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Ron DeSantis Announces His 2024 Candidacy (VIDEO)

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After teasing it heavily in the run-up, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has made it official (beyond his earlier FEC filing) that he is running for President of the United States in 2024.

DeSantis, who recently won re-election in Florida with an overwhelming majority, recently wrapped up a very successful legislative session and has been touring several early primary states, like Iowa. But the campaign team has been relatively silent in the run-up to Wednesday’s filing and announcement, with several media outlets attacking DeSantis for not granting them access to the inner workings of his team.

While there were technical difficulties – as hundreds of thousands of people flooded the Twitter Spaces interview between Elon Musk and DeSantis – he did make it official.

The DeSantis campaign also dropped a campaign announcement at the same time.

“Our border is a disaster. Crime infests our cities. The federal government makes it harder for families to make ends meet. And the president flounders,” he says in the video. “But decline is a choice. Success is attainable. And freedom is worth fighting for.”

DeSantis will be making his pitch to the voters as someone who is more on their level, and facing down the issues that blue-collar parents and families face every day.

Husband and father of three, DeSantis has certainly cast himself as a pro-family fighter. He has championed pro-life legislation and has even been attacked by other Republicans, like former president and current primary opponent Donald Trump, as too pro-life. He also signed into law sales tax exemptions for certain family necessities like diapers and cribs.

Election 2024 DeSantis
AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

Based on his speeches and press conferences, it seems DeSantis will be focusing on turning America around. He has frequently championed truth, which he has claimed is under assault – and has on multiple occasions checked reporters who attempt “gotcha” questions based on political talking points rather than facts. He has proven a worthy adversary of contentious media, and it’s a rivalry that is bound to get more intense.

While being a Governor and being a President are vastly different jobs, DeSantis will likely make a play for the presidency not just on social and cultural issues but his record as a governor and what has made his state a beacon of refuge for citizens from all over the country. It’s one of the fastest-growing states in the nation because it’s become extremely attractive to voters.

What Is His Strategy?

You’re likely going to see DeSantis go on the attack against his opponents in three different areas:

  1. Winning: DeSantis has mentioned several times that he wants to bring back a culture of winning to a party that has struggled to do so in the last couple of election cycles. While Republicans underperformed in 2022, he soared to re-election in a state that was considered purple at best.
  2. Keeping Promises: He has touted his ability to keep promises to voters and the results can be seen in his popularity at home and his re-election victory. It appears that his voters trust his agenda and that he’ll stick with it.
  3. Stopping the Decline: Turning the country around means not making the mistakes of the past, and it’s very likely that DeSantis will refer to those mistakes – like COVID shutdowns and the rise of Anthony Fauci – in an effort to show he’s even willing to fight members of his own party if it means doing the right thing for the people he represents.
The Race Is On

DeSantis is now the fifth big name in the race, running against former president Donald Trump, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy for the Republican nomination. There are others looking to jump in – like Mike Pence, Chris Christie, Glenn Youngkin, and others – but DeSantis jumping into the race can change the lay of the land.

Democrat-Run Kansas City Becomes Transgender Sanctuary City in GOP-Led Missouri

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In the ongoing war for what is billed as the rights of transgender Americans — which apparently include allowing children to make life-altering decisions — officials in Kansas City Missouri have declared that city to be an LGBTQ+ and Transgender sanctuary city. This means that the city will provide a safe haven for transgender people who are seeking so-called gender-affirming care, as well as those who would provide that care. Such care would include puberty blockers, hormones, or surgery.

The resolution, approved 12-1 by the city council, was signed by Democrat Mayor Quinton Lucas on Thursday. Lucas stated that he wants Kansas City to be a “welcoming, inclusive, and safe place for everyone, including our transgender and LGBTQ+ community.” Also, in a sort of nose-thumbing to GOP state officials, the city resolution also states that if the state would pass any laws or resolutions regarding criminal or civil punishments, fines, or professional penalties, the city would essentially not enforce those laws, or make them “their lowest priority.”

