Category DeSantis, Win With Ron (WWR 24)

Jan 21 2024

REPORT: DeSantis Campaign Looking for a Fat Lady


Posted originally on the CTH on January 20, 2024 | Sundance 

Help Wanted

WHO: Fat Lady
WHERE: South Carolina
WHEN: Soon
WHAT: Sing

According to numerous meatball sources, somebody sneezed.  DeSantis has cancelled Sunday media appearances. It looks like the end is nigh, Armageddon is at hand, it’s over, the drain is circled, a fat lady is needed…

Via DAILY MAIL – […] DeSantis has also in recent days dwelt publicly on the sentiment among Trump supporters he met on the campaign trail, and their pledge to vote for him in the next cycle.

Speaking on Tuesday in South Carolina, DeSantis said that Trump voters in Iowa had told him they would support him in four years.

‘They were coming up to me saying, “We want you in 2028, we love you, man,” he said.

He told a similar story on NBC News.

‘I had people come up to me saying, “I love you, man. I’m going to do Trump this time and you next time,”‘ he said.

‘That’s not what I wanted to hear, but being there we did make an impression and it’s important.’ (read more)

(Via New York Times) – After a humbling loss in Iowa, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida is starting to signal that he is building an off-ramp from the race for the Republican presidential nomination, a seeming acknowledgment of his dim prospects of defeating Donald J. Trump given his low poll numbers in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

So far this week, Mr. DeSantis has cast his eyes forward to 2028 with anecdotes about Trump supporters saying they would vote for him next time around if he runs again in four years. He has conceded that Mr. Trump’s thumping victory in Iowa on Monday made for a “good showing in terms of him winning the nomination.” And he has openly admitted that he believes he made a strategic mistake by icing out the traditional media earlier in the campaign.

It all amounted to a kind of frankness that Mr. DeSantis has not always shown in his public comments about the nominating contest — and a marked change in tone for a candidate who spent most of last year brashly promising he would win Iowa, which he lost by 30 points.

On Thursday, the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt asked Mr. DeSantis if his campaign would survive through the end of March. The Florida governor replied that things were not necessarily going to plan. (read more)

Come for the Great MAGA King, you gotta get through the MAGA tribe first!!

Not happening !

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 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

.

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.

Oct 1 2023

Desperate DeSantis Appears on Bill Maher Show to Defend Joe Biden from 2020 Election Questioning


Posted originally on the CTH September 30, 2023 | Sundance 

With Donald Trump holding an unbreakable majority lead with the base voters, and with Nikki Haley now surging to take the lead over the Never Trump Republicans, Ron DeSantis is watching his lane disappear.

Last night, in a desperate move to appeal to the left, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appeared on HBO with Bill Maher to defend Joe Biden from criticism.   Mr. Maher was more than happy to bring up the issue of 2020 “election deniers” like Kari Lake, and DeSantis was more than willing to join the Maher parade.

Amid DeSantis’ 12% support system, there was likely a percentage of Trump supporters who were willing to grant benefit of doubt; that segment will likely now disappear. WATCH:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=lNb6ftILwtM%3Fstart%3D254%26feature%3Doembed

Think about it….  DeSantis claims, without evidence, that he alone would have possessed the fortitude and determination to push back against the entire global professional medical establishment during the 2020 COVID-19 madness, and yet he buckles on the soft ball about the 2020 election fraud.  This guy is as phony as the Sea Island/Jeb Bush operation behind him.

Sep 29 2023

Club For Growth Cries Uncle – McIntosh Tells Donors No Attack Effort Against Trump Is Working


Posted originally on the CTH on September 29, 2023 | Sundance 

It is important, VERY IMPORTANT, to remember the Club for Growth (CfG) is the Ron DeSantis career financial vehicle.  Ever since his first steps into Congress, CfG has been the primary financial sponsor for the now Florida Governor.  There is no moment in the political career of DeSantis where CfG does not exist.

While the DeSantis SuperPAC Never Back Down is the mechanics of the DeSantis election strategy, CfG is the well invested advising side, and David McIntosh has been the source of DeSantis’ career guidance for a decade.  That’s how intrinsically connected Club for Growth is to Ron and Casey DeSantis.

CfG has also opposed Donald Trump for his “America First” economic plan from the moment they realized Trump was serious about economic nationalism, control over immigration, a renewal of the American manufacturing sector, balanced trade and reciprocal tariffs.  All of these policy points are against the interests of McIntosh and the larger Club for Growth agenda.  The CfG has been working against Trump since 2016.

