By FRITZ PETTYJOHN
Ron DeSantis would, I’m sure, be an outstanding secretary of Defense. He’d be a better president. I don’t think he can be both.
He needs independence if he wants to make a run in 2028.
Working for Donald Trump wouldn’t work. He needs to be his own man, not subject to the caprice of an impulsive authoritarian. Vice President Vance has the inside track to be the Trump’s designated successor, and he will resent anyone competing in his lane.
DeSantis needs his own lane, and I think one is available – Reform Republican. The reforms which are needed are all understood and supported by large majorities of voters, both Republican and Democrat. But the needed congressional action will never happen, because these reforms are of Congress itself.
First, and most pressing, is fiscal reform. To have any teeth, it needs to go into the Constitution. It could be as simple and obvious as a line-item veto. 44 Governors have it, people are familiar with it, and it works. If the President had this power, he would be responsible and politically accountable for deficit spending. There are other fiscal reforms which work in other countries, like the Swiss debt break.
Next is congressional term limits. Want to drain the swamp? Keep recycling the swamp creatures. Don’t let them get too comfortable. The American people understand this issue, and they dearly desire that someone takes up this cause.
Third is campaign finance reform. Using the powers granted to it in Article 1, sec. 4 of the Constitution, Congress has created a web of federal campaign finance laws suited perfectly to the incumbent. This power needs to be taken away from Congress, and returned to the states, and the people. Let each state decide on how it wants congressional campaigns financed within its borders. Kansas will do it one way, Rhode Island another. In states with an initiative available, the voters can decide, directly, how they want to regulate campaign financing. Every state already does it, but only for state elections. Give them the power to regulate congressional races as well. Simply remove that part of Article 1, sec. 4 which was inserted at the last minute by James Madison.
In 1787 state legislatures were the center of the anti-federalists. These people didn’t want the Constitution, which would mean the central government taking away their power. Madison was afraid that if the state legislatures controlled elections to Congress, they would abuse that power and somehow sabotage the Congress.
It made sense at the time, but that concern is no longer a problem. Congress is the problem.
These three reforms must all be achieved using Article V of the Constitution. The states, acting together, can propose these amendments themselves, bypassing Congress. This provision was inserted because the delegates to the Convention knew that Congress, itself, could be the problem, which could not be relied on to reform itself. Article V was written specifically as a means of reforming Congress.
The effort to achieve these reforms began in 1975 with two blue dog southern Democrats. It’s had fits and starts along the way. But it has never gone away. It has never succeeded because it’s never had a leader.
Gov. Ron DeSantis could be that leader, and if the effort succeeds it would be as significant as the progressive reforms enacted at the beginning of the 20th century: direct election of Senators, the income tax, and women’s emancipation.
There were Progressive Republicans and Progressive Democrats, and there need to be Reform Republicans and Reform Democrats. It’s the on ly way it can work. Which is why anyone associated with Donald Trump cannot lead it.
Kash Patel, fanatically loyal to Trump, liked to call DeSantis “Tater Tot Ron” for having the temerity to challenge Trump. That’s the kind of loyalty Trump wants. It’s too much.
DeSantis is better off staying away from Washington. Instead, he should travel the states to build support for the Reform Republican agenda.
Fritz Pettyjohn was a prosecuting attorney for the City of Ketchikan, Alaska in 1973 and served in the Alaska Legislature in the 1980s. He blogs at ReaganProject.com
No, it’s President Trump’s nomination for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. Read President Trump’s statement. You read too munch fake news.
It’s interesting the all you Pete. Supporters act like none of that happened, but it did happen. That’s why Pete now says “I’m a different man than I was.” That’s worrying to me. Why would he need to be a different man? It’s been my experience that most people that wear skunk stripes can’t change them. I think Trump is letting this play out but uh, already has a couple of people in the works that he knows can get approved. I’m not sure why he keeps going to his old buddies from Fox News to staff, his cabinet.
Maybe birds of a feather do in fact flock together.
Greg, do you believe people are born with political ideology? Or, do believe it is a decision they make based upon observation, learning, experience, and ultimately choice? God rejoices when a sinner repents. Why can’t we rejoice when a leftist wakes up and becomes a true constitutional patriot? At the age of 18, I voted for Jimmy Carter because of my desire to drain the swamp of corruption I believed was illustrated by the Watergate scandal. As time passed, I became a Reagan supporter and a free-market constitutional conservative. I’ve never looked back.
