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It's not enough to own the libs. Credit: GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images
Ron DeSantis is inching closer to announcing his 2024 presidential bid, and is partaking in a hallowed American political tradition: the release of the campaign book. This subgenre is less about presenting an agenda than about giving voters a general feel for who a candidate is and where they want to take the country. And a truly good campaign book will help to impart the candidate’s sense of history, which is no small thing, since, as Theodore White wrote in The Making of the President: “A President can trust no one and no theology except his own sense of history; all the instruments of government must be subordinate to this… and when this supreme guidance is lacking, the instruments themselves are useless.”
With The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Survival, DeSantis very clearly frames his prospective candidacy in light of our historical moment: he is the tribune of the red states and antidote to the ills of progressivism. He is keen to highlight his achievements as governor: resisting lockdowns, fighting wokeism in schools, and standing up to big corporations like Disney, one of the state’s major employers. His record won him a landslide re-election in November with 59% of the vote, flipping Miami-Dade (with its concentration of Latino voters) and Palm Beach counties from the Democrats. But will his success be enough to snatch the nomination from Trump and the presidency from Joe Biden?
Though the book is generous with praise for Donald Trump, the unstated premise of DeSantis’s run is that he can do what the former president once did but without the outsize flaws. If DeSantis truly wishes to displace Trump as the party’s leader, he must prove that he is a superior vessel for the populist impulses that now predominate in the GOP (“Trumpism without Trump”). The problem with the 45th president, as I have argued before, is that he was not able to follow through on the authentically populist and nationalist instincts that won him the White House in 2016. Under the influence of institutional Republicans, his administration largely stuck to the standard party line, or else failed to deliver in the few instances when the president’s advisers did try to break free of Reaganite dogmas. (In a strange twist, Trump disowned his administration’s most impressive executive achievement — the vaccine roll-out — in order to win culture war points.)
Trump also failed to grow his coalition by winning the support of moderates and independents, who are less likely to care about his partisan vendettas. Per Theodore White, a president with a sharper historical sense would have been more alert to the transformative potential of the present moment which, like the New Deal or the end of the Cold War, marks the epochal movement from one paradigm to another. Such a leader would also not have been so easy to derail or distract.
So, does Ron DeSantis fit this bill? By all accounts, he is a far more cerebral politician than Trump ever was, and, being more conscious of the shifting ideological tides in the GOP, he is in theory less likely to be co-opted by the professional conservatives in Washington. DeSantis’s intellectual streak can be seen in his CV: he is an Ivy League graduate, had a stint as a history teacher, and authored a now forgotten 2011 book, Dreams From Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama, in which he derived his vision of conservatism from the framers of the Constitution. DeSantis is able to engage with groups like the National Conservatism Conference (“NatCon”), a gathering of heterodox thinkers, in ways that more pedestrian elected officials can’t. Looking at his pronouncements in these intellectual settings can help piece together DeSantis’s own distinct “sense of history”.
In September, DeSantis gave the headline speech to the NatCon gathering on his home turf in Miami. He seemed aware of what made this era different from Reagan’s: “when Reagan came on the scene, for example, it was really big government that was to blame… You now have a woke mind virus that has infected all these other institutions.” DeSantis was saying what many populist Republicans have been thinking, which is that the private sector needs to be reined in just as much as the state — a sea change in conservative philosophy. And if “culture war is class warfare”, as J.D. Vance (another rising star of the Right) said, then one can expect cultural and economic grievances to be bundled together as the Right takes stands against firms like Disney, fighting against cultural wokeism while also fighting for the material interest of the working class.
But taking a closer look at DeSantis’ war on Disney shows that this is not actually how it works. DeSantis was ruthless in stripping the various privileges that the state had long granted to Disney in response to their opposition to Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill. As one impressed conservative columnist put it, here was clear evidence that the governor was ready “to take on Big Business on behalf of the little guy”, which was “Reagan-era Republican heresy”. However, conspicuously absent in DeSantis’s case against “The Happiest Place On Earth” is any mention of its exploitative working conditions or its refusal to pay decent wages to its workers. DeSantis appears to be indifferent to the properly economic dimensions of populism and is only concerned about calling out corporations in so far as a cultural dispute over wokeism is involved. Man cannot live on culture war alone, and it was left to Bernie Sanders to speak up about these bread-and-butter concerns. It doesn’t help DeSantis’s populist bona fides either that even after their feud, Disney lobbyists remained co-chairs for his inauguration.
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SubscribeI am just going to repost my comment from “How Miami Turned Red”. This is just another joke article from Cuenco. DeSantis has much more going for him than just culture war fights.
“There are several other things that have helped Ron DeSantis. First, he has mostly stayed out of the abortion wars (that thing that the GOP just lost big time on) other than signing a bill that reasonably banned abortion after 15 weeks. Second, DeSantis handled the hurricane and disaster response in his state like any good governor is supposed to. This might not sound like much, but it is extremely rare. Third, he had populist economic leanings before he became governor. This means he was not imitating Trump and was being his own man. Whether he will stay this way under establishment pressure remains to be seen. Fourth he fights back against those who attack him without hesitation, but does it calmer, much more intelligently, and with better vocabulary than the only other guy known for fighting back. Fifth, DeSantis was willing to work with Democrat state legislatures and officials when it came to Covid. Most of the drama came from Democrats in Washington D.C. Finally, basic competent everyday governance. Seriously, do not underestimate this one. A lot of American governors do little governing, and their constituents notice.”
