MEGHAN MCCAIN: Relentless forces arrayed against Ron DeSantis smear him – because they fear him. But I’ll take this proven executive over the aging politicos failing America
By MEGHAN MCCAIN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 07:42 EDT, 17 September 2023 | UPDATED: 08:20 EDT, 17 September 2023
It’s make or break time, America.
Brand new polling on the Republican primary race is out and the prospects look dreadfully bleak.
President Donald Trump leads Governor Ron DeSantis, his closest competitor, by up to 50 percentage points.
These surveys are a final wake-up call – no more smashing the snooze button.
Let’s be clear about what DeSantis is up against. He’s splitting the ‘anyone but Trump vote’ with seven other GOP candidates.
Of course, he’s struggling.
Barring a miracle, it’ll be Trump vs. Biden come November 2024 and the vast majority of voters will be holding their noses as they pull the lever.
But there is a way through – just listen to New Hampshire‘s Republican Governor Chris Sununu.
‘If seven of those candidates have the discipline to get out, Trump loses,’ Sununu said in a new interview this week. ‘Make it a one-on-one race, Trump loses. There’s no question about it.’
So here we go: a plea to the GOP field. If you’re not consistently polling in the double-digits nationally then drop out!
That leaves two: Don and Ron. Everyone else is just filling a debate stage podium.
President Donald Trump leads Governor Ron DeSantis, his closest competitor, by up to 50 percentage points.
Barring a miracle, it’ll be Trump vs. Biden come November 2024 and the vast majority of voters will be holding their noses as they pull the lever..
But the other problem for DeSantis is that he’s getting slagged by all sides.
There isn’t a person in the 2024 race that has been on the receiving end of as much unrelenting negativity as the Florida governor.
Notice how the forces arrayed against him – on the left and the right – are united around a single narrative that a candidate’s personality matters more than actual accomplishments.
Trump’s campaign sends out daily emails declaring an impending ‘KISS OF DEATH COUNTDOWN’ for the DeSantis campaign. They once reportedly hired a plane to fly over the Iowa State Fair with a banner that read, ‘be likable Ron.’
The left-wing media is more than happy to play this up since they want Trump to win the nomination. They assume he’ll be defeated by Biden in 2024, so they’re happy to clear a path for him just as they did in 2016.
‘Awkward Americans see themselves in Ron DeSantis: But do they like what they see?’ read a Washington Post headline.
‘Given the decision between voting for him and getting a Pap smear from a girl I went to high school with,’ said one woman interviewed in the piece, ‘hand me the paper gown.’
OK, then.
But is personality such an important quality?
Some of America’s greatest Presidents have been introverts. From John Adams to Abraham Lincoln to Dwight D. Eisenhower, it’s often the diligent leader, who can succeed in office where the showman makes big promises but fails to deliver.
In this era of short attention spans and soundbites, it’s fair to ask: Would any of these men have a chance at winning the job today?
Too many voters want someone like Vivek Ramaswamy, who will rap on stage and give snappy soundbites. That’s easy when he has no political record to defend.
Haven’t we learned our lesson, people?
The left-wing media is more than happy to play this up since they want Trump to win the nomination. They assume he’ll be defeated by Biden in 2024, so they’re happy to clear a path for him just as they did in 2016.
Trump’s campaign sends out daily emails declaring an impending ‘KISS OF DEATH COUNTDOWN’ for the DeSantis campaign. They once reportedly hired a plane to fly over the Iowa State Fair with a banner that read, ‘be likable Ron.’
The country has lived through Barack Obama’s shallow charisma, Trump’s erratic antics, and now Biden’s doddering, senile invocations of the soul of America.
What we need now is a return to seriousness.
Just ten months ago, DeSantis was the conquering hero of the conservative movement, liked by every faction of the GOP, and riding high on an overwhelming re-election as governor.
In a testament to his wide appeal, he carried roughly 65% of the vote in majority Hispanic precincts – 16 percentage points better than he performed just 4 years prior.
Florida was one of the fastest growing states in the nation during the COVID pandemic, thanks, in large part, to the Governor’s decision to make the Sunshine State a safeharbor for those fleeing draconian lockdowns and sweeping public health directives.
Under DeSantis, Florida was among the first states in the nation to block mask and vaccines mandates and reopen businesses and schools, yet COVID death rates were higher in New York, which embraced lockdown recommendations.
Most importantly, Florida’s economy replaced all the jobs lost during the pandemic a full nine months sooner than the national average.
Now, thanks to a torrent of criticism this erstwhile Republican champion has been turned into some kind of mini-Jeb Bush.
But why?
Whenever the Trumpian-right or the left goes after DeSantis on policy grounds, they fall on their faces.
Most importantly, Florida’s economy replaced all the jobs lost during the pandemic a full nine months sooner than the national average.
There is a way through – just listen to New Hampshire ‘s Republican Governor Chris Sununu. ‘If seven of those candidates have the discipline to get out, Trump loses,’ Sununu said in a new interview this week. ‘Make it a one-on-one race, Trump loses. There’s no question about it.’
‘Lockdown Ron should take a look in the mirror and ask himself why he’s trying to gaslight voters,’ said a Trump camp lackey in a statement.
Nope.
It was President Trump who condemned the first Republican states for lifting COVID-era business closures.
When DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education bill in 2022, restoring the rights of moms and dads to control what their children were taught in schools, President Biden called it ‘hateful.’
Biased media outlets deemed the measure the ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill,’ but when Americans were presented with the actual language of the law, 61 percent supported it.
Look, it’s clear that DeSantis is more introverted and less of a performer than other candidates. He’s a policy wonk who thinks deeply about the policies he puts in place. But it’s these qualities that helped him pull off Florida’s COVID miracle.
At the end of the day, I pray my party will come to its senses. Despite the mudslinging, DeSantis’ resume remains. He deserves a fair, final assessment from voters who are smart enough to see through the smears pushed by Trump, his allies, and the left-wing media.
It’s long past time for the Republican Party to get behind Ron – before it’s too really late.