I’ve got mixed feelings about DeSantis quitting the race, as you might imagine. But after the Iowa caucus results confirmed the polling over the previous months, Trump’s nomination was a fait accompli, and DeSantis made the only logical choice. I was glad to see him endorse Trump as the winning nominee, as he’d pledged to do at the beginning of the campaign.
I was also encouraged to read the responses to CO’s Sunday night thread on RDS’ dropping out, in terms of how little vitriol people expressed toward him. Many wished him well, and said they’d consider voting for him in a future race, which is what I’m hoping for.
The most frustrating part of the race for me has been seeing so many self-described conservatives doing the opposite: attacking him in the most dishonest ways, and taking such glee in the most petty smears. Unfortunately, they were following the lead of the far left, and of Trump, who praised him to the skies (“one of the best governors,” “doing a great job in Florida,” “he did a terrific job with covid”) before flip-flopping completely (terrible on covid, worse than Cuomo, etc.) when he became a competitor.
I understand that politics is a rough business, and I generally have a low enough opinion of politicians that I don’t mind seeing them knocked around some. But I think RDS is an unusually good man for a politician: scandal-free in his personal life; apparently good husband and father to his wife and kids; does what he says he’ll do, relentless in pushing conservative policies, and the most consistent and successful governor in the country.
When he got a history degree from Yale and a JD from Harvard (back when both of those degrees still meant something), he could have walked into a high-paying job and written his own ticket. But instead he joined the Navy while still in school, and spent time as a JAG officer in Gitmo and Iraq, sacrificing a ton of income to serve his country, before starting his political career.
I don’t want to over-do it on the praise, because he’s still a politician, and a human. He definitely has his flaws (lack of charisma, stiffness of style) as a campaigner. And he wants to be president, which always makes me at least a little suspicious. (A reliable Book counsels me to, “put not your faith in princes.” And I’m Martin Simpson, and I endorse that message!)
I just hope that the smears against him haven’t precluded him from a future presidential run. Not least because I don’t see a ton of Republican alternatives out there with strong records of consistent conservatism. (For every Chip Roy, Thomas Massie, Ted Cruz and DeSantis, there are a hundred Romneys (Ronna and Mitt) and other RINOs.)
If the Schiff-storm of slander against RDS has made him toxic for 2028, I think some of his “conservative” bashers are going to come to a hard realization when they are complaining next time, “Why are we surrounded by RINOs? Why aren’t there any trustworthy conservative Republicans for us to support?”
Because you had a great one as an option, and instead of just saying that you preferred Trump and acting like gentlemen, you took up a bunch of leftist lies (“He’s death-Santis!”) to try to destroy him.
This is why we can’t have nice things, or decent politicians.
Okay, I had to get that off of my chest! But having said that, I’m pulling for Trump now, and I don’t think the amount of pessimism about his chances expressed in Sunday’s thread is justified. Especially if Joe Biden continues to lie in state as his opponent.
I know it sounds like I’m really down on Trump’s candidacy, but that’s only because I’ve come to mostly dislike him as a person.
I know that sounds weird, but let me explain: I am much more concerned with the policies and results of a pol’s governing than I am with his/her personality. To me, one of the most irritating tropes in politics is the idiotic cliché, “People vote for the guy they’d most like to have a beer with.”
Ugh. I have beers with guys I’d like to have a beer with, usually because they have a good sense of humor, are politically rational, and demonstrate good judgment when talking about books, movies, football and music.
To me, politicians are a lot like lawyers: they have their purposes, but a life well-lived is usually one in which you spend the absolute least amount of time dealing with either of them as possible.
I think that’s generally true of most conservatives: our philosophy is, “that government is best which governs least.” We want law and order, strong borders, a military that will deter attacks, and defense of our constitution. Beyond that, leave us alone, because we are free people, and we’ve got this.
That’s not the case with lefties. Politics is their religion, and government is their jealous god, and they tend to try to make heroes of their leaders, even if that means futilely trying to hammer a dead peg into a round hole.
Sorry, that’s “square.” A square peg.
The left deifies their leaders. Lenin’s corpse in Red Square, the cults of Stalin and Mao. JFK is King Arthur in Camelot, instead of the philanderer who botched the Bay of Pigs. Bill Clinton is a feminist hero, instead of the groper in chief and Juanita Broaddrick’s rapist. Obama is a historic Light-Bringer rather than a spendthrift racial grifter who lied that we could keep our doctors and health plans.
Brandon is presenting a special challenge for them, but the Dems are still praising him (“We can’t keep up with him! Bidenomics is tickety boo!”), and are doing their best to beat a dead president across the finish line in November.
Sorry, that’s “horse.” They are trying to beat a dead horse across the finish line. I don’t know why I keep making that mistake.
Anyway, my point is that I’m not looking for a drinking buddy when I vote for a president. In fact, sometimes the very qualities that I wouldn’t want in a friend are the ones I appreciate in a president, if they produce good political results.
For example, many said that Trump was impulsive and volatile, and he might fly off the handle and bomb another country if that country’s leaders p*ssed him off. Not a great quality in a best friend, in a bar.
But we all know how that worked during Trump’s presidency: Putin didn’t make a peep. The weird beards in Iran and Gaza and Lebanon didn’t instigate a mass murder of Jews. The Chicoms didn’t move on Taiwan, like they’re about to. A bunch of rag-tag Houthi pirates minded both their “Ps” and their “Qs,” rather than rampaging through the Red Sea.
That’s good presidential foreign policy. I’d like more of that. Also affordable gas and interest rates, millions fewer illegals pouring across the border, and more strict constructionist judges.
Don’t get me wrong: all things being equal, I’d still prefer good personal qualities in a president. (Sobriety, honesty, self-control, no intern-banging, etc.) But the main thing I want is disciplined, successful, conservative governance.
If I can get that – whether from a man or a woman, or a straight person or a gay person, or a black person or a white person or an orange person, or an old guy or a young gal, or an extrovert or an introvert, or a boring guy, or a nerd, or a braggart, or a skirt-chaser, or a guy in a Stephen Hawking wheelchair who speaks with an electronic, robot voice – I don’t care!
So yes, while I recognize and admire some of Trump’s good qualities, I don’t like him much as a person, and that’s a shame. At my age, I’m still looking forward to voting for a president whom I think can do the job AND whom I can look up to as a person. (I got to do that in the last several governor’s races, and it felt GREAT!)
But as I understand it, conservatism and MAGA have a lot in common. In fact, if you drew up a Venn diagram of conservatism and MAGA (the sound you just heard is Que Mala perking up her ears), you’d have around 90% of overlap.
The only MAGA stuff outside the conservative circle seems like personal loyalty to Trump, and a requirement to side with him when he’s doing something anti-conservative.
And while I’m going to give that one a big ol’, Dr. Evil-style, “How about no!” I’m happy with the other 90%. In fact, that’s more than I’ve had with any president over the last 4 decades.
Now I hope we can all do as much as possible to support Trump for the next 10 months, and call attention to the myriad of reasons why Biden and the Dems need to be swept from power, so we can start undoing the damage of the last 3 years.
Hamas delenda est!
Martin Simpson 