Pamela Paul: Ron DeSantis has something to teach liberals

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | February 12, 2023 | Pamela Paul, The New York Times Company

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Is there anything liberals can do about Ron DeSantis other than quietly seethe, loudly condemn him every time he makes headlines and hope that his political flaws — his distaste for glad-handing, his less-than-inspiring public-speaking style, his conspicuous unlikability — will take him down before he gets anywhere close to the presidency? It would be tempting to write off DeSantis, the bombastic Republican governor of Florida, as another unelectable right-wing lunatic unfit for national office.

We’ve made that mistake before.

It’s reliably depressing to revisit 2016 and the misbegotten liberal conviction that America couldn’t possibly elevate Donald Trump to the presidency. We’ve already cataloged the mistakes in media coverage and dissected what we missed that somehow made Trump a viable, let alone desirable, candidate to occupy the Oval Office.

But here we go again. As Democratic political strategist Lis Smith has remarked, the left’s reaction to DeSantis looks just like its reaction to Trump: “He’s picking these fights. He’s saying and doing abhorrent things. And all the same characters — whether in the media, Democratic politics, the punditry class, whatever it is — have the same freakout.”

Let’s pay closer attention this time.

First, we shouldn’t underestimate DeSantis. He may resemble Trump in his politics — but not in his intellect or resolve.

Compare their respective backgrounds: Whereas Trump’s acceptance into the University of Pennsylvania, after an academic record notable only for its mediocrity, was an egregious example of leveraging personal connections to get into a prestigious university, DeSantis, the son of a TV ratings box installer and a nurse, actually earned his way into the Ivy League.

[Chickensoup]

Conspicuous unlikability?

You mean he isn’t obedient to the leftist agenda?

I like him a lot. So do a lot of people.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

QUOTE:

“DeSantis is intelligent and industrious. He worked his way through Yale University while playing baseball and graduated magna cum laude.”
***

[the OlLine Rebel]

With those alleged flaws, she must be a lib herself.

Unlikeable? Ok so he’s not the most engaging, but compared to Trump I think DeS is fine.

I’d agree not real engaging on speech, but not bad.

The other stuff seems pretty nebulous.

[TheWriterTX]

From the same LSM that propped up a senile idiot and Sore Loserman, she dares to question Trump’s academic record and accomplishments?

I’ll take Trump any day, everyday.

Look, I like DeSantis. If he is the nominee, I will vote for him.

But I’m tired of these ankle-biting do-nothings waxing poetic about Orange Man Bad. Get a new schticke.

[Erik Latranyi]

There are FReepers who think DeSantis is being promoted by the left. They are mentally ill.

The FACT is that we could nominate Lindsey Graham and the left will throw a fit, threaten to leave the country, etc, etc, etc.

They do this every election cycle regardless who is nominated because the left lacks the intellectual capacity to debate. They can only engage in hystrionics.

[alloysteel]

A certain faction still seems to be calling for Ron DeSantis to run against Trump in 2024, as a double death-match, to soften the growing resistance against Joe Biden.

The mainstream media is still trying to generate a rivalry between Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump, where no such real rivalry exists. Ron is not running, he has a state to manage until early 2027, and he will not be participating in Presidential politics until then.

Donald Trump is fully capable of managing his own campaign, without the NYT getting in their “helpful” coaching. There are those who say Trump is his own worst enemy, but then, in that he has a worthy opponent. In spite of all the warts and odd traits that show up, it is of all the same ball of wax, Trump being Trump. But nobody is neutral toward Trump.

[stinkerpot65]

In a supposed article about DeSantis, the Democrat scum author insults Trump several times.

The billionaire idiot.

[Twotone]

That’s the phrase that jumped out at me, too. I think he’s terrific!

[TexasGator]

“Ron is not running, “.

He is running

“Donald Trump is fully capable of managing his own campaign, “

There was a thread yesterday about the campaign hiring a company to research voter fraud and when the report came back negative it was squashed. Some here blamed it on the guy that hired the company and said Trump was not responsible for the actions of his campaign.

[Jim Noble]

It's a trap.

You guys all think the "donor community". which sets policy for both "major parties", cares deeply about drag queen story hour, trannies, grooming by teachers, etc., but they do not care about that stuff - not at all.

That stuff is just boob bait to distract the right wing from things that really matter to the "donor community".

What they cannot do without is:

1) A "rules based" international order (i.e., an empire of lawyers)
2) Slow dissolution of American sovereignty as the Constitution is submerged by their "rules" (i.e., "hate speech" is not "free speech")
3) Foreign wars on behalf of alien peoples, wherein our most manly, heroic, and patriotic young men are slowly consumed.

These are the three things, the three reasons, that give bipartisan coherence to our "donor community", the three things that they must have - and isn't it odd that they are the three things that the two parties agree about, and are willing to conspire with the "national" security state and with each other to block anyone (Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump) or kill anyone (Seth Rich, ???) who could get in the way?

DeSantis has been authorized to crusade against "woke", which has no voter base - but you will never hear him dispute the big three.

That's why he is the Chosen One. .

[Wilderness Conservative]

I like Ron DomionSantis.

[liberalh8ter]

I looked her up. She's authored children's books, a book about failed marriage and another titled, “pornified”. 8 in total and not a one about politics. Just another liberal with a bloated ego and inflated sense of intelligence.

[iamgalt]

“It’s reliably depressing to revisit 2016“

Was this written by a 6th grader?

[Erik Latranyi]

It's a trap. You guys all think the "donor community". which sets policy for both "major parties", cares deeply about drag queen story hour, trannies, grooming by teachers, etc., but they do not care about that stuff - not at all. That stuff is just boob bait to distract the right wing from things that really matter to the "donor community". What they cannot do without is: 1) A "rules based" international order (i.e., an empire of lawyers) 2) Slow dissolution of American sovereignty as the Constitution is submerged by their "rules" (i.e., "hate speech" is not "free speech") 3) Foreign wars on behalf of alien peoples, wherein our most manly, heroic, and patriotic young men are slowly consumed. These are the three things, the three reasons, that give bipartisan coherence to our "donor community", the three things that they must have - and isn't it odd that they are the three things that the two parties agree about, and are willing to conspire with the "national" security state and with each other to block anyone (Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump) or kill anyone (Seth Rich, ???) who could get in the way? DeSantis has been authorized to crusade against "woke", which has no voter base - but you will never hear him dispute the big three. That's why he is the Chosen One. .

OK, Admiral Ackbar. Let's try to deal with FACTS instead of your speculation.

Yes, the uni-party favors a one-world government.

The groomers are a big donor block and will not be dismissed. The LGBTQ community (not the same as the groomers) is also a huge source of funding.

The financial donor community lined up and financed Trump in 2016 and 2020. They are lining up behind DeSantis because that is what they do....hedge their bets.

DeSantis has not just fought the "woke". He implemented real conservative policies on economics, firearms, voting, etc. If those ACTIONS are not sufficient to be considered a conservative, then YOU are the problem.

[NorthMountain]

less-than-inspiring public-speaking style and then, in the same paragraph bombastic Republican governor of Florida

WTF???

The author is just gibbering mindlessly.

[Chickensoup]

No by a very red leftist commie

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

DeSantis may not be promoted by the Left, but he is being promoted by the Globohomo Corporate Scum and GOPee in an attempt to stop Trump. However, won’t they be disappointed if DeSantis (their man) gets in and continues destroying their woke, globohomo agenda. JMO.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

But won’t the globohomo donor elite be disappointed if the Communist Democrats do win instead, and then they find themselves being taken out back and shot.

[nathanbedford]

Are we confronted with either-or situations?

If we nominate Trump must we choose between his policies and losing the general election?

If we nominate DeSantis must we choose between his deflection from Trump's policies and winning the election?

The assumption here is that if the election is against any Democrat even including incumbent Biden, Trump's negatives are so great and the power of the media so overwhelming that he cannot win.

The assumption about DeSantis is that Biden's negatives are so great that DeSantis can beat him but that DeSantis will betray the conservative model created by Donald Trump.

Suppose these assumptions are all wrong, suppose Trump can beat Biden and further suppose that Santos, having won, will steadfastly pursue those policies we Trump supporters favor.

In that case, I support Trump because to permit the left, in collusion with the media and the deep state, to virtually steal elections and presidencies is to ultimately surrender the Republic to the dark side. In that sense Trump must be vindicated or we must preside over the repeal the rule of law.

But I do not believe that Trump should be vindicated at the cost of the election. If he loses the election there is no vindication.

But suppose the assumption that DeSantis will Betray Trump's core policies is wrong. If DeSantis runs and, if elected, is faithful to conservative "MAGA" policies, why not diminish the risks of losing the election and increase the probability of winning the election?

History does not provide sure guidance. Teddy Roosevelt was very unhappy with his handpicked successor, Taft, and ran against him. Was Ronald Reagan disappointed in George HW Bush? Many of us were. Clearly, John F. Kennedy despised his vice presidential choice whom he picked purely out of cynical political considerations yet Lyndon Johnson put through virtually all of Kennedy's positions that Kennedy simply could not manage to do.

History tells us that it's very difficult to predict how an individual will actually govern when he becomes president. In that context, however, we can be reasonably sure how Donald Trump will govern if reinstalled in office but we cannot be sure of DeSantis.

How sure can we be that DeSantis will prevail and Trump will not? How sure can we be that DeSantis will betray us? The question really is, how sure of our assumptions do we have to be in order to make an intelligent choice?