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Florida’s Governor is telling South Carolina voters he believes the U.S. should maintain an all-volunteer military, partly because Americans aren’t in good enough condition to serve.
During a speech in Greenville, Ron DeSantis held forth on the future of the armed forces if he becomes President.
“If you just start drafting people, I mean, there’s a lot of folks that don’t have the physical standards. There’s a lot, I mean, I think there would be a lot of problems with that. So we need to recruit in the all-volunteer force,” DeSantis said.
The Governor’s comments could be interpreted as a damning indictment of this generation’s physical conditioning.
The U.S. Army fitness test, for example, includes a 50-minute trial with a strength deadlift, a standing power throw, push-ups, planking and a two-mile run.
The Governor, who notes that if he is elected President he would be the first veteran since George H.W. Bush in 1988 (eliding George W. Bush’s service in the Texas National Guard in that narrative), also suggested ideological reasons keep people from enlisting.
“When they see the military being used for other reasons, I think that people got a lot of other stuff they can do, a lot of them are going to do other things, and we are not going to be able to sustain, we’re not going to be able to deter China and keep this country strong if we can’t get people to join the military.”
DeSantis was in South Carolina last year when he rolled out a plan to root out the “woke mind virus” from the military, and what’s clear is that in this veteran-heavy state, he’s betting on a connection with those who also served.
10 comments
Dont Say FLA
January 16, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Did Rhonda give up on their gay trans black queen hating? Now he hates fat people too? Casey must have put on 6 ounces that Rhonda finds repulsive to look at.
Hint to Rhonda: Look in the mirror for a while before looking at Casey. She’ll look much better to you in comparison.
MH/Duuuval
January 16, 2024 at 12:07 pm
“The Governor, who notes that if he is elected President he would be the first veteran since George H.W. Bush in 1988 (eliding George W. Bush’s service in the Texas National Guard in that narrative) … .”
Give Dee credit: W was AWOL, artfully dodging actual military service, thanks to family connections with TANG.
ScienceBLVR
January 16, 2024 at 12:08 pm
Too bad, Gov doesn’t sing Bob’s song..
As some warn victory, some downfall
Private reasons, great or small
Can be seen in the eyes of those that call
To make all that should be killed to crawl
While others say don’t hate nothing at all
Except hatred
tom palmer
January 16, 2024 at 12:15 pm
kids these days….
Michael K
January 16, 2024 at 12:33 pm
Huh? Rhonda wants to reinstate the draft? And he just insulted the MAGA base?
MH/Duuuval
January 16, 2024 at 12:37 pm
Perhaps MAGA draft boards could sign up those 300-pound guys still living at home, online scammers who want taxpayers to provide them cheap insurance?
Tom
January 16, 2024 at 3:15 pm
The military has been saying for years that it’s harder to recruit because of low education standards and low levels of physical fitness so why not offer some of the folks coming up from South America citizenship in exchange for two years national service? If you can walk 1500 miles you must be in decent condition. I have a couple of friends that were given a choice between jail and the military back in the 70’s (young men causing mischief type of stuff) and they turned their lives around. All we hear are complaints and whining – never any solutions.
MH/Duuuval
January 17, 2024 at 11:49 am
That’s what the Romans did: recruit border residents to fight for them as Romans hung out in Italian splendor.
(Kinda like Mar a Lago and such like today.)
Pastor Pasta
January 16, 2024 at 4:56 pm
From that paragon of physical fitness, Ron DeSantis. When I look at Ron, I think triathelete, bodybuilder and Olympian all in one! He just oozes those in-shape vibes. It’s the ill fitting suits that make him look so dumpy and portly!
Brian Brady
January 17, 2024 at 2:51 pm
I know you love to bash DeSantis but he doesn’t “think” that; he is parroting what the CDC report revealed, quoting General officers:
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/resources/unfit-to-serve/index.html#:~:text=Just%20over%201%20in%203,to%20serve%20in%20our%20military.&text=Among%20the%20young%20adults%20who,for%20challenges%20in%20basic%20training.
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