In his pursuit of both the Florida governorship and a presidential candidacy within the Republican party, Ron DeSantis has deftly harnessed his Ivy League background, effectively converting it into fodder for the culture wars he ardently wages.
As Florida’s Governor, DeSantis has unfurled a campaign and political persona aimed at challenging the “ruling class,” a term encompassing bureaucrats, media representatives, educators, and other individuals that he perceives as an ineffective, self-serving cadre of “experts.” The prevailing narrative within his neoconservative constituency is one of contesting unearned authority and reshaping education systems, casting public schools and colleges as pivotal battlegrounds.
However, Ron DeSantis stands as both an inhabitant of and a critic of this very ruling class. His educational journey included stints at Yale University and Harvard Law School, institutions emblematic of the American elite. During his formative years, he was deeply disconcerted by his experiences within these institutions, yet concurrently cognizant of the advantages they conferred upon him. This duality in perspective forms the backdrop against which he has constructed his reinterpretation of encounters with the ruling class, amplifying his case for their displacement and the reconstruction of public education.
In his campaign endeavors, DeSantis frequently characterizes his time at Yale and Harvard Law School as an immersion in adversarial terrain, portraying these institutions as bastions of anti-American sentiment. However, his personal narrative proves more intricate than his portrayal suggests.
While at Yale, he became a member of the St. Elmo’s Order, a “secret society” historically recognized as a breeding ground for future leaders. Similarly, despite his assertion that Harvard was considerably influenced by left-wing “critical legal studies,” this ideological movement had significantly waned by the time of his enrollment. The school afforded him access to conservative organizations like the Federalist Society.
In the realm of politics, his elite background offered him a distinct edge—facilitating connections with affluent donors, fundraising success, and introductions to prominent Republicans. DeSantis acknowledged the potent advantages conferred by his Harvard affiliation during a panel discussion before his inaugural gubernatorial run, stating, “Harvard opens a lot of doors for aspiring politicians.”
Echoing DeSantis’ own account of his Yale experience, former classmates attest to his initial struggle to adapt to the more diverse and cosmopolitan milieu of the university. Amidst this transformation, he gravitated towards the baseball team and the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, an association marked by a rigorous hazing ritual that some former fraternity members suggest fostered an affinity for power dynamics.
Regrettably, his fraternity days are now cast under scrutiny. Reports emerge of hazing incidents, including turning on a blender near blindfolded pledges and requesting them to wear baseball pants with strategic alterations during a winter “hell week.” DeSantis vehemently denied these allegations through a spokesperson.
Today, DeSantis’s legacy intertwines with his Florida policy initiatives, aimed at countering perceived leftist ideals in public schools and colleges. His actions encompass seizing control of The New Academy, a liberal arts institution; facilitating parental challenges to school materials; imposing bans on classroom discourse related to sexual orientation and gender identity; and prohibiting the teaching of concepts such as “systemic racism” in core courses at public universities.
