As even the dumbest of the Democrat strategists (sans Whoopi Goldberg) now realize their party is facing doom in the next week’s elections, they are already shaping the narrative for the 2024 presidential race. Right now, their candidate bench is shorter than Joe Biden’s workday. The media is already turning on their main contender; Kamala Harris is less popular than Covid; and Pete Buttigieg’s boyish naivete is not likely to survive his dire incompetence. With prospects like these, you can expect more headlines like this:
“As Election Day approaches, Trump-DeSantis 2024 rivalry seeps into the public.”
Since the media started that dumpster fire almost a year ago, very little of it has come to fruition: neither man took the media bait. There is very little (read: none) evidence of the 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:
BREAKING: DeSantis Warns Biden Not To Rescind Remain In Mexico Policy
Gov. Ron DeSantis holds Biden accountable for inflation, high gas prices
In his turn, Donald Trump has complemented Florida Governor a number of times.
With no factual evidence of the public feud, the media has resorted to their usual suspects: anonymous sources; deductive reasoning; and the ancient art of mind reading. For example, when Ron DeSantis was apparently “not invited” to Trump’s rally in Miami, “the feud” narrative kicked into high gear:
“A Miami rally announced on Wednesday by former President Donald Trump will prominently feature Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, but will notably not include Gov. Ron DeSantis, even though he is currently running for reelection in the state.
The rally comes as the relationship between Trump and DeSantis, once allies, has grown distant ahead of a possible presidential showdown in 2024.”
There is nothing “notable” about DeSantis’ absence from the upcoming rally. With his own campaign to conclude, and his hurricane Ian relief efforts, the Governor has been crisscrossing the state nonstop for the last three weeks. Rubio is well-positioned to win his race, and the Governor’s presence at the rally presents no advantages for anyone concerned. In fact, the same media that is promoting the latest “feud,” would claim that DeSantis and Trump are planning the next coup together should the Governor make 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 are complaining that he is “not entertaining enough.” Here is the world’s least entertaining liar, Joy Behar:
“He’s just boring, and he lies as much as Trump. If you’re going to lie, at least entertain us with it.”
Remember when being boring was an asset? All through Joe Biden’s missing in action Presidential campaign, lack of charisma was touted as the best gift old Joe bestow on America. “Sleepy Joe” was touted as a welcome relief from the hurricane named 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 for an electable governor in a red state doesn’t always make someone a viable presidential candidate. Candidates have to be appealing, lively, dynamic and adept at deflecting criticism.”
All that comes from a person who wholeheartedly supported the candidacy of the least “appealing, 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’] debate performance on Monday suggests that his advance billing as the top 2024 alternative to former president Donald Trump might be exaggerated.”
The governor’s “advance billing as the top 2024 alternative” has been “trumped up” (pun intended) by people like Ms. Rubin in hopes that Donald Trump would attack a potential rival. In fact, “the rivalry” is not likely to occur. Ron DeSantis is smart enough to understand that by running against Trump he may damage his political favor with Trump’s still large and devoted base. The Governor is not likely to run against the former President should the latter declare his candidacy. But to the media, that would be “too boring” of an outcome. The public rift between the two Republican stars would be a welcome and entertaining distraction from the Democrats’ utter failure to run the country.
Jennifer Rubin: “DeSantis has grown accustomed to hiding from tough questions and enjoying the cushy coverage afforded by a docile right-wing media. He routinely excludes the press from events. As a result, he has not learned to deflect difficult questions with aplomb.”
It is clear that 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 her statement that Ron DeSantis can’t “deflect difficult questions with aplomb:”
Anybody who follows the Governor’s daily pressers, as your humble correspondent does, can attest to his readiness to confront even the most hostile media attacks. Saying that he “routinely excludes the press from events” is just plain untrue. But Ms. Rubin hopes that the Governor’s “hackery” will not “work so well on the national stage,” because he lacks the ability to project a positive, widely appealing national message that can survive even a modicum of fact-checking.”
The Governor’s “lack of ability to project a widely appealing message” will come as a surprise to hundreds of thousands of people who recently left the more “widely appealing states” like California and New York to take refuge in Florida. That’s aside from 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 anyone of his opponents a run for their money – or lack thereof. That would not be happening if the Governor did not have “an appealing national message” – but writing hit pieces for The Washington Post do not usually involve “even a modicum of fact-checking.”
Jennifer Rubin: “But missing charisma, a winning personality and verbal acuity might make a presidential campaign tough going for DeSantis. Just ask President Marco Rubio or President 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.
By Tatyana Larina
