X Close

Is America angry enough for Trump? The media has set a trap for the Republicans

The face-eating dragon. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The face-eating dragon. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)


November 22, 2022   5 mins

Elizabeth Warren will never be president. The senior senator from Massachusetts is in many ways hugely qualified for the job. She has a list of legislative achievements to her name, and on subjects like cryptocurrency reform she is still on the case and in the news. She ran a decent campaign for the Democratic party nomination in 2020. She is still young (compared to the President, anyway…) and if Joe Biden steps down she could in theory be the fall-back choice for 2024.

Except she couldn’t. Because of one man, one word.

For many years, political opponents had complained about the fact that Warren, while a professor at Harvard Law School, had been counted as a native American. It simmered, this row, but never really reached boiling point.

Until Donald Trump. The word: Pocahontas. He used it repeatedly to describe Warren in 2016, when she was stumping for Hillary Clinton. (Warren might have been Hillary’s vice-presidential pick!) A typical example from a rally that summer:

“Pocahontas is not happy, she’s not happy. She’s the worst. You know, Pocahontas — I’m doing such a disservice to Pocahontas, it’s so unfair to Pocahontas — but this Elizabeth Warren, I call her ‘goofy’, Elizabeth Warren, she’s one of the worst senators in the entire United States Senate.”

The earnest fact checkers at the New York Times would tell you that Senator Warren was eventually goaded into taking a DNA test, which suggested that somewhere in her past there was probably some Native American blood. But nothing that justified her signing an ethnic cookbook, “Elizabeth Warren, Cherokee”. Not that the facts matter, terribly. Pocahontas hangs round her neck. It was the unspoken issue in 2020 and would be very much spoken were she to become the nominee in 2024.

I don’t mean to diminish her. She is a serious woman with a policy programme that could excite her party. But presidentially, she is toast. The genius of Donald Trump is the damage he can do with a word or a phrase. Pocahontas. Crooked Hillary. Low Energy Jeb. He finds something you might feel about a person, something you might even be ashamed of thinking, something you might not say publicly, and brings it to the fore. Makes it public, and unavoidable: visible from space. As Adam Serwer of The Atlantic put it: “The cruelty is the point.”

The Low Energy barb was aimed, of course, at a fellow Republican, dear old Jeb Bush, which brings us to the question at hand. Is Donald Trump — despite his obvious stumble in the midterms, the failure of some of his endorsed candidates, the anger of some party bigwigs towards him — still such a vicious political brawler that no one, man or beast, could withstand the impact of his vitriol? Once he gets going, on Fox News, in debates on all the US networks, perhaps back on Twitter, can he prevent any candidate from garnering the support of serious numbers of Republicans?

Let us assume that Trump supporters, the really hard core, make up 30% of the modern Republican party. Support for the other candidates at the Republican primary is going to be split among the remaining 70%. To succeed, one of them is going to have to become the anointed anti-Trump. Can Trump stop them?

As a recent headline in Politico put it: “Can Trump Do to DeSantis What He Did to Bush?” The smart money is on no. The early effort at bashing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has itself been low energy. Trump rambling about knowing stuff only his wife would know felt crucially out of kilter with the public perception of the DeSantis marriage, as did a trial run of the phrase “Ron DeSanctimonious” at a rally during the election campaign.

The thing is: Ron is not sanctimonious. At least not noticeably. His enemies say he’s un-charming and emotionally tin-eared but not sanctimonious. The phrase felt lame, untethered. It lacked the galvanising impact on the hypothalamus, the amygdala, the limbic cortex.

Ah, but wait. He’s only getting going. Perhaps these are what is known in the world of artillery as bracketing shots. They are establishing the target and warming the trigger finger. As Michael Kruse of Politico — the author of the Trump-DeSantis piece — heard from some serious players, the 2024 Republican primary is going to be HUGE and, whatever you might think now about the strength of the players, supremely unpredictable:

“DeSantis’s team is full of smart people,” anti-Trump Republican strategist and Lincoln Project co-founder Reed Galen told Kruse, “but they’ve never faced a face-eating dragon before.”

“Folks forget,” another close Trump adviser said, (we assume with a shudder,) “what DJT can do to somebody.”

To which the anti-Trump crowd respond with what they think is their trump card. Folks are over this stuff. Over Trump because they are over the whole appeal to the limbic cortex malarkey. They are keen on having their children catch up on the learning lost in the pandemic; finding a cure for inflation; working out a plan to end the war in Ukraine.

