Byron York’s Daily Memo: In DC and Tallahassee, a split-screen moment for the Republican Party
DeSantis promised more of the above in a second term more tax relief, more education reform, more support for police and public safety officials, and continued sanity in government.
After discussing his own work, DeSantis broadened his scope to discuss the stark differences in governing say, those between Florida and California that have emerged in recent years. “These last few years have witnessed a great test of governing philosophies as many jurisdictions pursued a much different path than we have pursued here in the state of Florida,” he said. “Many of these cities and states have embraced faddish ideology at the expense of enduring principles. They have harmed public safety by coddling criminals and attacking law enforcement. They have imposed unreasonable burdens on taxpayers to finance unfathomable levels of public spending. They have harmed education by subordinating the interests of students and parents to partisan interest groups. They have imposed medical authoritarianism in the guise of pandemic mandates and restrictions that lack a scientific basis. This bizarre but prevalent ideology that permeates these policy measures purports to act in the name of justice for the marginalized, but it frowns upon American institutions, it rejects merit and achievement, and it advocates identity essentialism.”
“We reject this woke ideology,” DeSantis said. “We seek normalcy, not philosophical lunacy!”