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Ron DeSantis Knows the Time: It’s 2023, Not 2020
National Review ^ | August 8th 2023 | DAN MCLAUGHLIN

Posted on 08/11/2023 5:24:47 PM PDT by Ennis85

John Davidson asks at the Federalist, “Does DeSantis Know What Time It Is? Didn’t Sound Like It In That NBC Interview.” Responding to DeSantis’s assertion that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election and was in large part responsible for allowing Covid-driven rules changes that helped Democrats collect a lot of mail-in votes, this is Davidson’s thesis:

"Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis seems to have lost his way, unable to articulate a clear position on the most important issue of the primaries, which is what happened in 2020. . . . No issue is more important for DeSantis (and the entire GOP field) than the 2020 election, and if he wants to be the nominee he’d better come up with a better answer than, “Yeah 2020 had some problems but they were all Trump’s fault.” As I argued in these pages recently, DeSantis has zero chance of winning the primary unless he acknowledges unequivocally that 2020 was rigged and vows to go to war against the system that rigged it. . . . No candidate claiming to represent Republican voters in 2024 can do less than acknowledge, without the ritual throat-clearing demanded by the regime press, that a coordinated effort to oust Trump — or, failing that, gut his presidency — was underway in 2016 well before Trump even took office."

Now, it is possible that Davidson is right that no Republican can win the nomination without focusing obsessively on relitigating the 2020 election. But what is a nomination for? My own view — and maybe I’m in the minority here — is that the point of getting nominated is to win the general election. But we have copious evidence from the 2022 cycle that candidates who look backward and run on stolen-election theories almost uniformly lost in 2022, even in otherwise winnable elections, and even when the candidates themselves had some talent.

More broadly, in the history of American presidential elections (with the arguable exception of 1828), parties and candidates never win by challenging how an incumbent won his office or what he did before then — whether that “before” is Barack Obama’s birthplace or George W. Bush’s National Guard service. You beat an incumbent by focusing on what he has done in office. Davidson does not even bother making an argument to the contrary, or referring at all to the general election or to how these arguments played in 2022.

If DeSantis runs a campaign built around the 2020 election, it won’t matter if he wins the nomination or not — Joe Biden will be reelected. DeSantis has his own message about why he thinks the 2020 election was poorly managed in other states by contrast to how Florida runs elections, but by giving answers intended to disarm the issue and pivot to other topics, he’s showing that he does know what time it is — specifically, what year it is. It’s not 2020 anymore, and you can’t win elections by pretending that it is.


TOPICS: Politics
KEYWORDS: danimlaughinathim; danmclaughlin; desantis; electionfraud; globalistpropaganda; nationalrepuke; nationalrespew; nationalreview; nationalspew; rinopropaganda; tds; thenationalspew; trump; uniparty
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To: Ennis85

Another Never Trumper from 2016 resurfaces for DeSantis. Why would anyone take this creep seriously?


21 posted on 08/11/2023 6:17:15 PM PDT by Kazan
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To: SPDSHDW

Congratulations!

You and the Trump supporters have convinced me: I am not a Republican.

For the first time in my life, I think I will vote in the Democratic primary.

Have fun with your party.


22 posted on 08/11/2023 6:17:28 PM PDT by beancounter13 (A Republic, if you can keep it.)
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To: beancounter13
We move forward by rallying around the man that will be Republican nominee and the ONLY one running that we know isn't bought and paid for by the Republican establishment and its donors (with possible exception of Ramaswamy).

Conservatives going back to being lied to and betrayed by Republican candidates that put themselves and their donors ahead of the base of the party.

This election is about whether we have an oligarchy or whether we have party that keeps its word and acts in the best interest of its base. I don't trust anyone that doesn't understand that.

23 posted on 08/11/2023 6:20:55 PM PDT by Kazan
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To: beancounter13
All you're doing is proving a Republican operative here, spewing the lies of the establishment.

No one with half a brain believes Trump won 18 of 19 bellwether counties that had voted with winner and lost. Or became only the second candidate in 26 elections to win Ohio and Florida and lose (the last time was 1960 when also credible allegations of fraud occurring).