The resolution comes just one day after the Missouri Legislature finalized a bill prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors and putting restrictions on care available to adults. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, is expected to sign the bill. The legislature is also controlled by Republicans. At the same time, a judge is considering an emergency order from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, also a Republican, that would mandate a full year of therapy and other requirements for both adults and children before receiving any gender-affirming care.

The whistle was blown, at least in Missouri, in February by a former employee at the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital named Jamie Reed. Reed described herself as a “queer woman, married to a transman, politically to the left of Bernie Sanders,” hardly a dyed-in-the-wool conservative. But after four years of working at the clinic, she took very serious concerns to AG Bailey. Reed described such things as lack of protocol, very little in the way of testimony from other medical professionals when considering whether to put children at the clinic on opposite-sex hormones, and a sharp increase in the number of cases that came into the clinic in her role as intake and case manager. She also stated that she came to realize the children who came to the clinic were in no way able to understand concepts like being infertile for life when being told about possible side effects of taking hormones. But what might have been Reed’s most shocking revelation — yet also the most telling — was that patients from the inpatient psychiatric unit of Children’s Hospital began to be referred to the clinic.

Merrique Jensen is a transwoman, and founder of Transformations KC, a non-profit advocacy group for transgender women of color. She said of the resolution:

This resolution is an entrance into a conversation and shows a commitment where trans people’s presence in Kansas City is valued. It would minimize the legal violence toward trans people in accessing gender-affirming care.

Officials in Kansas City either don’t know about Reed’s revelations, or have chosen to ignore them, joining other cities like Austin Texas, Chicago, Minneapolis, and West Hollywood California. California, Minnesota, and Washington have declared their entire states sanctuaries for gender-affirming care. But the resolution in Kansas City poses a few issues. Currently, the Kansas City Police Department is overseen by a state-appointed Board of Police Commissioners. So any prosecution of violation of the new state law would be filed by a county prosecutor, not city. That could make enforcing the resolution in Kansas City difficult. But an even deeper question is raised by the fact that Kansas City is a blue area in a red state. There are plenty of red areas in blue states that have declared the entire state a transgender sanctuary. Certainly, the tables can turn, and those red areas can declare themselves separate non-sanctuary areas from the rest of the state. Either way beware, blue sanctuary cities could be coming to a red state near you.

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Republicans have cracked on gun control, but not broken yet

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With the most recent cluster of mass shootings, gun rights advocates are looking to Republican lawmakers to hold firm against gun control.

Democrats aren’t interested in it. At best, some are just going to lay low and vote whichever way the polls say they should vote. None are going to stand up to the rest of their party for our rights.

Which means Republicans have to hold the line.

However, we’ve seen problems with that strategy already. As the AP put it, cracks have formed.

There have been a few cracks in the predictable pattern of Republican-controlled states loosening gun laws while Democratic states tighten them. But it’s far too soon to say the GOP is changing direction even amid a record-setting pace for mass killings in the United States.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, is sticking by his plan to call a special legislative session on gun control. Lee had asked lawmakers to pass a bill allowing judges to take away guns from people who the judge thinks pose an imminent threat to themselves or others. Lee shies away from calling his plan a red flag law, which he calls a “toxic political label.”

And two Republicans in a Texas legislative committee broke ranks to advance a bill that would raise the purchase age for semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21.

“We cannot assume that gun safety is not possible in states led by Republicans,” said Allison Anderman, who tracks state legislation for the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which favors more restrictions.

Yeah, this isn’t a good sign. Gov. Lee signed constitutional carry in his state only to now push a red flag law–I know he refuses to call it that, but it is what it is. Texas Republicans are considering gun control. Texas.

However, this isn’t a black-pill moment. The wall hasn’t crumbled yet.

Still, a quick Republican turnaround is unlikely after decades of making gun rights a party cornerstone. Top GOP lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott oppose the Texas bill, while Lee has faced resistance from Tennessee Republicans. Nearly half the states have passed legislation this year related to gun policies or school safety, an Associated Press survey found. The bills are split roughly equally between Democratic-led states tightening gun restrictions and Republican-led states expanding gun rights.