Finally, I know neoliberals like Cuenco love to crap on the Anti-Federalists and their Anti-Federalist Papers, but they are the only reason the American system of government has its checks and balances as well as the Bill of Rights. Read them sometime. They are very enlightening. See the neoliberals hate that there are guardrails in place to prevent them from forcing through whatever they want. Also, this is just an aside, but both the Federalist Papers and Anti-Federalist Papers refute the 1619 Project nonsense thoroughly. As far as Hamilton goes, he was one of the shadiest people to ever be involved in American government. I would recommend you read Matt Stoller’s excellent article on him if you would like to know more.
https://thebaffler.com/salvos/hamilton-hustle-stoller
Apart from name calling Cuenco, what about the issues about workers rights and immigration raised in the article? (Good advice for everyone here – play the arguments, not the person).
How different in other words is de Santis?
What name calling Andrew? Man you should attend some of my debates and discussions. Would make you less of a cry-baby. Just saying.
I’ve very little idea about this stuff, but calling someone a ‘cry-baby’ is surely name calling?!
I’ve very little idea about this stuff, but calling someone a ‘cry-baby’ is surely name calling?!
What name calling Andrew? Man you should attend some of my debates and discussions. Would make you less of a cry-baby. Just saying.
I agree. There is far more substance to DeSantis than the biased media is prepared to acknowledge. I read about Hamilton yeas ago and he was certainly tainted.
Now just refreshing my memory – it was his duel with Barr which did not go too well for him.
It was Burr, not Barr. (Eye roll.)
It was Burr, not Barr. (Eye roll.)
Very true. However, in DeSantis’s attempt to cut off Trump he is over-emphasizing the culture war, which paints him as Trumpian in the minds of the independent voters he needs to win over. A great number of us Trump voters do not want to hold our noses again and vote for Trump. It is the rare Trump voter who will not vote DeSantis vs Biden or Harris or any Donkey.
DeSantis has ‘not yet begun to fight’. Too many underestimate his intelligence (NYTIMES) and fortitude and vision for the country. De Santis attended Harvard, became a Navy Seal and grew a prominent state and that’s just for starters.
If Trump had won in 2020, you can bet that the vaccines would be referred to as ‘the Trump vaccines’ to this day.
The issue is not whether the vaccines worked or not, but that the work happened under the Trump Administration, and the rollout was very successful.
Doubt it. Once the duplicity of Fauci arrived, he would be justifiably quite angry with how he was played.
Doubt it. Once the duplicity of Fauci arrived, he would be justifiably quite angry with how he was played.
If Trump had won in 2020, you can bet that the vaccines would be referred to as ‘the Trump vaccines’ to this day.
The issue is not whether the vaccines worked or not, but that the work happened under the Trump Administration, and the rollout was very successful.
RE: DeSantis has much more going for him than just culture war fights.
No kidding. You don’t turn a state from blue to red with a 20-point swing solely based on how you handle the culture wars. Good on him, though, for taking them on and doing what most politicians are — inexplicably — frightened of doing.
Thanks for a solid rebuttal. At issue to me is the eternal overreach of government that needs some constraints that we hoped were in the amendments. Those have weakened over time. Our regulations and laws are are cumulative building forever, not constrained much. Trump’s notion of remove some regs if you want more has some validity. An IRS with bookshelves of rules might be fine for professionals but not for people. Ever building complexity for what ought to be simplified. We don’t need the divorce or the Jeffersonian restoration, but an effort to start cleaning house. That, of course, affects the sinecures of a huge number of people including all politicians. Perhaps why a clueless Trump could not be tolerated.
We do need a man on a mission, not sure Ron is that, but hopefully the nation can find the right person. We know it won’t be Biden.
Excellent analysis
Indeed, far more truthful than the article
Whatever the merits or demerits of DeSantis, the fact that 30 percent of Republican voters still remain loyal Trumpites remains the supreme obstacle to his candidacy – a roadblock that may turn into a landmine for the GOP. All those who praise his strengths have to explore why he remains a stealth candidate.
Apart from name calling Cuenco, what about the issues about workers rights and immigration raised in the article? (Good advice for everyone here – play the arguments, not the person).
How different in other words is de Santis?
I agree. There is far more substance to DeSantis than the biased media is prepared to acknowledge. I read about Hamilton yeas ago and he was certainly tainted.
Now just refreshing my memory – it was his duel with Barr which did not go too well for him.
Very true. However, in DeSantis’s attempt to cut off Trump he is over-emphasizing the culture war, which paints him as Trumpian in the minds of the independent voters he needs to win over. A great number of us Trump voters do not want to hold our noses again and vote for Trump. It is the rare Trump voter who will not vote DeSantis vs Biden or Harris or any Donkey.
DeSantis has ‘not yet begun to fight’. Too many underestimate his intelligence (NYTIMES) and fortitude and vision for the country. De Santis attended Harvard, became a Navy Seal and grew a prominent state and that’s just for starters.
RE: DeSantis has much more going for him than just culture war fights.
No kidding. You don’t turn a state from blue to red with a 20-point swing solely based on how you handle the culture wars. Good on him, though, for taking them on and doing what most politicians are — inexplicably — frightened of doing.
