(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Woke Warrior Ron DeSantis: Handicapping GOP contenders #2 [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-18 Top gun lite Note: This is the second in a series of diaries handicapping the Republican presidential field for 2024. You needn’t agree with the analysis, but we can have fun discussing it. Let’s play. Ron DeSantis may be running for president while trying to separate himself from Donald Trump. Based on his record in his home state of Florida and the tough guy image he has tried to project, Ron wants to out-Trump the master. As in part one of this series, there are countervailing issues that “jump off a bumper sticker” which put in question the wisdom of DeSantis’ sales pitch to the other 49 states. The DeSantis “team” seems to have tongue firmly placed in cheek with their tagline “Make America Florida.” The bumper sticker sort of says it all and is reason enough to doubt DeSantis’ political acumen. The catchline insinuates that DeSantis has established a record as governor of Florida that is universally admired. In fact, for many voters, his record put under scrutiny is cringe-worthy. DeSantis, a former JAG lawyer, never saw combat but is always waging wars in his home state. It’s just what he does. Based on his public record, he isn’t for much but traffics in outrage. His latest is an assault on College Board AP courses, the latest symbol in his battle with “wokeness.” Defining woke to a Republican is rather difficult— a sure sign that they're not. They believe being woke is bad— it is like old folks who have just gotten used to the cable box remote, and now are confronted with streaming bad. It makes them uncomfortable whatever it is. The wokeness that DeSantis has adopted as his bête noire, is a stand-in for the grievances of his mostly white, older constituency who are fearful of race issues and cultural changes in society. They call into question deeply held prejudices and opinions about our national discussion about race and sexual identity. They confuse their being uncomfortable with being right. DeSantis who knows better exploits the ignorance: WILDWOOD, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act, a legislative proposal that will give businesses, employees, children and families tools to fight back against woke indoctrination. The Stop W.O.K.E. Act will be the strongest legislation of its kind in the nation and will take on both corporate wokeness and Critical Race Theory. Today’s proposal builds on actions Governor DeSantis has already taken to ban Critical Race Theory and the New York Times’ 1619 project in Florida’s schools. For more information about the Stop W.O.K.E. Act, click here. — DeSantis news release, 12/15/2021 covid debacle DeSantis came into national prominence with his irresponsible response to the COVID pandemic. Florida was the state with the second-highest death rate— more than even New York which was hit first and hardest when COVID was first recognized as a highly infectious deadly virus. New York was at a disadvantage because there were no vaccines and little information to guide medical professionals. DeSantis with an aging population of retired folks preached mask and vaccine heresy for political gain in the face of science and reasonable cautions. Governor Irresponsible threw in his lot with the Trump administration’s murderous neglect and sold out Florida’s voters. Statistically, Florida had 8% of the total virus cases in the U.S. and more than 8% of the deaths from COVID. Some might argue on the Governor’s behalf that his policies and rhetoric were in defense of freedom, but medical professionals would disagree, and to date, his policies have meant that Florida residents stubbornly lag behind the nation in vaccine boosters. While Florida’s governor continues to double down on his response, Floridians almost singlehandedly have given COVID subvariants a comfortable place to retire. Here’s his latest COVID release: Permanently Protecting Floridians from the “Biomedical Security State” PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a common-sense legislative proposal to make permanent COVID-19 freedoms in Florida. This strong pro-freedom, anti-mandate action will permanently protect Floridians from losing their jobs due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, protects parents’ rights, and institutes additional protections that prevent discrimination based on COVID-19 vaccine status. To read the full proposal, click here. “When the world lost its mind, Florida was a refuge of sanity, serving strongly as freedom’s linchpin,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “These measures will ensure Florida remains this way and will provide landmark protections for free speech for medical practitioners.” — Florida Governor’s Office, On January 17, 2023, in News Releases, by Staff tough guy brand These rather bizarre stances have so far served him well as a political branding tool. He has chosen to take a stance against all sorts of authority except his own. He supports the right of all political extremists in his state to get sick and die if they choose to, and presents himself as a “tough guy” who isn’t afraid of the consequences of his actions while he uses his power to banish dissent. The rest of the nation may not take kindly to his sense of entitlement and his smug indifference to reality. However, in a party with few better options he may be a front-runner in 2024 if he can somehow convince Merrick Garland to indict his chief rival. Like other GOP hopefuls, DeSantis has a restricted list of choices for a running mate because his brand is “the Trump alternative.” He fills the same lane politically as his main rival and that limits his choices for VP. His best options remain loyal to Trump, at least in principle (can't believe I use that word), and fear his response if they appear to be disloyal. The situation would probably be worse if he wrests the nomination from him. Trump’s wrath has no bounds and he would likely blow up any GOP ticket that didn’t have his name on top. Given what we know now, both Nikki Haley and Mike Pompeo are poorly positioned to gain the nomination. They are either tarred by their association with Trump’s administration or lack a constituency within the party’s base to pull off a nomination. Unfortunately, for them, they are even less likely to be considered for the second position on the ticket. And anyone who is hedging their bets on Republican governors, Chris Sununu was sacked on Super Bowl Sunday by Margaret Brennan in a disastrous performance on Face The Nation. Larry Hogan, former Maryland Governor, is another story. DeSantis-Hogan would be a formidable opponent for Biden-Harris. The question for Hogan would be whether he would hitch a wagon to DeSantis’ fascist proclivities. At another