In fact, whisper it, they are not quite as angry as some of America’s liberal-dominated media might suggest and fear. The Intercept reported in late October a fascinating fact: the net worth of the poorer 50% of Americans has doubled since the first quarter of 2020 and is now far higher than it has ever been in American history. America is still hugely unequal, and poor people are still desperately poor, but assumptions about a class of hard-pressed folk at the ends of their tethers may be wide of the mark.

What I picked up following the State Senate candidate Greg Rothman round streets in suburban Pennsylvania for the Today Programme in the week before the election was a disinclination among Trump supporters to be as angry as their man. The personable Mr Rothman (who won his seat and has always supported the former president) was happy to acknowledge that Trump’s ill-discipline, his vitriol, was tiring and potentially off-putting.

But here’s the trap for Republicans tempted to agree. What if the anger drains away? What if the language of the party becomes more temperate again? What if they become… normal again? Having morphed into a firmly anti-establishment, tell it like it is, un-PC party, how do they keep the voters they have attracted to the polls when the message is more subtle. The many Americans who liked Trump because he stuck it to the elites and their ability to dominate the culture (Pocahontas, etc.) might be less energised by a DeSantis who had the same attitude (he does) but not the same bite.

“The biggest complaint you hear about DeSantis is that he never says thank you,” a veteran GOP strategist told Vanity Fair. DeSantis’s personality has been described as a mix of extreme arrogance and painful awkwardness. “He’s missing the sociability gene,” a prominent Republican said.

So is DeSantis likeable enough to be elected president? Trump was not likeable but had this other secret sauce: his extraordinary ability to connect with the dislikeable aspects of all our personalities. DeSantis might only prove dislikeable.

In those circumstances, where does the party turn?

Back to Trump. The face-eating dragon. Roaring again by 2024. Probably losing the general election but that may well be the party’s fate: they rode the dragon and are in the process of discovering: dismounting was never part of the deal.


Justin Webb presents the Americast podcast and Today on Radio Four. His Panorama documentary “Trump the Sequel”, is available now on  Iplayer

JustinOnWeb

Join the discussion


Join like minded readers that support our journalism by becoming a paid subscriber


To join the discussion in the comments, become a paid subscriber.

Join like minded readers that support our journalism, read unlimited articles and enjoy other subscriber-only benefits.

Subscribe
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

63 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Christopher Chantrill
Christopher Chantrill
2 years ago

Trump calls the fake indigenous Elizabeth Warren Pocahontas. Every Democrat in the universe calls white middle-class Americans racist-sexist-homophobes.
So your point is?

Arkadian X
Arkadian X
2 years ago

Not sure what *your* point is…

MARK TEAGUE
MARK TEAGUE
2 years ago
Reply to  Arkadian X

?

Last edited 2 years ago by MARK TEAGUE
polidori redux
polidori redux
2 years ago
Reply to  Arkadian X

That racist and sexist abuse is a dominant theme amongst Democrat Party supporters. If you can’t take it then don’t dish it out.
Glad to help

Last edited 2 years ago by polidori redux
Rob J
Rob J
2 years ago
Reply to  Arkadian X

I think the point was: Christopher Chantrill hates Elizabeth Warren; Justin Webb appears not to hate Elizabeth Warren; so Christopher Chantrill lashes out at Justin Webb. In a word: triggered.
I get the point about Democrat hypocrisy about name-calling, and it’s a valid one. But it’s not what the article is about. And comments along the lines of “I’m very angry about X and so, unless an author spends time displaying parallel anger about it, I’m going to dismiss his or her article out of hand” aren’t any use. (They’ll get likes from the similarly triggered and angry but they waste others’ time because they’re not actually about the article we’ve just read.)

Last edited 2 years ago by Rob J
Alan Hawkes
Alan Hawkes
2 years ago
Reply to  Arkadian X

I think that his point is that pots call the kettle black.

Cantab Man
Cantab Man
2 years ago
Reply to  Alan Hawkes

I tend to agree. Mr Webb is not correct that Trump brought down Elizabeth Warren. Elizabeth Warren brought down Elizabeth Warren. Here are the facts, Mr Webb:

——

“A DNA test is useless to determine tribal citizenship. Current DNA tests do not even distinguish whether a person’s ancestors were indigenous to North or South America. Sovereign tribal nations set their own legal requirements for citizenship, and while DNA tests can be used to determine lineage, such as paternity to an individual, it is not evidence for tribal affiliation.