Thanks for a solid rebuttal. At issue to me is the eternal overreach of government that needs some constraints that we hoped were in the amendments. Those have weakened over time. Our regulations and laws are are cumulative building forever, not constrained much. Trump’s notion of remove some regs if you want more has some validity. An IRS with bookshelves of rules might be fine for professionals but not for people. Ever building complexity for what ought to be simplified. We don’t need the divorce or the Jeffersonian restoration, but an effort to start cleaning house. That, of course, affects the sinecures of a huge number of people including all politicians. Perhaps why a clueless Trump could not be tolerated.
We do need a man on a mission, not sure Ron is that, but hopefully the nation can find the right person. We know it won’t be Biden.
Excellent analysis
Indeed, far more truthful than the article
Whatever the merits or demerits of DeSantis, the fact that 30 percent of Republican voters still remain loyal Trumpites remains the supreme obstacle to his candidacy – a roadblock that may turn into a landmine for the GOP. All those who praise his strengths have to explore why he remains a stealth candidate.
I am just going to repost my comment from “How Miami Turned Red”. This is just another joke article from Cuenco. DeSantis has much more going for him than just culture war fights.
“There are several other things that have helped Ron DeSantis. First, he has mostly stayed out of the abortion wars (that thing that the GOP just lost big time on) other than signing a bill that reasonably banned abortion after 15 weeks. Second, DeSantis handled the hurricane and disaster response in his state like any good governor is supposed to. This might not sound like much, but it is extremely rare. Third, he had populist economic leanings before he became governor. This means he was not imitating Trump and was being his own man. Whether he will stay this way under establishment pressure remains to be seen. Fourth he fights back against those who attack him without hesitation, but does it calmer, much more intelligently, and with better vocabulary than the only other guy known for fighting back. Fifth, DeSantis was willing to work with Democrat state legislatures and officials when it came to Covid. Most of the drama came from Democrats in Washington D.C. Finally, basic competent everyday governance. Seriously, do not underestimate this one. A lot of American governors do little governing, and their constituents notice.”
Finally, I know neoliberals like Cuenco love to crap on the Anti-Federalists and their Anti-Federalist Papers, but they are the only reason the American system of government has its checks and balances as well as the Bill of Rights. Read them sometime. They are very enlightening. See the neoliberals hate that there are guardrails in place to prevent them from forcing through whatever they want. Also, this is just an aside, but both the Federalist Papers and Anti-Federalist Papers refute the 1619 Project nonsense thoroughly. As far as Hamilton goes, he was one of the shadiest people to ever be involved in American government. I would recommend you read Matt Stoller’s excellent article on him if you would like to know more.
https://thebaffler.com/salvos/hamilton-hustle-stoller
If DeSantis runs against Biden I will be voting for him for one main reason: He will protect the gutting of Title IX and will protect women from losing sex based rights & having them replaced with Gender ID in law.
Gender ID is a bizarre & dangerous religion that can and must be stopped at the Federal level.
Well said Penny.
Yes, you make a good point about Title IX and the need to protect against gender-identity ideology. But which version of Title IX? So far, we’ve had four of them: (1) the original version; (2) the Obama version (which eliminated due process and the presumption of innocence, in order to convict as many students as possible of sexual harassment), (3) the Trump version (as revised by Betsy DeVos to reinstate due process and the presumption of innocence) or (4) the current Biden version (which once again eliminates due process and the presumption of innocence)? Of the four, my vote would go for the third.
It’s never ideal to be a one issue voter.
This is an underappreciated sentiment. I suspect there are thousands of women like you and the 2nd wave feminists like my mother, who are basically liberals who want a decent society and otherwise to be left alone.
If DeSantis can secure those, he wins. It may be that “the culture war” doesn’t resonate with voters. But… “my daughter’s friend had to share a locker room with a boy” resonates with every single woman. They may be afraid to talk about it (women tend against overt conflict) but they will vote on it.
Pundits underestimate how important this is to many people. Parents are terrified their child is going to announce they are transgender because they know they will have to fight the schools and health care system. The Democrats have been unwisely doubling down on this issue and I think they will pay for it.
Well said Penny.
Yes, you make a good point about Title IX and the need to protect against gender-identity ideology. But which version of Title IX? So far, we’ve had four of them: (1) the original version; (2) the Obama version (which eliminated due process and the presumption of innocence, in order to convict as many students as possible of sexual harassment), (3) the Trump version (as revised by Betsy DeVos to reinstate due process and the presumption of innocence) or (4) the current Biden version (which once again eliminates due process and the presumption of innocence)? Of the four, my vote would go for the third.
It’s never ideal to be a one issue voter.
This is an underappreciated sentiment. I suspect there are thousands of women like you and the 2nd wave feminists like my mother, who are basically liberals who want a decent society and otherwise to be left alone.
If DeSantis can secure those, he wins. It may be that “the culture war” doesn’t resonate with voters. But… “my daughter’s friend had to share a locker room with a boy” resonates with every single woman. They may be afraid to talk about it (women tend against overt conflict) but they will vote on it.
Pundits underestimate how important this is to many people. Parents are terrified their child is going to announce they are transgender because they know they will have to fight the schools and health care system. The Democrats have been unwisely doubling down on this issue and I think they will pay for it.
If DeSantis runs against Biden I will be voting for him for one main reason: He will protect the gutting of Title IX and will protect women from losing sex based rights & having them replaced with Gender ID in law.