That is the appropriate context for a memo written by David McIntosh to those who fund Club for Growth, as reported by the New York Times.  McIntosh writes a brutally honest letter to the professionally Republican donor class, saying all of their efforts against Trump have been futile, and there is no effective strategy that will break the bond the American middle-class voter has with President Donald Trump.

(New York Times) – A well-funded group of anti-Trump conservatives has sent its donors a remarkably candid memo that reveals how resilient former President Donald J. Trump has been against millions of dollars of negative ads the group deployed against him in two early-voting states.

The political action committee, called Win It Back, has close ties to the influential fiscally conservative group Club for Growth. It has already spent more than $4 million trying to lower Mr. Trump’s support among Republican voters in Iowa and nearly $2 million more trying to damage him in South Carolina.

But in the memo — dated Thursday and obtained by The New York Times — the head of Win It Back PAC, David McIntosh, acknowledges to donors that after extensive testing of more than 40 anti-Trump television ads, “all attempts to undermine his conservative credentials on specific issues were ineffective.”

[…] “Even when you show video to Republican primary voters — with complete context — of President Trump saying something otherwise objectionable to primary voters, they find a way to rationalize and dismiss it,” Mr. McIntosh states in the “key learnings” section of the memo.

“Every traditional postproduction ad attacking President Trump either backfired or produced no impact on his ballot support and favorability,” Mr. McIntosh adds. “This includes ads that primarily feature video of him saying liberal or stupid comments from his own mouth.”

[…] The memo says this of Win It Back’s most promising pandemic-themed ad: “This ad was our best creative on the pandemic and vaccines that we tested in focus group settings, but it still produced a backlash in our online randomized controlled experiment — improving President Trump’s ballot support by four points and net favorability by 11 points.”

Win It Back did not bother running ads focused on Mr. Trump as an instigator of political violence or as a threat to democracy. The group tested in a focus group and online panel an ad called “Risk,” narrated by former Representative Liz Cheney, that focused on Mr. Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021. But the group found that the Cheney ad helped Mr. Trump with the Republican voters, according to Mr. McIntosh. (read more)

Sep 21 2023

Ron DeSantis Drops to Fifth Place in Latest New Hampshire Polling


Posted originally on the CTH on September 20, 2023 | Sundance 

One week ago, a poll of South Carolina voters showed that Ron DeSantis had dropped to fourth place with only 9% support, far behind President Trump at 46% {LINK}. Today a poll out of New Hampshire shows DeSantis dropping to fifth place with 10% support. {LINK}  To give some scale to the collapse, this represents a drop of more than 75% of DeSantis’ original support since mid-January of this year. [From 43% to 10%]

The New Hampshire University Poll [SEE DATA HERE] also shows, while he doesn’t carry much support, the very specific demographics of DeSantis supporters are old, rich, white men who listen to Buck Sexton on the radio. This demographic pattern repeats in just about every poll; it’s quite remarkable.  I will admit to finding it funny, when the predictions from a year ago show up with such clarity.

[Data Source]

New Hampshire – Thirty-nine percent of likely primary voters’ support Trump, followed by entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (13%), former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley (12%), former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (11%), and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (10%). Six percent support South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, 2% support former Vice President Mike Pence, and 1% or less support North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (1%), former Texas Congressman Will Hurd (1%), former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (<1%), or talk show host Larry Elder (<1%). Less than 1% support another candidate while 6% are unsure whom they would support. (more)

Sep 15 2023

DeSantis Drops to Fourth Place in South Carolina


Posted originally on the CTH on September 14, 2023 | Sundance 

It’s a Washington Post-Monmouth poll {DATA HERE} of South Carolina.  However, keep in mind that Ron DeSantis has spent a lot of time in the Palmetto State and was very confident of his ability there.

The poll found that 46 percent of potential Republican primary voters in South Carolina support President Trump while the state’s former governor, Nikki Haley, stands in second place at 18 percent. Ten percent support Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and 9 percent back Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. {media report}

[Source DATA]

The split approach appears to be working. However, the recipient of the split is collapsing.

Abandon hope all ye conniving GOP who choose to challenge MAGA.  We The People are in charge now.  We want a reckoning.

Donald Trump isn’t just our candidate, he’s our murder weapon – and the GOP is our target. We good now?

Sep 9 2023

After He Camped Out in Iowa with Emphasis, Vote Support for Ron DeSantis Collapses to 14%


Posted originally on the CTH on September 8, 2023 | Sundance 

The Ron DeSantis and Jeff Roe strategy was pretty simple.  Push all other states to lower concentration and focus extremely hard on Iowa.   All resources were shifted into Iowa for Ron DeSantis and the Florida governor almost moved his entire family there to campaign heavily.  DeSantis has promised to campaign in every one of the 99 counties in Iowa.

