DeSantis was supposed to be the strongest challenger to Pres. Trump. His poll numbers don't come close and keep dropping. The pundits are saying it's how his campaign has been run. In fact, the DeSantis campaign had 1 reset and some big changes once or twice. Ok, his campaign may not have been the best run but how about we look at the big picture first and work our way down. i'm going to posit that one has to do with the other. We'll rewind first.
Pres Trump made his official announcement before the Governor did his. A lot of us had the feeling the President was going to run and he did drop hints now and then. I figured unless he said he wasn't, then he was going to run. Trump is not a quitter and he was pretty fired up about 2020(just like we were).
DeSantis was running for re-election to his 2nd term as Governor. There was still a lot of speculation wether he would throw his hat in the ring but i think most people assumed since he was making a serious run for his 2nd term he would decline; remember Trump endorsed him for his 1st term run and MAGA came out for Ron so we thought that might have a lot to do with his decision to sit it out. Besides the MAGA base was thinking Ron would hold off and run in 2028; a shoe in. They were ready to back him then.
The question would often come up for Ron anyway. He would dodge it every time. Seemed a bit odd. Why not just be done with it and say one way or the other. Meantime Trump's Mar A Lago residence was raided, sent out by Garland's Justice Dept. You would have thought with the raid taking place in Ron's backyard he would have spoken out and stood up for the President. They were in the same party. If it were a Democrat President being raided you can be sure even if they weren't crazy about the guy they'd have had plenty to say. Not a peep from Ron.After Pres Trump stuck his neck out for him and helped him get into office you'd think he'd say something. It came time for the debate for the governorship. THE question came up here and DeSantis should have anticipated THE question. Are you going to run for President? His response; no response. The look on his face spoke volumes.
Right then and there i concluded what i had suspected all along - he's running for the Republican nomination and he's trapped by the question. He has been plotting all along.
If he says no when we find out that he is, he will look like a liar. If he says yes then people will wonder why he's running for Governor in the first place and could lose votes. He honestly can't say anything without hurting himself.
It doesn't matter. His non answer is an answer. He is going to run but he's not on record, he's made no formal announcement so who can hold him to it,right?
Pres Trump has a huge head start on him. Ron waits it out. It's going to look suspicious if he jumps in too soon after winning his 2nd term. The problem is he has to wait TOO long. He's off to a shaky start from several angles. What if the people catch on that he was plotting for some time? (He was). He waits it out and the people who are backing him are wondering what the hold up is. The die hard MAGA people are not going to be too thrilled. They were counting on his endorsement of Trump and that the President would likely pick Ron as his VP. They actually supported it. Trump caught on and realized Ron was a back stabber. i figured he was an opportunist all along. Both things are true; he stabbed Trump and the MAGA people in the back. He was an opportunist and when the Bush's and others started to whisper in his ear he saw his shot.
He was too easily persuaded. No loyalty to speak of. Then he figured if he couldn't beat Trump one way he could overtake him after the Dems got through taking him out.At first his dropping poll numbers didn't matter TOO much.Once Trump was out of the picture that was his chance. Well, Trump is not out of the picture and he's going to fight all the way. Ron stumbled and then he really stumbled by insulting the very people who backed him calling the MAGA base 'listless vessels'. It was the last straw. Ron's biggest problem is that he should not have run at all and waited for 2028. He had a real chance then and the MAGA base was prepared to back him. How could his campaign get started on good footing with the disengious motives he had in the first place? IMHO there was nowhere to go but down.
It affected his campaign from the get go. He couldn't run anything BUT a lousy campaign and he made some huge blunders . It was downhill on a ski slope. When he made the listless vessel comment it was out of desperation and anger plus the fact he probably really meant it. IF he had just waited it out until 2028 what a difference it would have made and a campaign then would have started on solid ground as compared to the quick sand it started with now. He looks like swamp fairly or unfairly.
I'm sorry but i'm totally done with him.Backstabber is a deal breaker.It's something i just can't overlook now. By 2028 there will be a whole new field of candidates i'm sure and one we can really get behind. Maybe even a Trump endorsement for a good candidate.
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