Anyone denying the election fraud in 2020 is as much the enemy as any leftist.

24 posted on 08/11/2023 6:23:27 PM PDT by Kazan
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To: beancounter13

Opus?


25 posted on 08/11/2023 6:25:50 PM PDT by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: Golden Eagle

How many opuses for you thus far . . . ?


26 posted on 08/11/2023 6:29:06 PM PDT by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: beancounter13

Doubt it’s the first time in your life 😁


27 posted on 08/11/2023 6:30:17 PM PDT by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: Kazan

So is fraud what caused all the Trump Senate candidates to lose in those same swing states in 2022, too?

You know, Kari Lake, Dr. Oz, Herschel Walker, etc.


28 posted on 08/11/2023 6:30:21 PM PDT by Golden Eagle (Ultra Conservative)
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To: Golden Eagle

Yes.

Are you going to remain a fraud denier?


29 posted on 08/11/2023 6:31:14 PM PDT by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: Olog-hai

I definitely think there was some fraud in 2020. I’ve had what are likely examples on my FR page since the 2020 election.

But if you think the fraud was still going on in 2022, that caused Kari Lake and others to lose like Trump did in 2020, why didn’t Trump do anything between 2020 and 2022 to prevent it?

And what has he done now, to prevent 2024 from having the same thing happen AGAIN, for the third straight time?


30 posted on 08/11/2023 6:35:21 PM PDT by Golden Eagle (Ultra Conservative)
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To: Golden Eagle; Kazan; Olog-hai
So is fraud what caused all the Trump Senate candidates to lose in those same swing states in 2022, too?

The DNC pulled all the ballot creation money from Florida and spent it in the places they needed to.

You'll notice that the DNC was unable to pick a single Republican seat in California in 2022 - and they lost the new CA seats to the Pubbies, too.

The DNC also lost House seats in New York.

Spent all the ballot fraud money on squashing the Red Senate Wave.

31 posted on 08/11/2023 6:47:32 PM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: kiryandil

Interesting opinion, but what does that have to do with my question?

If you believe Trump was robbed in 2020, and his hand chosen candidates were robbed AGAIN in 2022, what did he do to stop the repeat performance, if anything?

And what is he doing NOW to stop the trifecta in 2024?

And before you go off on the excuse of - despite all his bluster, Trump is just a regular citizen and therefore completely impotent in such matters - that should not be the case. Not only was he donated $250 million for “election security”, other citizens like Mark Zuckerberg and George Soros are well known for their ability to affect election security, but in their case affect them negatively.

We also know of organizations like True the Vote, or even Cyber Ninjas who work to secure elections. Do you know how many True the Votes or Cyber Ninjas you can buy with $250 million?


32 posted on 08/11/2023 7:00:53 PM PDT by Golden Eagle (Ultra Conservative)
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To: Ennis85
Ron DeSantis Knows the Time: It’s 2023, Not 2020

Ron believes the election wasn't stolen in 2020, doesn't seem to care that it may happen again in 2024, and certainly would not do much to challenge it if it did happen.

33 posted on 08/11/2023 7:15:49 PM PDT by FreeReign
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To: beancounter13
I have been wearing my figures out trying to type this same message on this board

And here you are!

And you'll only have worn out fingers when it's all over. DeSantos does not stand a chance and will never be President after backstabbing Trump...Bet the rent.

34 posted on 08/11/2023 7:18:02 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: FreeReign

The record appears to show that DeSantis has done more to actually secure elections than Trump ever dreamed of. DeSantis has ended ballot harvesting in Florida, and even setup an official Office for Election Security, something that Trump says he will now do, if elected, because he’s just following the leader DeSantis, who knows how to actually get things done.

https://www.flgov.com/2022/04/25/governor-ron-desantis-signs-bill-to-strengthen-floridas-election-integrity/

“Twenty years ago, nobody thought Florida was a prime example of how to conduct elections, but we have become a national leader by running the most secure elections in the country,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “We need to do more to ensure our elections remain secure. We have ended ballot harvesting, stopped drop boxes and the mass mailing of ballots, and banned Zuckerbucks, and this bill will give us more resources to make sure bad actors are held accountable.”

