Author: Ryan Klein
Disclaimer: Penn State College Republicans will not endorse in an ongoing primary. The sentiments expressed towards Governor Ron DeSantis, a candidate for the Republican Presidential Nomination, do not reflect an endorsement from the Penn State College Republicans.
Last night, our organization and folks across the nation watched the Red State vs. Blue State debate hosted by Sean Hannity on Fox News Channel. In this debate, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida debated Governor Gavin Newsom of California on their respective records, governing philosophies, and more. In the minds of many pundits, academics, and politicos, a lot was riding on DeSantis’ debate performance. A lousy performance would undoubtedly do more political damage to Governor DeSantis, who is actively seeking the Republican Presidential Nomination, than Governor Newsom, who, at this point, has not announced a Presidential run. Let me be clear: Governor DeSantis crushed the rising star of the Democratic party and dismantled his policy record and governing philosophy piece by piece.
The takeaway from this debate was clear: Governor DeSantis represents a record and governing philosophy of success, while Governor Newsom represents a record of decline. On every issue, Governor DeSantis used well-sourced facts and personal testimony to show Florida’s policy superiority to California’s. A common theme of the debate was when Sean Hannity would show a figure to frame a particular question; the record showed a worse outcome for California, whether it pertains to interstate migration, tax rates, and more. However, Governor Newsom lied about every fact and figure presented and tried to spin it to show success rather than an apparent failure. Governor Newsom consistently tried to run interference for a record of failed policy.
The governing philosophy displayed by Governor Newsom represents the extreme left-wing agenda that the Democratic Party plans to adopt in the coming months and years. The California model would be a disaster for the everyday American. On the other hand, The Florida model is a model of common-sense, conservative policymaking that can be enacted nationwide. Under the DeSantis administration, substantive action has been taken to help border states being flooded with terrorists and drug lords, while the Biden Administration maintains a failed open borders policy. Florida students were permitted to go to school instead of being locked down, and Citizens were lifted up instead of kicked down during the COVID years. California has shown weakness on criminals while Florida has actively backed the blue and rightfully punished those who have done society harm. In the last five years, Florida has seen record-breaking migration to the state, an unprecedented electoral landslide for Republicans, and sound conservative leadership from the Governor.
One of the night’s most powerful moments came when Governor DeSantis said the following: “This is a map of San Francisco. There’s a lot of plots on that. You may be asking, what is that plotting? Well, this is an app where they plot the human feces that are found on the streets of San Francisco. And you see how almost the whole thing is covered, because that is what has happened. And one of the previous greatest cities this country’s ever had, human feces is now a fact of life, except when a communist dictator comes to town. Then they cleaned up the streets. They lined the streets with Chinese flags. They didn’t put American flags there. They cleaned everything up. So they’re willing to do it for a communist dictator, but they’re not willing to do it for their own people.”
Governor Ron DeSantis won last evening’s debate decisively and made several clear and impactful contrasts between Florida and California. The Biden-Newsom agenda must be stopped at all costs. The disconnect between the fiction that slippery politicians like Gavin Newsom espouse and the reality that everyday Americans face could not be more clear. In 2024 and beyond, we need sound, common-sense leadership to work on behalf of the American people instead of against them. Republican politicians should follow the example of states like Florida to put America on a path of revival and success.