March 29, 2024

Should Congressman Ron DeSantis Be Our Next Governor of Florida?

Should Congressman Ron DeSantis be our Next for Governor of Florida?

On January 5, 2018, Republican Congressman Ron DeSantis announced his candidacy for Florida Governor.

DeSantis is a former U.S. Navy lawyer, federal prosecutor, and author who was elected to the Florida’s 6th congressional district in 2012. He has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, FoxNews’ Sean Hannity, and radio host Mark Levin for Florida governor.

Early life and education

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Ronald Dion DeSantis was born on September 14, 1978 in Jacksonville, Florida. He is of Italian descend with blue collar roots and knows the value of hard work. He grew up in the small town of Dunedin in Pinellas County, Florida.

After he graduated from Dunedin High School in 1997, DeSantis was accepted by Yale University. He worked his way through Yale and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s of Arts in History with honors. He was the captain of the varsity baseball team. DeSantis graduated with honors from Harvard Law School. While attending Harvard, he earned a commission in the U.S. Navy as a JAG officer (Judge Advocate General Corps).

U.S. Navy service

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Ron DeSantis served in the United States Navy from 2004 to 2010. He is presently a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy Reserve.

DeSantis, while still a student at Harvard Law School, finished the U.S. Naval Justice School in 2005. Later that year, he received orders from Trial Service Office Command South East at the Naval Station in Mayport, Florida as a prosecutor. Later, he served in the Joint Task Force at the U.S. Naval base in Guantánamo, Cuba working with the Islamic prisoners.

In 2007, Lieutenant DeSantis reported to the Naval Special Warfare Command Group in Coronado, California serving on the SEAL Team One and was deployed to Iraq. Lieutenant DeSantis became the Legal Advisor to the U.S. Navy SEAL Commander in support of the SEAL mission in Fallujah, Ramadi and the rest of Al Anbar province.

He returned to the United States in April 2008, at which time he was reassigned to the Naval Region Southeast Legal Service. Later, DeSantis was appointed by the Department of Justice as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of Florida.

DeSantis received an honorable discharge from active duty in February 2010. He accepted a Reserve commission as a Lieutenant in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Navy Reserve. Currently, he holds the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the Navy Reserve. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, and other decorations.

Writing and teaching

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Congressman Ron DeSantis authored a book entitled Dreams From Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama, which was published in 2011.

Amazon described Dreams From Our Founders Fathers as follows:

“The Age of Obama has sparked widespread public discontent, the formation of tea parties, and a renewed emphasis on the philosophy of the Founding Fathers. Dreams From Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama shows why so many Americans have turned to the nation’s founding principles in response to Barack Obama’s self-described transformational change agenda.”

“Using critical primary sources like the debates at the Constitutional Convention and the Federalist Papers, Ron DeSantis identifies the important principles that the Founders relied upon when they created the Constitution and demonstrates how Obama and his allies have radically departed from them. On issue after issue—the scope of government, the redistribution of wealth, the role of the courts, political leadership, and foreign affairs, among others—Obama has chartered a course that is alien to the Republic’s philosophical foundations.”

“America is at a constitutional crossroads. Obama’s vision rests heavily on progressive thought and the plethora of left-of-center political influences that have informed his worldview, and portends a decidedly less exceptional America, an America more akin to governments throughout Europe, in which the state, rather than the individual, is supreme.”

“Such a vision is a far cry from the dreams bequeathed to us by the Founding Fathers, who created a constitution based on enduring truths about individual liberty and the role of government. The voters’ choice between these competing visions will define the national character for a generation and, perhaps, irrevocably. Alexander Hamilton’s observation in The Federalist No. 1, regarding the state of affairs in his time, is equally apt to our time: “The crisis at which we are arrived may with propriety be regarded as the era in which that decision is to be made; and a wrong election of the part we shall act may, in this view, deserve to be considered as the general misfortune of mankind.”

