{"id":1912004,"date":"2023-04-09T02:11:04","date_gmt":"2023-04-09T06:11:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-barnstorms-the-great-lakes-state-to-test-the-political-waters\/"},"modified":"2023-04-09T02:17:53","modified_gmt":"2023-04-09T06:17:53","slug":"desantis-barnstorms-the-great-lakes-state-to-test-the-political-waters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-barnstorms-the-great-lakes-state-to-test-the-political-waters\/","title":{"rendered":"DeSantis Barnstorms the Great Lakes State to Test the Political Waters"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdesantis-barnstorms-the-great-lakes-state-to-test-the-political-waters%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1912004&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"post_content\">\n<div class=\"aplayer_app\" data-source=\"https:\/\/vs1.youmaker.com\/assets\/2023\/0408\/48e321f9-0523-48ed-b39d-c4ab5a8c4364\/audio.mp3?length=7341165&#038;duration=612\"><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>On April 6, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made a two-stop foray into the battleground state of Michigan as he continues to evaluate a run for the GOP nomination for president in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis was the keynote speaker at a breakfast to raise money for the Midland County Republican Party.<\/p>\n<p>That afternoon at Hillsdale College, he made two well-attended addresses before jetting home to Florida for the Easter weekend.<\/p>\n<p>All of the day\u2019s events drew large and friendly crowds but his breakfast appearance was greeted by a group of protesters.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5181179\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/04\/08\/id5181179-DeSantis-Protest-1-1200x427.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> A view of some of the demonstrators who turned out to protest a visit by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to Midland, Mich., on April 6, 2023. (Steven Kovac\/Epoch Times)<\/figure>\n<p>About 50 demonstrators brandishing signs that read \u201cI Am Proud to Be Woke\u201d and shouting \u201cGo Home, Fascist\u201d played cat and mouse with local police as they tried to occupy the middle of a busy four-lane highway and attempted to block the driveway entrance to the banquet hall.<\/p>\n<p>Some protesters yelled pro-transgender slogans.<\/p>\n<p>At the start of his remarks to a sell-out crowd of about 600, DeSantis joked that his one disappointment in coming to Midland was that his visit hadn\u2019t attracted \u201cmore protesters.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Shades of Ronald Reagan<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In a smooth, conversational tone, which some in the crowd likened to the style of Ronald Reagan, DeSantis addressed the topics of restoring prosperity and optimism to America, securing the southern border by \u201cbuilding the wall,\u201d parental rights, reforming the education system, school choice, keeping boys out of girls\u2019 sports, outlawing gender modification for children, and the need to use American oil and natural gas for energy.<\/p>\n<p>One man in the audience told The Epoch Times: \u201cYou couldn\u2019t slip a piece of paper in between DeSantis and Trump on the issues. This sounds like a Trump speech.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis dismissed Joe Biden as a \u201cfloundering, weak president that is controlled by the most radical elements of his own party.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He criticized what he called \u201cpotted plant Republicans,\u201d who are always on defense and too afraid \u201cof a bad news cycle\u201d to take the hard positions necessary to turn this country around.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going on offense,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can never, ever, back down. Have the courage of your convictions. Leadership isn\u2019t cost-free.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Florida, we don\u2019t shirk from this responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Success in Florida<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>DeSantis told the crowd that under his administration \u201cmore families have moved to Florida than ever before,\u201d and he went on to tout his accomplishments as a model for the nation in terms of rational public health policy, education, election reform, law and order, low taxes, responsible budgeting, and economic growth and prosperity.<\/p>\n<p>He decried what he called \u201cthe weaponization of prosecutorial power\u201d for political purposes that advance the leftist agenda, as well as government-inspired censorship by Big Tech.<\/p>\n<p>Quoting George Washington about the continuous struggle to preserve \u201cthe sacred fire of liberty,\u201d DeSantis said we are still fighting for \u201cthe foundational principles\u201d of our republic\u2014that our rights come from God and not from government.<\/p>\n<p>Pointing to his own recent landslide reelection, and the GOP\u2019s super-majorities in both houses of the Florida State Legislature, DeSantis said the Left can be defeated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can beat these people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Fight \u2018Woke Capital\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>But regardless of big electoral victories by the forces of freedom, \u201cthe Left is still trying to impose its agenda through corporate America,\u201d with tactics such as \u201cwoke banking,\u201d according to DeSantis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWoke banking\u201d is where financial institutions refuse to make loans to Christian conservatives or gun owners, he explained.