Team DeSantis Expand Astroturf Operations – Hire Team Cruz and Team Youngkin, Immediately Begin Fake Push Polls


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

Everything about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is shallow fakery and manipulative astroturf.

The term “astroturf” is given whenever a political operation attempts to generate the illusion of support where little to no support exists.   Astroturf politics is pure fabrication and highlights the smallness of the candidate for whom the astroturf operation is conducted.

In republican national politics we saw astroturf operations around Carly Fiorina and Ted Cruz in 2016, so it doesn’t come as a surprise to see the same individual’s surface again as hired by Team DeSantis to create his 2024 astroturf campaign.  Yesterday’s trip by the meatball to Georgia was pure astroturf, complete with free DeSantis ’24 swag, t-shirts, and various freebies in order to support the artificial optics of the campaign [see video at end].

With the support of Jeb Bush and Karl Rove, team Meatball has hired former Cruz and Youngkin campaign officials to help generate and enhance his illusion.  They even hired people skilled in manufactured polling [WPA intel] to create false data for media to promote. This action comes on the heels of the meatball’s instructions to state senate allies for them to change Florida law, thus permitting him to run without resigning.

WASHINGTON – […] The upper ranks of Never Back Down, a group founded by former Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli, will include top strategists to Sen. Ted Cruz’s 2016 presidential campaign, a top adviser to Glenn Youngkin’s 2021 Virginia gubernatorial campaign and senior communications aides involved in former president Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential run, according to a person familiar with the plans, who, like others in this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private arrangements.

The sheer firepower of the senior team suggests that Never Back Down — which will be able to accept donations of unlimited value and transfers from DeSantis’s state political committee — will have a more expansive role in the 2024 campaign than past presidential super PACs, which have traditionally focused almost exclusively on television and digital advertising.

[…] Phil Cox, a senior adviser to the 2022 DeSantis reelection campaign who has been a point of contact for Republicans hoping to support a White House bid, will serve as a senior adviser to Never Back Down, the person familiar with the plans said. He will work with Axiom Strategies President Jeff Roe, the architect of the 2016 Cruz campaign and the 2021 Youngkin campaign, whose role with the group was disclosed last week.

Kristin Davison, an Axiom consultant who has worked as a top adviser to Youngkin, will join the group as chief operating officer, working with Chris Jankowski — a Virginia strategist who has worked with Cox — who has taken the title of chief executive.

[…] Chris Wilson, a Republican pollster at WPA Intelligence, will lead the data efforts for Never Back Down. He worked on Youngkin’s gubernatorial campaign, and served as director of research, analytics and digital strategy for the 2016 Cruz presidential campaign.

David Polyansky, Axiom’s chief strategy officer, will also join Never Back Down as a senior adviser. He previously worked as a senior adviser to the 2016 GOP presidential campaign of former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, as top adviser to the Cruz presidential campaign and as a Senate chief of staff to Cruz.

[…] On Monday, Matt Wolking, a deputy communications director for Trump’s 2020 campaign who works at Axiom, announced on Twitter that he was joining the group. (read more)

Right on cue, today Meatball spox Matt Wolking starts promoting a Meatball WPA Intelligence poll for NBC to promote.

The coordinated astroturf effort is extremely visible, and makes the meatball look smaller than a spaghetti-o.

Next up is an exceptional video explanation by Randy of what happened in Georgia yesterday.

Everything noted in the ‘on-the-ground’ video in Georgia is describing pure astroturf.

If Casey DeSantis had any shame or humility, she would be embarrassed for her Meatball.  However, as Casey takes counsel from Cindy McCain while shopping for tiaras and drapes, the general optics are that Mrs. Meatball is one of the biggest pushers of the 2024 enterprise.

Bad Timing – Today Florida Senate Schedules “Resign to Run” Legislative Change to Support Ron DeSantis 2024 Announcement


Posted originally on the CTH on March 30, 2023 | Sundance

Timing is everything, and the timing here is simultaneously transparent and inappropriate.

Today the Florida Senate scheduled a change via committee vote of the “Resign to Run” law for next Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at 2:00pm.   The intent of the change is almost certainly to permit Governor Ron DeSantis to formally announce his 2024 candidacy without having to resign his job as governor.

Source Links: [FL Senate 7050 Legislative Bill]   – [ Bill pdf Here]

Irony: Florida law change scheduled today, same date as Trump indictment announced. Florida law change committee vote scheduled Tuesday 4/4/23, same date as Trump traveling to Manhattan for his arraignment.

