“It’s not a nice business we’re in,” quipped the late John McCain. If he was still with us he would take a look at the recent developments between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis and shake his head.
First of all, Trump ignores totally what real party members of both parties know and respect.
That is, that you don’t want to be too totally vicious in a primary, because the person in today’s primary is the person who is on tomorrow’s ticket and above all else, you want the party to win. Now, Trump is not a real Republican, meaning one who was there for many years and in many positions before he ran for POTUS. He has zero investment in the GOP. Therefore, he has zero qualms about burning it down — and Ron DeSantis with it.
But wait — there’s more.
And Trumpers are ready to sabotage “Meatball Ron” in Georgia. Here’s what that looks like.
Happy Monday #MAGA . Special announcement 🚨! Wanna come hang with @reannadilley and I? Well, now’s your chance #Georgia! #Meatball Rob is campaigning with Brian Kemp on Thursday and we would like real MAGA #Trump2024 to come decked out in your Trump gear and flags! Links… pic.twitter.com/tQAGvdvG18
— The REAL Politically Savvy (@patriot_savvy) March 27, 2023
Yes, DeSantis is (wink wink nudge nudge) running for president, but it does matter if you declare these things.
I think it’s great DeSantis has not. The intra party war is raging.
Anyone in Trump world arguing that DeSantis should announce his run (forcing him to resign as governor of Florida) are *literally* in favor of handicapping @GovRonDeSantis’s ability to pass pro #MAGA & #AmericaFirst policies they claim to support. They’d rather Florida and… pic.twitter.com/UIVb3uWfAF
— Jesse James (@skydiveicarus) March 15, 2023
How many more insults before DeSantis fights back? Anybody? The Bulwark:
Republican voters may accept DeSantis’s attempt at stoicism for a while, but at some point, it could start to look more like weakness.
While it may be hard for our exhausted republic to acknowledge, Trump is fully running for president again and has been for many months. And here’s what’s important:
Trump is running against DeSantis. But DeSantis isn’t running against Trump yet.
It’s not like there is any shortage of material available for DeSantis to use against Trump, either.
He’s out there talking himself up as the Fat Elvis of the January 6th choir, for goodness’ sake.
The fact that DeSantis hasn’t filed papers with the FEC to officially declare his candidacy is no excuse. He’s doing everything a top-tier presidential candidate would do. He’s courting big donors, doing the book tour, getting chummy with Fox hosts, making stops in early states, standing up his SuperPAC, and poaching staff from 2024 rivals.
But DeSantis doesn’t seem prepared to do the one big thing that matters: show that he intends to beat Trump instead of sidestepping him.
DeSantis appears to think he can wait to formally announce and then—maybe!—engage in the dirty business of fighting to define both himself and his opponent sometime after his legislative session concludes in May and his Florida pals can give him a proper sendoff. That could be too late.
May isn’t that far from now, but in political terms, it could be a lifetime. Trump came out preternaturally early and announced his candidacy for president because he thought it would hamstring, if not altogether disable, the lawsuits that were in the works against him. It has not.
Nevertheless, Trump has declared and he’s out there fighting full bore. DeSantis is dancing a kind of minuet around the entire situation. I’m willing to bet that this latest release from Trump War Room will wake him up.
Well before he coached his team for the first time to a national title, retired legendary Coach K of Duke liked to say “A season is a lifetime.” For most of his career he had players for four years, or at least three. Few jumped to the pros early. His belief was that being college kids still growing emotionally and in experience as well as physically even with a cast of returning players they were different people from one year to the next. I for one believe he was right.
Even before Trump came along, the fact is that in Presidential politics with the white hot glare of that spotlight a month, or as we get to and past the nominating conventions a single week can be a lifetime. The time between now and when the FL legislative session ends in May is a freaking eternity! Also, I for one have believed that even then DeSantis would hold off on formally declaring – filing the actual Presidential candidate paperwork. He wants to remain Gov. for as long as he can. His problem is what you’ve noted – Trump is pummeling him and the longer it goes on the weaker Trump will look to the MAGA voters he’ll need. Cause he’s been so hard at work burning bridges with Independents and the small number of Democrats who might fall for his tough guy schtick.
Did you mean DeSatan would look weaker the longer TFG pummels him? ‘Cause that makes sense.
The problem for FL is the toady legislature is trying to make it illegal (or as close as they can) to disclose the governor’s schedule—-his flights, when and to where, etc.