Jay Weber Show transcript 1-5-23 6:10 am
I touched on this briefly, yesterday: how Florida governor Ron DeSantis gave a stellar inaugural speech on Tuesday, as he took the oath of office for a second term... And it was completely overshadowed by the infighting occurring over the speakership in Washington DC.
And as Byron York points out-this was quite a contrast: we got a look at the dysfunction of the republican party in dc and at the national level-generally- in the form of that speaker’s fight...
And we got a look at the sort of great successes and ringing accomplishments that a talented conservative leader and a unified GOP movement can accomplish...in the form of DeSantis and Florida republicans.
Like all effective leaders...governor DeSantis promised more of the above in a second term....and this is where I want to pick up in his inaugural speech-and play chunks of it for you- so listeners to this show, anyway, get to hear what a promising new voice -and direction-for the party and the country sounds like
(audio included in podcast below)
That line got an extended round of applause and a standing ovation. Before DeSantis dove into more ‘red meat’ for the American people-
And my point is to emphasize that- what Ron DeSantis chooses to talk about and focus on- are the things that 60 to 90 percent of Americans agree with. Everyone who isn’t a thug wants ‘law and order’. Everyone who isn’t a lunatic America-hater, wants border control.... etc. And Gov DeSantis has a great way of ‘standing up’ for what’s right, and obvious, and normal.
(audio included in podcast below)
These are things that virtually all Americans can agree on- and that all Americans who aren’t going out of their way to be radicals, lunatics, and America-haters...agree on.
I also love the way that Ron DeSantis isn’t afraid to stand up for ‘the normal’. What’s right. Traditional American values. He’s got afraid to say ‘god’, or to frame things in a faith-based way. And this next cut was the point at which Gov DeSantis pivoted to talk about the national decay we have seen due to the dysfunction in Washington-and yes-you can view it as a primer for a presidential campaign.
(audio included in podcast below)
Uuooo uuoo! He said God!
You know that infuriates the small sliver of Americans who are God-haters, but it also gives the 85 percent of Americans who aren’t- a lift.
And finally...I thought I’d play this last chunk, just as an example of the sort of soaring rhetoric and nationalism that Ron DeSantis can deliver...which is nearly as uplifting and inspiring as the sort of rhetoric that Ronald Reagan used to engage in.
And it’s the sort of rhetoric that unified the country after a terrible term of Jimmy Carter and when the American left was insisting America’s best days were behind her.
We are in nearly the same situation now-and it was the power to inspire and move people with his words-that was one reason Ronald Reagan was so successful...launched a strong run of conservatism...and has gone down as one of America’s great presidents.
(audio included in podcast below)
People: Donald Trump can’t do that.
Donald trump-doesn’t- do that.
A lot of his pre-written speeches are good, but they are also focused on impressing a smaller portion of this country: the 40 percent or so who are already ‘with him’ on things.
DeSantis has a nearly 70 percent approval rating and won re-election by 20 points because he can reach and persuade- all voters. Many of them on the left (or who call themselves democrats) won’t like-everything-he says, no.
But they’ll find themselves agreeing with some of it. They’ll find themselves stirred by the flag-waving. They’ll find some common ground with this man. This candidate. The common sense and plea for normalcy that he offers, while rejecting extremism.
Ron DeSantis isn’t just a contrast to Donald Trump. He’s a leader who has convinced Florida’s fellow republican lawmakers of the ‘rightness’ of his agenda.
And that makes DeSantis and Florida- quite a contrast to the divided and ineffective national party...and the sniping over speaker we’ve been watching.
I would-absolutely-feel good about casting a vote for that man in the 2024 primaries and general election, and I am certain that all sorts of traditional and non-traditional American votes would go out of their way to do so, too.
And yes, this scares the hell out of Joe Biden’s political team. A nervousness over facing DeSantis has already arisen...the age difference. The contrast in agendas. The clarity of DeSantis’ message...versus bumbly Joe trying to support Bernie’s agenda?
They know it wouldn’t be a contest.
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