Wishful-thinking conservative pundit promotes DeSantis as "normal" and begs liberals to like him
In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, Jim Geraghty, a senior political correspondent of National Review, writes, “DeSantis would pave the way for a post-Trump GOP return to normal.” Perhaps he is right if what he means by “normal” is that the insanity is well-mannered and looks sane. Geraghty starts his piece thus,
If Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis runs for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination — as many expect, after his staggering reelection victory last Tuesday — plenty of Americans across the partisan divide would have good reason to root for him to win the nomination.
That might sound counterintuitive to Democrats who have been fed for the past couple of years on tales of DeSantis’s perfidy, but the fact remains: Given the bizarre state of American politics during the Trump era, DeSantis would represent a return to normality.
What a sanctimonious git. Why would Democrats want DeSantis to win the 2024 GOP nomination? Ron and Don’s policies are equally malicious, sadistic, and bad for America. But Trump has far less chance of winning. Both think they walk on water. DeSantis believes he is God’s candidate, while Trump thinks God reports to him.
Democrats would like a Republican candidate like Mitt Romney or Adam Kinzinger — conservatives who would at least put America first. Neither would win — so that is good — and the campaign would be civilized, as far as it could be.
Geraghty’s insolence increases. Consider his use of the phrase “fed …. on”. It implies that Democrats sit in their nests, mouths agape, waiting for whatever mama bird brings them. This shows that if you have rubbed shoulders for six years with mindless MAGAs who accept without question everything fed to them by Trump (except for “get vaccinated”), then you will assume everyone else is as uncritical.
Democrats and liberals are not that. Quite the opposite. Liberals sometimes seem to prefer arguing to winning. And Democrats span the gamut from Manchin to the Squad. Go to a debate between the centrists and the progressives — no one is getting fed a damn thing.
Finally, let me correct Geraghty’s statement, “bizarre state of American politics”. Stop it! “Bizarre state of Republican politics” is the phrase he wants. There is nothing bizarre about a party winning an election and doing what it said it was going to. The Democrats passed some significant legislation, shored up relationships with our allies, supported a conflict against our enemies, and tackled the existential threat to the human race, global warming, and all the other things.
Geraghty goes on,
But DeSantis would be a Republican nominee without Donald Trump’s worst and most destructive impulses and habits. The governor certainly doesn’t shy from a scrap, but he fights for policies, not to prosecute vendettas. Having a normal-range Republican leader on the national stage would be a beneficial reset for the entire country.
Great! Desantis may be a zealot on a crusade, but at least he is not doing it for himself, so that’s all right then. What is the difference between someone who hurts people because he has thin skin and someone who hurts people because he wants to get ahead politically? I do not know. Either way, people are hurt. In Trump’s case, they are adults. In DeSantis's case, they are kids. You tell me which is worse.
“Normal-range?” By what standards? Ron denies science, demands teachers lie to their students, stokes racism, loves to interfere between patients and doctors, puts profits over people, and promotes policies that lead to rising sea levels in a state with the longest coastline in the contiguous 48. If that is normal, it is only by Republican standards.
Geraghty goes on to contrast the careers of Ron and Don. He extols DeSantis’s Ivy-league education, military service, and time as an elected official and smears Trump as a mere real estate developer. Nice try. Previous careers count little towards the quality of a presidency. Lincoln was a country lawyer, and Truman had no degree.
Geraghty reveals his bias by extolling Florida’s “Don’t say gay” law as ”a common-sense restriction keeping explicit materials out of elementary school classrooms.” It did more than that, Jim. Also, notice he does not touch the racist and irrelevant anti-CRT mandate and “do not hurt white kids' feelings” policies DeSantis promoted.
He then celebrates DeSantis’s ‘victory’ over Disney, the state’s largest employer, when the company decried his bigotted legislation,
“He vowed to “fight back” against the “woke corporation” and successfully pushed for legislation ending Disney’s special tax benefits.”
Again Geraghty cherry-picks. DeSantis’s snit resulted in rushed legislation with unpredictable effects. And he does not mention that the taxpayers of Orange and Osceola counties will be on the hook for $2 billion in debt. It looked good politically, but some Floridians are going to get hurt.
Geraghty celebrates DeSantis as a traditional Republican who never ranted about a fixed election. But then he dismisses Ron's campaigns for the swivel-eyed loons Kari Lake and Doug Mastriano.
Geraghty adds that there are some things that DeSantis has done, such as increasing teacher salaries. Good for him. But was his motivation? Now that he has established the Florida school system as a propaganda factory, why not put money into it? It is the same as spending money on better weapons.
If you want proof of the core DeSantis, look at this political ad, which his wife celebrated. And ask yourself if Ron’s dream is not to be President but to be the Son of God.