The conversation on wokeness resumes.
C: Before I get into the four threads of wokeness in more detail, I have a more general question. It appears to me that Trump has a legitimate argument that he was attacking wokeness long before you were. What do you say to that?
D: That’s all he was doing–talking. He always viewed wokeness as a punchline to a joke. He never took it seriously–he just used it as a tool to bind himself to the base. I’ve actually done something about it. Give me the powers of the presidency, and I will destroy wokeness forever. That’s a promise.
C: OK. With that down, let’s start with the wokeness thread that is most closely tied to you: public health wokeness.
D: That’s a good place to start. It’s right in my wheelhouse.
C: You’ve said Trump should have fired Fauci. That, in and of itself, wouldn’t have changed much. What else did he screw up, in your opinion?
D: First of all, he should have used his powers to prohibit state, local, and business mask mandates.
C: What powers are those? I’m not aware of any federal authority to do that.
D: If you look hard enough, you can always find something. You have to be willing to push the envelope to get anything done. That’s what I’ve done in Florida.
C: Yes, and you’ve lost a lot of cases in federal court.
D: Those were woke Obama and Biden judges. We’ll get rid of them. In any event, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
C: The vaccine was developed under Trump. You appear to have issues with it, as well.
D: Right. First of all, the vaccine was rushed, and inadequately tested. We don’t really know what its long term effects are. Second, it doesn’t work for everyone. Finally, vaccine mandates are always wrong, and should be prohibited. That’s on Biden, not Trump.
C: Are you an anti-vaxxer?
D: The science tells me there are problems with the vaccine. They need to be explored and publicized. That doesn’t make me an anti-vaxxer. I’m pro-freedom, not anti-vax. If people know the facts and decide to take the vaccine, that’s up to them.
C: Freedom to spread the virus and kill other people? Is that a freedom worth fighting for?
D: Human life is important, but the freedom to live and work normally is even more important. It is a balancing act, and a matter of priorities.
C: Would you acknowledge that the vaccine saved millions of lives and gave the people who took it more freedom to live normally?
D: The science makes me doubt that.
C: Your views of science are outside of the mainstream.
D: The mainstream is the establishment. The woke establishment is the problem. I don’t have any obligation to follow them when my review of the facts tells me something different.
C: Let’s move on to climate change wokeness. Do you think climate change is a hoax?
D: I’m not blind. I can see the effects of climate change. Scientists differ on whether it is man-made or not. I don’t think we can do anything about it without destroying our economy, which is based on the use of fossil fuels.
C: What do you say to the people who lose their homes and their family members in hurricanes caused by climate change?
D: I pray for them every day. It’s very sad. The government has an obligation to help them–at least if they don’t live in woke states. But we can’t throw millions of people out of good jobs trying to prevent hurricanes and wildfires, particularly when the Chinese are still putting money in coal-fired utilities.
C: So the victims are acceptable collateral damage?
D: I didn’t say that.
C: Yes, you did. Just not in so many words. Would you deny disaster relief funds to blue states until they take action against wokeness?
D: I would have to at least think about it. Wokeness has to go, whatever the cost. I will use all of the powers at my disposal to see that it does.
C: The automakers are all transitioning to electric vehicles. That is due in part to federal regulations, but mostly to public consciousness of climate change all over the world. It doesn’t make sense for America to position itself behind the curve when the Chinese, for example, are working hard on electric cars. Would you try to actually stop the transition, and turn America into an island of fossil fuel use?
D: At a minimum, I would cut off all Biden’s funding for the transition, and I would get rid of his regulations. After that, it’s up to the companies. Let the free market decide.
C: The record in Florida indicates that you are willing to spend at least some public funds for climate change mitigation.
D: That’s true. As I said, I’m not blind to the change. Mitigation is a reasonable and logical step to deal with it. I just don’t think prevention is workable.
C: Let’s move to racial wokeness.
D: OK.
C: I think you would agree that the focal point of your argument here is about systemic racism. You deny it exists, right?
D: Right. Unfortunately, there may be a few racists left in this country, but the system is not racist–at least, not today.
