Category DeSantis Astroturf Attendance

Jan 19 2024

DeSantis Team Downsizing, Focus on South Carolina


Posted originally on the CTH on January 18, 2024 | Sundance 

There comes a time in every failing presidential campaign when the political consultants reorganize to take advantage of the smaller bucket of cash.  Team DeSantis is not trying to win in New Hampshire, they have decided to put all remaining resources into South Carolina.

Additionally, with DeSantis failing in the objective to win Iowa, it looks like the Christina Pushaw group of online influencers, herself included, have been dropped as a priority from the campaign strategy.

(Via New York Times) – […] As Mr. DeSantis’s team licked its wounds on Wednesday, his super PAC, Never Back Down, trimmed operations in several places, including Nevada. Other staff members were also laid off, including almost the entire online “war room” team, a person with knowledge of the matter said. Those who were cut had their email accounts immediately suspended. It was unclear how many people in all lost their jobs.

Mr. DeSantis also began moving a majority of his campaign staff — a separate group — to South Carolina to prepare for its Feb. 24 primary, according to a senior campaign official, who insisted on anonymity. And rather than campaign exclusively in New Hampshire this week, the final stretch before the primary election on Jan. 23, Mr. DeSantis will stump in South Carolina over the weekend, hoping that his conservative message will better align with primary voters.

His campaign on Wednesday framed the decision as a chance to deal a knockout blow to Ms. Haley.

“When Nikki Haley fails to win her home state, she’ll be finished and this will be a two-person race,” Andrew Romeo, a campaign spokesman, said in a statement. “We’re wasting no time in taking the fight directly to Haley on her home turf.”

But the move showed that Mr. DeSantis was all but giving up on competing in New Hampshire, where his poll numbers have been abysmal, trailing in the single digits far behind Mr. Trump and Ms. Haley. (read more)

The previous record for spending on a political campaign without benefit belonged to Jeb Bush.  I suspect when DeSantis fails in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, he will take the title from Jeb.

Jan 16 2024

Ron DeSantis Campaign Very Upset – Accuse Media of “Election Interference” for Calling Race for President Trump


Posted originally on the CTH on January 15, 2024 | Sundance

Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley are locked in a tight race for the coveted first-loser title.  However, the DeSantis campaign is very upset with the media for declaring President Trump the Iowa winner.

[Story Here]

Big sad.

Tonight, all the Ron DeSantis conscripts, and paid influencers start to realize there’s not going to be any income potential for them in a few weeks.  It’s a cold look in the mirror when “learning to code” applies to your collapsed career.

Jan 16 2024

The Ron DeSantis Closing Message to Iowa is a Perfect Encapsulation of Ron DeSantis


Posted originally on the CTH on January 15, 2024 | Sundance 

I doubt this guy is going to come in second place, maybe third; yet there’s a possibility he could even drop to a devastating fourth.  The short answer about why is in this closing message.  The Florida governor shows who he is.

Giving his closing message to Iowa voters, Ron DeSantis attacks Donald Trump by saying, “if you kiss the ring, he’ll say you’re wonderful.  You can be the strongest, most dynamic successful Republican and conservative in America, but if you don’t kiss that ring, then he’ll try to trash you.”  This comes after Ron DeSantis was desperate in 2018 and likely to lose the Florida governor race to a drug fueled porn addict, so his team begged Donald Trump for assistance.

American voters are not stupid.  The labeling and attacking do not work when it is full of fraud, sanctimony and hypocrisy.  That said, this is also why DeSantis has very few friends and even fewer endorsements amid those in the Florida delegation who know him best. WATCH:

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You know what the strange thing is…. I doubt strongly that Ron DeSantis has any idea just how much damage he has done to himself with this campaign.  The echo-chamber around DeSantis is so necessarily isolating, only after he drops out will he personally begin to absorb just how small, pathetic and insignificant he has become.

