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No Second Chance [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-08-09
By David Glenn Cox
Breaking the now broken news, team DeSantis is changing campaign staff, yet again. This in the wake of layoffs and previous staff changes. It illustrates a frustration and a growing fear that if they don’t do something right now, they’re going to lose everything. Why isn’t our shit selling, they ask? Our shit sells in Jacksonville, and it always sells in Fort Walton.
Initially, Ronnie hit the stage with his culture war pictures at an exhibition. Out to fight wokeism and radical Leftist beloved cartoon characters with punitive policies of state directed punishments. Then the school boards cried, “and let’s ban books too! “Painting a target on little Ronnie’s back. “Let’s remove AP classes! And let’s project an image of Florida to the nation of astounding hate filled rhetoric bigotry, and inbred ignorance they will never forget!”
That was the first DeSantis plan, and it worked some too, but it seems a little culture war goes along way. And after a while, the public begins to see the candidate as nothing more than a racist bully. Taking pot shots at minorities only to advance himself in the polls with the redneck voters. A little tuff guy who won’t take any shit.
Because he knows everything, Ron doesn’t need to put up with the reporter’s bothersome questions. That’s what curt remarks and short answers were made for. And the candidate comes across as Imperil and cold. “ That’s a lot of sugar, huh?”
All the while, Team Trump is drubbing Ron from above and rubbing his face in the dirt. With remarks about Ron’s personality or lack thereof. Trump claimed, Ron had the personality of reheated Tofu. Ron DeSanctimonious, bullseye! Rinse & repeat as necessary.
I know this will be an obscure reference at best, but Ron DeSantis is the new Thomas Dewey. The cold pompous full of himself blustering know-it- all. Who approaches every crisis with, “Well then, take care of it!”
A famous photo of Dewey’s staff lowering the shades on his private train car as well-wishers gathered outside on the platform. “Yes, yes, I know. You all love me. But I’m busy right now. So, go away. I’m not in the mood, so beat it, scram, shoo, skat!”
Meanwhile Truman was stopping his train anywhere they had a station. Day and night smiling and greeting people and shaking hands on the news. Was Dewey a cold fish, smug and self-righteous? He sure came off that way running against a warm gregarious personality. Truman appeared on the back of his train at 2:00 AM in his robe and bedroom slippers, and the crowd ate it up.
A warm caring human being or a cold uncle, who never said that much and always seemed too angry to be around children.
Then the DeSantis campaign strategy was changed again. Let’s humanize him! Let’s show off Ron’s warm and fuzzy side! A series of mainstream interviews where the candidate was rated as barely passing, on the Sarah Palin scale of current events and primary object identification. The warm and fuzzy side of Ron didn’t show through, after all.
Ron has pigeonholed himself as a one hit wonder, Culture war Terminator extremist. Arbitrary and mean, autocratic and cold. Ready to propose draconian laws at the drop of a hat. He’s tough! He’s with it! And he’s coming to get you! “ That’s a lot of sugar, huh?”
Sooner or later, in the final analysis the truth makes itself apparent. Hindsight is 20/20, but that’s normally only after you’ve lost the election. Staff reduction is always an issue of money and finance. First, you load up with all the staff you can feed. To put yourself that much further ahead of your opponents in the ground game. But when you aren’t gaining any ground? Somebody or a lot of somebodies gotta go.
Now staff leadership is different, that’s a question of strategic vision. Either the campaign can’t decide on its strategic vision, or the candidate wants his own way against professional advice. The recent Waffle House approach of “I got an idear! Let’s try this and see if it works!” Which speaks of uncertainty and different points of view inside the campaign. But Ronnie is going back to his old friends from the earlier campaigns. “They just won’t listen to me. My staff doesn’t understand me or my brand, like you do.”
Nobody is being fired, oh heavens no. This is just a few minor staff changes. Smile everybody, show them how happy you are here! We will be bringing in the “new guy” and you will like him, that’s an order. And he will become our new campaign manager. Our current campaign manager is being promoted to the office of senior campaign strategist. Where he’ll have more time to just sit and think and talk to himself with no other specific duties besides, Doctor of thinkology.
Wrong race at the wrong time. Republicans generally run to the center during national campaigns. The Trump pollution distorted the landscape. So, DeSantis tried running to the right, attempting to counter the Trump’s aberrations. “See, I’m a tuff guy too! And I’m so much like Trump, only I’m even better.” DeSantis has given the public zero positive reasons why they should vote for Ronnie over Donnie.
Flat out, Ronnie can’t win if Donnie still walks. It’s a cult for Pete’s sake. You ain’t going to win any election for class president, running against the Bhagwan or David Koresh. Being like Trump didn’t work. Because if they like Trump, they’ll support Trump. So now, DeSantis goes after Trump for his election lies. Because maybe just maybe, the Republican voters will maybe like him better as the new and improved anti-Trump woke warrior.
Trump’s own frenetic desperation pours out in his extreme statistics. Trump claims his lead over DeSantis has grown to 59%. Last week, it was only 50% and most national polling puts it around 44%. Maybe they’re just telling the old guy that to pacify him and keep him calm. But don’t be surprised if next week, Trump claims his lead has grown to 957 thousand percent to 13% for DeSantis.
But after you’ve changed the packaging. And after you’ve changed the leadership team. After you’ve added new flavors and offered “Under New Management.” Now! With even more of that stuff, you like so much! After you’ve tried everything else, maybe the problem isn’t how you’re selling, but what you’re selling.
Maybe the end comes with a testicularly strangled falsetto victory scream. Or maybe the end comes with sticking your head out of a moving tank while wearing a snoopy hat. Or maybe the end comes just by looking at a grocery scanner in geriatric amazement. Don’t give grandpa the remote control he gets confused! DeSantis is failing due to Ron DeSantis and due to Ron DeSantis supporters. The problem isn’t with the campaign, it’s with the candidate.
Mama always said, “There is never a second chance to make a good first impression.”
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