I Don’t Know if I Have Much to Say About This Yet

2024 Election: Potential Republican presidential candidates - Deseret News

Obviously, former President Donald Trump (R-USA) is the Elephant in the room. He’s just hated in suburbia, though. I’d prefer to see a candidate who can maintain the Trump coalition, and expand into suburbia. It’s very possible that such a candidate does not exist.

Right now my #1 is Nikki Haley, and my #2 would be Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL). Governor Kristi Noem (R-SD) is also interesting.

And what to you know. I just named the top four candidates from the article.

Read for yourself.

This Might Be the Best Thing DeSantis Has Done Yet

Doc Suspended Over Biden Vax Mandate. DeSantis: He’s Reinstated, ‘Freedom Has A Home Here In Florida’ | The Daily Wire

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) announced Monday that a doctor who was suspended from his job due to a vaccine mandate implemented by President Joe Biden has been reinstated.

“Jeff, a Florida doctor I met in Brandon at the Special Session bill signing, was suspended from his job due to Biden’s mandate,” DeSantis announced. “He has now been reinstated due to our efforts to stop this heavy-handed federal mandate.”

“Freedom has a home here in Florida,” the governor added.

Jeff, a Florida doctor I met in Brandon at the Special Session bill signing, was suspended from his job due to Biden's mandate. He has now been reinstated due to our efforts to stop this heavy-handed federal mandate.

Freedom has a home here in Florida. pic.twitter.com/4TLcNSehCl

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) December 6, 2021

Unfortunately, Too Many Companies Won’t Follow Suit

AdventHealth Drops Jab Mandate For Employees “Due To Recent Decisions By The Federal Courts” (lifezette.com)

According to reports, AdventHealth has suspended their jab mandate for workers. In a memo sent out to employees earlier in December, the company’s approximately 83,000 employees will no longer be beholden to the COVID shot.

The memo sent out by AdventHealth seemingly references recent court decisions that put a stop to the Biden administration’s effort to mandate the jab via government overreach, writing “due to recent decisions by the federal courts to block the CMS vaccine mandate, we are suspending all vaccination requirements prescribed by this mandate.”

They’re based in Florida, too, which might have also been a factor in making this decision.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a statement regarding AdventHealth’s recent decision, affording the company accolades for complying with the state’s laws, saying “We welcome AdventHealth’s decision to comply with state law to protect Floridians’ jobs and to ensure our state’s healthcare system can continue functioning smoothly.”

Sadly, too many companies continue to take the easy route, following the mandate even though it looks less and less likely to win in court.

I May Have to Move to Florida if He Keeps up This Kind of Thing

DeSantis Vows To Protect Florida From Biden: ‘We Will Not Let Them Lock You Down’ Or ‘Take Your Jobs’ | The Daily Wire

“And speaking of narratives, we are not in Florida going to allow any media driven hysteria to do anything to infringe people’s individual freedoms when it comes to any type of COVID variants,” DeSantis said. “And when I saw Fauci on TV yesterday saying that he couldn’t rule out lock downs. And then even today, President Biden didn’t rule it out. He said, ‘no, not now. For now.’ And let me just say in Florida, we will not let them lock you down. We will not let them take your jobs. We will not let them harm your businesses. We will not let them close your schools.”

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result,” DeSantis continued. “The lockdowns didn’t stop COVID. Forced masking, they said last year would end the pandemic, if 80% wore masks, many more than that were wearing masks and it hasn’t worked. They said you could get COVID off surfaces, which isn’t true. They’ve not been honest about the origins of the virus, and they haven’t been forthright about natural immunity. And with these travel restrictions, I was probably the first governor in January of 2020 to call for travel restrictions from China. I supported President Trump when he did that, but we have to take a step back and acknowledge that those travel restrictions just didn’t work, the virus had already spread.”

He talks the talk, but he walks the walk.