That said, a weird thing keeps happening.  The more that voters are exposed to Ron DeSantis, the more they pull away from supporting him.

This is something I shared last year when I said DeSantis was going to run this year.

The issue is honesty and authenticity, DeSantis has neither.  As you read this Ron DeSantis is trying out the latest control script against Trump by saying he would have done a better job in the spring of 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic, and he would have fired all of the NIH, CDC, FDA and NIAID health advisors in U.S. government, including Anthony Fauci.

The problem with that campaign talking point is that it’s pure nonsense, and every intellectually honest person knows that.   DeSantis would never have done anything any different, because no one had any concept of what this COVID-19 issue was really all about.  DeSantis is using hindsight and armchair quarterbacking, and that comes out as pure fakery – because it is.  DeSantis has no honesty or authenticity.  That’s not going to change, and Iowa voters are seeing it up close.

The latest polling from Iowa State University shows this problem in real time. [LINK]  AMES, IA — Donald Trump far outpaces other Republican presidential nominees in an Iowa State University/Civiqs poll, which surveyed 1,128 registered voters from Sept. 2-7. The results are the first in a five-part, monthly poll intended to track shifting voter perspectives before the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15, 2024.

Among the participants, 434 said they “definitely” or “probably” will attend the Iowa Republican Caucuses and identified themselves as Republican or independent. Just over half (51%) of these likely Republican caucus-goers picked former President Trump as their top choice. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis trailed in second place with 14%, followed by former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (10%) and entrepreneur and political commentator Vivek Ramaswamy (9%). (more)

Sep 1 2023

One DeSantis Super PAC Closes Operations, The Second DeSantis Super PAC Pulls Out of Key States


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

A very bad, terrible, no good news day for Ron DeSantis today.

A $50 million Super PAC scheduled to launch in support of his campaign was forced to abandon all hope after the donors backed out, essentially saying it’s futile.   Then, moments later, the Never Back Down super PAC announced they were backing down from Super Tuesday states and halting all door knocking activity in Nevada, California, North Carolina and Texas.   The burn rate on cash was too much and no resupply.

I said last year, when few would accept my predication of a DeSantis effort, to settle into an unemotional spectator position, watch DeSantis launch and implode, then watch what happens to the financed influencer campaign as the cash runs out.

All of these interests will radically shift once the cash dries up.  That’s exactly what is going on right now.   Two stories:

(Daily Mail) – A super PAC set up to back Ron DeSantis with $50 million is closing as donors backed out – while its founder said the Florida governor’s campaign was guilty of ‘rookie s**t’ mistakes and he will now back Donald Trump.

John Thomas, a Republican strategist known as the ‘Billy the Kid of Political Battles’ set up ‘Ron to the Rescue’ in November and had secured financial commitments from mega-wealthy donors.

But he said the donors began having second thoughts after the botched DeSantis campaign launch on Twitter Spaces in May. (more)

Meanwhile, the formerly $200 million funded Never Back Down Super PAC, the group that was left carrying the brunt of the DeSantis campaign costs after relaunch, has pulled all major door knocking operations from states.   This announcement was more predictable, because we could see the burn rate on NBD being ruinously high.

(Via NBC) – Never Back Down, the super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign, has ceased its door-knocking operations in Nevada, home to a key early nominating contest, and California, a delegate-rich Super Tuesday state, officials confirmed Wednesday.

They added that in recent weeks, the group also ended its field operations in North Carolina and Texas, two additional states that vote on Super Tuesday in March.

Never Back Down had pitched a wide-ranging canvassing effort throughout the early nominating states as the centerpiece of its effort to help boost DeSantis in the primary — even letting reporters inside its door-knocking boot camp in Iowa where it trained hundreds of canvassers earlier this year. The super PAC had planned to spend $100 million on the effort.

The decision to fold its door-knocking operations in Nevada and some Super Tuesday states coincides with DeSantis’ rough summer, which has featured him struggling to gain traction against the GOP front-runner, former President Donald Trump, since launching his campaign in late May. In recent weeks, DeSantis’ campaign has publicly promoted resets and staff shake-ups as he seeks to generate momentum. (read more)

Notice, this shift is happening after the first GOPe debate.  The shrinking of campaign effort is happening as more people get to know the candidate.  This is the structural problem.  The more people are exposed to Ron DeSantis, the more his polling support drops.