I admit that the result of Thursday’s debate between Ron DeSantis, and Gavin Newsom was pleasantly surprising. It’s easy to believe something if you hear it enough. I can’t even count the number of times I have heard a Republican say, “DeSantis’ isn’t good at debates”. It’s impossible to know what that myth was based on. But it has been dispelled.

DeSantis’ takedown of California Governor Newsom was more than just a match for his stage presence. It was knowing the issues, but also arguing them without any caution. DeSantis did exactly that. Three clips illustrate perfectly what I am talking about.

DeSantis describes the “freedoms,” that California has, in the first example. Newsom’s ad campaign, in which he claimed that his state had more freedoms than Florida, is the background to this example.

Ron DeSantis gave Gavin Newsom ‘credit’ for some of the ‘freedoms’ Californians enjoy, and it was both hilarious and epic. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/cOwQbcLeUc

— Scott Morefield (@SKMorefield) December 1, 2023

DeSantis: “California does have freedoms that other states don’t. You have the freedom to defecate in public. You have the freedom to pitch a tent on Sunset Boulevard. You have the freedom to create a homeless camp and even light it on fire. You have the freedom to have an open…

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) December 1, 2023

In that exchange, I almost felt sorry for Newsom. It’s what happens when a man is backed by facts and the other has a quick tongue and hair gel. The truth will win in the end, and it is absurd to think that California is the bastion of liberty as most Americans would like.

California may be for you if you enjoy dangerous homeless camps, having every street turned into a toilet, and seeing illegal immigrants get better healthcare than you. If you don’t mind your kids being forced to attend school and not be locked up for two years, I suggest looking elsewhere. Thousands of people do this every year.

This brings me to my next clip, of Newsom’s claim that Florida banned books in schools. DeSantis had a visual that ended the argument immediately.

DeSantis whips out one of the explicitly sexual gender books aimed at children as he defends FL’s pro-parent bills: “This is a book that is in some of the schools in California called Gender Queer…this is pornography. It’s cartoons. It’s aimed at children. And it’s wrong.” pic.twitter.com/8oPqGmtAEF

— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) December 1, 2023

The Democrats have lost the debate over parental rights because they can’t find a good reason to defend books such as Gender Queer in schools. They try to divert with vague claims about “book banning.” A Republican cannot play it safe when faced with such a situation. DeSantis brought the receipts and showed a national TV audience what Democrats were trying to teach children. This was one of the best moments in the debate.

I didn’t think it was the best. This was for the incredible exchange where DeSantis pulled out San Francisco’s poop map to show how much of a failure Newsom is.

This is a map of San Francisco. There’s a lot of plots on that. You may be asking ‘what is that plotting?’

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

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) December 1, 2023

This is the way to defeat even the most polished Democrat. Newsom’s expression was priceless. When faced with abject failure, there is no way to respond. Republicans can learn a lot from this debate. You cannot be a softie on Democrats. You cannot listen to consultants who claim that certain topics should be avoided. DeSantis was unrestrained and pulled off a major surprise, at least according to media predictions.

This will hopefully dim Newsom’s shine a little. He’s an ideological extremist who must be stopped, and he is on the fast track to becoming president. DeSantis’ acceptance of the debate was the correct move, despite Republican critics who claimed he would be embarrassed. It would have been a huge mistake to not dirty up Newsom. We should be all rooting for Newsom’s downfall.