Desantis: “In Florida, we will not let them lock you down. We will not let them take your job. We will not let them harm your businesses. We will not let them close your schools. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” pic.twitter.com/npfLBI51Qu

— Michael P Senger (@MichaelPSenger) November 29, 2021

Fund the Police and Then Fund Them Some More

DeSantis Announces $1,000 Bonuses For Police, First Responders: ‘We Will Always Support Our Law Enforcement’ | The Daily Wire

You gotta like this guy.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $1,000 bonuses for the state’s law enforcement officers, firefighters, and first responders as part of a $400 million funding proposal to increase first responder salaries, declaring, “We will always support our law enforcement.”

Dems everywhere are trying to dismantle police departments. And he gives his more money.

“While other states have turned their backs on law enforcement, even calling to ‘defund the police,’ in Florida we continue to support the men and women in law enforcement,” DeSantis said in a statement.

“I am proud to propose larger and longer-lasting measures to help our state recruit and retain the best law enforcement officers in the nation and to provide $1,000 bonuses for first responders and law enforcement officers for the second year in a row,” he added.

I’m Not Sure This Means Florida Is Handling Things Better

Just like when the numbers were worse, it didn’t mean Florida was handling things worse. It means this virus is affected by many things, including the weather and climate.

Fla. per capita number of COVID cases lowest among U.S. states | One America News Network (oann.com)

Florida has continued to post the lowest number of COVID cases in the nation, while keeping a fully open economy. Health officials in the Sunshine State reported just over 1,300 daily average COVID cases last week, which is a 5 percent decrease in COVID-positivity over the past two-weeks.

Florida now has roughly six cases per 100,000 people, which is the lowest in the continental U.S. The Sunshine State is closely followed by other red states, including Texas, Georgia and Louisiana.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said he’s focused on COVID treatments to keep the economy open, instead of harmful mandates.

But what it probably does indicate is that there’s no need to do lockdowns and other strict restrictions. They aren’t going to make a significant difference either way.

I Suspect That Florida Will Not Be the Last Red State to Do This

Gov. Ron DeSantis Introduces $1 Billion In Florida Gas Tax Relief (lifezette.com)

Speaking alongside leaders in the gas and transportation industry, DeSantis said, “Gas prices have been rising due to inflationary pressures from bad federal policies, so we here in Florida need to step up and provide relief to our citizens. Today, I am proposing that during session, the Florida Legislature provide more than $1 billion in gas tax relief for Florida families. This will have a positive impact on millions of Floridians.”

The first domino to fall.

For Once Psaki Is Correct

But a sensible person would use “credits”, not “blames”.

Psaki Blames DeSantis for Walt Disney World's Vaccine Mandate Pause – PJ Media

There’s no doubt that the actions of Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) led to Disney pausing their corporate mandate.

But that’s a good thing, not a bad thing. Psaki doesn’t see it that way, though.

“They’re based in Florida, and obviously the governor there has consistently taken steps to take steps backwards as it relates to fighting the pandemic, not forward,” Psaki told reporters on Monday.

Naturally, the administration would be upset at corporations who make decisions in their own best interests without automatically bowing at the feet of government intrusion.

Backward steps?

Florida’s COVID stats continue to look better and better. As of November 19, the state has vaccinated 68% of its population — and that number skews low because it includes the small number of children who have received the shot.

In the midst of such encouraging numbers, Florida continues to line up on the side of medical freedom under the leadership of DeSantis.

If you think this is backwards, you must be facing the wrong way. It’s forward to everyone else.

Well Done, Disney

Disney World Pauses COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate – PJ Media

Of course, they didn’t really have a choice. Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) made their mandate illegal.

Still, good on them for following the law.

Disney announced it would make vaccinations mandatory for all its on-site salaried and non-union (huh!) hourly employees nationwide back in July—six weeks before Joe Biden announced his vaccine mandate.

According to an internal memo obtained by FOX 35 Orlando, the pause will remain in effect while they “assesses the new state laws protecting workers from vaccine mandates.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation last week protecting Florida workers from losing their jobs due to vaccine mandates. Employers face a $50,000 fine per violation.

