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DeSantis’s Challenge: When, and How, to Counterattack Trump
New York Times ^ | Feb. 12, 2023, 12:45 p.m. ET | Michael C. Bender and Maggie Haberman

Posted on 02/12/2023 11:58:09 AM PST by conservative98

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida prizes preparation and the way it allows him to control his political narrative. But suddenly, he was on the verge of going off message.

He had traveled to a Central Florida warehouse this past week to promote a $2 billion tax cut proposal when he was confronted with the inevitable: an especially ugly attack from former President Donald J. Trump that seemed to warrant a strong response.

Mr. Trump had insinuated on social media that Mr. DeSantis behaved inappropriately with high school girls while he was a teacher in his early 20s. As a reporter asked for his reaction, the Florida governor — standing amid kitchen stoves and boxes of baby diapers — inhaled sharply. He straightened the papers in front of him and raised his open palms to interrupt the question.

But instead of slamming the former president, Mr. DeSantis demurred.

[cut]

But Mr. DeSantis’s above-the-fray posture carries risk. One of the central tenets of the modern Republican Party under Mr. Trump has been the willingness to fight, ruthlessly and tirelessly.

While the Florida governor has successfully portrayed himself to conservatives as a cultural warrior, his actual experience mixing it up with powerful opponents is thinner. He was barely tested last year during his re-election bid, his first since emerging as a national political figure.

[cut]

Taking on Mr. Trump is complicated. Republican rivals have been unable for seven years to thwart his personal attacks or to dissuade an abiding loyalty to the former president among about one-third of the party’s voters.

There is often little room to question or debate Mr. Trump without being cast by him and his allies as a political adversary, or even a traitor to the country.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Political Humor/Cartoons; Politics/Elections; US: Florida; US: New York
KEYWORDS: 1trump2024; 2024; actliketrump; attack; attackattack; concerntroll; concerntrolling; concerntrolls; cultofdesantis; desantis; desantisaintrunning; desimps; dnctalkingpoint; dnctalkingpoints; fakenews; fakerivalry; gop; gope; haggymaberman; lockdownhypocrite; lockdowns; maggiehaberman; meatballron; mediawingofthednc; michaelcbender; mitchmcconnell; nevertrumpers; newyorkdesimps; newyorkslimes; nytfordesantis; nytimeslovesdesantis; obama; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; presstitutes; rondesantis; ronlims; shutdownron; smearmachine; smokybackroom; tds; trump; trump2024; trumpthinskin; walterdurantytimes; whydoestheleftluvron; zot; zothenevertrumpers; zottheconcerntrolls; zotthedesimps
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To: BlackbirdSST

i attended and graduated from a christian k-12 school...

thank you for proving your willful ignorance...


61 posted on 02/12/2023 2:23:22 PM PST by heavy metal (smiling improves your face value and makes people wonder what the hell you're up to... 😁)
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To: heavy metal
i attended and graduated from a christian k-12 school...

If I tried I could probably care less if it was worth trying.

thank you for proving your willful ignorance...

Pointing out to you that you misread the OP isn't willful ignorance on my part.

62 posted on 02/12/2023 2:31:12 PM PST by BlackbirdSST (Trump WON!!! He will win 2024!)
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To: BlackbirdSST

you act like a dog chasing its tail...


63 posted on 02/12/2023 2:35:08 PM PST by heavy metal (smiling improves your face value and makes people wonder what the hell you're up to... 😁)
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To: Drew68

The RINOs he endorsed were in elections vs. Democrats so this is ingenious. And many of the Democrats that went to Washington were supported by the Republican Sentorial Committee...McConnell, the Club for Growth (globalists) and the US Chamber of Commerce who, for the first time, supported Democrats because of their open borders, cheap labor policy. So if this is the crowd you identify with fine. I’ll stick with Trump, where the actual votes are.


64 posted on 02/12/2023 3:16:09 PM PST by Rowdyone (Vigilence)
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To: Rowdyone
The RINOs he endorsed were in elections vs. Democrats so this is ingenious.

Trump endorsed Stacey Abrams, for crying out loud.

65 posted on 02/12/2023 3:26:36 PM PST by Drew68 (Ron DeSantis for President 2024)
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To: thegagline

***DeSantis should ignore Trump. Trump is his own worst enemy.***

AGREE!


66 posted on 02/12/2023 4:05:30 PM PST by Old Grumpy
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To: Rowdyone
DeSantis Achilles heel is that he’s endorsed by and takes money from the hated Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan. This alone will sink his candidacy.

Not too many Republicans know that or even what it means.

67 posted on 02/12/2023 4:13:06 PM PST by Irish Eyes
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To: Drew68

A huge mistake he made was backing Ronna McDaniel. The RNC currently is not our friend. Their priorities are in the wrong place.


68 posted on 02/12/2023 4:16:53 PM PST by Irish Eyes
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To: Drew68

He first referred to Abrams refusal to concede, meaning it was still an open question as to who the legitimate winner of the Georgia Governor election was and, given Kemp’s siding with McConnell’s camp long before the election and Kemp’s resulting refusal to support a recount gave the middle finger to Kemp by saying “I don’t care”. Hardly an endorsement of Abrams. Back to DeSantis and his collusion with Republican elites, you’re okay with DeSantis being used by them?


69 posted on 02/12/2023 6:12:03 PM PST by Rowdyone (Vigilence)
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To: conservative98
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida prizes preparation and the way it allows him to control his political narrative.

NYT starts their hit piece with the very first sentence. They know nothing about my Guv, but they sure are afraid of him.

I like that...

70 posted on 02/13/2023 3:12:11 AM PST by jeffc (Resident of the free State of Florida)
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