Three interesting articles on Ron DeSantis

1
At any given fundraiser or VIP room where he’s present, Ron DeSantis is usually easy to find—in the corner, keeping to himself. Despite having a job that entails exchanging small talk and pleasantries on a daily basis, the Florida governor tends to brush off those obligations and struggles with basic social skills, according to a source close to DeSantis, several of his former staffers, and other GOP operatives who have worked with him and his team. As DeSantis gears up for a potential White House run in 2024, his aloof public persona is being thought of by his rivals—namely, former President Donald Trump—as his Achilles heel in the retail politics-heavy early primary states.
The governor’s aversion to pressing the flesh, and his concern over the risk of unexpected interactions with the public, is already so well-known that early primary state players are working to DeSantis-proof their events in order to attract the flinty would-be candidate and his tight-knit team.

The problem is, hosts often have no idea what the DeSantis team wants. “Easily the least responsive campaign I’ve ever dealt with,” one veteran event host in an early primary state told The Daily Beast, requesting anonymity to avoid alienating the Florida governor. “We invite, invite, invite, ping, ping, ping. We don’t hear anything,” this prominent event host said. “He’s been tighter in his requests than other candidates,” a top New Hampshire Republican told The Daily Beast, adding that only former House Speaker Newt Gingrich came to mind as a bigger “nightmare” to deal with.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-repub ... d?ref=home

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has long sought to avoid taking a position on Russia’s war in Ukraine. On the eve of the Russian invasion, 165 Florida National Guard members were stationed on a training mission in Ukraine. They were evacuated in February 2022 to continue their mission in neighboring countries. When they returned to Florida in August, DeSantis did not greet them. He has not praised, or even acknowledged, their work in any public statement. DeSantis did find time, however, to admonish Ukrainian officials in October for not showing enough gratitude to new Twitter owner Elon Musk. (Musk returned the favor by endorsing DeSantis for president.) On tour this month to promote his new book, DeSantis has clumsily evaded questions about the Russian invasion. When a reporter for The Times of London pressed the governor, DeSantis scolded him: “Perhaps you should cover some other ground? I think I’ve said enough.”
DeSantis is a machine engineered to win the Republican presidential nomination. The hardware is a lightly updated version of donor-pleasing mechanics from the Paul Ryan era. The software is newer. DeSantis operates on the latest culture-war code: against vaccinations, against the diversity industry, against gay-themed books in school libraries. The packaging is even more up-to-the-minute. Older models—Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush—made some effort to appeal to moderates and independents. None of that from DeSantis. He refuses to even speak to media platforms not owned by Rupert Murdoch. His message to the rest of America is more of the finger-pointing disdain he showed last year for high-school students who wore masks when he visited a college.

The problem that Republicans confront with this newly engineered machine is this: Have they built themselves a one-stage rocket—one that achieves liftoff but never reaches escape velocity? The DeSantis trajectory to the next Republican National Convention is fast and smooth. He raised nearly $10 million in February—a single month. That’s on top of the more than $90 million remaining from the $200 million he raised for his reelection campaign as governor. His allies talk of raising $200 million more by this time next year, and there is no reason to doubt they will reach their target. DeSantis has been going up in the polls, too. According to Quinnipiac, Donald Trump’s lead over DeSantis in a four-way race between them, Mike Pence, and Nikki Haley has shriveled to just two points.
More dangerous than the unpopular positions DeSantis holds are the popular positions he does not hold. What is DeSantis’s view on health care? He doesn’t seem to have one. President Joe Biden has delivered cheap insulin to U.S. users. Good idea or not? Silence from DeSantis. There’s no DeSantis jobs policy; he hardly speaks about inflation. Homelessness? The environment? Nothing. Even on crime, DeSantis must avoid specifics, because specifics might remind his audience that Florida’s homicide numbers are worse than New York’s or California’s.
https://archive.fo/dyjsJ#selection-891.0-895.33

It’s a strange contrast to the manner in which DeSantis has governed Florida. MSNBC viewers seem mostly interested in which books his supporters want removed from elementary school libraries, how he’s treating The Walt Disney Company, and which Miami venues might lose their liquor licenses from having drag performances in spaces open to children.1 And certainly, DeSantis has put a lot of energy into stirring up those and other culture wars. But he’s also raised teacher pay, cut tolls on highways, and spent money on Everglades restoration. He has demonstrated a broad awareness that voters care about the basic operations of government and how those affect their daily lives, and he’s focused on getting them to feel satisfied with the way he’s overseeing the actual government.
Because DeSantis is not an idiot, and because he has previously demonstrated an ability to strategize well for a general election, I assume he knows this too, and that his plan for the general election will be to trot out the standard (and effective) Republican attacks on inflation, crime, gasoline prices, and immigration.

