I was not among those who said a debate between the governors of Florida and California—Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom, respectively—was a bad idea. I'd actually like to see more debates—more good debates, that is, not the bread-and-circus shows we've seen on network and cable television in recent years. If it were up to me, we'd switch to a Lincoln-Douglas debate format. Back then, there weren't TV executives rigging the debates to ensure maximum eyeballs, profits, and mud-slinging. They're designed to make money, not reveal what the candidates would do if they were elected.
This brings us to tonight's Red State/Blue State debate in Alpharetta, Ga., moderated by Sean Hannity on Fox News.
Hannity promised at the beginning of the debate that he would not tip the scales in favor of one candidate, but the questions he asked and the graphics he displayed definitely favored DeSantis. He debated Newsom several times, which I wish he hadn't done. DeSantis proved more than capable of handling Newsom on his own. In fact, he wiped the floor with Newsom, who wouldn't know a truthful statement if it hit him in the head. Over and over again, the Florida governor used facts to back up his claims and called out Newsom for saying things that were not true.
The first question was about net migration from California to Florida. DeSantis explained why people are leaving and coming to Florida. "You almost have to try to mess California up," he quipped.
When it was Newsom's turn to answer, he completely ignored the question and rambled about all the great things California has, like Silicon Valley (which no doubt carts a truckload of cash over to Newsom's campaign every other month).
Hannity tried a second time to get Newsom to answer the question. Newsom claimed that more people have moved from Florida to California over the last two years, which contradicted the graphic Hannity posted from the Census Bureau.
DeSantis called Newsom "slick and slippery."
California has "failed because of his leftist ideology," he added. "We must choose freedom over failure."
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On taxes, Newsom claimed that low-wage people pay more in taxes in Florida
"That's just not true," DeSanits shot back, citing the gas tax and forced electric vehicles. "How many people are able to afford groceries now compared to two years ago?" he asked, echoing a question then-presidential candidate Ronald Reagan asked Jimmy Carter in the 1980 debate.
On Covid, Newsom accused DeSantis of falling "prey to the right-wing fringe."
"Tens of thousands of people lost their lives, and for what, Ron?" he charged.
"That's not true," DeSantis responded, shaking his head. "Don't lie about it. He [Hannity] put the [CDC] graphic up there."
Newsom replied, "You were lockdown governor."
How DeSantiis resisted rolling his eyes, I do not know.
Here was one special moment in the debate. The look on Newsom's face is precious.
I was talking to a fella who had made the move from California to Florida. He was telling me that Florida’s much better governed, safer, better budget, lower taxes.
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) December 1, 2023
Then he paused and said ‘by the way, I’m Gavin Newsom’s father-in-law.’ pic.twitter.com/OSsYCRTJYo
Newsom "had the kids locked out of school because of the teachers' union. That is generational damage," said DeSantis. "You should apologize for not getting kids in school. Why didn't you get the kids back to school like we did?"
"It's deja vous all over again with that flurry of lies," he added.
Gavin Newsom had more kids locked out of school for a longer period of time in California than anywhere else in the country. It was working class kids.
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) December 1, 2023
His kids were in private school — they were in class in-person.
He is owned by the teacher’s union. pic.twitter.com/cIpesdK8RC
"You're trying to out-Trump Trump. How's that going for you, Ron? You're down 41 points in your own state!" said Newsom, who several times in the debate accused his opponent of being mean to people.
The debate turned to gun violence. Newsom, who lies easily and without compunction, accused DeSantis of making it easier for felons to buy firearms.
DeSantis called him out on the lie, noting that there's a federal ban on felons buying guns, and turned the debate to crime statistics in California, including essentially legalizing shoplifting.
On the education issue, DeSantis pulled out a page from a book available to schoolchildren in California, saying that he had to black out the photos because they wouldn't be allowed on TV.
This is a book that’s in some of the schools in California.
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) December 1, 2023
This is pornography. It’s cartoons. It’s aimed at children — and it’s wrong.
This should not be in schools. pic.twitter.com/XjM1QMrCJQ
"The role of schools is to educate kids, not indoctrinate kids," he declared.
Newsom yapped about "banned books," claiming that DeSantis is on a "book-banning binge" in Florida. He listed several books that he claims have been banned in Florida schools. DeSantis responded, "Not banned" after every title.