Bunker Boy Gets a Redo


Posted originally on the CTH on March 30, 2023 | Sundance 

Before entering his latibulate phase, Bunker Boy Ron DeSantis transmits his political redo:

(Source)

A couple of notes.  First, notice how the statement is an assembly of every point Bunker Boy was previously criticized for not making (good job Karl).  Second, notice the account he used this time (good job Pushaw).   Lastly, SAY HIS NAME!

It was not part of their blood,
It came to them very late,
With long arrears to make good,
When the Saxon began to hate.

They were not easily moved,
They were icy — willing to wait,
Till every count should be proved,
Ere the Saxon began to hate.

Their voices were even and low.
Their eyes were level and straight.
There was neither sign nor show
When the Saxon began to hate.

It was not preached to the crowd.
It was not taught by the state.
No man spoke it aloud
When the Saxon began to hate.

It was not suddenly bred.
It will not swiftly abate.
Through the chilled years ahead,
When Time shall count from the date
That the Saxon began to hate.

~ Rudyard Kipling

Team DeSantis Say They Have Been Hoodwinked by Disney Inc. as Orlando Board Changed Covenants Before New Officials Appointed


Posted originally on the CTH on March 30, 2023 | Sundance 

Apparently, the Florida takeover of the Walt Disney Co. Reedy Creek special development zone has run into a snag.  As normally happens in such events, within the battle of wits the government will always lose; that’s ultimately why they need guns.

Days before the five DeSantis appointees showed up to take control of Walt Disney World zoning board in Orange County, the former board held a public hearing to codify pre-existing rules and covenants extending for “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England living as of the date of the declaration.”  Essentially, the new board is moot, except for deciding on roadways and bridges.

As a result, a long and protracted legal battle is now anticipated, which will likely cost Florida taxpayers millions in lawyer fees as the appointees of the board try and challenge the construct put into place prior to their arrival.   Either that, or the board will be reduced to a weekly meeting for coffee and donuts as they discuss things of minor relevance to the district.

FLORIDA – […] Ahead of an expected state takeover, the Walt Disney Co. quietly pushed through the pact and restrictive covenants that would tie the hands of future board members for decades, according to a legal presentation by the district’s lawyers on Wednesday.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District’s new Board of Supervisors voted to bring in outside legal firepower to examine the agreement, including a conservative Washington, D.C., law firm that has defended several of DeSantis’ culture war priorities.

“We’re going to have to deal with it and correct it,” board member Brian Aungst Jr. said. “It’s a subversion of the will of the voters and the Legislature and the governor. It completely circumvents the authority of this board to govern.”

Disney defended its actions.

“All agreements signed between Disney and the district were appropriate and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law,” an unsigned company statement read. (read more)

Meanwhile…  The economic priorities of the residents of Florida linger unattended.  Working class Floridians being absolutely crushed with massive inflation and unavoidable increases in the cost of living.  Ultimately, perhaps this is a telling forecast of what might happen on a national scale if RdS ever gained higher office.

Today Florida’s Zelenskyy is visiting a Georgia gun store to promote his new book.

(Politico) – […] There’s a trip to Pennsylvania and Long Island this weekend followed by a reported visit to Tennessee early next week. DeSantis is scheduled to be at Hillsdale College in Michigan — yes, the same institution the governor wants New College to emulate — for a panel discussion, reception and dinner on April 6.

The middle of April includes stops in Ohio and crucial early primary state New Hampshire. And the end of the month is coming into focus as well: DeSantis is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Utah Republican Party convention on April 22. Puck reports that DeSantis will be in Austin, Texas, that same evening for a reception and dinner hosted by Jon Lonsdale and his wife Taylor. The report says that business and political contacts of Lonsdale, an investor and co-founder of Palantir, are expected to attend.

Then, DeSantis will head to Jerusalem, Israel, for just his second trip abroad since becoming governor in 2019. Amid the recent turmoil in the country, DeSantis will talk about the importance of the U.S.-Israeli relationship during a April 27 speech at the Jerusalem Post and Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem. (link)

President Trump Talks to Newsmax About Ron DeSantis and Election 2024


President Trump called in for an interview with “Rob Schmitt Tonight” on Newmax discussing the potential (politically-motivated) indictment by Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg, the 2024 campaign, thoughts on Ron DeSantis and the failing administration of Joe Biden.  Here’s the segment {direct Rumble Link} about Ron DeSantis with the full interview below.  WATCH:

Posted originally on the CTH on March 25, 2023 | Sundance | 101 Comments

Full Piers Morgan Interview With 2024 Candidate Ron DeSantis – Video


Posted originally on the CTH on March 24, 2023 | Sundance

If I did not know the background of Ron DeSantis; if I did not have an exhaustive research library on the activity behind Ron DeSantis; if I was not aware of how the professional Republican establishment creates the ‘illusion of choice’; I would watch this interview with a generally good sense about Ron DeSantis.