The president has been smartly preparing himself to face a Republican opponent on these issues by breaking from his party in popular ways — blocking reforms to weaken criminal prosecution in Washington DC, making it more difficult to cross the southern border and seek asylum, and approving more domestic oil drilling. The other thing Biden will need to do is to move to define DeSantis on his weak issues before DeSantis has a chance to. I wrote last month about how Biden is doing this with DeSantis’ congressional record of voting for Social Security and Medicare cuts. If and when DeSantis signs strict abortion restrictions into law in Florida, I expect Biden to take similar advantage on that issue.
https://archive.fo/ltFer
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Three interesting articles on Ron DeSantis

3
highdesert wrote:
At any given fundraiser or VIP room where he’s present, Ron DeSantis is usually easy to find—in the corner, keeping to himself. Despite having a job that entails exchanging small talk and pleasantries on a daily basis, the Florida governor tends to brush off those obligations and struggles with basic social skills, according to a source close to DeSantis, several of his former staffers, and other GOP operatives who have worked with him and his team. As DeSantis gears up for a potential White House run in 2024, his aloof public persona is being thought of by his rivals—namely, former President Donald Trump—as his Achilles heel in the retail politics-heavy early primary states.
The governor’s aversion to pressing the flesh, and his concern over the risk of unexpected interactions with the public, is already so well-known that early primary state players are working to DeSantis-proof their events in order to attract the flinty would-be candidate and his tight-knit team.

The problem is, hosts often have no idea what the DeSantis team wants. “Easily the least responsive campaign I’ve ever dealt with,” one veteran event host in an early primary state told The Daily Beast, requesting anonymity to avoid alienating the Florida governor. “We invite, invite, invite, ping, ping, ping. We don’t hear anything,” this prominent event host said. “He’s been tighter in his requests than other candidates,” a top New Hampshire Republican told The Daily Beast, adding that only former House Speaker Newt Gingrich came to mind as a bigger “nightmare” to deal with.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-repub ... d?ref=home

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has long sought to avoid taking a position on Russia’s war in Ukraine. On the eve of the Russian invasion, 165 Florida National Guard members were stationed on a training mission in Ukraine. They were evacuated in February 2022 to continue their mission in neighboring countries. When they returned to Florida in August, DeSantis did not greet them. He has not praised, or even acknowledged, their work in any public statement. DeSantis did find time, however, to admonish Ukrainian officials in October for not showing enough gratitude to new Twitter owner Elon Musk. (Musk returned the favor by endorsing DeSantis for president.) On tour this month to promote his new book, DeSantis has clumsily evaded questions about the Russian invasion. When a reporter for The Times of London pressed the governor, DeSantis scolded him: “Perhaps you should cover some other ground? I think I’ve said enough.”
DeSantis is a machine engineered to win the Republican presidential nomination. The hardware is a lightly updated version of donor-pleasing mechanics from the Paul Ryan era. The software is newer. DeSantis operates on the latest culture-war code: against vaccinations, against the diversity industry, against gay-themed books in school libraries. The packaging is even more up-to-the-minute. Older models—Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush—made some effort to appeal to moderates and independents. None of that from DeSantis. He refuses to even speak to media platforms not owned by Rupert Murdoch. His message to the rest of America is more of the finger-pointing disdain he showed last year for high-school students who wore masks when he visited a college.