<\/p>\n<p>The Left is marshaling economic power to make \u201can end run around the Constitution\u201d and change policies without a single voter voting on it, said DeSantis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWoke ideology is a threat to our freedom\u201d that must be fought in government, schools, and the marketplace, he said.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>A \u2018Mini-Trump\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>After DeSantis\u2019s remarks, Earl, a former Democrat and United Automobile Workers member from Bay City, told The Epoch Times: \u201cIt was a great speech. He is my candidate in 2028. He\u2019s a mini-Trump. He\u2019d make a great vice president.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5181186\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/04\/08\/id5181186-DeSantis-Earl-1200x745.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Trump loyalist Earl, a retired UAW worker and former Democrat, at a DeSantis event in Midland, Mich., on April 6, 2023. (Steven Kovac\/Epoch Times)<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cRight now, I feel uplifted. It\u2019s the same vibe I get from a Trump rally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A woman told The Epoch Times: \u201cI\u2019m for DeSantis. Donald Trump\u2019s talk is too divisive. I\u2019m afraid if he is our nominee we will lose again.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>\u2018Get DeSantis!\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A Native American and retired Green Beret said he was for Trump from the beginning and still is.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe woke coalition and the media will take the hatchet to DeSantis just like they do to Trump. Trump is the only guy in America that can withstand it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDeSantis is a father with three small children,\u201d he added. \u201cI wish for the sake of his children he would wait four years until they grow up a little bit. It\u2019s a shame what the woke mob will put that family through.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd DeSantis is on a honeymoon with GOP majorities in both houses of the Florida legislature. He hasn\u2019t had to deal with a Democrat majority like Trump had to deal with under Pelosi.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Not America\u2019s Agenda<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Michigan state Rep. Greg Alexander (R-Carsonville) said: \u201cI\u2019m impressed with DeSantis. He has the morals, ethics, and principles America was founded on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said media negativity toward Trump moved him to look at DeSantis as a potential alternative, but if Trump is the nominee, Alexander will vote for him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe woke agenda is all about creating issues of race and gender that are not really big issues with the voters. They have been inflated by the Biden administration,\u201d Alexander said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5181225\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/04\/08\/id5181225-DeSantis-Eric-Castiglia-1200x747.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Macomb County resident Eric Castiglia at a DeSantis event in Midland, Mich., on April 6, 2023. (Steven Kovac\/Epoch Times)<\/figure>\n<p>Eric Castiglia of Macomb County said: \u201cI thought DeSantis was amazing. He has a track record of measurable results.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Florida is a free state, Michigan is a failed state. Higher taxes and less jobs. I\u2019ll soon be moving to Sarasota.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>An Uncertain Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When asked how he felt about the future of America, 14-year-old DeSantis supporter Kierceson Pego, son of Malinda Pego, co-chairwoman of the Michigan GOP, told The Epoch Times, \u201cI walk a line between pessimism and optimism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His mother said, \u201cI wish we could keep DeSantis here in Michigan. I hope he will be strong.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Hosted by Hillsdale<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Later in the day at Hillsdale College, a small, conservative, Christian, classical liberal arts school located in southern Michigan, DeSantis talked about his philosophy of government, style of leadership, and the breakdown of representative democracy.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2899607\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2019\/04\/29\/Hillsdale-Central-Hall_30-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Hillsdale College\u2019s Central Hall. (Courtesy of Hillsdale College)<\/figure>\n<p>DeSantis said his management method requires everyone in his administ<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On April 6, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made a two-stop foray into the battleground state of Michigan as he continues to evaluate a run for the GOP nomination for president in 2024. DeSantis was the keynote speaker at a breakfast to raise money for the Midland County Republican Party. That afternoon at Hillsdale College, he<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":369,"featured_media":1912005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[23890,4980,9326,3753,4110],"class_list":["post-1912004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times","tag-barnstorms","tag-desantis","tag-lakes","tag-political","tag-waters"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/369"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1912004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1912005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1912004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1912004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1912004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}