DeSantis taught Military Law at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Florida. He has written many articles for newspapers and magazines, including the Washington Times, National Review, American Thinker, American Spectator, and Human Events.

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Casey DeSantis, President Donald J. Trump, Congressman Ron DeSantis holding his baby daughter Madison, and First Lady Melania Trump appear in this picture in front of the White House. President Trump has endorsed Congressman Ron DeSantis for Florida governor.

Election to the U.S. House of Representatives

In 2012, Ron DeSantis was elected to Florida’s 6Th congressional district. He defeated Democrat Heather Beaven by 57% to 43%. While in Congress, DeSantis has led efforts to impose term limits on members of Congress, reduce taxes, repeal ObamaCare, move the United Sates Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, assist veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress, stop American funds from being sent to Iran, combat radical Islamic terrorism, stop illegal immigration, and defund sanctuary cities.

Congressman DeSantis wants to conduct strong oversight over federal agencies, such as the IRS and the Department of Justice, and investigate the Uranium One sale to Russia, the use of the Clinton-funded Steele dossier against Donald Trump, and the failure to prosecute the criminal activity of the terrorist Iran-backed Militia Hezbollah by the DOJ’s Eric Holder.

Congressman DeSantis is a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus. He is serving in three Committees, on Foreign Affairs, Judiciary, and Oversight and Government Reform.

On January 29, 2014, DeSantis introduced the bill Faithful Execution of the Law Act that directs the Department of Justice to report to Congress whenever any federal agency refrains from enforcing laws or regulations for any reason. DeSantis spoke in favor of the bill, saying that “President Obama has not only failed to uphold several of our nation’s laws, he has vowed to continue to do so in order to enact his unpopular agenda… The American people deserve to know exactly which laws the Obama administration is refusing to enforce and why.”

He signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any global warming legislation that would raise taxes. The congressman has attacked frequently in FoxNews and in the House of Representatives the way Special Counsel Robert Mueller is conducting the investigation of Russian collusion with the Trump campaign. DeSantis has served in Congress for almost six years.

Political views

Abortion

DeSantis is against abortion and has denounced Planned Parenthood.

Economy

DeSantis has said that the debate in Congress over how to reduce the deficit should shift from tax increases to reducing spending to bring and economic growth. He supports a “no budget no pay” policy for Congress to encourage the passage of a budget. He supports an audit of the Federal Reserve Bank (a banking cartel that has never been audited) .

After the scandals in the IRS, DeSantis called for the resignation of Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen for having “failed the American people by frustrating Congress’s attempts to ascertain the truth.” He co-sponsored a bill to impeach Koskinen for violating the public’s trust. In 2015, DeSantis was named “Taxpayer Superhero” by the Citizens Against Government Waste.

DeSantis voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. He says the bill will bring a “dramatically lower tax rate” and “full expensing of capital investments.” DeSantis also believes the act will bring more jobs to America.

Education

DeSantis opposes federal education programs such as No Child Left Behind Act and Race to the Top. He believes that education policy should be made at the local level. He does not like Common Core.

Foreign relations

Cuba

In 2015, DeSantis introduced the Guantanamo Bay Recidivism Prevention Act, which would cut off foreign aid to countries that receive detainees if they show back up on the terrorism recidivism list. DeSantis opposed President Obama’s plan to shut down the Gitmo detention camp in Cuba, saying “Bringing hardened terrorists to the U.S. homeland harms our national security.” Regarding the start of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, DeSantis said, “Raising the Cuban flag in the United States is a slap in the face to those who have experienced the brutality of the Castro regime.”

Iran

DeSantis opposed the Iran nuclear deal, calling it “a bad deal that will significantly degrade our national security.” DeSantis said, “the Iran deal gives Ayatollah Khamenei exactly what he wants: billions of dollars in sanctions relief, validation of the Iranian nuclear program, and the ability to stymie inspections.”

