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Tropical beaches, golden sunsets, sophisticated beachside metropolises and a hint of freedom in the air: Florida magically attracts the masses. Last year, 137 million tourists visited the Sunshine State. And The Villages, a retirement home for the wealthy, now has a population of 80,000 and is one of the fastest growing settlements in America.
Florida has a lot of fans. Ron DeSantis (44) knows that too, as governor something like the only federal council member of the 22 million ‘Floridians’. DeSantis, a high-spirited ex-lawyer with three kids and two elite college degrees, released a book earlier this week called The Courage to Be Free. Florida as a Blueprint for America’s Revival». The book’s conclusion: “Make America Florida!”
DeSantis should not anger Trump
Of course, DeSantis knows he can’t export his homeland’s many hours of sunshine and tourist attractions across the country. But with the freedom he gave the Floridians as governor, the man with the snow-white teeth and the wide-cut suits now wants to peddle the country.
Ron DeSantis wants to be president of the US. He has still not officially announced this, but made it abundantly clear with the publication of his book. The publication of one’s beliefs in book form is an almost inevitable ritual in the path of any candidate for the top White House job. Even Donald Trump, 76, better known for his short tweets than his in-depth tomes, repeatedly referred to his 1987 book “The Art of Deals” in his two presidential campaigns.
It is this Donald Trump who must leave Ron DeSantis behind on his long road to the Republican nomination as presidential candidate. Not an easy task. The ex-president is way ahead of DeSantis in almost all polls. And DeSantis knows: he shouldn’t anger Trump or his supporters too much. In the final round against presumptive Democratic candidate Joe Biden (80), he would not have been able to make a move without their support.
DeSantis likes provocative political games
So DeSantis is hitting others for now. The entertainment giant Disney, for example. He runs several major theme parks in Florida and recently expressed his displeasure with DeSantis’ law that prohibits teachers through third grade from discussing gender or homosexuality in class. DeSantis then quickly revoked key Disney tax privileges and denigrated his theme park as a “Woke Wonderland”.
The former Republican member of the US House of Representatives (2013 to 2018) and adviser to the US elite unit Navy Seals in Iraq (2007 to 2008) has not shied away from such political revenge games in the past. When the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team campaigned for gun law reform in 2022 after several massacres, DeSantis blocked $35 million intended for the renovation of the baseball facility.
The same year, he flew 50 Venezuelan migrants to the vacation island of Martha’s Vineyard between Boston and New York, popular with politicians, to rub shoulders with the “East Coast elites” about the migrant problem in the southern states. .
In general, the man with college degrees from Harvard and Yale chose the elites as the ideal projection surface for his political visions. They are responsible for the attack on the freedom of ordinary Americans, he writes in his book. But Florida has established itself as a “place of reason and freedom” in an “increasingly insane world.” “Florida proves that despite everything we are not powerless,” writes DeSantis, referring to his state’s early easing during the corona pandemic and measures taken against “left-wing madness in our schools.”
More pay for the teachers, more protection for the alligators
However, DeSantis generously overlooks political achievements that sound reasonable on their own, which could cost him key right-wing constituencies in the primary campaign against Trump: as governor, for example, he allowed teachers’ wages to rise, forced tighter protections for the Everglades Alligator National Park and legalize medical marijuana.
All of these initiatives made DeSantis one of America’s most successful governors. In November, he was re-elected with nearly 60 percent of the vote. Many Latinas and African Americans also voted for the divine Republican. His political recipe seems to have caught on with a broad base. Enriched with a touch of Florida freedom, a thoroughly attractive mix for Republican voters.
Leader Donald Trump, who also lives in Florida, knows that too. Unlike most Floridians his age, the 76-year-old will do anything but sit back and enjoy life in the months to come, but will launch a political assault on his smart neighbors. The show should start soon.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
