It’s all about Don
This piece in American greatness is right (as far as it goes)
Reports surfaced two weeks ago that Florida Republicans are considering changing the state’s “resign-to-run” law so Governor Ron DeSantis could throw his hat in the ring for the 2024 presidential nomination without losing his governorship. It is one sign among many that DeSantis, or those close to him, are thinking about taking on Donald Trump in the primary.
A word of warning and wisdom to DeSantis: Don’t do it.
DeSantis is a promising politician with a real future on the national scene. He should want to be president. But not yet. DeSantis needs to understand his true self-interest. Running for president in 2024 isn’t it.
I can save DeSantis and his team a truckload of money and an embarrassing performance in the primaries by stating the obvious right now: There is no way to win against Trump in 2024 for the GOP nomination. Period.
DeSantis, look, you’re a good governor with a bright future but you don’t stand a chance against the most popular Republican candidate of all time. That’s not a slight. It’s just a fact. You don’t want to learn this reality the hard way!
Donald Trump won 74 million votes in 2020—far more than Obama in ’08. Trump won Democrats, nonvoters, and independents in massive quantities. Had it not been for the illegitimate election machinations preceding the 2020 election (mail-in ballot harvesting operation), Trump likely would have won a second term in a landslide. Trump is personally popular in the Rust Belt on a scale DeSantis simply cannot hope to reach in the next two years. Driving through rural Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania one would think The Donald is permanently running for president in each state based on the sheer number of bumper stickers, yard signs, and billboards bearing his name.
DeSantis doesn’t have this kind of support. But he needs it if he wants to be president.
This is correct. And Trump will go to great lengths to destroy DeSantis, whether he wins the nomination or loses. Everyone knows this.
The article goes on to say a bunch of ridiculous nonsense about Democrats and how DeSantis can re-assemble a supposed 2016 bipartisan coalition (hint: it never existed) by adopting Trump’s “policies” as if they are any different than standard GOP boilerplate at this point.
But his advice still stands. DeSantis would be stupid to run in 2024. He’s young and he can easily wait four years. And the smartest strategists have to be saying “let’s let Trump lose 2024” and then we’ll finally be rid of him. There may be no other way to do it. If they try to beat him he won’t bow out gracefully now or ever and he will take his hardcore followers with him. It’s foolish to take the beating he’s going to mete out for so little reward.
But it sure looks like DeSantis is running. Have fun Ron.