Using a DNA test to lay claim to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong. It makes a mockery out of DNA tests and its legitimate uses while also dishonoring legitimate tribal governments and their citizens, whose ancestors are well documented and whose heritage is proven. Senator Warren is undermining tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage.”

– Cherokee Nation’s secretary of state, Chuck Hoskin Jr.

——-

I’m not sure why Trump is somehow responsible for Elizabeth Warren using cultural appropriation to further her Harvard career as well as her political aspirations.

Last edited 2 years ago by Cantab Man
David Semloh
David Semloh
2 years ago
Reply to  Cantab Man

Probably because no one else of any media and/or political importance would have called her out on the issue, a dna test would never have been done, and she would be given carte blanche to continue on as before.
In the mind of a liberal, that makes Trump responsible for her downfall. Something similar happened with Richard Nixon after his taking down Jerry Vorhees and Helen Gahalen Douglas.
While neither man was by any stretch of imagination perfect, one thing a liberal will not tolerate is an effective opposition. They even went to work on Reagan, saying all sorts of thing shown to have not been true.
Ollie North recently came out that the Democrats were offering him a plea deal of no penalty in return for testifying against Reagan. The object the Congressman said was to take down the president. North refused. These people play for keeps.

David Semloh
David Semloh
2 years ago
Reply to  Cantab Man

Probably because no one else of any media and/or political importance would have called her out on the issue, a dna test would never have been done, and she would be given carte blanche to continue on as before.
In the mind of a liberal, that makes Trump responsible for her downfall. Something similar happened with Richard Nixon after his taking down Jerry Vorhees and Helen Gahalen Douglas.
While neither man was by any stretch of imagination perfect, one thing a liberal will not tolerate is an effective opposition. They even went to work on Reagan, saying all sorts of thing shown to have not been true.
Ollie North recently came out that the Democrats were offering him a plea deal of no penalty in return for testifying against Reagan. The object the Congressman said was to take down the president. North refused. These people play for keeps.

Cantab Man
Cantab Man
2 years ago
Reply to  Alan Hawkes

I tend to agree. Mr Webb is not correct that Trump brought down Elizabeth Warren. Elizabeth Warren brought down Elizabeth Warren. Here are the facts, Mr Webb:

——

“A DNA test is useless to determine tribal citizenship. Current DNA tests do not even distinguish whether a person’s ancestors were indigenous to North or South America. Sovereign tribal nations set their own legal requirements for citizenship, and while DNA tests can be used to determine lineage, such as paternity to an individual, it is not evidence for tribal affiliation.

Using a DNA test to lay claim to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong. It makes a mockery out of DNA tests and its legitimate uses while also dishonoring legitimate tribal governments and their citizens, whose ancestors are well documented and whose heritage is proven. Senator Warren is undermining tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage.”

– Cherokee Nation’s secretary of state, Chuck Hoskin Jr.

——-

I’m not sure why Trump is somehow responsible for Elizabeth Warren using cultural appropriation to further her Harvard career as well as her political aspirations.

Last edited 2 years ago by Cantab Man
MARK TEAGUE
MARK TEAGUE
2 years ago
Reply to  Arkadian X

?

Last edited 2 years ago by MARK TEAGUE
polidori redux
polidori redux
2 years ago
Reply to  Arkadian X

That racist and sexist abuse is a dominant theme amongst Democrat Party supporters. If you can’t take it then don’t dish it out.
Glad to help

Last edited 2 years ago by polidori redux
Rob J
Rob J
2 years ago
Reply to  Arkadian X

I think the point was: Christopher Chantrill hates Elizabeth Warren; Justin Webb appears not to hate Elizabeth Warren; so Christopher Chantrill lashes out at Justin Webb. In a word: triggered.
I get the point about Democrat hypocrisy about name-calling, and it’s a valid one. But it’s not what the article is about. And comments along the lines of “I’m very angry about X and so, unless an author spends time displaying parallel anger about it, I’m going to dismiss his or her article out of hand” aren’t any use. (They’ll get likes from the similarly triggered and angry but they waste others’ time because they’re not actually about the article we’ve just read.)

Last edited 2 years ago by Rob J
Alan Hawkes
Alan Hawkes
2 years ago
Reply to  Arkadian X

I think that his point is that pots call the kettle black.