Israel

In 2013, DeSantis introduced the Palestinian Accountability Act, which would halt U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority until it formally recognizes the right to exist of Israel as a Jewish state and cuts off all ties with the terror group Hamas. DeSantis believes that the U.S. Embassy should be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Government

DeSantis opted not to receive his congressional pension and filed a bill that would eliminate pensions for members of Congress. After introducing the End Pensions in Congress Act, DeSantis said, “The Founding Fathers envisioned elected officials as part of a servant class, yet Washington has evolved into a ruling class culture.”

DeSantis supports a constitutional amendment to impose term limits for members of Congress, so that Representatives would be limited to three terms and senators to two terms.

Gun law

DeSantis opposes gun control. He received an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association. He is generally opposed to firearm regulation, saying, “Very rarely do firearms restrictions affect criminals. They really only affect law-abiding citizens.”

Following the February 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, DeSantis expressed his support for hiring retired law enforcement officers and military veterans as armed guards for schools. DeSantis also expressed support for measures to improve federal background checks for purchasing firearms. He also believes that there is a need to intervene with those who are exhibiting warning signs of committing violence instead of waiting until a crime has been committed.

Immigration

DeSantis was a critic of former President Obama’s immigration policies. He opposed Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) since those executive orders are unconstitutional. Congress is the branch of government that legislates. DeSantis accused Obama of failing to enforce immigration laws. DeSantis opposes “sanctuary cities.” He is a co-sponsor of the Establishing Mandatory Minimums for Illegal Reentry Act of 2015, also known as Kate’s Law, which would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to increase penalties applicable to aliens who unlawfully reenter the United States after being removed.

After the November 2015 Paris attacks, Congressman DeSantis “called for urgent recognition that Islamic extremism is to blame for the Paris attacks and should be seen as an enemy for America.” DeSantis has said the following: “The enemy is an ideology rooted in militant Islam. ISIS must be stopped and its members kept away from America.” Regarding U.S. policy toward refugees, DeSantis said, “The prudent policy is to err on the side of protecting the American people”.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election

DeSantis has been very critical of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. DeSantis proposed an amendment that would halt funding for Mueller’s Special Counsel’s investigation six months after the amendment’s passage. In addition, this provision would prohibit Mueller from investigating matters that occurred before June 2015, when Trump launched his presidential campaign.

In December 2017, DeSantis asserted that if there was any evidence of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and Russian officials, it would already have been leaked. In January 2018, while on the House Intelligence Committee, DeSantis voted on party lines to release a classified memo authored by Republicans on the committee which purported to show that the FBI abused its surveillance powers in the Russia investigation.

In April 2018, DeSantis called on FBI Director Christopher Wray to criminally investigate a number of officials involved in investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, including former FBI Director James Comey, former Acting Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe, FBI Agent Peter Strzok and FBI Counsel Lisa Page. DeSantis also called for the investigation of former Obama officials, including Loretta Lynch and Hillary Clinton.

Veterans

DeSantis has sharply criticized the Obama’s Department of Veteran Affairs for its 2014 scandal, in which veteran deaths were linked to fatal wait times. He co-sponsored the VA Accountability Act, which aims to increase accountability by providing for the removal or demotion of employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs based on performance or misconduct. He is a member of the Post-9/11 Veterans Caucus.

Personal life

In 2010, DeSantis, who is of Italian descent, married Casey Black, a local Emmy-winning television host. DeSantis and his wife bought a home in Palm Coast in July, 2016 after redistricting moved their home in Ponte Vedra Beach into the 4th congressional district. DeSantis and his wife have a daughter, Madison, and a son, Mason.

On May 3, 2016, Congressman Ron DeSantis met with veterans at the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association Assault Brigade 2506 Museum and Library.

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Director of Press and Information of the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association Brigade 2506, Frank de Varona, presented his book, Trump’s America Under Siege (January 2018) to Republican Congressman Ron DeSantis during his visit to the Brigade 2506 Museum.