Dec 22 2023

Ron DeSantis Claims to Be the Victim of the Deep State Attack Against Donald Trump


Posted originally on the CTH on December 21, 2023 | Sundance

This guy really is a piece of work.  During a CBN interview, DeSantis was asked about the politically motivated DOJ attacks against President Donald Trump.  Within his response, the Florida governor found a way to make himself a victim, claiming the persecution of Trump skewed the GOP primary race and hurt the other candidates. WATCH:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=xcucLizoaQA%3Fstart%3D225%26feature%3Doembed

As the career light dims to a slow fade away in the corner of DeSantis’ eye, it remains important to keep focus on why this catastrophic collapse was beneficial to the MAGA movement.

DeSantis had no option but to run in this ’24 race, because that was the design going back to when he left Congress in 2018.  However, we dodged a bullet, because Ron would have likely been a shoo-in for 2028 if the Sea Island multinationals had chosen to play the Nikki Haley card first.

If there’s one lesson to be learned in all of this, it would be to remind ourselves that the GOPe club never stops working on the illusion of choice.

December 21, 2023 | Sundance

Dec 3 2023

Report – Team DeSantis Splitting from Superpac Amid Anger Over PAC Inability to Boost Florida Governor


Posted originally on the CTH on December 2, 2023 | Sundance

There is an interesting report from Politico expanding on the conflict between the campaign of Ron DeSantis and the Never Back Down SuperPAC that was intended to support him.  [SEE HERE]

Essentially, the Politico sources from within the DeSantis operation are claiming the campaign is furious about how the SuperPAC has spent tens of millions, yet the Florida Governor is less supported now than before the campaign launched.  As the article is framed, we are watching the final stages of the DeSantis implosion as a more favored new SuperPAC is launching for a last-ditch effort at rebranding.  That would be reboot 5.0.

That said, I would caution applying too much credit to the actual split, because Ron DeSantis previously deposited his entire leadership and leftover campaign account from his Florida race into the NBD SuperPAC.  DeSantis is stuck with Jeff Roe and Ken Cuccinelli regardless of their incompetence.

(Politico) – Tensions between Ron DeSantis’ struggling presidential campaign and his allied super PAC are boiling over, with the campaign losing confidence in Never Back Down’s leadership and ability to orchestrate a TV advertising campaign, according to two people close to the Florida governor.

The criticism comes amid mounting questions about the strength of DeSantis’ campaign, and that of Never Back Down. The super PAC has suffered two major departures over the last week, with the organization’s CEO, Chris Jankowski, and its chair, Adam Laxalt, stepping down.

Earlier this week, DeSantis campaign manager, James Uthmeier, wrote a memo to donors in which he praised Never Back Down for its field operation and urged the group to focus on that going forward. But he implicitly suggested a newly formed pro-DeSantis super PAC, Fight Right, take the lead on TV advertising. Campaign officials believe the PAC’s TV ads have been ineffective, according to two people close to DeSantis and granted anonymity to speak freely.

“The campaign doesn’t think NBD’s current interim leadership should be within a mile of a TV budget,” said one of the people close to DeSantis. A Never Back Down representative declined to comment.

[…] “The last few weeks have caused the campaign to lose confidence in multiple top NBD officials as a result of poor performance as well as rampant leaking to push false, unauthorized narratives to the press,” the person close to the governor said.

Never Back Down has emerged as the highest-spending super PAC of the presidential campaign so far. According to media buying figures, the organization has spent more than $39 million on advertising. But there has been little evidence the barrage has helped, with DeSantis sliding back for months in public opinion polls. He is not only running far behind former President Donald Trump, but is locked in a battle for second with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. (read more)

“The wheels on the bus go woomp woomp woomp“… 

Nov 14 2023

DeSantis on War with the Bahamas? Re-Posted Nov 14, 2023 By Martin Armstrong 


DeSantis initially attempted to remain a bit vague on where he stands on America’s participation in foreign wars. He redacted a statement made early on in his campaign about America’s involvement in Ukraine, saying they are, in fact, deserving of US resources. Ron DeSantis did a good job as the governor of Florida by putting Florida first, but would he put America first as president?

