They Thought They Were Attacking DeSantis. They Accidentally Boosted His Possible Successor.
🐊The Hope Florida Kabuki Attack Has Ended. The Curtain Has Fallen. And the Swamp Forgot Its Lines.
At last, the long-awaited legislative production, “The Curious Case of the Community Charity,” has drawn its final breath. And what a performance it was: a tepid, confused kabuki theater staged by men with no sense of irony and even less sense of shame.
The actors? Alex Andrade, who has managed to weaponize speculation into a full-blown personality disorder. Yellow journalist Lawrence Mower, whose talents include misreading tax forms and writing prose with the velocity of damp cement. Juan Porras and Daniel Perez—each trying to play statesman but landing somewhere between disoriented lobbyist and high school vice principal with a grudge.
Their target? Not fraud. Not corruption. Not even policy.
No, what they tried—and failed—to assassinate was Hope Florida: a modest but effective conservative program that reminds people they are not defined by their dependency. A program built on the idea that communities, not bureaucracies, are the best stewards of recovery and dignity.
For this, it had to be destroyed.
Or so they thought.
🎥 Meanwhile, In the Real World...
As the swamp creatures mumbled their lines and tripped over subpoenas they were too scared to issue, Ron and Casey DeSantis held a press conference. No bluster. No lobbyists. No gimmicks.
Just families. Real people.
People who stood before cameras and told the public what Hope Florida actually did for them: help finding housing, work, purpose, and a path forward.
And then Casey DeSantis, with the poise of a stateswoman and the moral clarity of someone who actually believes in the work, gave a speech that would have made Russell Kirk stand up and yell “Awww sh!t that’s my jam” (I like to imagine). She articulated what every real conservative knows:
“Government is not your savior. Community is. Faith is. Responsibility is.”
This wasn’t a program defending itself. It was a program living out its purpose—even as political operatives tried to tear it down from within.
💥 How Did the Attacks Backfire So Spectacularly?
Simple. Because grift never learns.
These political lifers are used to fake nonprofits—those that spend 95% on consultants and 5% on letterhead. They assumed Hope Florida was just another receptacle for the next kickback scheme and hoped that it operated in the ways that they’re used to.
It wasn’t. And that confused them.
So they defaulted to what they know: innuendo, leaks, and cowardice.
But here’s what they didn’t count on:
That Hope Florida’s ledger would check out.
That the public would tune in, curious to know what all the fuss was about.
That Casey DeSantis, far from withering, would rise—looking more like a Governor-in-waiting than ever before.
That their attacks would convert into PR gold.
You couldn’t have scripted a worse outcome for the swamp.
👀 The Contrast Is Blinding
Ron and Casey DeSantis are not perfect, they’ll tell you that themselves—but what they are is honest, consistent, competent, and grounded in principle. They stand for subsidiarity, faith, community, and yes—limited government.
And that’s precisely what makes them targets of a political class that wouldn’t know virtue if it walked in wearing a Hope Florida lanyard and offered them a ride.
Contrast that with the backgrounds of:
Andrade, who accused people of money laundering and then said “never mind.”
Mower, whose understanding of nonprofit filings could be replaced with a cartoon rat with a magnifying glass.
Perez, who seems to confuse committee leadership with reality TV hosting.
Porras, who brought all the substance of a Snapple cap to a policy discussion.
These aren’t statesmen or even a journalist. These are errand boys for a dying order—the same establishment that’s been grifting the state since before the floodwaters receded from Andrew.
⚔️ Lines in the Sand
This session drew blood. And not from Hope Florida. It came from the exposed egos and ambitions of people who thought they could ride a smear campaign back into relevance.
But what they’ve done instead is declare open war on every reform-minded conservative in Florida.
You want to make this movement stronger? Keep attacking families. Keep trying to destroy what works. Keep putting your name on the losing side of every meaningful moral issue.
Just don’t act surprised when the voters, the donors, and the party faithful stop picking up your calls.
This Is Where They Realized They Lost
The moment the hearing ended, and the subpoenas evaporated into legislative ether, the entire charade collapsed under its own weight. There were no charges. No ethics findings. No fines. Just headlines manufactured for an audience that no longer buys what these swamp dealers are selling.
You know it’s bad when the very institutions trying to kneecap you accidentally broadcast your success to a larger-than-ever audience.
Hope Florida’s viewership spiked.
More citizens became aware of the program.
More families will now apply for help.
More volunteers will come out to help.
And Casey DeSantis looks ready to govern tomorrow.
The grifters’ plan was to smear her into silence.
Instead, they launched her into the public imagination as a leader of vision, compassion, and competence.
And here’s the best part:
The only people who don’t realize they lost…
…are the ones who still think Twitter threads and committee chairs are currency in this state.
🐊 Final Gavel:
This wasn’t a story about fraud. It was a story about fear—fear of a rising First Lady with a philosophy deeper than her detractors' entire resumes. Fear of a conservative success story that didn’t need lobbyists, didn’t need gimmicks, and didn’t need their permission.
They tried to kill Hope Florida.
They tried to derail any possibility of Casey DeSantis running for Governor
They failed.
They exposed themselves instead.
Because the truth works. The people notice. And Florida doesn’t belong to the swamp anymore.
So to every Republican still whispering behind closed doors with consultants and PAC peddlers about how to “handle Casey”—here’s my advice:
Get better. Or get out of the way.
Because the citizens of Florida are awake now. They’ve seen what the swamp is trying to take from them. And they’re not going to let you do it again.
📣 If you stand with truth over theatrics—share this.
If you believe in restoring conservatism with integrity, outcomes, and community, this is your moment.
And to those grifters who still think they can claw their way back to relevance by tearing down what works?
We see you.
We remember.
And we’re just getting started.
Want more clarity in a world of clutter? I cover these topics—and the intellectual battles behind them—on Substack: The Rational Purview become a paid subsriber and help fight “The Swamp” with The Truth.
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