Gender ID is a bizarre & dangerous religion that can and must be stopped at the Federal level.
“Polling shows that banging on about Critical Race Theory has failed to resonate with all but a small slice of parents across the country.”
This was the saddest assertion in the article. Of course, DeSantis can’t build an entire platform solely on resistance to CRT (I’m sure he knows that), but why on earth don’t most parents, certainly the white ones, recognize what CRT is doing to their kids from grade school all the way through college? It’s no longer just a fad that flourishes in the hot house environment of academia.
That parents won’t take the trouble to understand what is being taught to their children, and to push back if they do understand, bodes ill not just for the next election but for the future of the country.
Is anyone else noticing an increasing number of apparently illiterate and innumerate teenage cashiers out there?
Not to worry. If the Davos set get their way, cash won’t be a thing for much longer.
Paul. I made an observation to friends the other day and the agreement was universal. I said, “have you noticed how Gen Z cashiers pick the coins one by one out of the coin tray, as if they were counting on their fingers? And they don’t seem to understand why the coin trays are curved.” Not only that. They are confounded by how to hand the bills and coins back to the customer. I have a relative who just retired from his D1 athletics coaching position after 30 years. He calls Gen Z “uncoachable.” My daughters, both Gen Z, both raised working in their mother’s shop, are exasperated by the the cosmic ignorance of their contemporaries at work. I told them not to worry. Wherever you work, you’ll end up running the place. Then you can hire old people and kids who grew up on a farm.
Not to worry. If the Davos set get their way, cash won’t be a thing for much longer.
Paul. I made an observation to friends the other day and the agreement was universal. I said, “have you noticed how Gen Z cashiers pick the coins one by one out of the coin tray, as if they were counting on their fingers? And they don’t seem to understand why the coin trays are curved.” Not only that. They are confounded by how to hand the bills and coins back to the customer. I have a relative who just retired from his D1 athletics coaching position after 30 years. He calls Gen Z “uncoachable.” My daughters, both Gen Z, both raised working in their mother’s shop, are exasperated by the the cosmic ignorance of their contemporaries at work. I told them not to worry. Wherever you work, you’ll end up running the place. Then you can hire old people and kids who grew up on a farm.
The “statistic” was in the Independent, already tainted and buried in its article . If I had to answer questions about my kids education, I would also mention Math, Science, English etc. as my priority and not check CRT as the top of my educational concern, although I would find it very important, that my kids don’t get brainwashed by some woke philosophy…
Your priority and CRT are related. The more CRT is taught, the less untainted math, science and English will be taught to your kids.
Your priority and CRT are related. The more CRT is taught, the less untainted math, science and English will be taught to your kids.
I don’t know where the polling data comes from, but I wouldn’t take it at face value because polls are nothing more than “snapshots in time.” Things change. My impression is that more and more parents really are fighting back against school boards, teachers, unions and state governments that have been harming children in at least two ways: (1) teaching them racial and gender ideologies that are not only divisive and destructive but also anti-meritocratic and (2) not teaching them effectively the basic skills that students will need in order to work and function effectively as citizens in a democratic society. This rebellion of parents (and other voters) might or might not yet have roused the majority out of complacency, but it might well do so in the near future.
Is anyone else noticing an increasing number of apparently illiterate and innumerate teenage cashiers out there?
The “statistic” was in the Independent, already tainted and buried in its article . If I had to answer questions about my kids education, I would also mention Math, Science, English etc. as my priority and not check CRT as the top of my educational concern, although I would find it very important, that my kids don’t get brainwashed by some woke philosophy…
I don’t know where the polling data comes from, but I wouldn’t take it at face value because polls are nothing more than “snapshots in time.” Things change. My impression is that more and more parents really are fighting back against school boards, teachers, unions and state governments that have been harming children in at least two ways: (1) teaching them racial and gender ideologies that are not only divisive and destructive but also anti-meritocratic and (2) not teaching them effectively the basic skills that students will need in order to work and function effectively as citizens in a democratic society. This rebellion of parents (and other voters) might or might not yet have roused the majority out of complacency, but it might well do so in the near future.
“Polling shows that banging on about Critical Race Theory has failed to resonate with all but a small slice of parents across the country.”
This was the saddest assertion in the article. Of course, DeSantis can’t build an entire platform solely on resistance to CRT (I’m sure he knows that), but why on earth don’t most parents, certainly the white ones, recognize what CRT is doing to their kids from grade school all the way through college? It’s no longer just a fad that flourishes in the hot house environment of academia.
That parents won’t take the trouble to understand what is being taught to their children, and to push back if they do understand, bodes ill not just for the next election but for the future of the country.
The idea that DeSantis’s appeal is limited to his headline-grabbing forays into the culture wars is nothing but wishful thinking on the part of the media class. His sane VVuh@n F1u response alone is a real achievement. Or does the author mean to suggest it was DeSantis’s stance in the culture wars that flipped Miami-Dade and Palm Beach?
Though, if you’re going to drum up support through the culture wars, you could do worse than take the fight to the universities, as DeSantis is doing.
The Trump-DeSantis showdown, if indeed it takes place, will be fascinating.
As for what government is “for,” no, let’s not have elaborate definitions and agendas, let alone, God forbid, new powers. This belief that the government ought to be “doing” something all the time is popular in California and DC, but less inspiring to everyone else.
