CPAC 2022 has been a fun, enlightening and very professionally run conference. All the speakers have been passionate and committed. They have been articulate in their Conservative beliefs. And, then Florida Governor Ron DeSantis entered the room. The change was immediate and electric. Being a Naval Officer might account for some of the snap, but most of it is the fact that DeSantis defended freedom while so many others were scuttling freedom. That goes a long way with this crowd of freedom lovers at CPAC.

Wednesday night as news broke that Putin had full on invaded Ukraine, I felt sure that I heard CPAC speech scripts being torn up all over Orlando. Although several speakers mentioned current events briefly, most of the CPAC speeches were what we expected from each of the speakers.

Ron DeSantis didn’t spend any time on Ukraine. He did spend a great deal of time on Florida and Freedom, as you would expect. Here is the write up from WESH out of Orlando:

DeSantis began by saying lots of people like to criticize Florida, but plenty are happy to visit for the “freedom.”

The governor boasted about his anti-lockdown stance.

“We protected people’s rights, we protected people’s jobs, and made sure every kid in the state of Florida had an opportunity to go to school in person,” he said. “Freedom has prevailed in the Sunshine State.”

Nearly 70,000 Floridians have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

Of course, WESH veered off the DeSantis script to note that 70,000 Floridians have died from Covid. Without, importantly, making note of anything that DeSantis could have changed to save more lives. At least, the Florida Governor didn’t put Covid patients in with the susceptible elderly in assisted living facilities.

More from WESH:

The governor leveled a biting string of statements against the “corrupt and dishonest legacy media.”

DeSantis said the media puts out “a blizzard of lies” meant to relieve the blame on Biden, which he referred to as “the Brandon Administration.”

As the governor was speaking, President Joe Biden was addressing the nation following Russia’s attacks on Ukraine. DeSantis made no mention of Russia or Ukraine.

Finally, he called for the audience to “put on the full armor of God,” in preparation for the fight against Biden and the liberal agenda.

“You’ll be met with flaming arrows, but the shield of faith will stop them, you will emerge victorious,” he said.

Calling out the “Brandon Administration” earned the Governor some Twitter hate. Here is one example:

@GovRonDeSantis Brandon? Really?? You’re an educated man ffs. What an embarrassment you are. #Traitor and a #FuckingMoron with a degree. #UnAmerican

— F3dUp73xan 🇺🇸 (@f3dup73xan) February 24, 2022

They were all in the same vein. DeSantis is right. We will be taking incoming so the full armor is required.

CNN is all about pumping up an imaginary DeSantis/Trump bro hate:

One person DeSantis didn’t mention: Donald Trump. The former President, who will address CPAC later this week, remains the GOP’s most popular figure and the likely nominee in 2024 should he decide to run again.
DeSantis, who faces reelection in November, is one of a handful of Republicans who hasn’t said if he would challenge Trump in a primary, a point of recent contention in their friendship. In most polls, DeSantis finishes second to Trump in most polls looking at the potential 2024 GOP field.

DeSantis’ swift rise has not gone unnoticed by the former President. In the months leading up to the biggest conservative gathering of the year, Trump has privately groused that DeSantis, a former protege, hasn’t done enough to tamp down the speculation about his political future.

The bookend appearances of DeSantis and Trump — from the opening act to the prime-time headliner — shine an even brighter light on the relationship between the governor and the former President. Their pasts are forever linked, with DeSantis owing his election in 2018 to Trump’s support, but their future ambitions are far more complicated.

Every word in those paragraphs assumes things that are in those men’s heads and have never been said. It’s called projection.

Here is the full DeSantis speech:

If you are totally pumped after that speech, continue on and watch the Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina speak.

Inspirational call to Action from Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson #BulldogTV #CPAC2022 #CPAC #Orlando #Florida #NorthCarolina #MarkRobinson #Patriots #Conservatives #Republicans pic.twitter.com/xFa2h7QpUz

— Eric Deters (@bulllaw) February 24, 2022

He went to church on that one.

Featured Image: Toni Williams. All Rights Reserved.