However, unfortunately for the professionally Republican political class, we do know how they operate, and we are able to see the strings on the marionettes.  So, when the selected and managed product of their three-year strategic plan says about fundraising, “I deal better with regular people,” we are able to call it as nonsense with accurate data to highlight the lie.

94% of all Ron DeSantis’ money comes from Wall Street, hedge fund managers, billionaires and multinational corporations.  Only 6% comes from small donors, or what you might describe as “regular people.” {LINK}  Additionally, you don’t spend 3-days with billionaire donors at Four Seasons donor retreat in Palm Beach, followed shortly by 3-days at a Club for Growth donor retreat in Miami, and then get to claim you “deal better with regular people.”  This is just a lie.

There are parts of this interview that many readers here will agree with.  There are also many parts of this interview that readers might take exception to.  But the entirety of the hour long, mostly softball, Rupert Murdoch organized interview, is based on three years of carefully managed constructs.  WATCH

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Returning to Neocon Roots – DeSantis Backtracks on His Tucker Carlson Ukraine Position as Territorial Dispute, Now Says “I think it’s been mischaracterized,” and “Putin is a war criminal”


Posted originally on the CTH on March 22, 2023 | Sundance

After attempting to navigate through the politics in order to curry favor with the base Republican voters on a Ukraine position, when confronted by Piers Morgan who is a pro-NATO war voice, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis now says his former position on Ukraine has been “mischaracterized” and Vladimir Putin “is a war criminal.”

The walk back highlights once again that Ron DeSantis is an empty vessel using poll testing to formulate his policy stances.

The reversing comments on Vladimir Putin and Ukraine come from the interview DeSantis gave to Piers Morgan as noted in a recent New York Post article:

(Piers Morgan, NY Post) – Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis has branded Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” and demanded he be “held accountable” for his barbaric invasion of Ukraine.

Taking a tougher tone from his statement last week appearing to dismiss the year-long war as a “territorial dispute,” DeSantis now says Russia was WRONG to invade Ukraine and was WRONG to invade and take over Crimea in 2014, and won’t win the war. And he’s made his strongest attack yet on Russia’s dictator, calling him a loser who is “basically a gas station with a bunch of nuclear weapons.”

His assertion, in a statement to Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, that it is not in America’s “vital national interests” to become “further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia” was strongly criticized by numerous senior Republicans — including Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. Marco Rubio.

When I asked him specifically if he regretted using the phrase “territorial dispute,” DeSantis replied, “Well, I think it’s been mischaracterized. Obviously, Russia invaded (last year) — that was wrong. They invaded Crimea and took that in 2014 — That was wrong.

[…] “There is a move now to hold [Vladimir Putin] accountable for war crimes,” I told DeSantis, “bombing maternity hospitals and genocidal activity in parts of Ukraine wiping out whole cities like Mariupol. Would you support that?”

“I think he is a war criminal,” he replied. “This ICC … we have not done that in the US because we’re concerned about our soldiers or people being brought under it. So, I don’t know about that route, but I do think that he should be held accountable.” DeSantis is convinced Ukraine will eventually prevail in the war. (read more)

The DeSantis team has also hired the notorious dirtbag, Jeff Roe.

You might remember Roe as the former 2016 campaign manager for Ted Cruz who falsely told the people of Iowa, on the night before the primary caucus, that Dr. Ben Carson dropped out of the race.  The Cruz Crew amplified this false message, and duped Carson caucus supporters who subsequently switched candidates on election day to support Ted Cruz.  Jeff Roe created the lie, then tried to deny it.

(Via Politico) – […] Jeff Roe, who previously ran Sen. Ted Cruz’s 2016 presidential campaign, has signed on to be an adviser to the super PAC, Never Back Down, according to an operative with direct knowledge of the move.

Never Back Down is being spearheaded by executive director Chris Jankowski, another seasoned Republican operative. Ken Cuccinelli, a former top Homeland Security official to Donald Trump, is serving as chair of the super PAC. Over the last several weeks, Cuccinelli has visited four key early GOP primary states. (read more)

A DeSantis political group that would hire Jeff Roe highlights, yet again, how the DeSantis 2024 campaign is a mirror of Ted Cruz campaign in 2016.