“Nobody should lose their job due to heavy-handed COVID mandates, and we had a responsibility to protect the livelihoods of the people of Florida,” DeSantis said in a press release.

This Is Also Fine

And it doesn’t conflict with what I said in my last post.

Gov. DeSantis signs multiple bills limiting private businesses from imposing vaccine mandates on employees | One America News Network (oann.com)

First of all, DeSantis is limiting businesses from imposing mandates, not municipalities, and secondly, this appears to only apply to vaccines. It appears that businesses would be be able to enforce mask mandates.

So, really, this syncs up perfectly with what Governor-elect Youngkin (R-VA) has said.

Florida is protecting the rights of employees and families.

The free state of Florida will stand in the way of bureaucrats who want to take away our jobs and freedom through heavy-handed mandates. pic.twitter.com/Owzn2zMDdZ

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 18, 2021

And this is correct. The Florida government should protect the right to work for its citizenry.

DeSantis Keeps Using Biden as a Punching Bag

DeSantis On Biden Flying Illegal Aliens Into Florida: ‘I Will Send Them To Delaware’ On Buses | The Daily Wire

DeSantis said that the flights started back in May and that Florida law enforcement agencies are engaged on the matter. DeSantis said that he would like to put the illegal aliens that Biden drops into Florida on buses and ship them to Biden’s home state of Delaware.

“You know, my view would be, why don’t we, if they’re going to come here, you know, we’ll provide buses,” DeSantis said, “I will send them to Delaware and do that. I mean, if he’s not going to support the border being secured, then he should be able to have everyone there. So, we will do whatever we can in that regard. And we are absolutely going to do everything we can.”

DeSantis said that Florida was looking at ways of going after the contractors that the Biden administration was using to fly the illegal aliens into the state, saying, “we should be able to have consequences for those contractors and your ability to do business in Florida I should absolutely be curtailed based on whether or not you’re bringing problems or not bringing problems.”

Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has been on the attack against President Joe Biden (D-USA) since January 20th. It looks like we can expect three more years of this almost every day. Biden is going to be bloody and bruised. Will be interesting to see how long it takes for Biden to start hitting back.

Wow, I Didn’t Even Know a State Could Do This

I said before that I didn’t know how Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) could fight OSHA. Apparently there’s a way.

Florida will consider removing itself from OSHA, banning employer vaccine mandates in special legislative session | Blogs (orlandoweekly.com)

I’m really curious to see how this works out.

The lengthy process to move away from OSHA, a desire of Sprowls and Simpson, could separate the state from federal regulations placed on employers and workers.
“If OSHA, the Department of Labor and OSHA, is going to be weaponized as a way to hold hostage businesses throughout the state of Florida, no problem. We want a different plan,” Sprowls said. “We want out of OSHA. We'll submit our own regulatory authority and say goodbye to the federal government.”
The OSHA proposal, sponsored by Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine, and Rep. Ardian Zika, R-Land O’ Lakes, is listed as “the first step” in a process that could take several years.

Huh. Fascinating.

DeSantis vs. Biden Is an Unfair Fight

Even with the “power of the Presidency” behind Biden, he’s ridiculously outmatched.

Biden Administration Dumping Illegal Aliens In Florida (lifezette.com)

Not smart.

What happens when you dump illegal aliens somewhere rather than deporting them?

They commit crimes.

That tends to tick off the locals.  Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is no exception.

A mid-20s illegal alien posed as a 17-year-old, crossed the Southern Border, was dumped in Jacksonville and has now taken an innocent Floridian’s life.

Biden’s reckless open borders policies are deadly. pic.twitter.com/BPB2kbFoXG

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 6, 2021

This won’t end well for Biden. Bet on it.