Isn’t this part of Trump’s enduring appeal? Let’s keep the government from “doing” so much and let the people do what they will. I don’t know if DeSantis is as convincing on this point. Surely a significant portion of GOP primary voters will have their doubts.
“keep the government from “doing” so much” – Quite so.
“keep the government from “doing” so much” – Quite so.
The idea that DeSantis’s appeal is limited to his headline-grabbing forays into the culture wars is nothing but wishful thinking on the part of the media class. His sane VVuh@n F1u response alone is a real achievement. Or does the author mean to suggest it was DeSantis’s stance in the culture wars that flipped Miami-Dade and Palm Beach?
Though, if you’re going to drum up support through the culture wars, you could do worse than take the fight to the universities, as DeSantis is doing.
The Trump-DeSantis showdown, if indeed it takes place, will be fascinating.
As for what government is “for,” no, let’s not have elaborate definitions and agendas, let alone, God forbid, new powers. This belief that the government ought to be “doing” something all the time is popular in California and DC, but less inspiring to everyone else.
Isn’t this part of Trump’s enduring appeal? Let’s keep the government from “doing” so much and let the people do what they will. I don’t know if DeSantis is as convincing on this point. Surely a significant portion of GOP primary voters will have their doubts.
This has to be the worst political article in a long time – drivel….and bias, and not getting it. ‘A view from my Bubble’ should be the name of it….
This has to be the worst political article in a long time – drivel….and bias, and not getting it. ‘A view from my Bubble’ should be the name of it….
I disagree with the fundamental argument of the article. DeSantis has a long list of solid achievements as governor. How about the budget surplus Florida now has? How about the earlier than most opening of schools after the disastrous lockdowns? How about his response to Hurricane Ian?
‘Yes, parents have no patience for woke excesses, but neither do they endorse the other extreme, which results in the same pathologies (book bans, political uniformity) but in a conservative direction.’ I’m going to need a list of states where the latter has happened. Where in America is conservative/Republican political uniformity enforced by school boards?
I disagree with the fundamental argument of the article. DeSantis has a long list of solid achievements as governor. How about the budget surplus Florida now has? How about the earlier than most opening of schools after the disastrous lockdowns? How about his response to Hurricane Ian?
‘Yes, parents have no patience for woke excesses, but neither do they endorse the other extreme, which results in the same pathologies (book bans, political uniformity) but in a conservative direction.’ I’m going to need a list of states where the latter has happened. Where in America is conservative/Republican political uniformity enforced by school boards?
The right’s ‘ideological fixation’ is otherwise known as ‘sanity.’ It’s a strong card for any politician.
The right’s ‘ideological fixation’ is otherwise known as ‘sanity.’ It’s a strong card for any politician.
Trump disowned his administration’s most impressive executive achievement — the vaccine roll-out
Wow! Just Wow!
Not the Abraham accords? Corporate tax reduction? Control of the border? Pacification of N Korea? Intimidation of Russia? Assassination of Soleimani? Disavowal of the Paris Accords?
This statement is all I need to know to ignore you.
Trump disowned his administration’s most impressive executive achievement — the vaccine roll-out
Wow! Just Wow!
Not the Abraham accords? Corporate tax reduction? Control of the border? Pacification of N Korea? Intimidation of Russia? Assassination of Soleimani? Disavowal of the Paris Accords?
This statement is all I need to know to ignore you.
Let me just say this: my liberal neighbors already knew they hated Ron DeSantis back in October 2021.
So that amounts to a endorsement I guess. Would you have to withdraw your support if they somehow started to like him?
Make them move to a Blue state.
Florida Democrats thrive on their sanctimony and contempt for political opponents, lose elections, and prove incapable of any honest reflection of why they lost.
So that amounts to a endorsement I guess. Would you have to withdraw your support if they somehow started to like him?
Make them move to a Blue state.
Florida Democrats thrive on their sanctimony and contempt for political opponents, lose elections, and prove incapable of any honest reflection of why they lost.
Let me just say this: my liberal neighbors already knew they hated Ron DeSantis back in October 2021.
Desantis is what a politician should sound like fighting real issues for his people and upholding the principles of freedom and liberty, his fight is far bigger than just culture wars. And firstly it’s not progressive what is happening in USA, I would argue it’s the counter to this, they are turning authoritarian like the Chinese government. This reporter is poor and I don’t see anyone agreeing with him, that said his opinion, and that is all it is, is an fair as an any other, I don’t like his opinion but I’m glad it can still be shared and the view of progressivism hasn’t yet censored everyone. Nothing new or exciting in this article, but maybe he should write for CNN!
Desantis is what a politician should sound like fighting real issues for his people and upholding the principles of freedom and liberty, his fight is far bigger than just culture wars. And firstly it’s not progressive what is happening in USA, I would argue it’s the counter to this, they are turning authoritarian like the Chinese government. This reporter is poor and I don’t see anyone agreeing with him, that said his opinion, and that is all it is, is an fair as an any other, I don’t like his opinion but I’m glad it can still be shared and the view of progressivism hasn’t yet censored everyone. Nothing new or exciting in this article, but maybe he should write for CNN!
This is an absurd comment: (Re-litigating the pandemic in 2024, when most Americans wish to move on, is also not likely to be a vote-getter.) In the world I live in this is exactly what the base wants, they want to shine light on what happened and punish the control freaks. They want to prevent if from happening again. They want blood. They want Wokism ridiculed and destroyed.
