As even the dumbest of Democratic strategists (sans Whoopi Goldberg) now realize their party faces doom in next week’s election, they’re already setting the narrative for the 2024 presidential race Right now, their candidate pool is shorter than Joe Biden’s workday. The media is already facing its main contender; Kamala Harris is less popular than Covid; and Pete Buttigieg’s childlike naivety is likely to survive his appalling incompetence. With leads like these, you can expect more headlines like this:
“As Election Day Approaches, Trump-DeSantis 2024 Rivalry Leaks Into Public.”
Since the media started the dumpster fire almost a year ago, very little has happened: neither man took the media bait. There is very little evidence (read: none) of actual rivalry between DeSantis and Trump. Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump have never publicly disparaged each other. The opposite is true: DeSantis has always been an admirer of Donald Trump’s policies:
In turn, Donald Trump has complimented the Florida governor several times.
Without hard evidence of the public dispute, the media has turned to its usual suspects: anonymous sources; deductive reasoning; and the ancient art of mind reading. For example, when Ron DeSantis was apparently “uninvited” to Trump’s rally in Miami, the “dispute” narrative began to advance:
“A Miami rally announced by former President Donald Trump on Wednesday will feature a prominent presence from Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, but will notably not include Gov. Ron DeSantis, even though he is currently running for re-election in the state.
The rally comes as the relationship between Trump and DeSantis, once allies, has drifted apart ahead of a potential presidential showdown in 2024.”
There is nothing “notable” about DeSantis’ absence from the upcoming rally. With his own campaign winding down and his Hurricane Ian relief efforts, the governor has been criss-crossing the state non-stop for the past three weeks. Rubio is well positioned to win his career, and the governor’s presence at the rally is of no advantage to anyone. In fact, the very media promoting the latest “feud” would claim that DeSantis and Trump are planning the next coup together if the governor makes an appearance.
When it comes to media coverage, Ron DeSantis knows he can’t win no matter what he does. Ten minutes ago, the media denounced him as the world’s worst bully. Today, they complain that it’s “not entertaining enough.” Here’s the world’s least entertaining liar, Joy Behar:
“He’s boring and lies as much as Trump. If you’re going to lie, at least entertain us with it.”
Remember when being boring was an asset? During Joe Biden’s missing-in-action presidential campaign, a lack of charisma was touted as Joe’s best gift to America. “Sleepy Joe” was touted as a welcome relief from the hurricane called Trump. But the political wind has changed: boring is no longer cool. And speaking of boring people, let’s hear from WaPo’s Jennifer Rubin:
“What makes an electable governor in a red state doesn’t always make someone a viable presidential candidate. Candidates have to be attractive, alive, dynamic and skilled at deflecting criticism.”
Everything that comes from a person who wholeheartedly supported the candidacy of the last “attractive, lively and dynamic” person on the planet. To this day, Joe Biden remains a walking corpse. But Jennifer Rubin is already focused on the 2024 campaign:
“[DeSantis’] Monday’s debate performance suggests his early billing as the best 2024 alternative to former President Donald Trump may be overstated.”
The governor’s “early billing” as the top contender for 2024 has been “trumpeted” (pun intended) by the likes of Ms. Rubin in hopes that Donald Trump would attack a potential challenger. In fact, “the rivalry” is unlikely to happen. Ron DeSantis is smart enough to understand that running against Trump can damage his political favor with Trump’s still large and devoted base. The governor is unlikely to run against the former president if he declares his candidacy. But for the media, that would be “too boring” of a result. The public rift between the two GOP stars would be a welcome and entertaining distraction from the Democrats’ utter failure to run the country.
Jennifer Rubin: “DeSantis has made a habit of hiding from tough questions and enjoying the comfortable coverage provided by a docile right-wing media. He routinely excludes the press from events. As a result, he has not learned to deflect tough questions with aplomb”.
Clearly, Ms. Rubin’s insight into Florida politics comes from “sources close to the matter” located at the local bar. Here are just a few examples to contradict his claim that Ron DeSantis can’t “deflect tough questions with aplomb”:
Anyone who follows the Governor’s daily press, as your humble correspondent does, can attest to his readiness to withstand even the most hostile media attacks. To say that he “routinely excludes the press from events” is simply false. But Ms. Rubin hopes the governor’s “hacking” won’t “work so well on the national stage,” because he lacks the ability to project a positive, broadly appealing national message that can survive even a modicum of scrutiny from facts”.
The governor’s “lack of ability to project a broadly appealing message” will come as a surprise to hundreds of thousands of people who recently left “more attractive states” like California and New York for refuge in Florida. That’s in addition to the fact that Ron DeSantis raised more money from donors around the country than any political candidate in recent history. Should he decide to run for president, he will give any of his opponents a run for their money, or if they don’t have any. That wouldn’t happen if the governor didn’t have “a compelling national message,” but writing successful articles for The Washington Post doesn’t usually involve “even a modicum of fact-checking.”
Jennifer Rubin: “But a lack of charisma, a winning personality and verbal sharpness could make a presidential campaign difficult for DeSantis. Just ask Speaker Marco Rubio or Speaker Scott Walker.”
Or, if you want to know exactly what it’s like to be the world’s least charismatic loser, you can ask Jennifer’s favorite president, Hilary Clinton.
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Syndication source for the original RWR article.
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