RUSH: Governor DeSantis here in Florida is doing such a phenomenal job, and for the most part he’s doing it under the radar because the media does not want to report it. But Ron DeSantis has taken this state and has begun a series of reforms that — his polling data in this state is over the top approval, it is so good, he’s doing such a great job, they don’t even talk about it.

He’s done a series of little things that add up to gigantic, big steps. And here’s one example. DeSantis made a stop at the North Collier County Regional Park in Naples three days ago on Tuesday. He announced that students will now be required to learn civics education in school.

Now, many of you are gonna say, “I mean, that’s no big deal. Everybody learns civics.” No, they don’t anymore. That is the point. They are not being taught civics, and they’re not being taught civics from the standpoint of the American founding. They’re not being taught civics from the standpoint of the Constitution. If people are being taught civics today, it’s in the rubric of how the United States is corrupt, how the United States is unfair, how the United States is imbalanced.

Let me tell you why this is important. Remember the story I told you about — it may be three weeks ago or a month now. I ran into a U.K. Daily Mail story, and it was about kids between the ages of 18 and young adults, 24. And it was shocking. Seventy percent had never heard of Joseph Stalin or Mao Tse-tung. Forty percent — no, 70% Stalin, 40% Mao Tse-tung, or maybe the other way around.

I read that, and I said, “It doesn’t surprise me at all.” They’re not being taught communism? Communism is probably being extolled. Communism is probably being sold. Socialism, communism are probably being taught with virtuous characteristics.

So I happened to find myself shortly after reading that story at a charity golf tournament for a local school. And some of the students from the school were at the golf tournament. So I decided to do my own little miniature survey. This is a high school. So the oldest students would be 17 or 18. And every time I ran into one, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Do you know who Mao Tse-tung was?”

“No.”

“Do you know who Joseph Stalin was?”

“No.” One student said, when I asked, “Do you know who Mao Tse-tung was,” “Yeah, yeah, yeah, he’s the Tiananmen Square guy, right?” I confirmed it for myself. This is an elite private school, by the way. And I happen to know this school. This is not part of some purposeful conspiracy. This is just what has become of the standard curriculum that has swept the country.

So I said, “How would you react if I were to tell you that Joseph Stalin was the leader of Russia during World War II and purposely murdered more than 20 million of his own citizens? What would you think?”

“Well, it’s terrible.”

“Yeah, it is. What would you think if I told you that Mao Tse-tung killed even more in something called the cultural revolution?”

“What was that? Well, cultural revolution was where the Chinese came in and basically said if you don’t support us and communism we’re gonna kill you or send you to reeducation camp where you’re gonna die. It was basically mass indoctrination of the belief in government sponsored communism or else. And it was called the cultural revolution as though it was some sort of vast improvement.”

Not one student that I spoke to had any idea. This is not a criticism of the school. Do not misunderstand. I’m not gonna name the school. It’s not the point. The point is, I won’t be surprised if DeSantis saw that and looked into it to find out what’s being taught in civics in Florida schools. And whatever he found, he has decided it needs to change.

These are little things, like the appointment of judges. Do you realize Trump has even more nominees for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals? The other day I told you what the Democrats are facing if Trump wins reelection and the reason they’re doing all this. How about a 7-2 conservative Supreme Court? How about changing the entire balance of power throughout the federal district court system and the appellate court system?

What happens when the left loses their majority control of the judiciary nationwide, which is where they have election loss insurance? This is happening. Trump is nominating and getting confirmed more conservative judges than any American president in your or my lifetime, folks. Not being reported on, not being talked about, but these are changes at the grassroots. These are fundamental changes. These are lifetime appointments. These are going to have lasting impact.

Trump is doing all kinds of things like getting rid of massive amounts of onerous federal regulations that you don’t hear about but you live it when you find out you no longer are up against them. And little things here like DeSantis announcing civics requirements for high school. Regaining control of one of the most fundamentally important institutions creating public opinion. That is education. The media is the other.