By Chris Frost
EAGLE TIMES NEWS EDITOR
NEWPORT — Sullivan County Republicans hosted Florida Governor and Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis at a political gathering Aug. 19. During the event, he delivered a crowd-motivating message about never backing down and taking back America.
DeSantis spoke to a packed crowd at P N L Sheetmetal and Fabrication, 169 Sunapee St., and got the crowd engaged quickly by telling them that the country is in decline and the party needs to send “Joe Basement back to his basement and reverse the decline.”
“We’re going to do it,” he said to the applauding crowd. “I started off working minimum wage jobs; I’m from a blue-collar family just trying to make ends meet.”
He believes that in America, people who work hard and get the most from their ability, you can succeed in the United States.
“I see that American Dream is slipping away for so many millions of families throughout this country,” he said. “We need to restore the American Dream again.”
As a Navy man, he understands “service before self,” but most of the political class does not believe that.
“It’s all about them,” he said. “We need to restore the ethics of the White House of service above self. Service above self should take precedence over kicking 10 percent up to the “Big Guy” upstairs. That’s what I’d like to see.”
As a father of three, DeSantis wants children to be educated, not indoctrinated.
“We’re going to have an opportunity on Jan. 20, 2025, to fix this country, and this is not an opportunity we can let slip through our fingers,” he said. “We have one shot, and we’ve got to get it done. With me, you’re going to have someone laser-focused on the issues and the country’s future. We’re not going to get distracted, side-tracked, and we’re going to get the job done.”
He said it starts with reversing “Bidenomics,” giving Americans the chance to succeed again.
“If they can’t afford a house or car, they’re going to have trouble putting food on the table with the increase in grocery prices,” he said. “If we can’t make it work for those people, this country is not going to be successful.”
On day one, DeSantis said he’ll take all of Biden’s rules and executive orders and throw them in the trash can.
“We’re going to be honest about what put us in this mess with the escalating costs people are facing,” he said. “The federal overnment has created this mess, starting in March 2020 with the disastrous response to Covid, shutting down the economy, printing, spending, and borrowing trillions of dollars. If all you had to do was print your way to prosperity, print $10-20 trillion more. We know that’s not the way it works.”
He said the political class benefits from these policies.
“Five of the wealthiest counties in the country are the suburbs of Washington, D.C.,” he said. “That’s not what our founding fathers envisioned when they created this country.”
He said the average American pays the bills for the country.
“We are not going to allow Congress to bankrupt this country any longer,” DeSantis said. “We are going to fight back against the excessive spending and make sure they’re not adding mountains of debt.”
He said in Florida, the state enjoys budget surpluses.
“I’ve paid down almost 25 percent of our state’s total debt since I’ve been governor,” he said. “Don’t tell me you can’t manage this budget better. They think if you charge it on the credit card, they’re not going to face any political repercussions. We need a balanced budget amendment for the Constitution.”
He said Biden’s actions are intentional and frustrating.
“If you look at Biden’s policies dealing with our energy production, he’s kneecapping our own energy and forcing a green new deal,” DeSantis said. “You will pay more as Americans as his dream becomes a reality. We will open up energy production and be fully energy independent when I’m President.”
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