Would DeSantis Make a Good President?

A listener asked if I thought Ron DeSantis was wrong about Alexander Hamilton.

Most people are wrong about Alexander Hamilton, particularly those who consider him to be the most important American in the founding generation.

He was certainly driven, intelligent, and patriotic, but he was also a duplicitous liar who laid the foundation for the destruction of the federal republic established during the American War for Independence.

September 11, 1789 is the original terrible September 11. That was the day Hamilton became Secretary of the Treasury.

Regardless, DeSantis thinks Hamilton would be appalled by the Florida Constitution. Why? Because it limits the executive, and Hamilton favored an energetic executive branch.

Like most Americans, DeSantis confuses what Hamilton or other Founders said about the Constitution of the general government and that of the State governments.

Hamilton did not like the strong executive of George Clinton in New York, and James Madison, whom DeSantis also admires, wanted the Constitution because it would limit the power of Patrick Henry in Virginia.

In other words, both were suspicious of strong governors in their respective States, the same position DeSantis occupies in Florida.

Which brings me to my point about DeSantis. Be careful what you wish for with a President DeSantis. We know almost nothing about his views on foreign policy, the most important job of the president, and while we can cheer is attack on the woke idiots in Florida, he would have less power to do so in Washington than Tallahassee.

DeSantis would be better off keeping Florida great than making American great again.

But this made for a great podcast, so I discuss it on episode 644 of The Brion McClanahan Show.