No, it’s not the end we’re experiencing, but it could be if we’re not careful.

We’re trusting Republican lawmakers to prevent gun control at various levels of government anywhere they can. Sure, they’re unable to in heavily blue states like California or New York, but they can in states like Texas.

For gun rights advocates with no interest in gun control, the choices are limited. Either replace anti-gun Republicans with lawmakers that will oppose gun control or wait until your options evaporate.

Look, part of the reason the GOP has been as pro-gun as it has been was because they know their base would eviscerate them for supporting anti-gun policies. It’s time to remind them that the world hasn’t changed that much. Without gun owners, Republicans have a hard path to follow if they want to return to office.

There’s a lot of other ground that could be covered. Gun control isn’t the answer and it never was.

Don’t Trust Democrats With Your Grandma

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We all know that the knowledge, experience, and wisdom of America’s senior citizens should be one of the most treasured resources we have. Who among us doesn’t wish we could have even one day back with a grandparent so we could prompt them to tell stories about what life in America was like in their younger days? We want to record those memories for ourselves, our children, and future generations of our family so they are not lost. Older Americans are remaining in the work force longer today than before, for some it is an economic necessity, but for others, they have no desire to slow down. Working and being active is not only better for their mental and physical well being, but they set examples for younger generations.

As we all eventually find out, aging tends to creep up on you. Some things we just don’t do like we did before. It is usually about the time most people tend to think about retirement and cutting back on work. Then there are some who insist on continuing on. And it seems like a lot of those people end up in Washington D.C. A quick look at the age of America’s leaders, and it is pretty apparent that, while Washington D.C. has been dubbed “the swamp,” it is also the gerontocracy. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is 72, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is 81, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is 83. Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy clock in as the youngsters, both aged 58, with President Joe Biden, also at age 81.

While Republicans have served in the House and Senate well into old age as well, currently, a group of aging lawmakers in the Democrat Party may be a problem for them. The question of Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities is not a new one. They began to surface before the 2020 presidential election. But now, Biden’s mental decline is becoming apparent, and even Democrats are having to admit there might be a problem. Slurred sentences, shaking hands with no one, and being seen led around by the hand by First Lady Jill Biden on several occasions are things that are concerning. But here is the problem. For Democrats, if not Joe then who? Vice President Kamala Harris cannot get through a word salad of a sentence without cackling, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been mentioned as a possible candidate, but he will turn the rest of the country into California, not a winning strategy for Democrats and they know it. If Joe Biden were to be reelected, he will be 82 at that time. At the end of a second term, he will be 86. Any guesses as to what his cognitive abilities will be like by then? Yet Democrats see no other option than dragging Joe across the finish line any way they can.

Democrats have a similar problem in the Senate. Right now, the Senate is a curious animal. There are 48 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and 3 Independents, who caucus with Democrats. Hanging onto every one of those seats is paramount in order to keep a majority. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) returned to Washington after a months-long bout of shingles. Feinstein is 89. She is still suffering from some side effects of shingles like impaired vision and balance. But Feinstein’s issues are more than just recovery from shingles. Reports surfaced in April of 2022 of rapid deterioration of Feinstein’s memory, and forgetting names of long-time colleagues. But Democrats need her vote, so what to do? Apparently dragging her across the finish line until 2024 any way they can.

See a pattern here? Democrats love to portray Republicans as not caring about senior citizens — who can forget the 2012 Democrat campaign ad showing a then-vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan look-a-like tossing grandma off a cliff? But who really seem to be the purveyors of elder abuse? Power is clearly a dangerous thing in the hands of Democrats. They seem to be willing to hold onto it any way they can. Apparently, that includes using elderly, cognitively impaired individuals as placeholders when no other avenue is available to them. How embarrassing do things have to get for Biden and Feinstein, and possibly others like them before Democrats will let them off the hook for being responsible for Democrat dominance in Washington D.C.?