Terry M
Terry M
2 years ago

Liawatha was always a better name.
Webb is clueless. Just ignore his blathering. Trump can’t win the R nomination after his comments about DeSantis and Youngkin and the losers he backed. The only influence he can have is to run 3rd party and put SloJo or another demented Donkey back in office.

Pat Rowles
Pat Rowles
2 years ago
Reply to  Terry M

I liked Fauxcahontas.

Dermot O'Sullivan
Dermot O'Sullivan
2 years ago
Reply to  Pat Rowles

Onomatopoeic?

Dermot O'Sullivan
Dermot O'Sullivan
2 years ago
Reply to  Pat Rowles

Onomatopoeic?

Pat Rowles
Pat Rowles
2 years ago
Reply to  Terry M

I liked Fauxcahontas.

Michael McElwee
Michael McElwee
2 years ago

Whether he knows it or not (I think he does), Pres. Trump is not calling any particular person names. He is, rather, calling a way of thinking about human affairs names. His target is ideology. He would wrestle with the world as it is given to us. Ms. Warren would recreate that world. His approach is all shouting and angst, for there is no other way when it come to ideology. Mr. Desantis fails to know this at his peril.

Warren Trees
Warren Trees
2 years ago

PRECISELY! The main reason why the left HATES Trump is that they see themselves in the mirror when they look and listen to him. He’s completely on to them, unlike so many previous republican candidates. Just because the hate is institutionalized on the left doesn’t mean it’s not hate.

AJ Mac
AJ Mac
2 years ago

So you inhabit a universe where no Democrats are white and middle-class?

harry storm
harry storm
2 years ago

What about, what about?

Arkadian X
Arkadian X
2 years ago

Not sure what *your* point is…

Terry M
Terry M
2 years ago

Liawatha was always a better name.
Webb is clueless. Just ignore his blathering. Trump can’t win the R nomination after his comments about DeSantis and Youngkin and the losers he backed. The only influence he can have is to run 3rd party and put SloJo or another demented Donkey back in office.

Michael McElwee
Michael McElwee
2 years ago

Whether he knows it or not (I think he does), Pres. Trump is not calling any particular person names. He is, rather, calling a way of thinking about human affairs names. His target is ideology. He would wrestle with the world as it is given to us. Ms. Warren would recreate that world. His approach is all shouting and angst, for there is no other way when it come to ideology. Mr. Desantis fails to know this at his peril.

Warren Trees
Warren Trees
2 years ago

PRECISELY! The main reason why the left HATES Trump is that they see themselves in the mirror when they look and listen to him. He’s completely on to them, unlike so many previous republican candidates. Just because the hate is institutionalized on the left doesn’t mean it’s not hate.

AJ Mac
AJ Mac
2 years ago

So you inhabit a universe where no Democrats are white and middle-class?

harry storm
harry storm
2 years ago

What about, what about?

Christopher Chantrill
Christopher Chantrill
2 years ago

Trump calls the fake indigenous Elizabeth Warren Pocahontas. Every Democrat in the universe calls white middle-class Americans racist-sexist-homophobes.
So your point is?

Malcolm Knott
Malcolm Knott
2 years ago

The reason why ‘Pocahontas’ strikes home is because it encapsulates a truth: ‘Whatever her other virtues, this woman is pretentious, virtue-signalling and slightly dishonest.’
The best political insults always contain at least a grain of truth. When I mention Sleepy Joe, Worzel Gummidge or the Welsh windbag you immediately know who I mean. But these are not thoughts we are ‘ashamed of thinking.’ Quite the contrary. More like, ‘I wish I’d thought of that!’

Last edited 2 years ago by Malcolm Knott
Rhonda Culwell
Rhonda Culwell
2 years ago
Reply to  Malcolm Knott

Only slightly dishonest?

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
2 years ago
Reply to  Rhonda Culwell

I think being only ‘slightly’ dishonest probably disqualifies one from a political career in America. You could probably be a ‘slightly dishonest’ political intern or maybe a lobbyist, but you can’t get elected dog-catcher if you can’t say the sky is green with a straight face.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
2 years ago
Reply to  Rhonda Culwell

I think being only ‘slightly’ dishonest probably disqualifies one from a political career in America. You could probably be a ‘slightly dishonest’ political intern or maybe a lobbyist, but you can’t get elected dog-catcher if you can’t say the sky is green with a straight face.

