Posted on 04/19/2023 2:52:49 PM PDT by SoConPubbie
Another three endorsements for President Trump today from the Florida congressional delegation, bringing the total so far to ten with more anticipated. Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is in Washington DC seeking support. DeSantis is warmly greeted, but President Trump gets the endorsements. What’s going on?
Republican Congressman Greg Steube gives an explanation below about the Ron DeSantis Floridians know, but nationally most do not.
DeSantis is an out-of-touch aloof persona, who generally projects himself as better than others. In person he projects an arrogance and condescending personality trait also carried by his insta-selfie supporters and ‘influencers.’ It comes through the camera lens. Everything constructed around DeSantis is fake, even the fake blue-collar handshakes that have to be photo-shopped to give a common man impression.
The donors are pouring in hundreds of millions to pay for the fake DeSantis constructs, Top Gov brand imaging and Madison Avenue illusions, but you cannot purchase authenticity, and you cannot rewrite the history of who DeSantis is. Greg Steube explains:
[I]n a brief interview last night [Steube noted] that DeSantis has never once reached out to him during his five years in Congress nor replied to his multiple attempts to connect. He recalled a recent news conference dealing with damage from Hurricane Ian where the governor’s aides initially invited him to stand alongside DeSantis, only to tell him that he wouldn’t be part of the event when he showed up.
Trump, on the other hand, was the first person Steube remembers calling him in the ICU to wish him well after he was injured in a January tree-trimming accident. “To this day I have not heard from Gov. DeSantis,” he said.
Things suddenly changed last week, Steube said, as Trump started rolling out his Florida congressional backers. ”For the first time ever, I hear from DeSantis’s political person,” he said, referring to aide RYAN TYSON, who reportedly contacted other Florida Republicans about their endorsements.
For Steube, the outreach was too little, too late. And he continues to have sharp words for DeSantis, criticizing him for his robust political travel schedule amid a busy legislative session and just months after winning a new four-year term. “Floridians want him focused on Florida,” he said, “which is the job they elected him to do.” (read the entire article)
Like I said last year, once people get to see Ron DeSantis up close, his disdain for people just jumps out at you. He loves standing at the podium telling you what’s wrong with you, and what is brilliant about himself; however, he just doesn’t like people in an authentic or natural way you would expect from executive leadership.
The same disconnected snobbery applies to everyone his team has recruited.
Ken Cuccinelli and Jeff Roe are two of the biggest self-important jackasses in national politics. They don’t carry an ounce of humility or introspection. They are always right, and the problem is it just takes too long for everyone to come around to admitting how great they are. This is the character of DeSantis that flows through everyone he associates with. Here’s an example from one of the ‘influencers” a few days ago.
This Twitter account is connected to both Representative Thomas Massie and DeSantis campaign official Christina Pushaw:
That tweet encapsulates the worldview of the average Ron DeSantis supporter in Florida.
This is why the overwhelming majority of the Florida Republican delegation, will not endorse him. These outlooks are toxic and elitist. Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis did not wear elbow length silk gloves at the noon-time inauguration day event accidentally. Casey already went shopping with Cindy McCain and has her 2024 tiara picked out.
As I keep saying, there are not enough people who take Instagram pictures of their lunches to make Ron DeSantis a viable candidate. The polo club, cocktail party circuit of people who eat crustless triangle cucumber sandwiches and look down their noses at everyone else, is just not a large enough coalition to win DeSantis the nomination. It means he will have more money; however, factually, the professional donor class is annoying with the level of self-righteousness and condescension they promote.
WASHINGTON DC – […] In yet another blow to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s not-yet-official presidential bid, two more Republican members of Congress from his own state are gearing to endorse Donald Trump for another term. Reps. Gus Bilirakis and Carlos Gimenez are each planning to announce their support for the former president this week, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell TIME.
Their pledges continue something of a downward spiral for DeSantis, who has been steadily losing ground in the endorsement battle for legislators from his own backyard. The development is even more noteworthy after his political team recently tried to stop the bleeding by asking Florida Republicans to refrain from endorsing Trump.
Bilirakis and Gimenez have also committed to be at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach on Thursday night, as the former President hosts members of the Florida delegation who have already endorsed him, including Reps. Matt Gaetz, Anna Paulina Luna, Cory Mills, and Greg Steube. It’s not clear yet whether Reps. Byron Donalds and John Rutherford, who have also endorsed Trump, will be at the gathering.