Vaccine damage claims are the new asbestos exposure and will be a big deal for years. The new Planter Class, Academia and The Swamp, will wind up Gone With The WInd. The Planter Class lived off the current stolen labor of their slaves academia is living off the stolen future labor of theirs through student loans. The Federal Government is living off stolen future tax payments by huge debt.
The Boomer Democrats are aging out. The level of debt, bloat, corruption, Wokism, and clueless evil is incredible. It will collapse. What emerges will be a new paradigm. It will be defined by people like DeSantis, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Matt Geatz, JD Vance, etc.
Yes–though it’s worth noting that many Americans, having held on to their own personal (if arbitrarily observed) mask mandates and the like for all these years, having cut friends and family out of their lives, locked their children away and so on, now would certainly like to forget the whole episode (including how vehemently they denounced the unmasked, un-“vaxxed”, unwashed masses). You meet some who simply refuse to acknowledge the subject, as if it never happened, while others say “we just didn’t know!”, but these typical responses hint at the degree to which many people feel some embarrassment about their part in the hysteria, and their willful ignorance of the consequences, which unfortunately are now plain for all to see, proving more durable than a little cold, and more tangible than online media screeds.
While I suspect the Americans who had the virtue of not going along with all the hysterical (when not calculated) nonsense–despite enormous pressure–are by and large also more forgiving by nature, I also suspect there will be some price to pay, if not officially than beneath the surface.
This is not to dispute that, as you say, many (though you are unlikely to find them in the media) are clamoring for an official reckoning.
I also sometimes wonder what will come next. Trump and to a lesser degree Bernie Sanders indicate that many people want something different. Universities are going to change–one, because they are becoming female, which is one easy way to get rid of the men; two because they offer less and less value; three because pending affirmative action cases will probably lead to changes. (Apparently religious colleges are already becoming increasingly popular.)
I also am curious to see if the woke etc people you mention will turn out to be true believers–I think many in the Baby Boomer cohort just saw a way to keep power and make a buck, and feel good while doing it of course. Or, if their woke dreams are dashed, when the Baby Boomer finding dried up, where they will vent their frustrations.
Yes–though it’s worth noting that many Americans, having held on to their own personal (if arbitrarily observed) mask mandates and the like for all these years, having cut friends and family out of their lives, locked their children away and so on, now would certainly like to forget the whole episode (including how vehemently they denounced the unmasked, un-“vaxxed”, unwashed masses). You meet some who simply refuse to acknowledge the subject, as if it never happened, while others say “we just didn’t know!”, but these typical responses hint at the degree to which many people feel some embarrassment about their part in the hysteria, and their willful ignorance of the consequences, which unfortunately are now plain for all to see, proving more durable than a little cold, and more tangible than online media screeds.
While I suspect the Americans who had the virtue of not going along with all the hysterical (when not calculated) nonsense–despite enormous pressure–are by and large also more forgiving by nature, I also suspect there will be some price to pay, if not officially than beneath the surface.
This is not to dispute that, as you say, many (though you are unlikely to find them in the media) are clamoring for an official reckoning.
I also sometimes wonder what will come next. Trump and to a lesser degree Bernie Sanders indicate that many people want something different. Universities are going to change–one, because they are becoming female, which is one easy way to get rid of the men; two because they offer less and less value; three because pending affirmative action cases will probably lead to changes. (Apparently religious colleges are already becoming increasingly popular.)
I also am curious to see if the woke etc people you mention will turn out to be true believers–I think many in the Baby Boomer cohort just saw a way to keep power and make a buck, and feel good while doing it of course. Or, if their woke dreams are dashed, when the Baby Boomer finding dried up, where they will vent their frustrations.
This is an absurd comment: (Re-litigating the pandemic in 2024, when most Americans wish to move on, is also not likely to be a vote-getter.) In the world I live in this is exactly what the base wants, they want to shine light on what happened and punish the control freaks. They want to prevent if from happening again. They want blood. They want Wokism ridiculed and destroyed.
Vaccine damage claims are the new asbestos exposure and will be a big deal for years. The new Planter Class, Academia and The Swamp, will wind up Gone With The WInd. The Planter Class lived off the current stolen labor of their slaves academia is living off the stolen future labor of theirs through student loans. The Federal Government is living off stolen future tax payments by huge debt.
The Boomer Democrats are aging out. The level of debt, bloat, corruption, Wokism, and clueless evil is incredible. It will collapse. What emerges will be a new paradigm. It will be defined by people like DeSantis, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Matt Geatz, JD Vance, etc.
“At the end of the day, most voters have little time for the ideological fixations that animate partisans of the Left and Right, and simply want an America that can deliver stability and opportunity for all.”
Then why is the left obsessively fixated on ideological issues?
“At the end of the day, most voters have little time for the ideological fixations that animate partisans of the Left and Right, and simply want an America that can deliver stability and opportunity for all.”
Then why is the left obsessively fixated on ideological issues?
This writer needs to clarify what he thinks before attempting to put it on paper. Trump disclaimed his own success on vaccination so as to win culture war points; but at the same time failed to capture the middle way vote? What does that even mean? The march on the Capitol blew any chance of middle way votes; it made Donald unfit to be President in spite of the fact that he had done a not bad job during his term.
DeSantis is, as commentators here say, a much more cerebral type; he is currently trying to create a coalition that will take him to victory; it will be interesting to see him develop over the next months. In that process please may we have a much more thoughtful reporter than Mr Cuenco?
