Breaking Their Will: Gov. Ron DeSantis Destroyed the Florida Democratic Party

I have been an activist for over ten years in conservative, constitutionalist circles. I have been fighting open borders, illegal immigration, forced unionism, and the LGBT agenda in many different forms. I have become a stronger proponent of natural law and natural rights, as embedded in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.

One of the key tactic which I learned about fighting the Regressive Left and all their perverse iterations is that we want to win the culture war, not just claim victory after a couple battles.

In 2018, the Rand Corporation studied the strategies of war, and they summed up my sentiments on the culture war fight very effectively:

With very few exceptions, all wars and almost all battles are decided by matters of human will: Breaking the enemy's will to fight while sustaining one's own will to fight is the key to success in battle. But as focus on technology increases, the essentially human nature of war is all but ignored. Lack of focus on will to fight has created a dangerous gap in American military practice.

When it comes to fighting and winning the American Culture War, there is no better fighter, general, activist than Governor Ron DeSantis.

In his campaign autobiography, The Courage to Be Free, DeSantis outlined how he was ready for work on Day One of his gubernatorial term. He had all his appointments ready. He articulated a clear attention. He formed the necessary relationships with the state legislature, and he pushed through key reforms from the start.

His efforts more than paid off, and from 2018 to 2022, Republican power in Florida accelerated considerably! Republican voter registration now outstrips Democratic voting registrations by nearly 1 million votes. Registered Democrats elected to local city councils and county governing boards have been endorsing Governor DeSantis.

He defeated former Republican-turned-Democrat governor Charlie Crist by double digits, winning hard-to-win counties like Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties.

Republicans won every statewide office, including Agriculture Commissioner, which was originally held by a Democrat. Republicans gained a supermajority in both chambers of the state legislature as well, and these Republican lawmakers were more conservative, since DeSantis supported and promoted conservative primary challengers to further his agenda in the state.

According to Florida Democratic Party activists, they got wiped out in 2022, and it does not look like they will every recover. The Florida Democratic Party did so badly on Election Day 2022, the chairman of the Florida Democratic Party resigned!

They have no hope. Governor DeSantis and his Republican juggernaut has broken their will.

He destroyed the Dem Party in Florida. He doesn’t just win. He demoralizes them as well. pic.twitter.com/dq64c9Ky3m

— Salty Sea 🇺🇸🖤🪸 (@SaltySeaFl) January 15, 2024

Here's a key section from the Washington Post article referenced above:

More than two months after humbling midterm losses in a longtime battleground, Democrats are in a state of disorder and pessimistic about 2024.

Florida has a long history as a battleground state in American presidential politicsl. From the dubious election results in 1876, to the protracted legal battles of 2000, to the Obama Administration's intense focus on Florida, winning the state twice in 2008 and 2012, to Trump's return victories in 2016 and 2020, Florida has been trending red.

But now the state is firmly in the Red Republican column, and there are recriminations from the Biden came that the state is out of reach for them. Consider what one Democratic activist shared on condition of anonymity:

Now, as Democrats look to 2024, there are few early signs that Florida will be a top priority for President Biden, who has said he intends to run for reelection. A Biden adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe strategy, said decisions about whether a reelection campaign would invest in Florida would be based in part on the Republican nominee. Some Democrats see little hope of contesting Florida’s 30 electoral votes — only Texas and California are allotted more — in 2024 if DeSantis is the nominee, while there’s a greater opportunity if former president Donald Trump wins the GOP nod.

I submit that even if Trump is the GOP nominee once again, Florida will still be out of reach. Trump's margin of victory will be much narrower than a presidential nominee DeSantis margin of victory, but it will still be there.

Let's focus on the sense of abject despair among Florida Democrats, though, in that same article:

“The thing about Florida Democrats is we keep learning with every passing year that just when you thought you had hit bottom, you discover that there are new abysses to fall deeper and deeper into,” said Fernand Amandi, a veteran Democratic operative in the state. “There is no plan. There’s nothing. It’s just a state of suspended animation and chaos — and, more than anything, it’s the mournful regret and acceptance that Florida has been cast aside for the long, foreseeable future.”

I want to rest on the key words in the above statement: "abysses" (not just one abyss, but multiple depths of failure and loss), "Deeper and Deeper," OUCH!; "There is no plan. There's nothing." Wow! The death rattle is ringling loudly for the Florida Democratic Party! They not only have no chance, they have no hope of a chance for the "foreseeable future." They cannot even imagine a possibility of victory.

That is how you break the will of a political opponent! They can't fight, and they see no point in fighting!

Consider what veteran Democratic operative James Carville intimated about Florida, as well:

Democratic strategist James Carville said Thursday during a visit with MSNBC's Joy Reid that Florida might be a lost cause for the Democratic Party and they might have more luck trying to boost black voter turnout to flip places like Mississippi and Louisiana. 

He would then state:

"I think Democrats would be better off looking at Mississippi than Florida."

Florida is the third-largest state in the Union, and likely to the be the second-most populous state in the union. And you have James Carville, the hard-core Democratic operative/activist who predicated a long Democratic reign shortly after Obama's victory in 2008, who declares that Florida is out of reach for Democrats.

He has given up. His will has been broken, and Governor Ron DeSantis made that happen!

Governor Ron DeSantis didn't just sweep the Sunshine State, he crushed the communistic, Democratic Party opposition. It's over for the Florida Dems. And it is spectacular to behold!