The problem that Republicans confront with this newly engineered machine is this: Have they built themselves a one-stage rocket—one that achieves liftoff but never reaches escape velocity? The DeSantis trajectory to the next Republican National Convention is fast and smooth. He raised nearly $10 million in February—a single month. That’s on top of the more than $90 million remaining from the $200 million he raised for his reelection campaign as governor. His allies talk of raising $200 million more by this time next year, and there is no reason to doubt they will reach their target. DeSantis has been going up in the polls, too. According to Quinnipiac, Donald Trump’s lead over DeSantis in a four-way race between them, Mike Pence, and Nikki Haley has shriveled to just two points.
More dangerous than the unpopular positions DeSantis holds are the popular positions he does not hold. What is DeSantis’s view on health care? He doesn’t seem to have one. President Joe Biden has delivered cheap insulin to U.S. users. Good idea or not? Silence from DeSantis. There’s no DeSantis jobs policy; he hardly speaks about inflation. Homelessness? The environment? Nothing. Even on crime, DeSantis must avoid specifics, because specifics might remind his audience that Florida’s homicide numbers are worse than New York’s or California’s.
https://archive.fo/dyjsJ#selection-891.0-895.33

It’s a strange contrast to the manner in which DeSantis has governed Florida. MSNBC viewers seem mostly interested in which books his supporters want removed from elementary school libraries, how he’s treating The Walt Disney Company, and which Miami venues might lose their liquor licenses from having drag performances in spaces open to children.1 And certainly, DeSantis has put a lot of energy into stirring up those and other culture wars. But he’s also raised teacher pay, cut tolls on highways, and spent money on Everglades restoration. He has demonstrated a broad awareness that voters care about the basic operations of government and how those affect their daily lives, and he’s focused on getting them to feel satisfied with the way he’s overseeing the actual government.
Because DeSantis is not an idiot, and because he has previously demonstrated an ability to strategize well for a general election, I assume he knows this too, and that his plan for the general election will be to trot out the standard (and effective) Republican attacks on inflation, crime, gasoline prices, and immigration.

The president has been smartly preparing himself to face a Republican opponent on these issues by breaking from his party in popular ways — blocking reforms to weaken criminal prosecution in Washington DC, making it more difficult to cross the southern border and seek asylum, and approving more domestic oil drilling. The other thing Biden will need to do is to move to define DeSantis on his weak issues before DeSantis has a chance to. I wrote last month about how Biden is doing this with DeSantis’ congressional record of voting for Social Security and Medicare cuts. If and when DeSantis signs strict abortion restrictions into law in Florida, I expect Biden to take similar advantage on that issue.
https://archive.fo/ltFer
The allocated $200 million for teacher pay increases translates to approximately a $20 per week raise for teachers. It is important to consider the source of this funding and the overall impact it may have on the state's budget. While the pay increase may seem helpful, it does little to address the significant rise in rent and homeowner insurance costs, the latter of which is often required for families with mortgages. Additionally, healthcare costs in Florida are the third highest in the nation. Although it may appear that Governor DeSantis is making a positive change, one must consider the potential trade-offs involved in this decision, as it could be a case of "robbing Peter to pay Paul."


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Re: Three interesting articles on Ron DeSantis

4
YankeeTarheel wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:49 pm Gee, I didn't think ANYTHING about DeSatan could be interesting. I was wrong. He's smart, but he's just as much of a nut case as TOS.

Since DeSantis is gaining on Trump in the polls, it's important to know more about him. His policy statement on US aid to Ukraine got push back by a lot of Republicans including Marco Rubio of FL. He has no health or other policies that set him apart from other candidates. He has a Yale and Harvard law degrees and little else. Have to know your opponents.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Three interesting articles on Ron DeSantis

5
highdesert wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 7:57 am
YankeeTarheel wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:49 pm Gee, I didn't think ANYTHING about DeSatan could be interesting. I was wrong. He's smart, but he's just as much of a nut case as TOS.

Since DeSantis is gaining on Trump in the polls, it's important to know more about him. His policy statement on US aid to Ukraine got push back by a lot of Republicans including Marco Rubio of FL. He has no health or other policies that set him apart from other candidates. He has a Yale and Harvard law degrees and little else. Have to know your opponents.
I'm beginning to think that Harvard and Yale should have their law schools closed considering how many anti-Constitutionalists they have generated, including most of the SCOTUS. Then again, Looie (Heil Hitler) Gohmert has a law degree from Texas so....
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: Three interesting articles on Ron DeSantis

6
YankeeTarheel wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 9:18 am
highdesert wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 7:57 am
YankeeTarheel wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:49 pm Gee, I didn't think ANYTHING about DeSatan could be interesting. I was wrong. He's smart, but he's just as much of a nut case as TOS.

