wokeness in the world of business as well as the Republican party's dependence on an unworthy Wall Street.
The former is especially frightful because Wall Street objectively hates GOP voters. But, as I've written in the past, Republican leaders have an inclination to appreciate the support of a section that gave three times more to Joe Biden during the 2020 election.
DeSantis is an entirely different kind of Republican, however. He knows the time of day and isn't unwilling to speak precisely what other GOP politicians are afraid to speak. This led to a lot of furious reactions when he spoke. There was this shot to COVID-19 vaccinations which sent the crowd into a state of tizzy.
Note what's not included in Chait's critique. In particular, any real rebuttal to the statement made by DeSantis. Why didn't he provide one? This is the answer. The Florida governor is on the right track. The federal government was lying about the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines, saying that they stopped transmission. Then, they employed that lie to advocate for unconstitutional regulations that ultimately had no scientific merit. If everyone is infected with the virus regardless of vaccine status, then you're not “protecting” anyone by forcing people to be vaccinated.
Chait's complaints are a signpost of the kind of left-wing ideology that has become common, however. Instead of adherence to facts and reasoning, they adhere to government decrees in a religious manner even when they are in conflict with reality. It's not like DeSantis is wrong. He was not. The anger stems from the fact that DeSantis had bravery to stand up for the truth, no matter how it was in conflict with the dominant story.
It's been a recurring theme during the governor's term and is the reason his popularity has grown. DeSantis isn't just a kingmaker of the liberals, even though it's an important cause. DeSantis is willing to go straight to the flaws within and within the GOP itself. He has, for instance, targeted Republicans who view free markets as a vague image that is separate from the greater good of society.
DeSantis' criticism isn't an attack on free markets, but instead as an acknowledgement that when huge corporations use their power to control and monopolize these markets, they're not really free. This type of behavior usually occurs by coercing the government to influence the game and makes the argument more pronounced. Republicans who are still putting corporate tax cuts to those who hate them over the demands of their voters aren't the future of the party.
This isn't to say that tax cuts aren't beneficial. Actually I'm a huge lover of tax cuts. What sets DeSantis apart is his openness about the social ramifications of the policies of the government. This is why he has led the nation in pushing against the harmful left-wing ideology in the classroom and is open to taking on the big corporate companies such as Disney. Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is the right thing to do.
If people on the left are losing their minds about it, that's quite a good indication that he's surpassed the goal.