This writer needs to clarify what he thinks before attempting to put it on paper. Trump disclaimed his own success on vaccination so as to win culture war points; but at the same time failed to capture the middle way vote? What does that even mean? The march on the Capitol blew any chance of middle way votes; it made Donald unfit to be President in spite of the fact that he had done a not bad job during his term.
DeSantis is, as commentators here say, a much more cerebral type; he is currently trying to create a coalition that will take him to victory; it will be interesting to see him develop over the next months. In that process please may we have a much more thoughtful reporter than Mr Cuenco?
Books still widely available and easily accessible in a public library but removed from the shelves of public schools due to grossly inappropriate content for the sanctioned age group does not constitute “book burning”.
Read a book.
Books still widely available and easily accessible in a public library but removed from the shelves of public schools due to grossly inappropriate content for the sanctioned age group does not constitute “book burning”.
Read a book.
To the Editors: What exactly is the value of this person opining here? It’s clear he knows absolutely nothing about that which he writes. I live in Florida. In fact, I moved here from New England largely because of the way Governor DeSantis is running the state. Every single assertion by this writer is wrong. I’m fine with all sorts of opinions and arguments that counter my own – in fact, I welcome them, which is why I subscribe to UnHerd. But I expect examples supporting those arguments to be clearly, rationally put forth. This guy is either utterly out of his intellectual depth, or just repeating others in media who’ve been told who the new target is.
To the Editors: What exactly is the value of this person opining here? It’s clear he knows absolutely nothing about that which he writes. I live in Florida. In fact, I moved here from New England largely because of the way Governor DeSantis is running the state. Every single assertion by this writer is wrong. I’m fine with all sorts of opinions and arguments that counter my own – in fact, I welcome them, which is why I subscribe to UnHerd. But I expect examples supporting those arguments to be clearly, rationally put forth. This guy is either utterly out of his intellectual depth, or just repeating others in media who’ve been told who the new target is.
What a sad article, completely missing the best of DeSantis and giving little credit for what he has already achieved. Other commentators have provided lots of information below, especially Matt Hindman, so I’ll just say that Cuenco needs to delve more profoundly into these issues before pontificating.
What a sad article, completely missing the best of DeSantis and giving little credit for what he has already achieved. Other commentators have provided lots of information below, especially Matt Hindman, so I’ll just say that Cuenco needs to delve more profoundly into these issues before pontificating.
I don’t have a lot of respect for this author, ,mostly because of his immature responses to comments on a previous article, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I expected him to be ‘anti-DeSantis’, but there was an odd lack of the ranting and raving I was expecting! Well done you. Let’s have more of this sort of thing.
I don’t have a lot of respect for this author, ,mostly because of his immature responses to comments on a previous article, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I expected him to be ‘anti-DeSantis’, but there was an odd lack of the ranting and raving I was expecting! Well done you. Let’s have more of this sort of thing.
The author would rather Mr. De Santis be a progressive driving the speed limit
The author would rather Mr. De Santis be a progressive driving the speed limit
You guys need to ban paid-for campaign advertising – or at least limit spending. It’s easy for any detached observer to see that the dominance of money in the US electoral process means you’ll always be governed by Wall St, Silicone Valley and the arms manufacturers. Even when a maverick like Trump succeeds in getting elected the money machine will crush him (or her) through their control of the media.
De Santis looks like an honourable man and a good candidate – but how many squalid compromises will he have to make to raise the funds necessary to get to the White House?
You guys need to ban paid-for campaign advertising – or at least limit spending. It’s easy for any detached observer to see that the dominance of money in the US electoral process means you’ll always be governed by Wall St, Silicone Valley and the arms manufacturers. Even when a maverick like Trump succeeds in getting elected the money machine will crush him (or her) through their control of the media.
De Santis looks like an honourable man and a good candidate – but how many squalid compromises will he have to make to raise the funds necessary to get to the White House?
Empty words of DeSantis? As opposed to those of which politician? This article is a pitiful attempt to attack the opposition. UnHerd used to do better.
Empty words of DeSantis? As opposed to those of which politician? This article is a pitiful attempt to attack the opposition. UnHerd used to do better.
Look – the war on woke is a precondition for any progress on any front.
However, this:
‘DeSantis appears to be indifferent to the properly economicdimensions of populism and is only concerned about calling out corporations in so far as a cultural dispute over wokeism is involved..
is totally right. Boris Johnson won the red wall in northern England and then completely squandered the political advantage by not delivering on very obvious economic/material issues – housing, transport etc for the North. He should have immediately announced a high speed rail from Liverpool to Hull with spurs to Glasgow and Newcastle …and the relocation of government departments to Leeds and Newcastle.
If the conservatives in America don’t develop a civic-national-populist class based response to globalism and a class-based alternative to racial tribalism, they are buggered. Really buggered.
The Scot Adams thing shows just how the wind is blowing.
But there is an alternative in social catholic political economy of distributism…..libertarianism not for individuals but for families. Abolition of fault free divorce. Massive incentivization of marriage, family, child rearing, community – and maximization of private property for families by allowing households to use what they have – garage, kitchen….as a means of production. Basically tipping the regulatory/fiscal pyramid on its head such that family/farm gate production s totally deregulated (buyer beware) ….and costs rise as enterprise gets bigger. Scale for size. This could easily be linked to a stripped down basic income – abolishing all means tested (expensive to administer) entitlement and a universal but small income, for life….for citizens only (VERY HARD policy on immigration) ……but zero poverty track, zero claw back ..maximum incentive to work. And much higher universal benefits for children….easily recouped through tax system….Revenue neutral for lower tax burden overall.