Since DeSantis is gaining on Trump in the polls, it's important to know more about him. His policy statement on US aid to Ukraine got push back by a lot of Republicans including Marco Rubio of FL. He has no health or other policies that set him apart from other candidates. He has a Yale and Harvard law degrees and little else. Have to know your opponents.
I'm beginning to think that Harvard and Yale should have their law schools closed considering how many anti-Constitutionalists they have generated, including most of the SCOTUS. Then again, Looie (Heil Hitler) Gohmert has a law degree from Texas so....

Yup, the paper chase by students to get Ivy League degrees is never ending. Besides DeSantis, Cruz and Cotton have Ivy degrees, right wing politicians have them like left wing politicians. The law degrees are especially poplar if you want a federal judgeship, especially on SCOTUS. Republican and Democratic presidents are obsessed with putting them on SCOTUS.

Presidents who have attended the Ivies from 1900:
TR
Taft
Wilson
FDR
Kennedy
Bush I
Clinton
Bush II
Obama
Trump

I feel it's important to know the candidates running for president, no matter what party.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Three interesting articles on Ron DeSantis

7
Thanks for posting.

I think the other elephant In The room is if Desantis —- in his mid 40s —-get the nomination, he will most likely running against an octogenarian Biden. A lot of Democrats and moderate independents I know just think Biden is too old. Most people think the job is for a person in their late 40s, 50s or 60s. Old enough to have experience but also some energy & vigor. Just the relative ages helps Desantis with moderates who don’t pay any attention to his gross “culture wars” policies in Florida.

Now that being said, it’s really not fair to say that Biden isn’t exceptionally energetic for his age & he really is good at retail politics. By any “legislative measure” his presidency has been a success. I think how important it was to have him in the seat, vice turd when the war kicked off. He’s really made a strong showing in foreign affairs & strengthened our National interest via expansion of NATO. However, people just don’t view it that way.

The guy is shrewd & power obsessed; we shouldn’t underestimate him.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Re: Three interesting articles on Ron DeSantis

8
INVICTVS138 wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 12:04 pm Thanks for posting.

I think the other elephant In The room is if Desantis —- in his mid 40s —-get the nomination, he will most likely running against an octogenarian Biden. A lot of Democrats and moderate independents I know just think Biden is too old. Most people think the job is for a person in their late 40s, 50s or 60s. Old enough to have experience but also some energy & vigor. Just the relative ages helps Desantis with moderates who don’t pay any attention to his gross “culture wars” policies in Florida.

Now that being said, it’s really not fair to say that Biden isn’t exceptionally energetic for his age & he really is good at retail politics. By any “legislative measure” his presidency has been a success. I think how important it was to have him in the seat, vice turd when the war kicked off. He’s really made a strong showing in foreign affairs & strengthened our National interest via expansion of NATO. However, people just don’t view it that way.

The guy is shrewd & power obsessed; we shouldn’t underestimate him.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Exactly Invictus, "know thy enemy...". I hear the same things about Biden, he's clearly more experienced than anyone else running or potentially running, but he's 80. And if anything happens to him, we're stuck with Harris which is a big problem for many of us. Even though a number of Democrats have suggested Biden pick a new VP for his second run or leave it up to the convention to decide, I don't think he'd ever do it. That would alienate black voters and that's the last thing he wants to do.

Another article, DeSantis' family is from Youngstown, OH. Two other articles.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-e ... -rcna73797
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-e ... -rcna74435
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Three interesting articles on Ron DeSantis

9
highdesert wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 10:09 am
YankeeTarheel wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 9:18 am
highdesert wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 7:57 am
YankeeTarheel wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:49 pm Gee, I didn't think ANYTHING about DeSatan could be interesting. I was wrong. He's smart, but he's just as much of a nut case as TOS.

