My view is that DeSantis has been, even since before Donald Trump left office, the leader of the opposition to progressive America. I think he has several qualities that make him better than alternative leaders. He has a nose for where the political fight is going, he follows through, his provocations are well-chosen, and he has plans for out-maneuvering the political blowback. Perhaps most importantly, he has no familial relationship to Jared Kushner, and 81,292,916 Americans did not vote against him in a recent election.
But, as DeSantis closes in on reelection for the Florida governorship, I can’t help but notice certain features, or upgrades, he needs if he wants to be a national figure. He needs an articulated position on America’s economic model if he wants to ever compete in the Rust Belt. And it can’t just be a nationalized version of Florida’s model.
DeSantis also needs passion on social issues, which was made obvious this week when every conservative I know was sharing clips from Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s 2019 address to the World Congress of Families:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdfNSF-U6zc
At his very best, Trump could make an emotional connection with voters. When he talked ruefully about the wasted sacrifices of our military in the Middle East or the gruesome reality of abortion, he didn’t just say what his voters believed — he showed them that he felt something of what they feel. Rhetorically, DeSantis tends to obscure himself in these fights. It’s as if he’s just making a contract with his supporters: I’ll represent you fairly. He’ll tell audiences what he did to limit or buffer progressive insanity on trans issues, but he will stop short and say something like, “I don’t think there are very many parents in the state of Florida that think that’s okay.”
That’s true. But it’s not the truth. DeSantis needs to learn to lead from the front. We aren’t defending our right to privately and irrationally believe in the existence of men and women, as if this were a shameful thing conceded to us by the overly generous workings of American constitutionalism. We are fighting for the recognition of reality itself and defending it as a precious, beautiful gift. This points to deep truths about the goodness of creation itself. These truths pulse through you like blood, or they aren’t in you at all. Don’t outsource all the moral initiative to Florida parents. Use personal pronouns, and use them constantly: We hold these truths. Be more than a mere representative, be a champion. Don’t just make a contract with me, show that your honor is at stake, that your guts are ripped up about the state of this country, and that you can’t rest until you’ve exhausted yourself in the cause. Our system of government is for channeling great political passions, not preemptively extinguishing them outright.