Factually, almost all of the 2016 never-Trump Cruz Crew are now members of the 2024 never-Trump Desantis Crew.  To assist this overall ‘never-Trump’ endeavor, in 2024 Vivek Ramaswamy is now playing the former role of Evan McMullin in 2016.

The professional political class of the GOPe, the DeceptiCons, are never as vicious against Democrats as they are against candidates who do not conform to the Republican UniParty orthodoxy.   If you want to see the Republicans fight dirty, just become a Republican political candidate that does not comply with them.  Then, and only then, will you see a side of the Republican wing that doesn’t surface against Democrats.

Threaten their GOPe Wall Street multinational corporate interests, ie. ‘their money‘, and the DeceptiCons get vicious.

If the professional Republicans are NOT targeting a Republican politician, you can be assured that Republican politician is a member of the GOPe club operation.

Yes, it really is that simple, and Ron DeSantis is a member of that club.

Ron DeSantis Tells Piers Morgan He Is Willing to Abandon Florida to Pursue His Personal Ambitions as President – Then Books April Appearances in New Hampshire, Michigan, Ohio and Maryland


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

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is playing the running-not-running game as hard as he can, given the Florida ‘resign to run‘ law he is intentionally breaking.  Thus, the severity of the self-centered egoism from the man who calls himself the “savior Top Gov of America,” starts to take on context.

According to the DeSantis media operation known as “Florida’s Voice“, the sanctimonious meatball has already scheduled campaign appearances in New Hampshire, Michigan, Ohio and Maryland for April [SEE HERE]. Then, following the instructions of the brand management team in control of him, Ron DeSantis sat down with Rupert Murdoch’s toady, Piers Morgan, for an exclusive interview in both Rupert Murdoch’s publication, The New York Post, and Rupert Murdoch’s broadcast company, Fox News.

Murdoch, who owns Fox News, had previously given Ron DeSantis several million dollars for his personal wealth via a Harper Collins book deal, another Rupert Murdoch company. With full control over the brand image of the DeSantis effort, Fox News has been promoting the meatball for several months.

Timed to coincide with the Trump indictment, DeSantis sits down with Piers Morgan:

(New York Post) – Ron DeSantis knows everyone is waiting for him to say if he’s running for president. But in our interview, airing on Fox Nation’s “Piers Morgan Uncensored” on Thursday, he made it very clear that if he does, he can win.

“If I were to run,” he said confidently, “I’m running against Biden. Like we [him and Trump] are competing for the Republican, potentially, I get that, but ultimately you know the guy I’m gonna focus on is Biden because I think he’s failed the country. I think the country wants a change. I think they want a fresh start and a new direction and so we’ll be very vocal about that.”

“Do you think you could beat Biden?” “I think so,” he replied, unhesitatingly, and emphatically.

“I won with independents by 18 points,” he said, “and so that will be the same formula that we would take, and honestly forget about me, I think anybody should take the formula like that nationally. You can’t win with just Republicans. You’ve gotta win with independents and you need to convince some of these Democrats, which I was able to do in Florida, because they’re not woke, they don’t like some of the nonsense going on. They want their streets safe, and they want quality education. So I think you could appeal to people across the canvas.”

[…] “I haven’t made a final decision on it. I’ve told people that I’ve got a lot to do over the next few months in Florida. We’re gonna put a lot of points on the board. And then we’ll see how the dust settles after that, but I can tell you a lot of people realize the country is not going in the right direction and believe that what we’ve been able to do in Florida, if we can apply that nationally, we can get America back on track and back on our foundations.

[…] “And so, I take that very seriously, it’s humbling that people have come to me and asked me to do it or urged me to do it. So, stay tuned.”

“That sounds like almost a yes . . .”

“It’s a stay tuned!”

Why wouldn’t he go for it?

“Well because I’ve got a young family. I’ve got different obligations and it’s not the easiest thing in the world to go through and I also want to make sure that I have a very clear rationale for doing what I’m doing. All I’m interested in doing is getting things done and accomplishing things. I don’t need a title. I don’t need fanfare. I just want to know that if I put my mind to this, if we ever did that, and we’re successful, what could I do to make a difference and that’s what I have to have.” (read more)

I was always hesitant to say the Florida Governor himself knew about the Mar-a-Lago raid in advance. However, as time provides more hindsight and datapoints to review, this entire DeSantis operation reeks of coordination with the deepest elements of the DC Deep State.