This writer asked the congressman to read Chapter 33 of the book titled “Trump Needs to Declassify Obama’s Secret Presidential Order 11 and shared it with President Trump.” Obama wrote that he wanted to turn the Middle East to Iran and the north of Africa to al-Qaida and the Muslim Brotherhood.

If President Trump were to declassify this document, people in the United States and the world would learn that Obama, Hillary Clinton, Samantha Powers, and other in the previous administration violated multiple international and U.S. laws. The Obama administration instigated coup d’états in various nations in the region.

This writer also attached to his book a letter written to the White House asking several additional steps to be taken against the mass-murdering regimes in Cuba and Venezuela. The letter was signed in addition to this writer by Raymond Molina, and Antonio Esquivel.

The additional measures recommended to the White House were the following: Adding Cuba to the lists of terrorist nations and the ones who engage in human trafficking; eliminating or reducing travel of American tourists to Cuba; expanding the list of hotels and businesses where American are not allow to enter; breaking diplomatic relations with Cuba; reducing the remittances; working with allied nations to isolate the Cuban and Venezuelan regimes and imposing hard economic sanctions; and denying visas to enter the U.S. by regime officials.

However, the most important recommendation was to implement regime change strategies to bring freedom and democracy to the suffering peoples of Cuba and Venezuela. President Donald J. Trump has the opportunity to go down in history as the liberator of the two worse merciless and bloody dictatorships in the Western Hemisphere.

Association of Veterans of the Bay of Pigs Assault Brigade 2506 President Coronel Johnny López de la Cruz welcome Congressman Ron DeSantis to the museum and together with Julio Mestre conducted a brief tour of the museum. Coronel López de la Cruz introduced the congressman to Bay of Pigs veterans and other guests.

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Association of Veterans of the Bay of Pigs Assault Brigade 2506 President Coronel Johnny López de la Cruz presented a bronze medallion of the Brigade to Congressman Ron DeSantis.

Association of Veterans of the Bay of Pigs Assault Brigade 2506 President Coronel Johnny López de la Cruz presented a bronze medallion of the Brigade to Congressman Ron DeSantis.

Congressman Ron DeSantis sat for about an hour-and-half with Bay of Pigs veterans and other invited guests to listen to many comments and respond to questions. Several Bay of Pigs veterans, including Coronel Johnny López de la Cruz, Raymond Molina, and this writer, as well as human rights activist Ana María Lamar and writer Fernando Godo, told Congressman Ron DeSantis that the Trump administration has taken some steps against the Cuban regime but they were insufficient to bring freedom and liberty of the people in the island. If elected governor, DeSantis will not be in charge of U.S. foreign policy. However, the president will hear him as governor of a large state with many Hispanics. Attendees explained to him many of the steps that need to be taken, that were similar to those presented in the letter sent to the White House, as described earlier.

This writer brought up the issue that Florida is still implementing Obama’s Common Core education standards even though many states have abandoned it. Congressman Ron DeSantis said he had received very negative feedback about Common Core and that he did not like it. This writer also discussed that many textbooks used in Florida are biased in the description of Islam and call President Trump a racist anti-immigrant as well as those who voted for him. Congressman DeSantis said that he was aware of these biased textbooks and had denounced them.

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Congressman Ron DeSantis met with members of the Board of Directors of the Association of Veterans of the Bay of Pigs Assault Brigade 2506 as well as other Bay of Pigs Veterans on May 3, 2018.

 

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Coronel Johnny López de la Cruz, Congressman Ron DeSantis, Vice President of the Federated Republican Women Club Ines Yimoc, and this writer.

Conclusion

Congressman Ron DeSantis is a very impressive candidate for Florida governor. He enjoys a stellar reputation, possesses a wealth of knowledge on many subjects, holds conservative ideas, and has a record of voting in Congress supporting those views.

DeSantis is a veteran of the Iraq war. He appears frequently on FoxNews and has been endorsed by President Donald J. Trump. Bay of Pigs Veterans were very pleased with Congressman DeSantis visit to our museum.

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