If Trump wants the 2024 nomination, though, he must learn
from Odysseus in Homer's eponymous epic poem. Sure, the suitors took him for
dead and took over his home. Odysseus was the rightful king of the castle, but
he had to fight for it. Instead of staging an epic comeback, Trump has turned
into a cantankerous deposed monarch who thinks we should restore him to the
throne. That's not how politics works. Andrew Jackson was denied the Presidency
in 1824 due to a Corrupt Bargain in the House of Representatives. Old Hickory
didn't pout but plotted, planned, and won the Presidency in 1828.
Trump needs a primary. I want a knock-down drag-out fight
for the GOP brass ring. And right now, Trump is not earning it. Instead, he
reminds me of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie past his first-term
prime: lots of bluster, no muster.
Trump still surrounds himself with bad people. They told
him to endorse Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-Texas)
in a fraught primary when the opponent was the real deal. Gonzales is now
talking up open borders and voted against the House Rules package effected by
the dedicated MAGA populists in Congress.
Trump lined up behind McCarthy for Speaker and expected
everyone to follow. The next generation of America First politicians knows you
never settle but fight for more. Trump inaugurated a movement, but now the
movement is moving past him. Nothing showed this more than conservative
Congressman Matt Rosendale (R-Montana) dismissing the former President's plea by
phone on the floor of the House. Conversely, Trump refused to weigh in on the
RNC Chairmanship, the more consequential race. DeSantis did, even if his candidate
lost. Leadership means fighting for what's right, even if the
outcome is likely lost.
Trump tells South Carolina: "Let's go after the Deep
State, the Democrats, and the RINOs." And standing next to him during that
rant? Lindsey Graham, the biggest Deep State Democrat RINO in the
country. Former Governor Sarah Palin tells
DeSantis to "wait your turn." It sounds like
McCain-Establishment Kool-Aid talk to me. Oh Yeah! She abandoned her
governorship, couldn't get elected to Congress, but wants to play king-maker?
Hit the road, Mammy Grizzly.
Politics is not the Art of the Deal; it's the Art of
"I Win, and You Lose." Trump still doesn't get this, either. DeSantis
does. DeSantis has accomplished the most aggressive, radically right-wing
agenda of any governor: a pro-growth, low-tax agenda and bear-hugging culture
wars. He has beaten down Big Business, Big Pharma, Big Labor, and Big Academia.
As a result, the little guy in Florida feels like "The Man," and they
have DeSantis' leadership to thank for that.
He outlawed sanctuary cities with more vigorous
enforcement. He signed into law E-Verify mandates. He has taken on the Florida
teacher's unions with gusto, pushing for more limits on their political power.
He has been pressing for gun freedoms in a state gun-shy on the Second
Amendment for the last twenty years. His Parents Rights in Education Bill has
inspired similar reforms across the country. DeSantis is a conservative, and
even Democratic voters support him!
His election reforms are impeccable, too. Trump tweeted and
whined about voter fraud during Election 2020. As soon as he was elected,
DeSantis removed the corrupt Registrar of Voters in Palm Beach County, then
cleaned up the election laws. Despite banning ballot trafficking and universal
mass mail-in voting, DeSantis wisely recognizes that if "legal
cheating" exists in your state, USE IT. Only recently has Trump joined
this bandwagon. Trump is playing catch-up, while DeSantis has already caught
on.
Politics requires a keen sense of what works, what's
possible, and knowing what is going on. At this point, one wonders if Trump is
paying attention. It's 2023, not 2015. Riding an escalator doesn't impress
anymore. I want results, and DeSantis is outdoing Trump on many fronts.
Trump still pushes the vaccine. DeSantis has said,
"Stop!" Trump locked down the country, but DeSantis reversed course
within two weeks, and Florida enjoyed unprecedented freedom with little
COVID-19 backlash. Leadership changes when things aren't working and learns
from circumstances. DeSantis has led on stopping the sex mutilation of minors
and LGBT indoctrination, too, and opposed the DIS-Respect for Marriage Act.
Trump went all in on this anti-family folly, then celebrated with the Log Cabin
Republicans at Mar-a-Lago, rebuffing the evangelical voters who
got him elected.
President Trump has become all talk, selling NFTs. DeSantis
is walking the walk, guaranteed. He is smarter with the media, too. Trump
slugged at the media but then got dirty with them. DeSantis sets up press
conferences with supporters. He silences biased reporters with quick quips
while humiliating Joe Biden. DeSantis doesn't rush to corporate media's camera
for attention. He rolls them, then steamrolls them.
From Congress to the Governor's mansion, DeSantis has been
on a mission to accomplish. Today's populist Republican party grassroots are
tired of politicians who want us to feel good; no more RINOs who say the right
things on Fox News, then screw us over with betrayals and broken promises.
DeSantis promises and keeps delivering. We need a president who wins, not just
retains what little remains once Biden is gone.
Trump
was a street brawler, but DeSantis is a UFC fighter: sleeker, less flashy, but
executes the win quicker, faster, and more robust. We need results, not
rhetoric. I don't want rallies; I want to win elections and the culture war. I
am not interested in the establishment (and yes, Trump is turning into their
latest successor). DeSantis looks like the man to be President and the man to
beat.
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