DeSantis showed great leadership when he sent two planes into an active warzone to retrieve American citizens. He has vowed to deport pro-Hamas protestors, which is at least a US-related issue. Ron went overseas to visit Netanyahu, who called him a “friend of Israel.” “We didn’t talk about American politics,” Netanyahu said. “I have enough politics here.” Once again, a US politician is failing to put America first.

DeSantis is now saying that Israel’s response to the attack by Hamas is inevitable. “What are you supposed to do? I mean, I used to say even when they would just fire the normal rockets because they’ve been firing these rockets for years and years. And I thought to myself, like, if the Bahamas were firing rockets into Fort Lauderdale, like, we would not accept that for, like, one minute. I mean, we would just level it. We would never be willing to live like that as Americans,” DeSantis said.

Now, the Bahamas has no plans to attack Florida, and the analogy is a bit ridiculous. Florida-Bahama tensions are non-existent. But most importantly, DeSantis is showing that he would pledge full support to Israel if elected president and escalate this war in accordance with the globalist agenda.

The presidential hopeful has stated that America is responsible for protecting Israel. He is ramping up fears of nuclear war to explain America’s involvement. “Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons creates a risk like you’ve not seen in this region,” DeSantis said. “It’s an existential threat to the state of Israel and to the United States of America.” The media loves the old “weapons of mass destruction” tactic.

Now, this is the man who once called the war in Ukraine a “territorial dispute” before changing his mind and condemning Putin as a war criminal. He is not coming out as a blatant Neocon like Haley, but make no mistake about it: DeSantis is a pro-war candidate.

Nov 6 2023

Ron DeSantis Wins Endorsement From “America’s Most Unpopular Governor”


Posted originally on the CTH on November 5, 2023 | Sundance 

The timing here is just splendid.  According to multiple MSM sources, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is scheduled to endorse Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for the 2024 GOP nomination.  The endorsement is scheduled to be announced tomorrow in Iowa.

This endorsement comes on the heels of a recent Morning Consult poll [SEE HERE] showing Governor Kim Reynolds is “America’s most unpopular governor.” How appropriate is that?!

[…] “Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa) is America’s most unpopular governor, with a 47% disapproval rating, up from 39% in the first quarter of 2023. Her unpopularity increased partly because of a surge in negative sentiment among independent and Republican voters during a year in which she signed a strict anti-abortion law and took a lashing from former President Donald Trump over her apparent closeness with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.).” (link)

[Source Link]

You might remember when I said, and repeated, to “watch the RGA.”  Well, surprise, surprise, guess who is the current RGA Chair?  Yup, Kim Reynolds. {link}  These people are entirely predictable.

[CTH, January 2023] […] “As I’m watching President Trump doing the familiar targeting of the GOPe roadmap, in this instance hitting the Club for Growth (CfG), my spidey senses are telling me their modified 2024 path will involve increased emphasis on the Republican Governors Association (RGA).

In the 2020 midterms, the RGA headed by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey was positioning: specifically positioning Ron DeSantis.  If the modified establishment roadmap rolls out as it looks right now, I suspect the RGA will play a key role in it.”  (keep reading)

You might not have remembered the way the RGA was positioning [reference the $20 million donation to DeSantis in April 2022, which was always intended as a laundry operation for the 2024 GOP primary], which always had this Reynolds endorsement lined up to be triggered, but at least we know Donald Trump saw the roadmap as outlined.

Back in February, 2023, President Donald Trump was noting the same strategic plays that we were.  Fortunately, he was keeping an eye on how the Republican Governors Association (RGA) was intending to execute their anti-MAGA moves against the base working class voters. [Trump Truth]

[Background Article]

Once you see the strings on the marionettes, it becomes impossible to return to that moment in the performance when you did not see them.

Lastly, while this endorsement was pre-baked into the 2024 roadmap and entirely predictable, it has been triggered early.

Kim Reynolds endorsing Ron DeSantis is a break from tradition.  The Iowa governor rarely endorses a presidential candidate; hence, that was the motive for the plan.  The roadmap added this little ‘shock and awe’ move as part of the design long before people were even willing to admit that DeSantis was running.  However, the endorsement was not supposed to happen until after the 2023 holidays, when it would be closer to the Iowa caucuses and carry more benefit.

