Posted on 08/17/2023 6:41:48 PM PDT by libh8er
Allies of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis outlined a strategy for next week's GOP presidential primary debate in a memo encouraging him to defend former President Donald Trump from attacks by rival Chris Christie and call upstart contender Vivek Ramaswamy "fake."
The two-page memo, written by leaders of the pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down, was published to the website of Axiom Strategies and dated Aug. 15. Axiom founder Jeff Roe also leads the pro-DeSantis' super PAC.
“Defend Trump when Chris Christie attacks him,” the memo reads, adding a potential line for DeSantis to use on stage in Milwaukee against the former governor of New Jersey: “Trump isn’t here so let’s just leave him alone. He’s too weak to defend himself here. We’re all running against him. I don’t think we want to join forces with someone on this stage who’s auditioning for a show on MSNBC.”
On Ramaswamy, the 38-year-old businessman whose long-shot campaign has seen upward movement in the polls in recent weeks, the DeSantis allies write that the Florida governor needs to “take a sledge-hammer” to him, calling him “Fake Vivek” or “Vivek the Fake.”
The New York Times was first to report on the memo. Never Back Down did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Twitter, Ramaswamy called the attack plan "boring" and hit "Robot Ron" for "taking lame, pre-programmed attack lines against me for next week’s debate." His spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin added in a statement, "If DeSantis struggles to use a spoon, I can’t imagine he is particularly agile with a sledgehammer."
Meanwhile, the pro-Christie Tell It Like It Is PAC responded with its own one-sentence debate strategy memo, which read: "Be yourself, and Tell It Like It Is."
The document offers an insider's perspective into what DeSantis' boosters believe he needs to accomplish onstage next Wednesday, listing his defense of Trump and attack on Ramaswamy among “four basic must dos.”
“DeSantis debate memo urges him to defend Trump”
LOL, as if that will sound genuine.
DeSantis’s handlers telling him what to say and believe. I wonder if Trump has debate memos, and if he does, whether he ever bothers to read them.
I think was intentionally leaked to generate conversation.
I can just hear the consultant-speak.
“You need to triangulate, Ron. Let Christie do the dirty work. Make sure to defend Trump without really defending him. Denounce weaponized government. criticize a dual standard of justice, but don’t ever bring up the fact that the specific charges against Trump are bogus.”
How’s he going to remember all that ? His campaign has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for those precious points.
Politics is hard. We’d best leave the strategies to our betters. They studied ‘Poly Sci. in college and all...
If RdS had read the memo that said tell the truth and don’t equivocate, he wouldn’t be damaged goods today.
“If RdS had read the memo that said tell the truth and don’t equivocate, he wouldn’t be damaged goods today.”
The problem is that no one around him would write such a memo.
Maybe he can borrow an earpiece from Biden.
The debate that no one will watch sans Trump.
That will come across to the MSM as two white dudes teaming up on a brown guy. To DeSantis supporters, a capitulation to Trump.
Seriously, debates should be fixed. Here’s my idea for a debate format: one-on-one, four hours in length, all candidates debate all candidates. No moderators. No fact checkers. Just a clock, sort of like a chess clock that players control, except the timing is different. Each debate has a specific topic and the candidates choose the questions they ask their opponent. Each question has a rebuttal and a follow up. Lastly, the debate is live streamed on the internet and posted immediately afterwards with no commentary.
I won’t watch it because it’s on Fox News. Haven’t watched Fox for months now.
“damaged goods”
Wait, for what? Challenging the god king for his holy birthright to the throne? What is this, high school?
Here’s another problem that we saw back in February regarding Ukraine:
Back then, DeSantis agreed with Trump that the war in Ukraine needed to end.
The problem with that, as I pointed out at the time, was that it LEGITIMATIZED Trump’s long-held position on the war. Thus, his handlers (who are only there to see Trump lose), forced DeSantis to flip his position and side with the Democrats.
Obviously, if DeSantis was perceived as siding with Trump and saying that there was definitely some funny stuff that needs to be investigated from the 2020 election, it would DESTROY the Uniparty Narrative that the only cheating in 2020 was in Trump’s demented brain.
So DeSantis is CORNERED - he CANNOT be seen siding with Trump on anything major, but if he joins the rest of the pack (which he has done), his support would collapse, as we now see.
Bottom line...DeSantis SHOULD have waited until 2028 and kept out of everything regarding 2024.
Another reset.
Even better, he should take a sledgehammer to Biden. Tell us how he will go scorched earth on the left. How he’s going to exterminate the left, either literally or physically (or both).
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