Since DeSantis is gaining on Trump in the polls, it's important to know more about him. His policy statement on US aid to Ukraine got push back by a lot of Republicans including Marco Rubio of FL. He has no health or other policies that set him apart from other candidates. He has a Yale and Harvard law degrees and little else. Have to know your opponents.
I'm beginning to think that Harvard and Yale should have their law schools closed considering how many anti-Constitutionalists they have generated, including most of the SCOTUS. Then again, Looie (Heil Hitler) Gohmert has a law degree from Texas so....

Yup, the paper chase by students to get Ivy League degrees is never ending. Besides DeSantis, Cruz and Cotton have Ivy degrees, right wing politicians have them like left wing politicians. The law degrees are especially poplar if you want a federal judgeship, especially on SCOTUS. Republican and Democratic presidents are obsessed with putting them on SCOTUS.

Presidents who have attended the Ivies from 1900:
TR
Taft
Wilson
FDR
Kennedy
Bush I
Clinton
Bush II
Obama
Trump*

I feel it's important to know the candidates running for president, no matter what party.
*Trump started at Fordham and transferred to U-Penn. How he graduated is a mystery.

Interesting. and the ones that didn't, following TR:
Harding
Coolidge
Hoover
Truman
Eisenhower (West Point)
Nixon
Ford
Carter (Annapolis)
Reagan
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: Three interesting articles on Ron DeSantis

10
YankeeTarheel wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 8:26 am
highdesert wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 10:09 am
YankeeTarheel wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 9:18 am
highdesert wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 7:57 am


Since DeSantis is gaining on Trump in the polls, it's important to know more about him. His policy statement on US aid to Ukraine got push back by a lot of Republicans including Marco Rubio of FL. He has no health or other policies that set him apart from other candidates. He has a Yale and Harvard law degrees and little else. Have to know your opponents.
I'm beginning to think that Harvard and Yale should have their law schools closed considering how many anti-Constitutionalists they have generated, including most of the SCOTUS. Then again, Looie (Heil Hitler) Gohmert has a law degree from Texas so....

Yup, the paper chase by students to get Ivy League degrees is never ending. Besides DeSantis, Cruz and Cotton have Ivy degrees, right wing politicians have them like left wing politicians. The law degrees are especially poplar if you want a federal judgeship, especially on SCOTUS. Republican and Democratic presidents are obsessed with putting them on SCOTUS.

Presidents who have attended the Ivies from 1900:
TR
Taft
Wilson
FDR
Kennedy
Bush I
Clinton
Bush II
Obama
Trump*

I feel it's important to know the candidates running for president, no matter what party.
*Trump started at Fordham and transferred to U-Penn. How he graduated is a mystery.

Interesting. and the ones that didn't, following TR:
Harding (Ohio Central College)
Coolidge (Amherst College)
Hoover (Stanford University)
Truman
Eisenhower (West Point)
Nixon (Whittier College & Duke University)
Ford (University of Michigan)
Carter (Annapolis)
Reagan (Eureka College)
Yes, Truman never went to college but was highly literate.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Three interesting articles on Ron DeSantis

12
TrueTexan wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 10:38 am YT quote
*Trump started at Fordham and transferred to U-Penn. How he graduated is a mystery.
Daddy's money.
Yup and connections, but the Ivies and others have "legacy admissions". if your father, grandfather...went there you were in. Supposedly that's how W got into Yale.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Three interesting articles on Ron DeSantis

13
highdesert wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 11:04 am
TrueTexan wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 10:38 am YT quote
*Trump started at Fordham and transferred to U-Penn. How he graduated is a mystery.
Daddy's money.
Yup and connections, but the Ivies and others have "legacy admissions". if your father, grandfather...went there you were in. Supposedly that's how W got into Yale.
I didn't think there was that much money in private hands (to buy TOS's "degree"). Three of his kids went to U-Penn as well, and, again, I cannot imagine how either Jr or Eric graduated, though I expect Ivanka did on her own. Tiffany went elsewhere and actually has a law degree from G'town.

Yeah, Affirmative Action is only OK to rich white people when it's called "Legacy Admissions" for their own.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

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