Ron DeSantis Delivers Rehearsed Sanctimonious Comments About Potential for President Trump Arrest in Manhattan, “I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star”


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

We all know the traits of Ron DeSantis, his handlers and his influencers when we encounter them in our lives. They are generally insecure people, constantly showing annoying traits of weaponized superiority and passive aggression. That said, notice the background mechanics of the Ron DeSantis statement today and you will notice why I keep pointing out that everything in his orbit is managed by a stable of handlers.

At the conclusion of his remarks about central bank digital currencies, the first question from the media came from Megan Nager – of the Florida Standard. DeSantis was prepped and ready, complete with reference points on the podium if needed. It’s almost certain that Pushaw and crew coordinated the first question for Ms. Nager, as they knew people were awaiting to hear DeSantis’ opinion.

Watch his response through the prism of rehearsal and management, and the flow of the response becomes brutally obvious. Video at 22:30 (prompted) WATCH:

“We have no interest in getting involved in what is a political spectacle created by a Soros-funded prosecutor.” … “I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair”…

Ron DeSantis says whatever his managers and handlers tell him to say.  It really is that simple.  He is an empty vessel. There is not an authentic bone in his body; everything comes from a controlled and consulted script.

If You Can’t Beat Him, Indict Him – NBC Testing Water with Anonymous Source Report that New York Is Planning to Indict President Trump


Posted originally on the CTH on March 17, 2023 | Sundance

The pearl-clutching apoplexy is thick in the latest report from NBC claiming the Dept of Homeland Security, FBI and New York City officials are conducting preparation drills in anticipation of President Trump being indicted for…. wait for it – paying porn star Stormy Daniels.  Good grief, I mean they might as well have said the Pentagon is positioning satellites, NORAD is conducting drills and the National Guard has been put on alert… for something.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is investigating Trump for felony falsification of business records because President Trump paid his attorney, Michael Cohen, with business funds identified as ‘legal services’.

(Via NBC) – Local, state and federal law enforcement and security agencies are preparing for the possibility that former President Donald Trump is indicted as early as next week, according to five senior officials familiar with the preparations. 

Law enforcement agencies are conducting preliminary security assessments, the officials said, and are discussing potential security plans in and around the Manhattan Criminal Court, at 100 Centre Street, in case Trump is charged in connection with an alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels and travels to New York to face any charges.

The officials stress that the interagency conversations and planning are precautionary in nature because no charges have been filed. 

The agencies involved include the NYPD, New York State Court Officers, the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the officials said.  NBC News has reached out to all of those agencies for comment, and all have declined to comment.  (read more)

Meanwhile, the real motive of the issue surfaces in the New York Times…

NEW YORK – […]  In surveys taken since the Trump offensive began two months ago, Mr. DeSantis, the Florida governor, has steadily lost ground against Mr. Trump, whose own numbers have increased.

It can be hard to track who’s up and who’s down in the Republican race, since different pollsters have had such wildly divergent takes on Mr. Trump’s strength. In just the last few days, a CNN/SSRS poll showed a tight race, with Mr. DeSantis at 39 percent and Mr. Trump at 37 percent among registered voters, while a Morning Consult poll found Mr. Trump with nearly a two-to-one lead, 52 percent to 28 percent.

Over the last two months, we’ve gotten about a dozen polls from pollsters who had surveyed the Republican race over the previous two months. These polls aren’t necessarily of high quality or representative, so don’t focus on the average across these polls. It’s the trend that’s important, and the trend is unequivocal: Every single one of these polls has shown Mr. DeSantis faring worse than before, and Mr. Trump faring better.

A Widening Gap Between Trump and DeSantis – Every recent poll has shown Mr. DeSantis faring worse than he did two months ago — around the time Mr. Trump began publicly attacking him.

Over the last two months, we’ve gotten about a dozen polls from pollsters who had surveyed the Republican race over the previous two months. These polls aren’t necessarily of high quality or representative, so don’t focus on the average across these polls. It’s the trend that’s important, and the trend is unequivocal: Every single one of these polls has shown Mr. DeSantis faring worse than before, and Mr. Trump faring better. (read more)

The professional political class have done everything they can to promote Ron DeSantis as the MAGA alternative to their arch nemesis Donald Trump.  However, the support for President Trump is only growing, and DeSantis keeps dropping.

The reason is simple.   People are realizing that everything in the Ron DeSantis orbit is managed, manipulated and controlled.  That system around him was constructed in late 2021 and he was always going to run for the 2024 GOP nomination.  That realization has become increasingly clear in the past few weeks and people do not like being lied to.

Ron DeSantis was the fake $100 bill on a fishing line being dragged through the MAGAhood.

That’s the bottom line.