Officially ‘One Of The Most Expensive And Embarrassing Collapses In Republican History’
Story by Joseph Ellis - 1/2/2024
*UPDATE below
My Note: One of my loyal riders commented recently. "his [DeSantis] candidacy is going to crash and burn after Iowa." That is my hope as well. However, like so many movie vileness one demise is never enough. Remember Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction". DeSantis' anti-woke campaign has cost Floridians millions defending his mean initiatives in court [17 million so far] and even more in lost revenue from tourist dollars. I believe conservatives now are seeing him as described below.
Quote by David Jolly:
“He started the primary on third base and stole second.”
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| DeSantis Campaign Officially‘ One Of The Most Expensive And Embarrassing Collapses In Republican History’ |
Despite significant financial support, his strategy to win over “only Trump” voters rather than a broader base has been criticized.
DeSantis’ perceived lack of likability, social awkwardness, and focus on culture wars have hindered his appeal, leading to a decline in popularity as he actively campaigned. (Trending: Democrat Targets U.S. Troops With New Gun Control Law)
His inability to connect with voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, combined with a shift towards combative rhetoric, has further contributed to his challenges.
“If I could have one thing change, I wish Trump hadn’t been indicted on any of this stuff,” he said.
“It sucked out a lot of oxygen.”
“The race was decided totally out of their control,” one DeSantis donor said.
“Trump got indicted. And indicted and indicted and indicted. The race was over after the first indictment.”
“We’ve now witnessed one of the most expensive and embarrassing collapses in Republican history.”
“He tried to ‘out-Trump’ Trump among Trump supporters instead of going for the ‘maybe Trump/move on from Trump’ voters, and it was a fatal strategic choice,” former New Hampshire Republican Party chair Fergus Cullen said.
“The idea of ‘a’ DeSantis was appealing, but the reality of ‘the’ DeSantis was repellent,” said Mac Stipanovich.
“When you come across as a mean person who shows little empathy for the real concerns for citizens, and who always wants to make sure everyone in every room knows you think you are the smartest person there, it doesn’t go over all that well,” former Republican National Committee member Steve Duprey said.
“Focusing on Disney, wokeness, a little hippie college in Sarasota, and an abortion ban out of sync with most of America, instead of on the economy, the debt, the border, isn’t a winning formula.”
“Other than that, he’s nailing it.”
“Almost immediately, I’m certain that he wanted to be president of the United States. Not someday, but soon,” Stipanovich said.
“He got too much positive reinforcement for being negative. And he became addicted to it,” Stipanovich said.
“To me he never looked very happy,” an Iowa political operative said.
“A few of my congressional staff worked for him, and we all said the same thing,” said former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh.
“He’s just weird. Doesn’t know how to just normally interact with people.”
*Note also: Politico 01/04/2024: Opinion | Why the Media Hates Ron DeSantis
The Florida GOP governor has had the most comprehensively negative media coverage of any presidential candidate in memory. If the press had a love-hate relationship with Donald Trump in 2016, it has a hate-hate relationship with DeSantis in 2024.
It’s hard to remember one truly favorable news cycle across the entirety of the campaign, including in the months just prior to his announcement. He went through a phase where he was written about as a potential Trump slayer in the immediate aftermath of his smashing victory in the 2022 midterms, but that ended relatively quickly. He was written off by some before he got in, and now, via multiple “pre-mortem” pieces, is being buried before he’s gotten out.
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