C: Let’s walk back through American history. We had slavery for about 250 years. It was enforced by the government. Is it possible to call that anything other than systemic racism?
D: No. Slavery was a tragedy, without a doubt.
C: After that, in the South, we had about 100 years of enforced segregation. All over the country, we had segregated schools and housing, redlining, and a variety of government programs, including entitlement programs, that discriminated against black people. Is that not systemic racism?
D: Yes, that was unfortunate, too. A few bad apples were in control. Fortunately, that changed.
C: Today, you can pick virtually any outcome you want, and black people are worse off than white people. How do you explain that other than to call it the vestiges of systemic racism?
D: Dr. King, who is a hero of mine, fought to make everyone equal under the law. He won. There has been no de jure segregation in this country since, say, the early 1970s. At that point, the job was done. Taking actions to favor one group over another is just racism by another name. It divides the country unnecessarily and makes white people who had no part in slavery or Jim Crow feel guilty. We need to put an end to that.
C: So how do you account for the differences in outcome that I described earlier?
D: It is perfectly possible for black people to get ahead in this country. Look at Obama. Look at Clarence Thomas, another of my heroes. That’s proof that there is no such thing as systemic racism.
C: So as long as a few exceptional people can get ahead, we shouldn’t look at the great mass of people who are left behind?
D: To discriminate against white and Asian people means a loss of freedom for them. Protecting freedom is more important than worrying about outcomes. In the long run, it will all balance out, anyway–at least, as long as we get rid of the hammock of dependency and affirmative action and make black people stand on their own two feet. We’ve had 50 years of misguided paternalism. Enough is enough.
C: Obviously, you hate affirmative action. Most affirmative action regulations operate in the private sector and in state and local governments. What would you do about them?
D: We have the power of the purse, which is the ultimate weapon. In addition, I will push the envelope as far as I can with my other legal powers. Biden does it; why shouldn’t I?
C: You see evidence of racial wokeness on the internet, on TV, in the MSM, and in the schools. How would you get rid of it without running afoul of the First Amendment?
D: First of all, we need a lot of new judges, including on the Supreme Court. Next, we need to use federal funding as a lever to put an end to wokeness. Finally, we need to use all of the powers at our disposal to regulate woke discussion in public.
C: What does that mean? Would you try to force the sale of the Times, for example, to Rupert Murdoch?
D: Why not? Viktor Orban would do it.
C: What leverage would you use?
D: We have the IRS, and we can change the libel laws.
C: You don’t have five votes on the Supreme Court to overturn Sullivan.
D: I’ll be working on that.
C: What would you do with the internet?
D: I think I can persuade the Court that the internet is qualitatively different from other forms of expression, so it can be censored without violating the First Amendment. Barring that, I can find some sort of emergency and use my emergency powers to get rid of harmful opinions on the web.
C: Would you prohibit students from using federal grants to attend woke schools?
D: Probably.
C: But what about their freedom to choose the right school for them?
D: Real freedom is based in truth. There is no freedom in following evil. The government isn’t obligated to give them that choice.
C: Let’s finish with sex and gender wokeness. Is it your opinion that being gay or lesbian is purely a choice?
D: The fact that the number of gays, lesbians, and trans people has increased recently suggests that it is, at least for the most part.
C: What do you want from gay people? What should be done with them?
D: They should be encouraged to turn away from sin and embrace the right path.
C: How? By conversion therapy? Does that really work?
D: My scientists say it does.
C: What if it doesn’t work? What’s Plan B?
D: Force them to go back in the closet. Stop being a pervert or a groomer. Keep it to yourself, and don’t endanger children.
C: Here’s a related question–would you use the overturning of the gay marriage decision as a litmus test for the selection of new Supreme Court justices?
D: Absolutely! The left does it all the time. We should be more open about doing it, instead of pretending that we’re open-minded on the subject.
C: Gay people suffer disproportionately from mental health problems due to their lack of acceptance in the community. Many of them try to commit suicide, and some succeed. What would you do to combat that?
D: Nothing. The objective is to stop them from choosing to be gay. Without the deterrent, they will just keep on being perverts and groomers.
C: And the same thing for trans people?
D: They’re even worse.
C: I think we’re done for today.