Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continued his criticism of the GOP in the wake of epic election losses, pointing out the political strategies that are no longer effective for Republicans.
Delivering a post-midterm assessment on The Sage Steele Show this week, the Republican governor contended that “screaming socialism” is not a compelling argument for his party and is more of an empty “boogeyman.”
“Obviously, like a guy like me, if I see a socialist candidate, it’s an easy thing for me to vote no,” DeSantis told the podcast host.
(Video: The Sage Steele Show/YouTube)
“But the question is, for the broader electorate who aren’t as partisan, is just screaming socialism going to work? Obviously, it didn’t work in this election. And why? And I think the reason is, you know, young people have a very positive view of socialism compared to capitalism,” the governor said.
“The question is, why is that? Some of it is the education in our universities, or whatever. But I think a big part of that is, what they’re comparing is not free enterprise and socialism,” he continued.
“What they’re comparing is how government gets involved in business, and you have crony capitalism. So, the best kind of indirect supporters of socialism are some of these corporatist Republicans who propagate these crony policies, because the average person is seeing that and saying, ‘Wait a minute, you’re trying to bend the government to funnel benefits to this corporation or that industry. What about having a competitive market?'” DeSantis said.
That competitive market, DeSantis noted, would allow free enterprise which, in turn, will benefit small businesses and individuals, leading to a rise in the standard of living. However, the GOP leader noted that young people “really aren’t seeing that.”
“They’re seeing just a handful of companies that have an outsized influence on our economy and on our society,” he noted.
The term-limited governor contended that a sure way to usher in socialism is by not offering a “clear contrast between freedom and socialism.”
“If it’s cronyism versus socialism, there’s going to be enough people who are going to choose socialism because on the surface it seems like, well, it’s government stepping in on behalf of people. Now we know a socialist society is going to be a highly crony-ous society as well,” he explained.
“It’s a different veneer, but ultimately it’s funneling power and benefits to a handful of an elite. But let’s get back to freedom and true free enterprise,” DeSantis urged.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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