"Not banned. Not banned. Not banned. False narrative," he said.
Newsom accused him of conducting a cultural purge. "I don't like the way you demean people. I don't like the way you demean the LGBT community."
He called the parents' rights movement a "ginned-up, made-up issue to divide this country" and "the weaponization of grievance." That's a serious case of the pot calling the kettle black.
"He's been telling a lot of whoppers tonight. This may be the biggest," DeSantis declared.
He noted that minor children can go to California to get sex-change operations, without parental consent. "That's not for you to decide. It's for the parents to decide," he said.
"Where's the decency and humanity and grace?" Newsom accused.
Hannity put up a slide from the Department of Education showing Florida as #1 in education while California sits at #20, even though California outspends Florida, $16,000 to $12,000.
Newsom claimed that he is "reimagining education" and said he had "one of the best records under Covid."
DeSantis shook his head and laughed.
"I can't wait for PolitiFact" to weigh in, Newsom said, knowing that the liberal fact-checkers will carry his water.
On abortion, Hannity asked Newsom if there "should there be any restrictions on the issue of abortion that you support at all?"
He refused to answer the question but called DeSantis "extreme" on abortion because of his six-week abortion ban, noting that "even Donald Trump said it was too extreme." He then turned to attacking Hannity, accusing him of covering for DeSantis.
Late-term abortion is "an extreme, extreme exception," he claimed, something that should be "up to the mother and her doctor and her conscience."
"I believe in a culture of life," said DeSantis, telling the story of a California woman who survived a late-term abortion and was left on the table to die. "She matters," he insisted.
He said of California, "They will take your tax dollars and they will fund abortion up to the moment of birth."
Asked in a lighting round whether Joe Biden is too impaired to be president, DeSantis said, "Yes, he's in decline and he should not be running for president," which is why, he said, Newsom is running a "shadow campaign" to replace him.
"I will take Joe Biden at 100 rather than Desantis at any age," Newsom laughably claimed. "Joe Biden will be our nominee in a matter of weeks. In a matter of weeks, [Desantis will be] endorsing Donald Trump as the nominee."
Near the end of the debate, DeSantis pulled out a map showing all the places people have reported seeing human feces in California, a humorous (and, frankly, disturbing ) visual.
This is a map of San Francisco. There’s a lot of plots on that. You may be asking ‘what is that plotting?’
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) December 1, 2023
This is an app where they plot the human feces that are found on the streets of San Francisco.
That is what has happened in one of the previous greatest cities this… pic.twitter.com/otOz7dQxei
Throughout the debate, he did a great job of sharing stories of real Americans and relating concrete ways in which life is better in Republican-led states like his own.
When all was said and done, both men performed well, although Newsom frequently relied on lies to make his points. I admit I'm biased, but Newsom came across as smarmy and artificially enhanced (by Botox and whatnot), even trotting out a fake Southern accent several times during the debate. At certain points, it felt like he was trying to channel Bill Clinton, which was super weird.
DeSantis looked competent and was confident he was on the right side of every policy issue discussed tonight. He apologized for nothing and was consistent in calling out Newsom's incompetence and malfeasance.
Donald Trump's name was only invoked in the debate when Gavin "DeSantis Is Being Mean to People" Newsom used it to ridicule DeSantis.
In the post-game show, former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the debate proved that "Democrats are from Mars and Republicans are from Venus."
He said DeSantis was "very practical, very focused on people's daily lives," while Newsom's "whole message was identity politics."
"I thought Governor DeSantis did a pretty good job tonight defending his state and his record," he added. He gave the Florida governor a B+ for his factual performance but a B- because he didn't look Newsom in the eye enough. He gave Newsom a "D in terms of mangling the facts."
Democrat operative Harold Ford gave both a B+ and praised DeSantis's performance.
Former Congressman Jason Chaffetz said DeSantis looked "presidential" and "his disposition and demeanor were spot on." He predicted that the Florida governor would rise in the polls as a result of his performance.
Former Trump Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said of Newsom, "In terms of being glib, yeah, I would give him an A." She gave DeSantis an A but warned that Newsom is "a sharp messenger." "Watch out, he's coming," she added.
Newsom swears (pinky promise!) that he's not running a shadow campaign for president, but the only person who believes that whopper is the doddering Joe Biden.
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