“Governor DeSantis has made elections integrity a top priority from the very beginning of his administration, taking steps to ensure we invested in our elections systems, strengthened our cyber defenses, modernized equipment, updated voter rolls, and improved transparency, and we’ve seen results,” said Florida Secretary of State, Laurel M. Lee. “As Florida’s Chief Elections Official, I share Governor DeSantis’ strong commitment to elections integrity. We want to ensure that every Floridian can have confidence that in Florida, we do elections right.”

“Florida leads the nation in free and fair elections because Governor DeSantis and the Legislature have taken a proactive approach to address any issues,” said Senate President Wilton Simpson. “Voter confidence in the integrity of our elections is essential to maintaining a democratic form of government, and I am grateful to Governor DeSantis for making election integrity in this state a focus of his administration. When people and organizations interfere with Florida elections, there are consequences.”

“I am proud to have worked with Governor DeSantis and his team to deliver a transformational elections reform bill,” said Senator Travis Hutson. “This law puts Florida at the forefront of election security and transparency.”

“In 2020, Florida set the example of a well-run election for the rest of the nation to see,” said Representative Daniel Perez. “SB 524 is an example of our commitment to always do better and continue to be the best state in the nation for secure and accurate election results.”

SB 524 increases the penalty for ballot harvesting from a first-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, a $5,000 fine, and up to five years of probation.

The bill also establishes the Office of Election Crimes and Security within the Department of State. Before now, there was not a dedicated office to investigate all election crimes in Florida. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement received positions and resources in this year’s budget to support the criminal investigation of election crimes in partnership with the Office of Election Crimes and Security.


35 posted on 08/11/2023 7:33:26 PM PDT by Golden Eagle (Ultra Conservative)
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To: Golden Eagle; FreeReign
Free Reign wrote: Ron believes the election wasn't stolen in 2020, doesn't seem to care that it may happen again in 2024, and certainly would not do much to challenge it if it did happen.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

36 posted on 08/11/2023 7:37:28 PM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: Golden Eagle; FreeReign
The record appears to show that DeSantis has done more to actually secure elections than Trump ever dreamed of. DeSantis has ended ballot harvesting in Florida, and even setup an official Office for Election Security, something that Trump says he will now do, if elected, because he’s just following the leader DeSantis, who knows how to actually get things done.

No, he didn't.

The DNC pulled all the ballot creation money out of Florida in 2022 for its own wicked purposes.

It was a two-fer or a three-fer.

37 posted on 08/11/2023 7:39:15 PM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: Golden Eagle
The record appears to show that DeSantis has done more to actually secure elections than Trump ever dreamed of. DeSantis has ended ballot harvesting in Florida...

Ron has done absolutely nothing to stop voter fraud in 2024, in GA, NV, AZ, PA, MI and WI.

He even denies that it happened in those places, in 2020.

38 posted on 08/11/2023 7:52:41 PM PDT by FreeReign
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To: FreeReign
Ron has done absolutely nothing to stop voter fraud in 2024, in GA, NV, AZ, PA, MI and WI.

He's never had to run against a Democrat in those states, like Trump has, who has likewise, done little to nothing to stop voter fraud in those states.

He even denies that it happened in those places, in 2020.

Not correct, he's admitted there were definitely irregularities, but that he's not seen it substantiated that there was enough overturn the election. He's a lawyer, who understands that "substantiated" means the presentation of actual proof of a crime, not just opportunity to commit a crime, which is all Trump has ever come up with.

39 posted on 08/11/2023 8:09:21 PM PDT by Golden Eagle (Ultra Conservative)
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To: beancounter13

You are not God, nor are you a soothsayer. I do not agree with your assessment nor have you provided anything but opinion.
If Trump cannot win the general election it will be because of cheating and no Republican can win.


40 posted on 08/11/2023 8:25:51 PM PDT by JayGalt
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