Casey DeSantis tries to help Ron in Iowa - the state GOP has to clean up the mess
Casey and Ron DeSantis appeared together on Fox News on Friday. Knowing that Ron has proved to be a ‘less exciting than paint drying' reptilian lip-licker as a candidate his wife, the former Jacksonville TV personality, tried to pump up the enthusiasm. It did not go well.
Some pundits thought she was encouraging out-of-staters to vote in the Iowa caucuses — a disastrous position in the age of rigged election conspiracies. Was she? Who knows? Here are her words:
“We’re asking all of these moms and grandmoms to come from wherever it might be, North Carolina, South Carolina and to descend upon the state of Iowa to be a part of the caucus. You do not have to be a resident of Iowa to be able to participate in the caucus. So moms and grandmas are going to be able to come and be a part and let their voice be heard and support Ron.”
She said ‘participate’ and did not use the word ‘vote.’ So, she has plausible deniability. But regardless of what she meant, what she said left enough doubt that Iowa election officials and the state GOP had to clarify that non-Iowans can not cast votes in Iowa — even in the caucuses.
Casey herself realized that the message was confusing. She followed up her call for Carolinians to head West and harass the Hawkeyes with a tweet explaining that, “voting in the Iowa caucus is limited to registered voters in Iowa.”
And just in case you missed the point, the “community notes” after her tweet included information from the Iowa GOP and state election officials further cleaning up the mess.
Besides the bullet points in her Wiki bio and newspaper articles suggesting that she is more than Ron’s equal partner, with a possibly deleterious effect on his campaign, I know nothing about Casey DeSantis. However, this sort of one-step forward, two-step back “assistance” is more evidence that the rot in Ron’s presidential run is contagious.
Perhaps her vivacity offsets his social incapacity. But if she wants to help her husband, Casey must stop reinforcing the idea that his campaign is a clusterfuck.
On paper, she should be an asset. She is young, articulate, polished, and telegenic. She is well dressed — when she stays away from the Disney cosplay. And she has three adorable children. Although her Kennedy Camelot allusions falter, as Ron is no John.
She has made it her mission to blunt the GOP’s misogyny by launching the group "Mamas for DeSantis," which seeks to "protect the rights of parents." Unfortunately, the polls show her efforts have not halted Ron’s tailspin.
Ron’s clueless campaign has proved so shoddy it would be optimistic to say he even had a slim chance. Although, until the votes are cast (or whatever it is that they do at a caucus) in Iowa on January 15 — a mere 37 days for now — Ron and Casey can maintain the fantasy they are still viable.
The only mystery is how long will it take Ron to accept that even Republicans do not want him after his inevitable Iowa humiliation. Will Casey let him bow out before he bleeds out? Or will she insist he takes more abuse in New Hampshire and beyond? If Ron had one likable bone in his body, you might feel sorry for him. But Ron having something about him to like, is not a thing you have to worry about.