As Goes Florida?

 

The Florida election primaries ended last week. 

They were some of the most contentious, silliest, and perhaps most portentous for the country's future. 

Can we make a reading about what's going to happen for 2028 based on what happened in Florida? It's possible. It's worth keeping in mind too that if President Trump is able to achieve military victory in Iran, and the major Islamic terrorist leaders in Tehran leave once and for all, with that will come lower oil prices, and Republicans will have the wind at their backs going into November 

President Trump has broken many precedents, not the least of which being the only second president elected to two non-consecutive terms. No surprise he will hold on to the US Senate, maybe win an extra seat, but I will go out on a limb that Republicans will hold the House, too. Yes, it's an uphill climb, but a month is like a year in politics, as a year is an eternity. 

Now, let’s get back to Florida.

The governor’s race took contention to a new level. Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins was the preferred favorite for conservatives who wanted someone to continue the DeSantis legacy. Mainstream Republicans and MAGA types lined up behind Congressman Byron Donald because President Trump had endorsed him. 

Donalds’ pedigree and resume may not impress, but he is a committed foot soldier in the MAGA movement. That's what you want to look for ultimately. No matter what his past or his stance on immigration or other issues may hold, new elected officials in red states following contentious primaries have become more beholden to MAGA media, messaging, and the mission. He can’t escape those standards, and he will play along. 

Besides, Donald was going to be the nominee. There were no scandals and no issues that would have undermined his support! I hope disappointed Republicans give him a chance. I believe he will build on Governor DeSantis’ unshakeable legacy. Donalds may not be as bold or as creative, but Florida will be in decent hands for the foreseeable future. 

The Florida primary also proved that social media is not the “it” factor. Online content and engagement do not drive voters to the polls, and more likes, views, and shares do not confer victory. The most notorious example of this was James Fishback, a moderate-conservative turned America First troll who flooded corporate and alternative media as the candidate to beat. He spouted off mean things about Israel, even though he was not running for a federal office, and the Florida governor has little say on such matters. He spouted off ostentatious social conservative stances (although his views on marriage were not very clear), and then he started rolling off Marxist talking points, like shutting down data centers and ending private beaches. 

 

Fishy Fishback was a meme candidate, nothing more. The socially autistic social media gurus who thought this guy had a chance were fooling themselves and hoping to sucker in everyone else. No reasonable voter or pundit believed that he had a chance. Interestingly enough, Fishback bested former Speaker of the Florida House Paul Renner, who had received strong praise from Governor DeSantis. In contrast to his main rival, the former Speaker jumped in late and established little statewide presence. To his credit, Lieutenant Governor Collins did the face-to-face outreach; he did more campaigning, and that's why he ended up in second place.

Effective campaigning is on the ground, not videos on X.

But let's not fool ourselves: no one can replace Governor Ron DeSantis. He is not only the standard, but he has broken the mold for what an effective, excellent executive should be. He declared that he wanted to get as much meat off the bone and accomplish as many conservative priorities as possible. And he did it. He didn't just issue orders, but he enacted key legislation, and he put in place an infrastructure to protect and enhance his legacy for years to come. President Trump should take note! 

The readers can laugh at me all they want, but the retiring Florida governor is my first choice for president. Perhaps it's possible that Rubio and DeSantis can form a ticket together for 2028, because at this point, I don't think JD Vance is a strong candidate. But that's just me, and that's just for now. If Governor DeSantis can promote his accomplishments nationally, he could become a kingmaker or a king himself.

 

It was wonderful to see Florida Republican voters shut down other antisemitic so-called America First types throughout the Sunshine State as well. We need to get over this idea that groyper Fuentes AF masquerading as DNC-DSA light is somehow going to move in on the Republican Party. It's just not happening. Any media podcaster or broadcaster who insisted that groyperism is the GOP future looked foolish in Florida.  They are not serious, so ignore them.

Let’s also congratulate Florida voters for firing GOP dumpster fire Congressman Cory Mills. He had a lot of baggage. Weak-tea MAGA Catalina Lauf, who was peddling some amnesty ideas, also lost. President Trump's endorsements are starting to waver a little bit. I don't give him a hard time if he endorses weaker candidates who are currently in office, because he doesn't want to lose their votes in the slim majorities in the House or in the U.S. Senate. However, voters are pushing for a renewed conservative commitment to excellence, a program of principles, and a character that is calm and consistent. A lot like Governor DeSantis!

