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| DeSantis speaking in Jerusalem a few days ago (JTA) |
Not that any of this is news to long time readers. But I wanted to emphasize that the friendship of my liberal friends mean a lot to me. Despite what I am about to say. And I can already predict what their responses will be like.
After reading about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recent address in Jerusalem, I found that his views on issues I care about are almost identical to mine. Issues that affect Israel and the Jewish people. His appearance at The Jerusalem Post’s Museum of Tolerance clarified that for me.
Now it’s true that he knew his audience and spoke to issues they are most concerned with. But, his actions as governor so far showed that his speech was much more than mere words. Here are some of the things he said as reported by JTA:
He supports Israeli West Bank settlements as well as keeping Jerusalem under full Israeli control. He wants the United States to be more aggressive toward Iran’s nuclear program. He vehemently opposes the movement to boycott Israel.
It’s true that I do not support settlement activity deep into the West Bank where Palestinians have lived for decades. I consider such settlements to be incendiary. But I like the fact that a serious candidate for president understands our biblical claim to that territory as legitimate. And his strong support of Israel's claim of Jerusalem as its capital:
An affinity for the Bible also played a role in DeSantis’ position on the West Bank, which he called “disputed” rather than “occupied.” He referred to the territory by the term “Judea and Samaria,” which is the Israeli government’s standard term for the area and also emphasizes its place in the Bible...
In his speech, DeSantis described his past support for Israel, including advocating for the 2018 move of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and, in 2019, holding a Florida cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. He also told the crowd that he baptized his children with water from the Sea of Galilee and said he put a note in the Western Wall asking God to protect Florida from hurricane season.
I also like his attitude about the current controversy in Israel:
“We must also, in America, respect Israel’s right to make its own decisions about its own governance,” he said. “You’re a smart country. You figure it out. It shouldn’t be for us to butt into these important issues.”
There is also his policy of banning objectionable books. The idea that freedom of expression ought to include books that can do damage to the spiritual or mental health of young people is absurd. Parents with serious religious convictions have a right to protect their children from material their religious views consider harmful. As it affects Holocaust material there is the following:
He also pushed back at claims that his legislation has led to the banning of Holocaust books in his state, calling them “fake narratives” (though multiple Holocaust books have been pulled from schools).
The kneejerk liberal response to that ban was that it is a violation of the First Amendment’s free speech clause - as well as a thinly veiled accusation that it is a form of Holocaust denial. But that is incorrect. The idea that banning a few books that deal with sexual matters even in the context of the Holocaust must be made available to very young children is not Holocaust denial. It is protecting our children who would be too immature to handle it at too young an age. There is plenty of time form them to read about that kind of Holocaust material when they are more mature.
Parents of very young children have the right to object to that kind of stuff. Besides there is plenty of other material that is age appropriate for young people. The material related to sex can be made available at a more age appropriate age. Teaching them at a young age that 6 million Jews were killed just because they were Jewish is not denying the Holocaust.
As an Orthodox Jew, DiSantis is a man that speaks to my heart. With the exception of Nikky Haley (who would make an ideal running-mate) I can think of few other serious candidates for high office that have expressed similar views.
Does this mean I support every thing he says? No. For example I have some profound differences with him on the key issue of gun control. I’d like to see a lot more of it. He would like to see a lot less. But on the vast majority of the issues I care about, his overall values are the kind I’d like to see in the next leader of the free world.
What about Trump? Former President Trump’s policies on these issues were similar to those of DiSantis. But Trump's rhetoric, his over-the- top lies; his self-serving narcissism, his dishonest business practices; his immoral character... all of which is so awful; so divisive; so immoral, even criminal - that voting for him is in and of itself an immoral act. And about as un-American and un-Jewish as it gets. Especially his rhetoric and behavior since the last election.
DiSantis is nothing like that. His pro Israel policies are very similar to Triump’s. His views on many issues are similar to the views of most Orthodox Jews. For us, supporting Ron DiSantis ought to be a no brainer.
Unfortunately Trump’s MAGA loyalists could not care less about any of Trump’s troubles. They consider all of those issues to be lies by political opponents and the left leaning media out destroy their hero. The believe his every word out of Trump’s lying mouth. And they still believe the election was stolen Even if they believe some of those accusations they consider them irrelevant. And they will support him no matter what! At least that what he polls tell us about is base.
But when the time comes, will they vote in the primaries for this reprobate? I don’t know. I sure hope not. I hope those MAGA Republicans' come to their senses and nominate DiSantis. Whose views surely match theirs as much as Trump’s do.
If on the other hand Trump is nominated, he will lose again in a rematch with Biden. A man that the polls say the vast majority of voters do not want to run. And yet will still surely win against Trump. Again. This time with an even larger margin of victory.
If on the other hand if MAGA voters see the light – and realize they could have policies that Trump gave them without Trump by nominating DiSantis - that will be a game changer. There are no guarantees. But the fact that most Americans do not want either Trump or Biden as their next president will very likely sway the election in DiSantis favor. I hope that happens. But we’ll see.