The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Ron DeSantis will formally announce his candidacy for president on May 25, when he hosts a major donor meeting in Miami. And the New York Times reports being privy to a phone call today, also with donors, wherein DeSantis said “You have basically three people at this point that are credible in this whole thing, Biden, Trump and me. And I think of those three, two have a chance to get elected president — Biden and me, based on all the data in the swing states, which is not great for the former president and probably insurmountable because people aren’t going to change their view of him.” Off we go.
During the phone call on Thursday afternoon, the governor said the attitude of Republican voters amounted to, “We’ve got to win this time.” And while he praised Mr. Trump’s policies, he said that Mr. Biden had undone many of them.
“The corporate media wants Trump to be the nominee,” Mr. DeSantis said, adding that journalists, other candidates and “two presidents” had targeted him with criticism.
Mr. DeSantis quoted a voter he had talked with at an event in Iowa as saying, “You know, Trump was somebody, we liked his policies but we didn’t like his values. And with you, we like your policies but also know that you share our values.”
And Mr. DeSantis described his efforts to help the party, noting that Mr. Trump and other Republicans had repeatedly attacked him. “There are some that kind of raise money just for themselves,” he said, an unmistakable jab at Mr. Trump, who was criticized during the midterm elections for sitting on a large pile of cash in his political action committee and not doing enough to help others.
This is interesting. DeSantis touted the success of his book as an indicator of his upcoming success.
Mr. DeSantis also talked about the release of his book, “The Courage to Be Free,” and his book tour, including that the book had been on the New York Times best-seller list for several weeks. He described himself as selling far more books than Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton did when they published memoirs before announcing their campaigns for the presidency.
The volume of his sales was “not normal for people in elected office” who write books, he said, adding, “For us to exceed both of those, I think, is really, really significant.”
Sounds like Ron has himself convinced he has a national following, or is at least credible in national circles. But…what about the Mouse?
Disney just pulled the plug on a $1 billion structure in Orlando, Florida and it could pull up to $17 billion in jobs earmarked for construction at Disney World over the next decade, growth that would create an estimated 13,000 jobs. Perhaps Disney will pull these projects one by one, until DeSantis stops feuding with the company over being “woke.” So, how does this play out to major donors? “I’m tanking the economy in my own state, by saying stupid things, but don’t worry: when I’m in charge of the entire country, things will be different.”
Trump hasn’t chimed in yet on Truth Social, but he will.
Maybe the polls are meaningless. Maybe the GOP is ready to move on from Trump. But in a real world context, what exactly is that going to look like? DeSantis is not exactly overwhelming at this point, he’s basically just stumbling along. And the Disney feud may cost him, bigly.
I can’t help but wonder if DeSantis located and dipped into the stash of whatever drug Pence takes to maintain his delusion that he can become President. Or maybe “Mother” is tired of it all and wants to enjoy a private, and quiet retirement. Play with the grandkids and all that. So she’s giving away Pence’s stash hoping to get him into some sort of reality. Giving the stuff to DeSantis! In any case, we are about to be treated (officially) to a new act in Presidential Politics of the Circus variety. About to enter the center ring in the Big Tent we have – DeSantis the Delusional! I suppose he can win FL if he gets the nomination. After all, he’s got his own personal paramilitary force now and since he engineered his ability to remain Governor can raid the states coffers for temporary mercs (calling Erik Prince!) to man the polls and watch each FL voter either vote for him or be taken outside and executed. In front of a sign reading “They wouldn’t vote for Ron.”
Sadly for DeSantis that’s not going to work so well outside of FL. Oh, in some parts of some red states it will but it won’t be anywhere enough to even get into the ballpark of a win in either the popular or Electoral College vote count when all is said and done. If Disney keeps whacking his balls and some of the economic pain his antics are inflicting have started kicking in by a year from now I’m not sure FL will be easy for him to win. He probably will but him having to actually work for it, spend time and money there when since the rest of the country (even GOP territory) thinks he sucks so much will be not only personally embarrassing but a death knell to his general election campaign.
Ursula, I don’t know if you ever saw the Southpark episode about the Jonas Brothers and Mickey, who portrayed a mean sob corporate boss, only interested in money, and was abusive to everyone. If not, check it out. I think ronny has stepped into alligator sh*t in his white supremacist go go boots! He’s now involved with the wicked queen,(sorry ronny…I can smell homophobia all over you),of snow white. Wait til the taxpayers have to pay and provide ALL the services for the plastic…er…magic Kingdom. If I were him, I would start acting like a real human being even if my chest was as empty as the tin man. The last thing he needs is to act like an authoritarian asshole. Trump has that market cornered, plus, he’s the star of The Apprentice!!! Hey ronny…just do more than talk about ‘values’. Values? The nazis had values. That’s why they yanked the teeth of millions of jews for the gold.
Mickey appears in more than one South Park episode and their version of the character is a DICK each time. Actually, when it comes to Disney I’ve said (and elsewhere) before I never like it. Even as a kid. From black and white Mickey Mouse Club shows my sisters liked I thought it was stupid and argued to change the channel. Being the youngest not to mention outvoted I’d stomp out. I didn’t like the Disney movies. Nor, during our sometimes attempts at some family TV viewing the Wonderful World of Disney. Seeing Walt himself talking about the show I saw a sleazy dude I’d never trust with anything. When I was older and learned about his early life and antics during WWI to make coin off of our wounded soldiers and some of this other scams over there I knew my instincts were correct. In the mid 80s for the first time I heard someone refer to Disney, having also seen him in black & white TV say he looked like a sleazy early porn producer! I agreed. Disney is all about money. They do entertain a lot of people though and I readily concede I’m in the minority in my views of Disney. And in FL? They’ve contributed a helluva lot to the state overall and even more to the part of Florida where Disney World sits. Yes, Disney has made out like a bandit due to the deal they cut to create the Reedy Creek District but so has the state of FL, something that until every Governor before DeSantis and legislators on both sides of the aisle down there knew. Don’t f**k with Disney and just sit back, let them develop not only their patch of land but pay for improved services in the area and collect all those taxes. Yes, the state could have gotten more but they were getting quite a bit more from Disney than I’m pretty sure any other major corporation in the state. Getting greedy and pi$$ing off the Mouse could wind up costing a lot more than any extra taxes they might milk out of Disney. DeSantis already has had an “Oh Sh*t” moment over this when he realized that the area around Disney which includes The Villages and his biggest hard core reliable block of voters (the whole FL GOP’s) was going to get walloped and without some emergency work it would have already been causing serious pain. He’s still not off the hook either, and is desperately trying to put off the consequences until he’s no longer Gov. and he hopes in the WH. But it looks like Disney has decided to force the issue and start playing hardball now. It’s like a baseball pitcher having a Cy Young award season pitching to a Jr. High kid.
Ahh Disney – so democratic in their outlook
Investigator: “Do you feel that there is a threat of Communism in the motion picture industry?”
Disney: “Yes there is, and there are many reasons why they would like to take it over or get in and control it or disrupt it, but I don’t think they have gotten very far, and I think the industry is made up of good Americans, just like in my plant, good, solid Americans. My boys have been fighting it longer than I have. They are trying to get out from under it and they will in time if we can just show them up.”
(Walt testifying to the House UnAmerican Activities Committee)
Those who worship money rarely, if ever, have any integrity. I believe it was Emerson who wrote: men are more careful with their pocketbooks than their principles. At least the seven dwarves didn’t get blacklisted, leaving that virgin alone in the forest. Lions, tigers, and bears…oh my! Marxists, Socialists, and Communists…oh my!