time and place, Hogan would be a viable presidential candidate on his own with a record for moderation and competence. Hogan, like other moderate Republican governors Charlie Baker (MA), Doug Ducey (AZ), and Spencer Cox (UT), is simply out of touch with the party’s extremist national base. real politics DeSantis, on the other hand, is all-in on courting Republican crazies who took over the party with Trump’s assent. Trump. meanwhile, is not willing to play nice nor give up the party spotlight without a fight: The former president’s determination to obliterate his ascendent rival underscores just how unwilling Trump is to pass the torch and surrender his stewardship of the GOP — even if it shreds the party. As Trump and his ideological heir DeSantis vie for control of the Republican Party, the victor in that power struggle will help determine the precise kind of extreme politics that modern conservatives see as their future: the authoritarian personality cult of a Trump, or the more disciplined MAGAism of a DeSantis. ...In the past two months, Trump has talked to political allies about effective ways to pummel DeSantis on both personal issues — recurring concerns about his “likeability” and supposed charisma deficit — and on policy matters such as DeSantis’ hawkish foreign policy, trade stances, COVID-19 posturing, closeness to the party’s “establishment,” and the past votes to slash the social safety net, sources familiar with the matter tell Rolling Stone. — Rolling Stone, “Trump Is Plotting How to Kick DeSantis ‘In the Nuts.’ Here’s His Playbook, So Far,” by Asawin Suebsaeng, Tim Dickinson, January 19, 2023 Can DeSantis withstand the attacks that are sure to follow whether Trump runs or not? “Meatball” is weak sauce compared to the lengths that Trump and his allies would be willing to go. So far, DeSantis has shown little inclination or imagination to hit back in kind. He runs the risk of fellow Floridian, Marco Rubio, who has never seemed to recover from Trump’s denigrating “little Marco” nickname, or even the less clever but still effective label he placed on “low energy” Jeb Bush. Made aware of his physical vulnerabilities by Trump’s various attempts to brand him, DeSantis has tried to “beef up” his image. In his last campaign for governor, DeSantis had taken to wearing a bomber jacket and has used the tough-guy language to ban this and burn that. His cynical stunt busing immigrants including women and children without warning to northern cities is further proof of his naked ambition The following description of one of his campaign ads gives us a glimpse into his character and a hint of what keeps Ron up at night: [T]he Republican governor is sporting a bomber jacket and a pair of aviator sunglasses before zipping up a flight suit as he walks onto the tarmac. He then briefs an unseen team on its mission (“dogfighting” with the aim of “taking on the corporate media”) as a guitar track plays in the background. DeSantis later climbs into the cockpit of what appears to be a fighter jet and dons headgear labeled “Top Gov.” — Boston Globe, “DeSantis fighter jet ad draws comparisons to Dukakis tank photo op,” by Shannon Larson, August 24, 2022 His own insecurities about his toughness are sure to attract the attention of the chicken-shit Captain Bonespurs. Trump’s superpower is in convincing others that he is tough, just like the digital trading cards that cartoonishly morph his muffin-shaped belly to appear Hulk-like. He’s not, in fact, tough or toned. He is just mean and insensitive. Friends may prefer sleazy. Were he to win the GOP nomination, DeSantis would require a running mate that would appeal to a wider national audience, While I don’t think DeSantis-Hogan will be “a thing”, DeSantis -Tim Scott could be. Scott is one of the few Republicans who has avoided the knee-jerk Trump support of fellow South Carolinian Lindsey Graham. And Scott is Black and available. He may have aspirations of his own. The coming race will likely be the one that completes the cycle. If the Democrats win it will mark the final repudiation of Trumpism and Republican apostasy. While Trump is polling nicknames for his rivals, the clock on his power and influence is ticking. The power he holds over the party he once represented has turned inward and is, if left unabated, destined to destroy the GOP root and branch. Left in its wake are the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kevin McCarthy, Lauren Boebert, and Matt Gaetz— the new faces all uglier than the old ones are the equivalent of a political dirty bomb. In the wings are Huckabee Sanders, who defined “crazy” for us, and George Santos, its very definition. The new GOP “Brat Pack” will replace the McConnells and Grassleys— dinosaurs of the right who had sold out the conservative movement and their nation with their political cynicism. Ron DeSantis is a fitting overseer for the chaos that will fill the void left by Trump. And should Trump prevail, chaos will engulf us all. It is a perverse irony that fuels our preference for one over the other, In the most recent issue of Esquire novelist Jeffrey VanderMeer puts in perspective the importance of a Biden second term: Florida and its people don’t deserve this desecration—no place does, even as DeSantis and his Republican predecessors have managed to turn an absolute paradise into a place that is close to a failed state. Because what Ron DeSantis does, at base—including to his base—is simple. He inflicts damage in pursuit of political gain. On purpose and with abandon and with no regard for collateral harm. What trickles down, then, in the end, along with all of this “freedom,” is nepotism, corruption, cruelty, greed, and—both by design and as a byproduct of all the rest—shockingly bad ideas about governance. Why would you want any of this inflicted on the nation? This is the Ron DeSantis of Florida, who wants to become the Ron DeSantis of America. To tell us to our dying day that we are not communities of loving grace and communion, that we are not all connected, that acts of loving kindness are for fools and traitors. To tell us that only some of us matter, not all of us. — Esquire, “Ron DeSantis Is a Man Of No Qualities”, by Jeffrey VanderMeer, February 10, 2023 For DeSantis to become the Republican nominee and go on to become president he must first find a way to overtake Trump and his MAGA base. It can happen— but without divine intervention in the form of a Jack Smith indictment, it is not likely. Ron DeSantis, in the end, does not offer the GOP an alternative, just a younger, less effective option. He is Mussolini with a tie, a fascist in a cheap suit. Odds 5-1 Next up: Nikki Haley [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/18/2152887/-The-Woke-Warrior-Ron-DeSantis-Handicapping-GOP-contenders-2 Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/