If the Democrat shenanigans of 2020 should have taught Republicans anything, it is that there is no line Democrats aren’t willing to cross in order to hang onto power with their bony fingers. If Democrats are feeling vulnerable, better hide grandma.

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There’s a reason GOP candidates don’t favor gun control

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Republicans aren’t universally pro-gun, as we’ve recently seen. However, they generally are far more pro-gun than their opponents. That’s why most gun rights advocates tend to vote for Republican candidates.

Yet this baffles many people for some reason.

Sometimes, someone who is baffled by this takes to the op-ed pages to express their bafflement.

Red states and blue states.

Big cities and small towns.

The young and the old.

It doesn’t matter to the bullets.

And this toll doesn’t matter enough to Republican members of Congress. There’s no need to soft-shoe it. Popovich didn’t.

“I mean, I couldn’t believe it, so I wrote this thing down, but Sen. Marsha Blackburn, her comment after was, after the massacre, ‘My office is in contact with federal, state and local officials and we stand ready to assist,’” [Spurs’ head coach Greg] Popovich read. “In what?! They’re dead,” he shouted before later adding: “The greed of the gun lobbies and the manufacturers is obvious. … Money talks, but the cowardice and the selfishness of the legislators who are so scared to death of being primaried and losing their job…”

He’s right about all of it.

And the fact that he’s not afraid to call out conservatives by name on this issue while also being one of the most recognizable faces in Military City, USA, should tell you just how out of touch some of the Republicans in Congress are. They don’t know their own base. Why are elected officials so worried that gun legislation would stir up opposition in their next primary? Backing gun control measures that 90% of Americans support is not dangerous. There would be nothing brave about a Republican coming out in favor of universal background checks.

A basketball coach who happens to be in a heavily military city takes an anti-gun stand and that’s supposed to mean something?

San Antonio may be dubbed Military City, USA, but it’s still a large city. Further, many of those military folks don’t vote in Texas. They’re registered in their home states, which means that it’s the full-time residents who determine the city’s politics…and are the ones generally buying Spurs’ tickets.

Whether Popovich’s plea will do anything to ticket sales remains to be seen. Regardless, him spouting nonsense doesn’t actually mean anything except that he spouted nonsense.

But the author continues…

Politicians who cling to once-safe positions will be left behind when public opinion turns, as it has on gun policy.

…

Republican voters, you should have options in your primary. There should be some GOP candidates who agree with the American public that Congress should do something to curb gun violence. It is possible to dislike President Biden and still vote for someone who has more to offer after a mass shooting than thoughts and prayers.

The reason nothing changes is that we have a tendency to treat primary season as the warm-up act for the general. In Texas, where the Uvalde massacre happened not quite a year ago, fewer than 1 in 5 registered voters participated in the 2022 primary.

The gun lobby is not the sole reason for our growing problem with gun violence. The cowards Popovich spoke about are the beneficiaries of an electorate that waits until November. It’s in the primary where more solutions to our gun crisis lie.

What she doesn’t seem to understand–then again, she thinks a coach spouting off means something, so her lack of understanding shouldn’t be shocking–is that there’s a reason why those polling numbers haven’t turned into Republican anti-gun votes.

First, there’s the fact that when we look deeper at many of those anti-gun policies supposedly enjoying broad support, we find issues with the polling itself. “Do you support background checks on gun sales?” is an easy question to ask, and many would say yes. They’re assuming you mean our current background check system.

When they’ve been asked more detailed questions, a lot of that falls apart.

And that’s not just Republicans, either. That’s across the political divide.

Further, what the author doesn’t get is that even if a Republican would like to see something like universal background checks, they often don’t rate it that high of a priority. They prefer to focus on other issues like economics or crime. As such, they’re not going to vote for anti-gun candidates since those also tend to be bad on a number of other issues as far as such voters are concerned.

But hey, I can’t stop someone from dreaming. She’s welcome to believe that a basketball coach with a long history of social activism continuing it actually means something if she wants to. She’s also free to believe she’s an alien from the planet Zanzabah if she wants.

They have about as much accuracy.