Neither Bilirakis nor Gimenez responded to requests for comment. Rep. Brian Mast, another Florida Republican, has also told associates he plans to formally back Trump in the coming days. And on Wednesday, Rep. Vern Buchanan officially thew his weight behind Trump. TIME reported last week that Buchanan was planning to endorse Trump in the coming days.
All of their endorsements will bring Trump’s tally of members of Congress from Florida to ten, whereas DeSantis has just one, Rep. Laurel Lee, who announced her support for the governor on Tuesday. Before winning her House seat last year, Lee served as DeSantis’s first Secretary of State. (read more)
Lance Gooden (R-TX) – “Today, after careful consideration and a positive meeting with Governor DeSantis, I have decided to endorse President @realDonaldTrump for 2024.”
Rolling Stone – […] “Over the past few years, the Florida governor has risen to Trump’s top internal rival without even declaring his candidacy. And part of that rise has been fueled by his pull with the GOP’s megadonor class, who prefer him to Trump because, while he brings a similar set of MAGAfied policies, he has not, to date, attempted a coup. That wellspring of financial support has been instrumental in fueling his rise, but the investments are predicated in large part on a belief that he can take down Donald.
That belief seems to be wavering, as the donor revolt has been brewing since at least last month. And it’s not just skittish donors like Richard Uihlein or Thomas Peterffy, who went public with his complaints last week. Several other top donors to DeSantis were livid about the governor referring to the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine as a “territorial dispute,” with at least one major donor calling DeSantis to urge a walk-back, a source with knowledge of the outreach and another person briefed on it say. “My understanding is that the message was: ‘If we wanted a fucking MAGA candidate, we would donate to Donald Trump,’” the second source says.
[…] Those polling troubles may be giving some megadonors second thoughts. Sources familiar with Schlitz Brewing heir and shipping titan Richard Uihlein’s thinking told NBC News that the “brakes are pumped” with the megadonor’s DeSantis giving after the governor’s lackluster polling has given some “pause” about his viability.
Other conservatives have taken to predicting that DeSantis is potentially the second coming of Scott Walker, another Republican governor and conservative-media darling who many thought would be the favored candidate in a presidential primary — only to flame out before any ballots were cast. (read more)
Ouch.
We might as well support Trump, because he is going to run even if he were to somehow lose the primary. There is no scenario where he doesn’t run.
So it’s either support him and maybe win, or don’t support him and 100% lose.
I really wish this were not the case and Trump had not chosen to run again and had thrown his support behind DeSantis. If that had happened we would of won in 2024 easily.
It makes no sense to endorse someone who is not running.
Why not endorse Santa Claus? He’s done far more for mankind.
The insights from Congressman Greg Steube are particularly revealing.
Your comment was made after reading the article?
Those without TDS knew this all along — Trump is the right choice, and that DeSantis is a facile, Establishment alternative.
Trump has the support of millions. DeSantis has the supports of thousands. ‘Nuff said.
I live in Florida. Think DeSantis has been a good Governor. Better than most past Florida governors. But, not my first choice for President at this time.
Sure. and of course DeSantis wasn't running when he went to Iowa, New Hampshire and soon to South Carolina. And of course DeSantis wasn't running when he went to DC looking for endorsements.
If Trump hadn’t decided to run and DeSantis had gotten his support instead, I think he would of beat Biden like a drum.
Show us one article that has him saying he’s running for office.
This article is just another one claiming DeSantis is not really a people person.
Everyone isn’t lying. I rather doubt he could win. That said, I rather doubt the democrats will stop cheating and relinquish the WH in 2024
I live in Florida. My family is very politically active in our state. As a career military vet I am in touch with a great many veterans in the state and am active at the state-level American Legion and VFW.
One thing never discussed in the political news likely because they are not connected to this community in any way and unaware is, the level of disdain a great many Florida vets have for Governor Desantis. This is due to a series of campaign ads he ran trying to become governor the first time.
He ran TV ads and saturated the mailboxes all across Florida with ads associating himself with the SEALs. It was very obvious to the vets he was attempting to allude to Floridian civilians who know little about such things that he wanted those ads to give the impression he was a SEAL without actually saying he was. Vets reacted quite negatively to that saturation Ad Campaign. They referred to Desantis as that Jag Lawyer MF’er. And, accused him of a quasi-Stolen Valor ad campaign. To this day a great many have not forgotten those ads.
Show us one article that has him saying he’s running for office.
Psst.
I'm making the point that DeSantis wants to run even though he hasn't announced yet, and that his numerous moves show that.
Your request which can't be met, doesn't contradict the point.
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