Why did the DeSantis handlers need to trigger this endorsement early?  Because DeSantis is going backward in Iowa and Nikki Haley is now pushing ahead of him.

The more the Iowa voters get to see Ron DeSantis, the less they like him.

The GOPe roadmap is collapsing… the timing of this predictable move by the RGA component shows desperation.

The billionaire class of the professional Republican manipulators are failing, Bigly!

Be of good cheer, we are kicking their ass! 

[Source]

Nov 3 2023

Shrinking Ron DeSantis Goes Shopping for a Lift With MSNBC, Morning Joe, Viewers


Posted originally on the CTH on November 2, 2023 | Sundance 

The guy gets more pathetic with every poll that shows him shrinking.  The latest strategy to garner Republican support is for the Florida governor to appear on MSNBC “Morning Joe” to participate in the orange man bad conversation.

The devolution of DeSantis is actually quite funny; it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy of visible desperation.  We all knew this was going to happen, but it’s still pathetic to watch it play out in real time.  In the big picture, the arc of this collapsing narrative was very predictable, because Ron DeSantis winning the 2024 GOP nomination is not the goal of the people who funded and talked him into this mission.  The real goal is to stop Trump, and that brings forth all of the silly desperation as Trump keeps dominating.

As Ron DeSantis brags on his electability, MSNBC runs graphics showing how badly his campaign is doing.  Too funny.  Additionally, Ron DeSantis now pushes the narrative that Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election and took nuclear secrets to his home in Mar-a-Lago.  WATCH:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=TVUloqDbzYo%3Ffeature%3Doembed

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Longer excerpt below.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=BSZzIIrjd7I%3Ffeature%3Doembed

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Nov 1 2023

Too Funny – The Most Media Coverage Ever Recorded for Ron DeSantis Is All About His Boot Lifts


Posted originally on the CTH on October 31, 2023 | Sundance

You know things have collapsed into an unserious candidacy when this is the predominate conversation about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.  However, it is a little more than just ordinarily funny; it’s factually well-deserved snark.

The issue of Ron DeSantis wearing weird boots and lifts, to give himself the illusion of greater physical stature, has been building over time on various internet discussion formats.  Yesterday, podcaster Patrick Bet-David took the issue directly to the source.  The discomfort on DeSantis’ face was clear and palpable – even as he claims he is 5′ 11″ at the end of the clip.  WATCH:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=rIS5YK_l2r4%3Ffeature%3Doembed

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Politico even did a forensic and expert analysis using three experts in shoes, boots and lifts [READ HERE].  Seriously, it’s their #1 most read article. lolol   The determination by the experts is that Ron DeSantis DOES wear lifts.  Everything about this story is hilarious and has become viral internet meme fuel.

Unfortunately, once the meme momentum gains this level of popularity, it sticks.

My sincere apologies in advance, but I must confess to my nonstop laughter.

https://twitter.com/PapiTrumpo/status/1719538134902337596?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1719538134902337596%7Ctwgr%5Eb47a6950272c44fbdcbd37cd4d17df0e2ca252fa%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconservativetreehouse.com%2Fblog%2F2023%2F10%2F31%2Ftoo-funny-the-most-media-coverage-ever-recorded-for-ron-desantis-is-all-about-his-boot-lifts%2F


Oct 29 2023

What the Heck Is on His Feet?


Posted originally on the CTH on October 28, 2023 

This is not an intelligent man of temperate disposition.  This is an empty vessel filled with the thoughts, catchphrases, and opinions of others, including his apparel.

What is this choice of goofy footwear supposed to represent?

DeSantis spoke with DailyMail.com ahead of his remarks at a breakfast with Nevada Republicans at Treasure Island on the Las Vegas Strip. (Source)

Someone once swore to me that a person very close to DeSantis was intentionally undermining his effort because they quietly disliked (immensely) the fraudulent operation surrounding this long-planned 2024 presidential bid.  I laughed it off, but they were very serious.  As time goes on, and these subtle exhibitions of his authentically stupid persona surface, I no longer dismiss that prior statement.