(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . “Horrendous,” “low-wattage,” "looked bored" - DeSantis underwhelms the British [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: 2023-04-29 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis leaves Lloyds Bank building at the City of London financial district, Britain April 28, 2023. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls “He knows nothing, and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career” ― George Bernard Shaw The undeclared but likely contender for the GOP crown, Ron DeSantis, took a global road trip, ostensibly to promote Florida’s trade. In reality, he was attempting to burnish his statesman cred for an anticipated presidential campaign. It did not go well . After visiting Japan, South Korea, and Israel, Ron’s last stop was the UK. British PM Rishi Sunak bailed on meeting Florida’s Governor, claiming he had a ‘previous engagement.’ Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch could not come up with an excuse in time, so they had the opportunity to see a truly grim politician up close. The reports of the meeting were sparse and anodyne. A government official said Badenoch, a rising star in the Conservative Party, and DeSantis had a “fruitful” conversation and that the pair “got on well.” For anyone unfamiliar with British English, that translates as “nothing got done.” A state of affairs confirmed when a second official said Badenoch’s team “wanted to avoid talking about a Florida MoU” (memorandum of understanding promoting trade between the state and the UK). The British government cannot be seen playing footsie with DeSantis as it deals with the Biden White House on several trade-related issues. The Tories have their own problems stemming from the soaring stupidity of their European divorce. Brexit has left the Conservative Party grasping at any trade straw to stay afloat. So they cannot afford to piss anyone off. As a result, the British authorities, famous for their diplomatic reserve, are not likely to say something negative about DeSantis on the off-chance the anti-woke warrior squeaks out a win in 2024. So their critique of the second-rate man was all off the record. In an event co-sponsored by Lloyd’s, the world's largest insurance marketplace, DeSantis hobnobbed with more than 50 representatives of major U.K. firms and business lobbying groups in London. The reviews were brutal. Politico reported the British reaction. Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis failed to impress British business chiefs at a high-profile London event Friday in a tired performance described variously as “horrendous,” “low-wattage” and “like the end of an overseas trip.” One U.K. business figure said DeSantis “looked bored” and “stared at his feet” as he met with titans of British industry. The feedback not only slammed DeSantis’ lack of charisma and interpersonal skills but also poured cold water on his aspirations for higher office. “Nobody in the room was left thinking, ‘this man’s going places’.” “It felt really a bit like we were watching a state-level politician. I wouldn’t be surprised if [people in attendance] came out thinking ‘That’s not the guy’.” What is DeSantis’s problem? He is not a natural politician — which happens. Not everybody is Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan. But what is he doing to overcome that disadvantage? When Hillary struggled to connect, she worked hard — no one ever accused her of looking bored or staring at her feet. DeSantis is well educated but with nothing of Hillary’s intellectual heft. He acts like a petulant child forced to stay at the Thanksgiving table until the slowest old eaters finish. I doubt he ever shared his toys with anyone. The only way DeSantis’s behavior makes sense is if he believes he is so entitled to the presidency God will serve it to him on a platter. He seems to think he will win if all he does is show up. He must believe the spectacular success of his last Florida election will translate to victory in the rest of the country. However, he should note that no Floridian has been President or VP — or even a major party candidate for the offices. (Unless you consider Trump to be a Floridian now) Much of Ron’s local success is due to a compliant legislature eager to rubberstamp his anti-woke insanity, abortion follies, and assault on corporate free speech. However, even their slavish devotion to DeSantis’s cause is waning. As Politico reports , Part of the angst has been sparked by a grinding session where legislators have pushed through bill after bill — and chewed up hours of contentious debate — that’s considered integral to DeSantis’ expected presidential campaign. DeSantis’ announcement this week that he wanted legislators to take aim again at Disney has irritated conservative Republicans, loath to target private businesses. One GOP legislator privately said: “We’re not the party of cancel culture. We can’t keep doing this tit for tat.” As long as DeSantis is Florida’s Governor, tit for tat will drive Florida politics. He is a thin-skinned, preternaturally sensitive prima donna. Ron's psyche will not permit him to shrug off any slight — real or imagined. He views the world through Uriah Heep’s lens without any of the false humility of that Dickensian character. The GOP field is pitiful. Their leader is a toxic rapist. The number one challenger is “horrendous” and all the other stuff. Nikki Haley sold her soul for pennies and says nothing but boilerplate. Vivek Ramaswamy is the Andrew Yang of GOP politics. And the only traditional Republican, Asa Hutchinson, is the new George Pataki. (If you think, “George who?” you get my point.) As an erstwhile, long-term English resident, I can say that the Brits do not expect much from American politicians. DeSantis failed to clear even that bar. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/29/2166629/--Horrendous-low-wattage-looked-bored-DeSantis-underwhelms-the-British 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/