Governor Ron DeSantis gave a scathing critique of liberal governance during a speech in California, which many are calling a pitstop in his potential presidential campaign. In his speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, DeSantis predicted that the left would inevitably lose the ongoing ‘culture war’ and that the mass exodus from liberal states is solid proof that leftist ideology is destined for failure. Although DeSantis was in California under the pretense of publicizing his newest book, the Governor presented himself as a figure of hope and conservative renewal in the tradition of President Reagan, giving his speech a very presidential feel. According to reports, later in the day, DeSantis met with over 600 donors in a closed-door event in Orange County, and an official noted the gathering “raised more money from this event than we’ve raised on any one-night fundraising event in the history of the Orange County Republican Party.” It’s clear DeSantis is building his name ID and a war chest in anticipation of something big, but time will tell whether the Governor will finally make his move.
NEWSMAX: DeSantis Derides Dems Infected With ‘Woke Mind Virus’
By Fran Beyer; March 6, 2023
Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis honed in on “woke” Democrats during a California speech at the Ronald Reagan President Library in Simi Valley, predicting blue states would lose the culture war.
In an event Sunday to promote his new book — exactly one year ahead of California’s GOP primary, the Los Angeles Times noted — DeSantis derided liberal politics.
“I think these liberal states have gotten it wrong and why are they getting it wrong?” he said, the Sacramento Bee reported.”I think it all goes back to ideology.
“And it goes back to this woke mind virus that’s infected the left and all these other institutions. I mean, think about the way they have governed their states,” he said.
DeSantis also told the crowd of 1,300 there’s been “a great American exodus from states run by leftist politicians, and we’ve seen massive gains in states like Florida who are governing in accordance to the tried and true principles that President Reagan held dear,” the news outlet reported.
In a dig at California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, DeSantis joked, “I know you’ve got a lot of problems out here, but your governor is very concerned about what we are doing in Florida, so I figured I had to come by.”
DeSantis presented himself as a figure of hope and conservative renewal in the tradition of Reagan.
“Many people think America’s best days are behind us,” he said. “But I think Ronald Reagan provides a great example of this. The 1970s were a period where people were saying much of the same thing … Reagan rejected that. He believed in what America was founded on very deeply.
“Boldness,” he said, “is something voters reward.”
ABC News reported that at a later closed-door event in Orange County, DeSantis gave a speech to over 900 donors that an official noted “raised more money from this event than we’ve raised on any one-night fundraising event in the history of the Orange County Republican Party.”