 

And what about the Democratic Party? Did Florida’s results foretell their future fallout? They elected a disloyal, bland former RINO, David Jolly, as their nominee for governor. Hardcore Democrats will never trust him, and the handful of Republicans who are bitter about Byron Donalds will get with the program, or they won’t make a difference. 

Florida’s US Senate race is very good news for the Republican brand. Democrats put a lot of money behind tempest-in-a-teapot whistleblower Alex Vindman. He went down in flames to a second-tier State Rep DSA acolyte, Angie Nixon. Ouch! What an atrocious loss for the Democrat party! The Florida Democrats are already in disarray, having lost all statewide offices; they linger in a super minority in the Florida State legislature, and they are losing seats across Florida’s county and municipal governments. Now they have to defend a socialist at the top of the ticket. Cubans in Miami won’t be happy! The 2026 Florida Republican tidal wave will rival the wins following Governor DeSantis's victories in 2022. The Florida Democratic Party will have to go out of business. Florida Republicans could flip more than four Congressional seats this year!

Four years ago, voters across the country were hearing, "As goes California, so goes the country.” Based on the primary results in Florida, with Republicans draining the swamp of the sickos and anti-Semites, while Democrats flounder under socialists, we have a better template of what's going to happen to both parties going into 2028. Socialists are tightening their chokehold on the Democratic Party, and Republicans are learning how to blow off the chaff while strengthening their commitment to a complete MAGA agenda. 

Let's see what happens in November!

Save California: "Needed--A conservative constitiutional fighter"

Needed: A conservative constitutional fighter

Sunday, October 22, 2023, 12:05 pm | Randy Thomasson

After rejecting both RINO Steve Scalise and pro-family constitutionalist Jim Jordan, the registered Republicans running the U.S. House of Representatives are now on “round three” of speaker candidates.

Demonstrating how this race is now wide open, there are several who have thrown their hats into the ring. On Friday, SaveCalifornia.com showed our social media followers the conservative moral/social/fiscal issues Liberty Scores of the speaker candidates:

Today’s update is Jodey Arrington of Texas is not running, but Gary Palmer of Alabama is. And among the Republican speaker candidates, Palmer has the third-highest Liberty Score — 80%. The Republican caucus is expected to hold internal votes as soon as this Tuesday.

Why do these scores, based on member’s actual votes, matter? Because we need a conservative constitutional fighter as the powerful Speaker of the House to: short-term, steadfastly stop all bad bills; mid-term, aggressively use the House’s investigatory powers to expose the Deep State, the Bidens, election fraud, and much more; and long-term, to help true conservatives (not RINOs) be elected.

TAKE QUICK ACTION: Call your own Republican U.S. Representative (if you have one), to say “Support a conservative constitutional fighter for speaker.” It would also be wise to name your top 1, 2, or 3 speaker picks, since at Tuesday’s private, internal meeting, there might be several ballots in an elimination process. Call 202-225-3121 and provide your zip code, or send an email via house.gov when you enter your zip code.

“We’re fighting against humanism, we’re fighting against liberalism…we are fighting against all the systems of Satan that are destroying our nation today…our battle is with Satan himself.”
Moral Majority founder Jerry Falwell (1933-2007)

The Renewed Fight for Speaker: Essential, Not Incidental

October 2^nd, 2023 is a date that will live in infamy for politicians who embrace big-spending, do-nothing status quo quiescence. Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) filed a Motion to Vacate the Speakership of the House, and the motion passed the next day. Prior motions to vacate had been filed, and even voted on, but never succeeded until this year. This turn of events is unprecedented, and I submit all for the better.

The Conservative Commentariat has not shared my enthusiasm for this necessary disruption to Congressional Business-As-Usual dithering, bickering, and excessive spending. The hyperventilation from political class Republicans, including strong conservatives not afraid to buck the Beltway Establishment, is really saddening. Their latest source of angst: the Speakership fight which has ground Congress to a halt.

From Ann Coulter to George Will, conservative commentators are convinced that the dragged-out fight over the next Speaker of the House distracts from bare minimum legislating, will drag down the Republican Party and doom the United States to a federal Democratic trifecta for the foreseeable future. I disagree. Even if this fight hurts the Republican Party, or Washington’s diminished sense of solemnity, it was a much-needed tonic disruption.