Idk. Good question. Given the way Kennedy stole the election from Nixon, documented, and the crookedness of both the Kennedy and Johnson Whitehouse’s, i almost feel sorry for Nixon. The cover up seems mild by today’s standards.
Greg, do you believe people are born with political ideology? Or, do believe it is a decision they make based upon observation, learning, experience, and ultimately choice? God rejoices when a sinner repents. Why can’t we rejoice when a person wakes up and becomes a true constitutional patriot? At the age of 18, I voted for Jimmy Carter because of my desire to drain the swamp of corruption I believed was illustrated by the Watergate scandal. As time passed, I became a Reagan supporter and a free-market constitutional conservative. I’ve never looked back.
Come on, people! It’s not like he showered with his daughter!
I agree with you except on one issue, and that is that by being SEC DEF, ron can in fact do both. He can put himself on the national In fact global stage. I don’t think he’s too worried about vance. I think most people know he’s more qualified in the first place. In addition, he’s already proven that he doesn’t necessarily see eye to eye with trump, which is a good thing. It got pretty bloody during the campaign. Between those two. Desantis has done a lot of good things in florida, and has taken the initiative on a lot of reform. I think he can help himself if he takes the appointment as long as he separates himself from the trump blowhard horn and just does the job.
Pettyjohn calls Trump an “impulsive authoritarian.” Really…? So we finally, after decades, re-elect a president born and bred in the hardball world of private sector real estate development; educated in finance and economics as opposed to the abomination called “political science,” with a career-proven ability to effectively negotiate from either strength or weakness, with a predilection for speaking brash unadulterated truth, with the ability and inclination to call out the feckless stupidity of our government, and with the obvious intent to right our ship of state to it’s proper greatness. And Pettyjohn calls him an “impulsive authoritarian.” Pettyjohn has thereby painted himself like so many misguided drones being herded by the Left.
Nevertheless, you would grant him permission to have his opinion, wouldn’t you?
Greg, I absolutely would permit Petty john to express his opinion but I would go one better. I would defend his rights to the death just like our founding fathers did. And, I would do the same for my own rights as well as those of Petty john or my friend Greg Forkner.
Very nice. Bravo!!
Greg, I absolutely would permit Petty john to express his opinion but I would go one better. I would defend his rights to the death just like our founding fathers did. And, I would do the same for my own rights as well as those of my friend Greg Forkner.
Wayne-O,
Petty John is a member of an establishment sub- group, one devoted to the memory of Ronald Reagan, that is the nicest thing I can say about his missive above.
Muhammad Ali appeared to be a brash egocentric, yet when he stepped into the ring he was victorious. Trump behavior has been not unlike Ali, including winning his fights.
I’ll place my $ on Trump at the moment because he fights. Petty john and his ilk have an illogical aversion to Trump. They like losing.
Now trump says pete should have been more honest about his challenges, suggesting that he hasn’t honest with trump. Pete should have known it would come out. Making trump look like a fool.
Fritz, I got as far as your sixth sentence and seen your bias come out.
“He needs to be his own man, not subject to the caprice of an impulsive authoritarian”. Your opinion is now meaningless.
“Impulsive Authoritarian” with the nuclear codes. How comforting.
Nah. I’m good with Hegseth.
Did not know until reading this that Pettyjohn was a NeverTrumper. Meatball Ron has been a good governor for Florida (helped by having a super Republican majority legislature.) Worth mentioning is DeSantis would NEVER have won the election as governor were it not for Trump’s endorsement. Also worth mentioning is DeSantis spent the better part of a year in Iowa (abandoning his Florida constituents) and still lost every county. He is not prime time material for America. JD Vance will carry the torch in 2028.
Vance was a never trumper…until he wasn’t. Ron was a jag officer keeping our seals out of Leavenworth. It seems he is qualified.
JAG lawyer is one thing. Actual real-life combat leadership experience is what Hegseth brings to the table. He is more than qualified.
Only if you are a war maniac. Today’s sec def needs to be more statesman, and less Patton.
He worked closely with seal team 1. Planned their missions. You good?
Trump’s playing bad cop, worse cop with the senate RINOs. Do you want a Fox weekend anchor in the Pentagon or do you want the guy who flipped Florida red by destroying the democrat party in the state? Cheers –
I want a guy who isn’t a Trojan Horse. I don’t want to hope I know what’s in his belly. I want a guy or gal with good moral fiber. Not an adulterous drunk with lots of skeletons in his closet.
Keep DeSantis in Florida!!!!
He’s termed out at the end of this term might be smart to find a good use for him where he can stay on for a bit.
I suspect they will all go to the wall and ask Israel.