DeSantis: the Right's Obama
Single issue blindness destroying good minds on both sides
The year is 2008. Two disastrous terms for George W Bush had given us the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, the PATRIOT Act, and exceedingly low levels of pride in our country. But all hope was not lost! A young, charismatic junior senator from Illinois who was brave enough to stand against the Iraq War with a promise of hope and change had arrived on the scene.
Barack Obama distinguished himself from Hillary Clinton against the invasion of Iraq, a correct decision that would benefit him down the line. Though the Democrats would later try to act as if they had stood in solid opposition to the War, many members had folded and supported Bush’s effort. Obama was one of the few in hindsight who could say that he had stood on principle in a time where there was little political capital in being a dissenter.
However, with a little deeper digging, one could simply look at Obama’s record and realize that he was not anti-establishment. Obama voted to fund the war after being against the invasion, he spoke hawkishly on Iran, and in unwavering support of Israel. Watch the video below from 2008 where Ryan Dawson correctly predicts that Obama would be a disaster on foreign policy.
Obama ended up bringing us from two wars to seven wars, ramping up our drone strike program that kills an estimate of 90 percent innocent civilians, raising our military budget every year, and strengthening our support to Israel and Saudi Arabia. He also continued the surveillance policies of his predecessor, prosecuted whistle blowers, and helped administer the largest corporate bailouts in history.
Obama was an abject failure to the people who believed in him, whether or not the majority of his fanbase would accept that as a fact. The denial still persists today, and many who have finally admitted it was a mistake supported him into his second term before finally realizing they were being conned. In many ways, electing Obama sedated the anti war movement. Their resolve and awareness may have remained at peak operation had McCain been elected instead.
The year is now 2022. Two years into the Biden administration, gasoline prices have reached all time highs, unemployment and supply chain issues plague the nation, the possibility of World War 3 looms on the horizon, and a dementia-ridden septuagenarian sits in the white house. Most importantly, two years of corporate bailouts and lockdowns have destroyed the economy, caused rampant inflation, and gutted the middle class.
One governor has separated himself from the rest, standing in direct opposition to the Biden administration when most Republicans folded and went along with the Democrats: Ron DeSantis of Florida. Ron has gained prominence in the news as Biden’s nemesis, constantly countermanding the President’s recommendations and mandates. While the Republicans would like to act as though they all opposed Biden’s commands, the truth shows a different story. DeSantis was no doubt a dissenter.
DeSantis has earned the endorsement and praise of many a right winger and even libertarian for his opposition to vaccine mandates and lockdowns, but with a little bit of digging, he too is exposed as not being the hero many want to paint him to be. In fact, if any gold medal should be handed out to Republican governors opposing the President, it should be Kristi Noem, who resisted lockdowns and mandates even under Trump.
However, my concern with people falling for DeSantis as governor of Florida is limited, as I am not myself a resident of the Sunshine state. What concerns me more is the obvious attempt to prep DeSantis for a run for President, and seeing how many people I respect who might fall for it. Ron’s record in Congress is abysmal.
A supporter of NATO, in favor of sanctions on Iran, extremely hawkish toward Cuba, and priding himself in being “the most pro-Israel governor in the country,” Ron is no friend of antiwar conservatives or to Libertarians. Robbie Martin and I discuss this toward the end of this conversation.
Ron DeSantis is better than most Republicans on Covid-19, but just as Obama’s opposition to the war in Iraq was quite obviously not enough, neither is the recent opposition DeSantis has shown against mandates and lockdowns. Similarly to the left in 2008, the right is set up for sweeping political victory after the Biden administration and Democrat controlled Congress have completely failed the American people. But with this easy victory comes the need for vigilance.
The left was infiltrated by neocons who placated them on a couple culture war issues like gay marriage, but plunged us into more war and abuse of civil liberties. I caution the right to not make the same mistake with China hawks and Zionists who opposed the jab.
Why can't we have Tulsi Gabbard? She is also a veteran and was against mandates for vaccines but unlike DeSantis she is not a lap dog for Israel or Saudi Arabia.
Yep, the Republicans always have to fuck it all up with their foreign policy. They just can't give it up, It's their thing and they're really into it.