The Democrats Must Absolutely Hate Having to Give Up on This

‘On The Verge Of Being Unstoppable’: Democratic Governors Association Abandons Florida 2022 To DeSantis, Report Says | The Daily Wire

They really hate him. Giving up on Florida in 2022 must be causing them to tear their hair out. And while 3 years is an eternity in politics, particularly in the 21st century, this signals that they’ve likely given up on Florida in 2024 as well, particularly if DeSantis is the Republican nominee.

Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis, who won a razor-thin 40,000 vote victory against Democrat Andrew Gillum in 2018, has now become such a formidable political leader that the Democratic Governors Association will not give any significant financial aid to any Democrat opposing his reelection in 2022, according to a report in Politico.

Ouch.

“The perception that DeSantis is unbeatable has left national Democratic groups like the DGA to weigh whether they should spend resources in Florida, a hugely expensive state with 10 media markets, or use that cash to help incumbents in cheaper states,” Politico added.

He is a force, to be sure. An unstoppable one? Time will tell.

DeSantis Has Decided That When You’re Winning, You Start Attacking Even Harder

The Right may end up forcing him to run for President.

Gov. DeSantis unveils new agency to probe election fraud | One America News Network (oann.com)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced new measures to protect election integrity and defend constitutional freedoms in his state at an event in West Palm Beach.

In a news conference on Wednesday, the governor said he has established a new law enforcement agency to investigate all reports and evidence of election fraud. DeSantis said the new agency will look into illegal ballot harvesting, ballot dumping and other types of election crimes.

He also stressed Florida has increased criminal penalties for tampering with elections.

“If you see somebody brings a stack of ballots and they’re stuffing them in a drop box, you have a place that will field these complaints and will immediately be able to investigate and hold them accountable,” said DeSantis. A news release said the Office of Election Crimes and Security would be formed “within the Department of State to investigate election crimes and fraud.”

And he still is hammering on vaccine mandates.

In Florida, there will be no vaccine mandate for children in our schools.

This is a decision that belongs to parents. pic.twitter.com/EEu13HZ41c

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 30, 2021

DeSantis Slams Biden. This Is Becoming an Everyday Occurrence.

But then again, it’s not like Biden doesn’t offer plenty of opportunities.

DeSantis Slams Biden Admin For Considering $450K Payment To Illegal Aliens: ‘Slap In The Face’ To Americans | The Daily Wire

“I mean, you think about it, Americans are getting more in their gas bills, they’re getting more in their grocery bills. You’ve had all kinds of really bad policies throughout our country, that has limited freedom. And you’re going to turn around for that, and you’re going to do $475,000 for an individual that came illegally to this country? I’ve seen a lot in my day. I’ve seen a lot that’s happened over the last nine or 10 months that I didn’t think I’d ever see, but this takes the cake,” DeSantis said. “If that is done, that is going to be a slap in the face to every hard working American who works hard and plays by the rules and it will especially being a slap in the face to people that have immigrated legally to this country. That should not be allowed to stand. It’s wrong. And whatever we can do in Florida to fight back against it, we will do.”

I don’t know that there’s much that Florida can do, but Governor DeSantis (R-FL) has been pretty innovative so far. He may surprise me.

I Will Not Be Upset at All if This Man Runs for President

In many ways, he’s almost what the Trumpists pretend that Trump is, and he’s what the rest of the conservatives wish Trump was.

WATCH: DeSantis Tells D.C. GOP: ‘We Don’t Have Time For Boneless Wonders’ | The Daily Wire

“So right now conservatives, we don’t have time for boneless wonders,” DeSantis exhorted. “You get elected to office, you need to be willing to stand up. Stand up against the press. … You stand up and you’re strong in your convictions, there are millions and millions of people out there that will be with you forever. The minute you go up there and you’re scared of the media, you’re scared they’re going to say bad things about you and you cave, those voters have no use for you after that.

He concluded, “So I can only tell you for me, I’m gonna keep walking the line. I am gonna stand my ground. I am not backing down. We’ve accomplished an awful lot in the state of Florida, but I can tell you this: I’ve only begun to fight.”