Bruce Edgar
Bruce Edgar
2 years ago
Reply to  Malcolm Knott

Reading the list of his insults was a lustrous endorphin assault on my senses–I thrilled to his “Lock Her UP!” way back when. I thought he was (and is) vulgar–but in light of Biden’s performance to date, I will definitely consider cleaning house by voting R–the which I have never done in my life. The prospect of serious inquiry into Hunter Biden’s lap top thrills me with hope. Bring em all down. Starting anywhere. Samson could only pull down the tower of Dagon. Not bad for a day’s work, if you believe in Jehova nonsense. But the metaphor is apt. The lazy old pustule we name Trump may be our own post modern Samson, vulgar rhetoric and all. Wait? Who was Cleon the Tanner, anyway?

Rhonda Culwell
Rhonda Culwell
2 years ago
Reply to  Malcolm Knott

Only slightly dishonest?

Bruce Edgar
Bruce Edgar
2 years ago
Reply to  Malcolm Knott

Reading the list of his insults was a lustrous endorphin assault on my senses–I thrilled to his “Lock Her UP!” way back when. I thought he was (and is) vulgar–but in light of Biden’s performance to date, I will definitely consider cleaning house by voting R–the which I have never done in my life. The prospect of serious inquiry into Hunter Biden’s lap top thrills me with hope. Bring em all down. Starting anywhere. Samson could only pull down the tower of Dagon. Not bad for a day’s work, if you believe in Jehova nonsense. But the metaphor is apt. The lazy old pustule we name Trump may be our own post modern Samson, vulgar rhetoric and all. Wait? Who was Cleon the Tanner, anyway?

Malcolm Knott
Malcolm Knott
2 years ago

The reason why ‘Pocahontas’ strikes home is because it encapsulates a truth: ‘Whatever her other virtues, this woman is pretentious, virtue-signalling and slightly dishonest.’
The best political insults always contain at least a grain of truth. When I mention Sleepy Joe, Worzel Gummidge or the Welsh windbag you immediately know who I mean. But these are not thoughts we are ‘ashamed of thinking.’ Quite the contrary. More like, ‘I wish I’d thought of that!’

Last edited 2 years ago by Malcolm Knott
polidori redux
polidori redux
2 years ago

“The senior senator from Massachusetts is in many ways hugely qualified for the job.”
Anyone who thinks that claiming to be a “something-American” ( No matter what the something is) is a plus, has demonstrated that they are not fit to run anything, anywhere.
I get the impression, as an outsider, that the secret to Trump’s success is the pathetic inadequacy of the rest of the political class in the US. We have a similar problem here in the UK. Why else do you think that “Boris” got elected PM, or any of the other pygmies that came after him for that matter ( I forget their names)?

Last edited 2 years ago by polidori redux
Allison Barrows
Allison Barrows
2 years ago
Reply to  polidori redux

I read that sentence and dismissed the entire piece. I think even Warren herself would laugh out loud.

Cathy Carron
Cathy Carron
2 years ago
Reply to  polidori redux

Elizabeth Warren could only win in Communist Massachusetts

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
2 years ago
Reply to  polidori redux

Speaking from my experience as an American citizen, I wholeheartedly agree with your impression, although it’s not really ‘inadequacy’ per se or even incompetence that’s the problem. The political class became too much a product of Harvard/Yale academia, Wall Street money, and Hollywood celebrity. They failed to understand Trump because they so fundamentally misunderstand vast swaths of the American public, and they continue to do so. The media, unfortunately, seems to fall into the same perceptual trap, overestimating Trump’s ability to psychologically manipulate people and dismissing his supporters as ignorant, gullible peasants. It’s not about the anger or the name calling. It’s not even about basic competency. It’s about actually listening to and pursuing the interests of the actual citizenry rather than taking all their cues from bureaucrats, bankers, intellectuals, and ‘experts’.

polidori redux
polidori redux
2 years ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

Thankyou for that explanation.

phil4eva
phil4eva
2 years ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

Don’t forget it’s also about promising people, their jobs will come back when trump knows that they won’t, or telling African-Americans to vote for you, because what have you got to lose?

polidori redux
polidori redux
2 years ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

Thankyou for that explanation.

phil4eva
phil4eva
2 years ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

Don’t forget it’s also about promising people, their jobs will come back when trump knows that they won’t, or telling African-Americans to vote for you, because what have you got to lose?

