Sun Sentinal - 'We Need to Save the Country,' Conservative U.S. Senate Candidate Tells Broward Activists

By Anthony Man

U.S. Senate candidate Ron DeSantis continued courting South Florida support on Monday with a call to end big government tyranny, which he said both sides of the political aisle are imposing on the American people.

"We don't have a lot of time. We need to get this right. We need to save the country," DeSantis told about 200 Republicans in Plantation as he wrapped up three days of campaigning in the most Democratic region of Florida.

"If you look at Washington right now, we do not have a system that the Founding Fathers envisioned, where people go to Washington and be part of the servant class," he said. "Instead, we have a permanent political class that fashions itself the rulers of the people."

DeSantis, a Republican from Ponte Vedra Beach, is a favorite of the tea party movement and one of Florida's most conservative members of Congress.

He said he spent Saturday, Sunday and Monday meeting with potential supporters and campaign donors in Boca Raton, throughout Broward County and in northern Miami-Dade County. Though Democrats are dominant in that territory, DeSantis said, "You have a lot of Republican votes, and I think you neglect that at your peril."

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's decision to seek the Republican presidential nomination instead of seeking re-election in 2016 created a rare political prize: an open seat with no incumbent. And that's attracted a long list of high-profile Democratic and Republican candidates.

Rubio's seat is a toss-up that could be won by either party, national independent Senate analysts say.

All the candidates face a challenge that bedevils most people seeking statewide office in Florida and deters many from running.

The state is so big that even candidates who are well known in an important region like South Florida or Tampa Bay are usually virtual unknowns outside their home territory. Getting introduced to 4.2 million registered Republicans requires lots of money to advertise in the state's 10 media markets.

Many other Florida Democrats and Republicans have opted against running. For many, the chance at the ultimate prize -- a seat in the Senate -- isn't worth taking since they'd have to give up sure bets at re-election to their current offices.

On Saturday, he appeared before Tea Party Fort Lauderdale. Earlier this month, he spent two days campaigning in Palm Beach County, addressing big party gatherings on two successive nights.

DeSantis didn't mention his primary opponents -- Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, U.S. Rep. David Jolly of Indian Shores or Orlando businessman Todd Wilcox -- during his Monday evening appearance before the Broward Republican Party.

He had plenty to say, none of it favorable, about President Barack Obama, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and Democratic congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

He said Clinton was the poster child for the attitude of many in Washington that laws are for the masses, not for them. "I don't want to live in a country where the elites like Hillary Clinton do not live under the same laws as the rest of us. She needs to be held to account."

DeSantis criticized Obama's agreement aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. He said it would end up rewarding Iran, which he said is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. "It really is a lose-lose for American national security."

He also chastised Obama for what he said was better treatment of Cuba's Raul Castro and Iran's Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei than it treats Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu. "I am sick and tired of an administration that treats Raul Castro and Ayatollah Khamenei better than it treats the prime minister of Israel."

Domestically, he said big government is responsible for many of the nation's ills. "We have to stand for limit government that puts an emphasis on allowing free people to make decisions and stand for themselves."

Even Republicans, he said, sometimes aren't aware of how big government hurts average citizens. For example, he said, federal student loan policies contribute to rising tuition and help make college less affordable -- while enriching university administrative staffs.

Among the changes he wants is an end to congressional pensions, term limits on members of Congress, and making lawmakers live under the same rules the impose on everyone else. He wants the Internal Revenue Service commissioner removed by the administration, and if that doesn't happen, he'd like to see impeachment proceedings.

His anti-Congress and IRS comments got the strongest applause. Later, several party activists in the audience said they liked what they heard.

"I was impressed," said Janet Haley, a committeewoman from Pembroke Pines.

Cathy Miller from North Lauderdale, said she wasn't aware of DeSantis before he spoke Monday evening. "Now that I am, I'm going to check him out more closely," she said. "I enjoyed him. I enjoyed him a lot. I thought he was refreshing. I liked his opinions."

Felicia Anderson of Cooper City termed him "fabulous."

"He's on the money with the conservative voice of the people," she said.

Source