He really rips the media to pieces in this speech. And some of the right as well.

Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) fights almost as well as Trump. He doesn’t back down when attacked. When he draws a line in the sand, he means it. And he’s eloquent and understands politics. He speaks from the same populist guidebook as Trump. He’s deeper than Trump and more detail oriented.

He doesn’t relate quite as well to the common man as Trump does. He’s not a political outsider like Trump is. And he’s not as funny.

So, he’s not a perfect Trump clone. He brings some things to the table that Trump doesn’t, and misses some things that Trump has. I think he has a lot fewer negatives though and is more likely to be able to reach independent voters.

For some reason, though, I keep getting the impression that he isn’t going to run for President in 2024. Time will tell.

Watch the whole speech.

FLORIDA MAN STORMS DC https://t.co/5Zo4Cbo79U

— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) October 27, 2021

DeSantis Has an Inconvenient Truth Moment With Politifact

NEW: Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis said, “The nation reported adding 194,000 jobs in September, and Florida accounted for 84,500.” The numbers are real, but they aren't really comparable. https://t.co/PGawkNcfnK pic.twitter.com/yiZMBg2yyJ

— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) October 27, 2021

True, but…we need to provide “context” in the guise of “Democrat talking points”.

Here, these headlines are more truthful:

Ron DeSantis Is Doing More Than His Fair Share to Prop Up the U.S. Economy – PJ Media

Florida Has The Fastest Job Growth Rate In The Nation, Significantly Faster Than National Average | The Daily Wire

According to a statement from the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL):

Florida’s economy accelerated in September 2021, growing at three times the rate over the month compared to the nation. Overall for the month, Florida gained 84,500 total jobs, including nearly 73,000 private-sector jobs. This month marks 17 months of private-sector job growth, increasing by 5.6% over the year. Florida has experienced this magnitude of monthly private sector job growth on only four other occasions in the past 30 years.

In addition, Florida has experienced 11 consecutive months of labor force increases, adding 50,000 workers over the month. Florida’s labor force growth represents a 5.4% increase over-the-year, which is significantly higher than the national rate of 0.8%. In total, Florida has gained more than one million jobs since April 2020.

Their message? Florida is ready to help

Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is doing an amazing job. He’s charismatic. He is a great speaker. He fights. The left is terrified of him. And rightly so.

Punch Back Twice as Hard

DeSantis To Call Special Legislative Session To Address COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates | The Daily Wire

“We have got to stand up for people’s jobs and their livelihoods,” DeSantis said. “What we are going to be doing, in addition to mounting aggressive legal challenges to federal mandates, we are also going to be taking legislative action to add protections for people in the state of Florida.”

“That’s something that can not wait until the regular Legislative session next year; it needs to happen soon. So we will be calling the Legislature back for a special session. We want to make sure individuals in Florida have their livelihoods and jobs protected,” DeSantis added.

“Your right to earn a living should not be contingent upon COVID-19 shots,” he said.

That last sentence is so very true, and no one else is saying it. Not even me. I wish I’d thought of it first, but I admit it. I didn’t.

There Is No Good Press for DeSantis. It’s Not Allowed.

The left is terrified of this man.

COVID-19 Cases Have Almost Vanished from Florida – PJ Media

Left-leaning media has long had a pathetic, cruel obsession with bashing the Sunshine State, mainly because of its outspoken Republican governor.

The Acela Corridor elites have been proven wrong over and over, and once infections and deaths across Florida began dropping well over a month ago, they finally relented.

Now, on a per capita basis, Florida posted fewer cases than every state but California last week.

But in August, when the Delta variant hit the South, the left effectively cheered deaths and couldn’t stop taking partisan shots.

But now they’re silent.

Odd that.

Particularly since they were so effusive with their praise for Soon-to-be-incarcerated former Governor Andrew Cuomo(R-NY State Penitentiary).