DeSantis broke the will of the Democratic Party in Florida. Imagine the work he could do in the White House. Imagine having a Republican President who fights to destroy the corrupt, communistic Democratic tyranny across the United States?

One has to ask, though: do Republican voters want to win, or are they more interested in just feeling good and playing up controlled opposition?

Yes, Conservatives, We Must Politicize the Scalise Attack

It was 7:45 in the morning, June 14^th, 2017 Pacific Standard Time. I was talking with a good friend bout an upcoming town hall. We were planning a very “in your face” takedown of liberal Congressmen. We are not playing nice, and we don’t apologize for it.

Then the Breaking News apps exploded on my phone. I learned that a horrific shooting was instigated by Bernie supporter, rabid anti-Republican agitator James Hodgkinson. He massacred Republicans preparing for a softball game at an Alexandria, VA baseball diamond. He shot four people, including two DC police officers, a Congressional aide, and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana. Hodgkinson had planned this attack over several weeks, but was killed at the scene.

For me, the fact that we knew the attacker was a Bernie Sanders supporter proved that the new, “alternative” media of conservative pundits and independent journalists are already making the difference to level the political playing field. Instead of allowing the left to draw up a narrative favorable to their political goals, the Left now has to play defense. Within hours, the major conservative media elites predicted—how predictably—that the Democratic Party and left-wing activist around the country would rally for more gun control.

I wanted Independent, Democratic socialist US Senator and former Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders to step down. Yes, I did.  Why? First, the left-wing maniac was a Bernie supporter, and thus was in lock-step with Socialism, and its full-grown development Communism: booth violent ideologies. Sanders pushes socialism, yet likes to hide its violent core. Hasn’t anyone noticed the escalating violence exploding around the country against conservatives, pro-family networks, and Trump supporters of all backgrounds? Indeed, this is the result of their unchallenged commitment to government-run utopianism.  The center-left political world is defined by and built on force. In California, liberty advocates, Republicans, and Trump supporters have faced numerous threats and repeated attacks. This is not a game to us, and the Resistance is real.

And it’s deadly.

Sanders’ regressive, secular progressive is an evil force. We can’t hide this fact anymore. The “Democracy” which has lost considerable influence all over the country, has turned into a terrorist-sympathizing political action committee.

Of course, why are we still surprised about this? The unpalatable attacks and hatred did not break out on a softball field two days ago. From 1829, when the modern Democratic Party of Andrew Jackson sanctioned the theft of Indian land; to Democratic House Rep. Preston Brook’s savage beating of Republican abolitionist US Senator Charles Sumner; to the violent strikes of left-wing labor unions and even the government sanctioned internment of Japanese-Americans under a Democratic President, the violent, forceful descent of the Democratic Party has become a front-and-center reality.

Before this shooting, Scalise faced the verbal bullying for three months straight following his election to Majority Whip three years ago. Why? Over a decade ago, some KKK wannabe spoke at a meeting where he had attended.

That means that Scalise was a raging racist, right?

WRONG.

And yet, even after Republicans had trounced Democrats all over the country—even in “Lost Cause” California—Republicans and conservative pundits were still reacting to rather than running the media shame, blame, and “name names” game. Some columnists, even here on Townhall.com, were urging Scalise’s resignation.

That kind of smear campaign has characterized the modern Democratic Party and their operating wings like Big Business, Big Labor, and Big Media for decades. We need to wake up to the harsh realities, conservatives. Liberal loonies will never play nice. They must be disciplined, defeated into complete submission, and the “Democracy” shut down like a bad business infecting the kids in the neighborhood with poisoned candy.

The thuggocracy of the Left knows no bounds. Kids are being taught in our schools that envy is a virtue. They listen to the radio and TV while reading online about the invidious discrimination which defines the Republican Party. They buy products from corporations (aka Kellogg’s, George Soros, etc.) hell-bent on keeping destructive, activist left-wing groups funded. Wake up, conservatives. The culture wars have only begun. We won the first battle on Election Day, and We the People have been slowly gaining ground over the last six months.

But don’t think for one second that the bonhomie overwhelming Washington after Scalise’ near-death experience is going to change the vitriolic political culture in DC or across the country between the growing Right and the receding Left:

1. Nancy Pelosi mourned the gun crimes against Scalise, then announced that he had died. Sorry, Nancy, but he’s alive, although in more critical condition following two surgeries.

2. The New York Times revived an awful smear against Sarah Palin, claiming that the former Governor of Alaska was responsible for the gun massacre which targeted and severely wounded former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

3. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe immediately called for more gun control, as have Berniecrats and other Democrats around the country.

This is all outrageous. Gun control only controls law-abiding citizens. The presence of firearms ensured that Hodgkinson’s attacks did not kill everyone on the field. The Democratic talking points for more gun control are beyond incompetent or dangerous. They are subversive.

It’s time for Republicans to politicize this terrible massacre. This fight is about fighting lies with truth, media manipulation with facts and figures. It’s about individual Americans defending themselves against a corrupt government seeking to undermine our liberty and safety.

When I got news that it was a Berniecrat who tried to kill a member of our Congressional delegation, I demanded that Sanders get an earful if not resign outright. We need to hold the corrupt, liberal media accountable for sanitizing Democratic violence, too. There is nothing wrong with making sure that no crisis goes to waste. Republicans should not only unify over this terrible attack, but hang it on the Democratic Party, which has embraced sedition and violence as acceptable political talking points, which have now culminated in the devastating attempted murder of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise