Posted on 02/15/2023 4:49:45 PM PST by conservative98
Since President Trump left office, many of the “trustworthy” media outlets have created a talking point that is now held by a minority, yet noticeable number of Conservative Americans. The belief is “DeSantis is Trump, without the baggage.”
If DeSantis chooses to run for president, whether that is in the next election or sometime down the road, his opponents (from both parties) and leftist media will have no shortage of ammunition to create baggage specific to him.
1) As Governor of Florida, DeSantis image as a protector of school children and being “anti-groomer” has gone unchallenged. His press secretary Christina Pushaw (more on her later) took to Twitter to categorize his signing of the Parental Rights in Education act as an “Anti-Grooming Bill.”
2) Recently, he has been accused of partying with his own female students when DeSantis was a 23-year-old teacher in Georgia in 2001. Photo evidence shows DeSantis surrounded by 3 girls holding what looks like an alcoholic beverage.
3) DeSantis began a military career where he was a Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer.
4) hich means accusations of DeSantis greenlighting cruel and inhumane forms of torture on detainees at Guantanamo Bay, including force feeding detainees through a nasal feeding tube pushed down their throats while DeSantis allegedly watched in amusement, will eventually be addressed.
5) DeSantis GOP opponents will undoubtedly question him on his Press Secretary, Christina Pushaw, who recently had to register as a foreign agent because of her paid work with, of all people, a Ukrainian politician named Mikheil Saakashvili.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Everybody has baggage
Seeing as most of President Trump’s so-called baggage was created by the criminal dems (which includes their willing accomplices in the media), what makes anyone think that lots of the same baggage will not be whipped for for DeSantis, if he runs?
One of the things that makes Trump outstanding is his wealth. He cannot be bought. The only president as wealthy as Trump was George Washington. JFK was wealthy and the deep state murdered him.
Our elected politicians will not tolerate someone who can’t be bought, which is everyone unless already very rich. I would say the DeSantis is maybe Trump without the bags of money which insulate against monetary influence.
Rehearsing the coed story? There are no sexual assault accusations that I’ve heard.
Fast forward to the Trump era, and the press discovered their love for McStain again.
If you can stand the heat don’t get in the kitchen Donald Trump has experience in this regard I’ll say that much.
FOR ME: TRUMP OR NOBODY
Remember when Trump chose to say (regarding McCain, and I'm not a fan) "I like people who weren't captured"? I know two Iraq war Vets (Republicans, both relatives) that refused to vote for him in both elections.
The lists of both his many accomplishments and also the many choices to talk, act, and tweet before thinking things through are quite lengthy. A significant number of voters will recall the latter. They will be reminded by Dem ads, btw.
It's more than "baggage". It's a weariness of cringing when Trump calls people names or vocalizes stream of consciousness observations, as might a third grader.
It's more than "baggage". It's lack of wisdom and presidential behavior.
DeSantis' biggest problem right now? How to deal with the Dem ads comparing him to Trump.
I sincerely doubt that Trump will win the nom. If he does, I'll support him to anyone who will listen and vote (early) for him. It's that critical to defeat the Dem candidate.
Rehearsing the coed story? There are no sexual assault accusations that I’ve heard.
He’s doing a good job as governor of Florida
The message is Republicans should be attacking other Republicans, and let Democrats do whatever they want.
The DeSantis, all the free republic fan boys are drooling over, is not the DeSantis who will be running for president. 30 seconds after he secures the nomination he is going to undergo a proctological exam like no one can imagine. The dirt is going to start to surface. There isn’t anything the media can say about Trump that is going to change anyone’s opinion of him. There are things the media can say that will change voters opinions of DeSantis. With that in mind, I think DeSantis is the weaker candidate.
The message is: anyone who lifts a finger to stop vote fraud must be destroyed.
Was Trump neocon, because he refused to end Obama's wars in Afghanistan & Yemen, and he bombed Syria, and other countries?
I posted on the “party” issue on another thread:
https://freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/4129623/posts?page=48#48
I am quoting myself here:
There’s some serious concern whether DeSantis is a pedo “ groomer”.
Completely illegitimate. I posted about this on another thread:
From Wikipedia: Contrary to popular belief, only a few states prohibit minors and young adults from consuming alcohol in private settings.
I went to prep school in Connecticut when the age was 18 and just starting to be raised. There were parties at students’ houses with underage drinkers.
The “BAD” parties were the ones when the parents were out of town for the weekend and the son invites 100 people over and there’s lots of drugs, beer bongs, Everclear, etc.. At one such party, the kid was caught because some of his guests stole the silverware, earning him the nickname “Silver” from then on.
The “GOOD” ones had the parents supervising. Numbers were limited, guests lists were curated. Drinking was kept within bounds. Behavior was better, and any drug use was done out of sight.
Almost half of the prep school teachers were young men working on a Masters or just taking the prep school teaching gig until something better came along. A small number of those became “lifers”, their wives consigned to Dorm Mom duties, and the teachers themselves to lots of extra sports coaching.
I don’t recall a teacher attending one of these parties, but it wouldn’t have been the end of the world if one did. And yes, sometimes the young girls gravitated towards such teachers, and sometimes the wives were annoyed.
When the hosts of the party is the girl salutorian’s Methodist Pastor father and mother, it is hard to be too scandalized.
The fact is that some of the Seniors and Juniors could get dolled up, go for a night on the town with such a teacher, and it would just look like an attractive young adult couple enjoying each other’s company. My wife was 19 when I married her. We married in Canada, so she obtained the liquor license. Some girls don’t finish high school until 19. The year I graduated I went to a debutante ball held in honor of a hard-working young woman who wound up becoming a judge. Her family was of the urban black evangelical variety and she was a credit to her family, which is why they sprung for an expensive party at the New Haven Park Plaza. There was drinking, and no carding.
No one was scandalized. Not even in Puritan New England.
Trump was a great President. He still has my support, but this is a bad attack that I would expect from a Roundhead like Christine Todd-Whitman.
Time will tell, but if I wanted a saint or moral icon, I’d never have voted for Trump.
Baggage, schmaggege...I want a president who believes in America first and the MAGA agenda, who surrounds himself with others who do the same, and who has the political skills to implement it with a minimum of distractions.
On that basis, I’m going to watch and see who the best choice turns out to be, because unlike many FReepers I can’t predict the future.
Let’s face it, the Left will go full throttle after any Republican running for POTUS. You could be Mary Poppins and it would not matter. They will dig up what you did in elementary school if necessary.
That’s a good article. Very thoughtful.
He’s doing a good job as governor of Florida
**************
Which is where DeSantos needs to be.....the Governor of Florida until 2026.
He owes the Florida voters the whole term, not a partial term.
The “I’m a young man in big hurry to climb the political ladder shtick “ is BS.
“Neocon” is a meaningless bullshit word, people who call others “neocon” merely discredit themselves.
And yes, I was a subscriber to and regular reader of National Review (the paper magazine) when the term “neo-conservative” was coined. I know what it originally meant.
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