And then repatriation of industry from China. Turn our backs on authoritarians period. No exceptions
Look – the war on woke is a precondition for any progress on any front.
However, this:
‘DeSantis appears to be indifferent to the properly economicdimensions of populism and is only concerned about calling out corporations in so far as a cultural dispute over wokeism is involved..
is totally right. Boris Johnson won the red wall in northern England and then completely squandered the political advantage by not delivering on very obvious economic/material issues – housing, transport etc for the North. He should have immediately announced a high speed rail from Liverpool to Hull with spurs to Glasgow and Newcastle …and the relocation of government departments to Leeds and Newcastle.
If the conservatives in America don’t develop a civic-national-populist class based response to globalism and a class-based alternative to racial tribalism, they are buggered. Really buggered.
The Scot Adams thing shows just how the wind is blowing.
But there is an alternative in social catholic political economy of distributism…..libertarianism not for individuals but for families. Abolition of fault free divorce. Massive incentivization of marriage, family, child rearing, community – and maximization of private property for families by allowing households to use what they have – garage, kitchen….as a means of production. Basically tipping the regulatory/fiscal pyramid on its head such that family/farm gate production s totally deregulated (buyer beware) ….and costs rise as enterprise gets bigger. Scale for size. This could easily be linked to a stripped down basic income – abolishing all means tested (expensive to administer) entitlement and a universal but small income, for life….for citizens only (VERY HARD policy on immigration) ……but zero poverty track, zero claw back ..maximum incentive to work. And much higher universal benefits for children….easily recouped through tax system….Revenue neutral for lower tax burden overall.
And then repatriation of industry from China. Turn our backs on authoritarians period. No exceptions
Look – the war on woke is a precondition for any progress on any front.
However, when he says this:
“DeSantis appears to be indifferent to the properly economic dimensions of populism and is only concerned about calling out corporations in so far as a cultural dispute over wokeism is involved..”
he’s is totally right. Boris Johnson won the red wall in northern England and then completely squandered the political advantage by not delivering on very obvious economic/material issues – housing, transport etc for the North. He should have immediately announced a high speed rail from Liverpool to Hull with spurs to Glasgow and Newcastle …and the relocation of government departments to Leeds and Newcastle.
If the conservatives in America don’t develop a civic-national-populist class based response to globalism and a class-based alternative to racial tribalism, they are buggered. Really buggered.
The Scot Adams thing shows just how the wind is blowing.
But there is an alternative in social catholic political economy of distributism…..libertarianism not for individuals but for families. Abolition of fault free divorce. Massive incentivization of marriage, family, child rearing, community – and maximization of private property for families by allowing households to use what they have – garage, kitchen….as a means of production. Basically tipping the regulatory/fiscal pyramid on its head such that family/farm gate production s totally deregulated (buyer beware) ….and costs rise as enterprise gets bigger. Scale for size. This could easily be linked to a stripped down basic income – abolishing all means tested (expensive to administer) entitlement and a universal but small income, for life….for citizens only (VERY HARD policy on immigration) ……but zero poverty track, zero claw back ..maximum incentive to work. And much higher universal benefits for children….easily recouped through tax system….Revenue neutral for lower tax burden overall.
Abolishing the school boards, allowing school funding to follow children – incentivize home schooling and community- based hubs…private schools…..anything but the state. The more parents buy into their children’s future, the prouder and more civic-oriented they become, and the more concerned about the community more generally.
Same with universities. Deregulate and allow much easier start ups…. Defund/close half of the state universities. Replace with craft colleges, apprenticeships….America doesn’t need to produce hundreds of thousands of students with ‘studies’ degrees, who can’t write, can’t add up and can’t actually do anything. Massive waste of money. Literacy, numeracy. learning by wrote, liberal arts followed by skilled craft/trades training. The perfect model is the College of St Joseph the Worker in Steubenville – learn a trade, on the job, with ‘the great books’ on the side and zero debt on graduation. If I was in America, I would move to Steubenville just for that.
And then repatriation of industry from China. Turn our backs on authoritarians period. No exceptions
Sentence that jumped out – ‘At the end of the day, most voters have little time for the ideological fixations that animate partisans of the Left and Right’.
As applicable elsewhere as in the US? And whilst politicians tend to feel the need to throw some ‘red meat’ to their activists the wise know that’s never enough to build a successful and sustainable coalition of voters.
No doubt though the general UnHerd commentariat will fall more on the ‘activist’ side and need more red meat to be content. ‘Red meat’ is what part-generates the subscription. But not the typical voter one would suspect.
Sentence that jumped out – ‘At the end of the day, most voters have little time for the ideological fixations that animate partisans of the Left and Right’.
As applicable elsewhere as in the US? And whilst politicians tend to feel the need to throw some ‘red meat’ to their activists the wise know that’s never enough to build a successful and sustainable coalition of voters.
No doubt though the general UnHerd commentariat will fall more on the ‘activist’ side and need more red meat to be content. ‘Red meat’ is what part-generates the subscription. But not the typical voter one would suspect.