Allison Barrows
Allison Barrows
2 years ago
Reply to  polidori redux

I read that sentence and dismissed the entire piece. I think even Warren herself would laugh out loud.

Cathy Carron
Cathy Carron
2 years ago
Reply to  polidori redux

Elizabeth Warren could only win in Communist Massachusetts

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
2 years ago
Reply to  polidori redux

Speaking from my experience as an American citizen, I wholeheartedly agree with your impression, although it’s not really ‘inadequacy’ per se or even incompetence that’s the problem. The political class became too much a product of Harvard/Yale academia, Wall Street money, and Hollywood celebrity. They failed to understand Trump because they so fundamentally misunderstand vast swaths of the American public, and they continue to do so. The media, unfortunately, seems to fall into the same perceptual trap, overestimating Trump’s ability to psychologically manipulate people and dismissing his supporters as ignorant, gullible peasants. It’s not about the anger or the name calling. It’s not even about basic competency. It’s about actually listening to and pursuing the interests of the actual citizenry rather than taking all their cues from bureaucrats, bankers, intellectuals, and ‘experts’.

polidori redux
polidori redux
2 years ago

“The senior senator from Massachusetts is in many ways hugely qualified for the job.”
Anyone who thinks that claiming to be a “something-American” ( No matter what the something is) is a plus, has demonstrated that they are not fit to run anything, anywhere.
I get the impression, as an outsider, that the secret to Trump’s success is the pathetic inadequacy of the rest of the political class in the US. We have a similar problem here in the UK. Why else do you think that “Boris” got elected PM, or any of the other pygmies that came after him for that matter ( I forget their names)?

Last edited 2 years ago by polidori redux
Michael Askew
Michael Askew
2 years ago

Not sure that Elizabeth Warren is as impressive as the author claims. To hear EW rail against Elon Musk as a mere leech who got rich by bloodsucking on the roads and public services provided by the state is risible. And not sure it resonates with Americans who tend to love a winner, even if (especially if?) he is rich.

Brendan O'Leary
Brendan O'Leary
2 years ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

I often hear that silly argument about the all-giving state.
Where do these people think the state gets the cash from for what, after all, are only the basic services that we net taxpayers would like to think we are getting for our contributions?

Bob Pugh
Bob Pugh
2 years ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

But Musk is a serial scammer, solar roofs, hyperloop, Las Vegas Loop etc etc etc.

Brendan O'Leary
Brendan O'Leary
2 years ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

I often hear that silly argument about the all-giving state.
Where do these people think the state gets the cash from for what, after all, are only the basic services that we net taxpayers would like to think we are getting for our contributions?

Bob Pugh
Bob Pugh
2 years ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

But Musk is a serial scammer, solar roofs, hyperloop, Las Vegas Loop etc etc etc.

Michael Askew
Michael Askew
2 years ago

Not sure that Elizabeth Warren is as impressive as the author claims. To hear EW rail against Elon Musk as a mere leech who got rich by bloodsucking on the roads and public services provided by the state is risible. And not sure it resonates with Americans who tend to love a winner, even if (especially if?) he is rich.

jmo
jmo
2 years ago

I’m not sure Justin really gets it. Doesn’t he think it’s (at best) a wee bit silly for Warren to pretend she has a minority status for clout and a little flavour? So Trump was, gasp, RUDE in pointing it out. Meh. If her entire career could be detailed because of “one man, one word” it wasn’t that great, was it?

It’s not voters’ responsibility to act as if politicians are respectable and quality prospects when they’re not. Journalists do quite enough of that.

jmo
jmo
2 years ago

I’m not sure Justin really gets it. Doesn’t he think it’s (at best) a wee bit silly for Warren to pretend she has a minority status for clout and a little flavour? So Trump was, gasp, RUDE in pointing it out. Meh. If her entire career could be detailed because of “one man, one word” it wasn’t that great, was it?

It’s not voters’ responsibility to act as if politicians are respectable and quality prospects when they’re not. Journalists do quite enough of that.

Zak Orn
Zak Orn
2 years ago

Giving the snakes from the Lincoln project airtime is a sure-fire way to get a portion of people angry enough again. From what I’ve seen of DeSantis so far I would prefer him over Trump… but if the Lincoln project are endorsing him that’s a red flag.

