Name: The Courage to Be Free
Rating: 3.5 (66 reviews)
Author: Ron DeSantis

What’s in it for me? A bold blueprint for America’s future.

In recent years, the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, has become a household name. The Republican politician made headlines for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While other states were going into lockdown, in Florida it was business as usual. Kids went to school. The beaches remained open. There were no vaccine passports or mask mandates. Was this recklessness? Or was it a common-sense strategy?

Whatever your view, in this Blink you’ll find out how DeSantis sees things, and why. You’ll discover what it’s like to lead a state, standing up for certain values in the face of opposition. DeSantis has a clear vision of how things should work, and of what America could become. As he’s got a good chance of becoming president one day, it’s worth paying attention.

Let’s start by going back a few years to a key moment in his rise to power.

Governing Florida: defense through offense

In November 2018, Ron DeSantis was elected governor of Florida and his life changed overnight.

The morning after the election, he went for his usual jog around the neighborhood. Only this time, he was followed by a group of security agents. This was the moment when it started to sink in. He had a new role, new powers, and responsibilities to match. Previously, DeSantis had spent five years representing Florida in Congress where he was just one of many politicians on a legislative body. Now, as governor, he was one man leading a state of 20 million people.

He knew it’d be hard work. But the new governor had the support not just of the people, but of the president. In a tweet, President Trump described DeSantis as “a brilliant young leader.” “He loves our country,” said Trump, “and he’s a true fighter.”

DeSantis had started out as an underdog. Just a few years before, he was virtually unknown. In order to get enough votes to be elected to Congress, he’d had to embark on a relentless door-knocking campaign. But his hard work paid off. By 2018, he was ready for the next stage of the fight and looking forward to being able to make some real changes.

This was the way to do it, DeSantis thought. Not as a congressman, struggling to accomplish substantial policy. As governor, he’d finally be able to lead and make a difference. So, it was time to get to work. DeSantis was aware that at best, he had two four-year terms to get it all done. He had a bold agenda. It included healthcare reforms, tackling illegal immigration, and prioritizing law and order.

But having clearly defined goals was just the beginning. DeSantis knew he needed to take action, and that strong, even aggressive leadership was essential. “The best defense is a good offense.” That was his leadership philosophy. He was determined to make a stand, tackling key issues aggressively.

In particular, DeSantis says he has no time or patience for so-called “progressives,” or the “woke indoctrination.” As governor, he’s actively fought against it. For example, he views Critical Race Theory as left-wing propaganda. In his opinion, schools shouldn’t be teaching kids that America was founded on white supremacy. As a deterrent, he signed a new piece of legislation – the “Stop Wrongs against Our Kids and Employees Act,” also known as the “Stop WOKE Act.” And he’s taken a similar stance on other issues, fighting against “wokeness.” The way he sees it, he’s standing up for freedom and common sense.

Not everyone appreciates DeSantis’s approach. He’s often vilified by the left and by the legacy media. But among the people of Florida, DeSantis has been hugely popular.

In the next sections, we’ll look at some examples of DeSantis’s most noteworthy decisions as governor. These incidents will give you a good idea of what kind of leader he is. And they’ll help you to understand why, according to him, Florida is the future.

Fighting for freedom during the pandemic

Remember the spring of 2020? As COVID-19 spread across the world, the US government announced “15 Days to Stop the Spread.” But this precaution soon evolved into something far more extreme. Parts of the country went into lockdown. Schools closed and industries ground to a halt.

Not in Florida though. DeSantis wasn’t going to get swept up in the hysteria. He just wasn’t convinced by the draconian recommendations from the so-called experts. Their policies were based on epidemiological modeling rather than empirical data. To DeSantis, it didn’t make sense. Why should he base decisions on an unlikely worst-case scenario? So, while everyone else was shutting down, DeSantis made sure Florida stayed open – and free.

DeSantis versus Disney

Let’s return to the issue of leftism.

This is something that has troubled DeSantis since he was a student at Yale in the late ’90s. He was disturbed by the way people criticized America and made fun of people of faith. The leftism he witnessed on campus pushed him further to the right. Little did he know that he’d been offered a glimpse of the future.

“Make America Florida”

The Disney incident is just one example of the challenges facing America today. Here’s another example: in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement, there are now calls to defund the police – a notion DeSantis views as “imbecilic.” Or there’s the issue of Big Tech censorship – companies like Facebook and Twitter censoring posts or labeling them as “misinformation” when they dissent from leftist ideology.

So, what’s the solution? What’s the path forward?

Final Summary

Ron DeSantis believes that through his bold leadership as governor, he’s turned Florida into a model for other states. Although he’s often been criticized by the left and certain factions of the media, he stands by his decisions. In particular, his controversial response to the COVID-19 pandemic. DeSantis maintains that his strategy was the right one, with the results to prove it. Florida stayed free and thrived.

The governor has acted according to his strongly held beliefs, defending freedom and core American values. In doing so, he’s won the support of the majority of Floridians, achieving extraordinary success in the 2022 gubernatorial election.

Kernaussagen in The Courage to Be Free