For the last thirty years, voters have been sending representatives to Washington DC to secure the border, end unnecessary wars, cease the excessive spending (which Congress last achieved on the eve of Clinton’s presidency, only through considerably pressure from a Republican Congress), and restore federalism.

Politicians have not been keeping these promises, especially the Republicans, who barely won a majority in 2022 in part because of ongoing distrust from the base. Republicans in previous terms did very little to stop progressive agendas or the deficit spending, aside from a handful of outspoken conservatives. Republican lawmakers need to show more fighting spirit, the same that DeSantis is campaigning on now. 2016.

When Republicans don’t do their job, how do we hold them accountable? Ditch them during a primary or oust them during the general election. But what about while they are in office? Yes, voters can make phone calls, emails, press conferences, letters to the editor, and other public displays of outrage. Citizens can put together PACs and start blasting their elected officials with commercials on the airwaves.

However, the best way to hold politicians accountable during a legislative session is to delay their power or remove them from power. Speaker Emeritus Kevin McCarthy did not have a smooth transition to the speakership in January, 2023. He hadn’t earned the gavel, having refused to meet with different caucuses within the conference, especially conservatives who wanted key guarantees. Ultimately, McCarthy appointed conservatives to the Rules Committee and offered coveted chairmanships to others. However, he failed to deliver on other promises like providing twelve appropriations bills, stopping the excessive spending, and pushing forward term limits.

In May, 2023, McCarthy all but caved on the debt-ceiling negotiations. He passed increased spending until January 2025 with majority Democratic support. Once against, just like during his tenure as Majority Leader, he let the Democrats run the chamber.  Worse yet, McCarthy dawdled until the end of September to get only three appropriations bills passed. When the fourth failed, McCarthy resorted to another spendthrift continuing resolution, with the help of Democrats.

 

McCarthy’s intransigence on following through on his promises, plus his ready acquiescence to majority Democratic support for key bills, proved to be the last straw for conservatives. Voters and pundits alike should remember that this has been business as usual for Republicans when they controlled the House in years past. Enough is enough! Republicans across the country supported Gaetz’ decision to vacate McCarthy.

But criticisms linger against the Vacate Eight, and they deserve consideration.

Some have charged that Gaetz filed this motion for the celebrity, the grift, and to settle a score. Whatever his reasons may be, the open reality that McCarthy didn’t keep his promises was reason good enough. In politics, motive matters less than the votes themselves. Most politicians do the right thing if it guarantees them re-election, and we want them to cast the right votes, even if for the wrong reasons.

A more substantive criticism implicates the Vacate Eight for not thinking through the larger process. “So, you remove McCarthy. What’s your gameplan going forward?” I explained to one critic that the rest of the conference needed the assurance (or the pressure) to make decisions against leadership. If McCarthy was forced out, the rest of the conference would have been free to (or have to) make decisions for a better speaker.

What if this process drags out even longer?

First of all, Americans should rejoice when Congress is unable to spend money they do not have, whether by squandering tax revenues or increasing the deficit spending.

Second, the Uniparty of “spend more, ask questions never” has been exposed. The Republican electorate sees the members of Congress who are determined to keep the Big Government largesse funneling to the several states, all while our national debt explodes, inflation ravages Americans’ buying power, and foreign countries ditch the US dollar as a reserve currency. All the lip service for controlled spending and balanced budgets amounts to nothing. Primary challenges can ensue in earnest, and perhaps Republicans as a national consensus can force out big spending RINOs on a larger level, and come 2024 get better House leadership, even if Republicans must suffer in the minority for a term.

Third, conservative activists and political wonks need to focus on the factors that create strong Republicans in Congress. Safe districts, sure, but how about representatives who rely on local support and funding for their campaigns? Candidates who have learned to harness media and social media activism to increase their profile while enhancing their grassroots strength do remarkably well in resisting the Swamp. These factors help explain why Congressmen Gaetz, Rosendale, Good, and others have stood strong against the House GOP Establishment.

Rep. Gaetz’ Motion to Vacate was a much-needed house-cleaning for Washington politics. We should relish this period of disruption for potential long-term improvements.