Matt Hindman
Matt Hindman
2 years ago
Reply to  Zak Orn

DeSantis is no fool. He knows that if these people get their way and destroy Trump, they will stab him in the back immediately afterwards. I cannot wait for the “maybe DeSantis was never that great” movement from National Review and The Bulwark if he refuses to cave under establishment pressure like Bernie did for the Democrats. It gets hilarious if you look at the candidates the party leadership likes and start mentally calculating the odds of them getting elected. Pence? Hailey? Cheney? Funny enough, one of the reasons for DeSantis’s rising popularity is he knows these people are trying to use him as just another mouthpiece to attack Trump and instead only responds to them and Trump on his own terms. Just look at the FU letter his team sent The View a while ago (look it up, it is a good response).

Last edited 2 years ago by Matt Hindman
Brian Villanueva
Brian Villanueva
2 years ago
Reply to  Zak Orn

I wouldn’t let the Lincoln Project endorsement put you off. They’re true single-issue (or in this case, single person) voters. They’ll endorse ANYONE not named Donald Trump.

The funny thing is that they think anyone is still listening to them.

Emmanuel MARTIN
Emmanuel MARTIN
2 years ago

Their democrat donors still credit them with some influence.

Laurence Siegel
Laurence Siegel
2 years ago

They pretty much discredited themselves with a dirty trick a while back. I took my name off their mailing list and I think a lot of other people did too.

Emmanuel MARTIN
Emmanuel MARTIN
2 years ago

Their democrat donors still credit them with some influence.

Laurence Siegel
Laurence Siegel
2 years ago

They pretty much discredited themselves with a dirty trick a while back. I took my name off their mailing list and I think a lot of other people did too.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
2 years ago
Reply to  Zak Orn

Trump’s best shot at DeSantis, if he runs, is to paint the man as another establishment tool. Difficult, given his record, but not impossible if every deep pocketed donor in the party starts lining up behind Ron. That’s how Trump won the 2016 primary. The better play for the Republican establishment is to let the candidates have a primary with minimal outside interference and hold their money for the general election. The Lincoln project won’t do that, but nobody thinks they’re actual Republicans anyway.

Last edited 2 years ago by Steve Jolly
Matt Hindman
Matt Hindman
2 years ago
Reply to  Zak Orn

DeSantis is no fool. He knows that if these people get their way and destroy Trump, they will stab him in the back immediately afterwards. I cannot wait for the “maybe DeSantis was never that great” movement from National Review and The Bulwark if he refuses to cave under establishment pressure like Bernie did for the Democrats. It gets hilarious if you look at the candidates the party leadership likes and start mentally calculating the odds of them getting elected. Pence? Hailey? Cheney? Funny enough, one of the reasons for DeSantis’s rising popularity is he knows these people are trying to use him as just another mouthpiece to attack Trump and instead only responds to them and Trump on his own terms. Just look at the FU letter his team sent The View a while ago (look it up, it is a good response).

Last edited 2 years ago by Matt Hindman
Brian Villanueva
Brian Villanueva
2 years ago
Reply to  Zak Orn

I wouldn’t let the Lincoln Project endorsement put you off. They’re true single-issue (or in this case, single person) voters. They’ll endorse ANYONE not named Donald Trump.

The funny thing is that they think anyone is still listening to them.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
2 years ago
Reply to  Zak Orn

Trump’s best shot at DeSantis, if he runs, is to paint the man as another establishment tool. Difficult, given his record, but not impossible if every deep pocketed donor in the party starts lining up behind Ron. That’s how Trump won the 2016 primary. The better play for the Republican establishment is to let the candidates have a primary with minimal outside interference and hold their money for the general election. The Lincoln project won’t do that, but nobody thinks they’re actual Republicans anyway.

Last edited 2 years ago by Steve Jolly
Zak Orn
Zak Orn
2 years ago

Giving the snakes from the Lincoln project airtime is a sure-fire way to get a portion of people angry enough again. From what I’ve seen of DeSantis so far I would prefer him over Trump… but if the Lincoln project are endorsing him that’s a red flag.

Daniel P
Daniel P
2 years ago

Warren did a lot more than sign a cook book. She used her “native heritage” to get jobs and positions. Either way, its really gross and off putting.
I also do not think that DeSantis is as bad as this article would make him out to be.
As for Trump, well, he will always be Trump, but to this day I am not convinced that he ever really wanted the job of president. I am not sure he really wants it now beyond simply having an overwhelming desire to thumb his nose at the media and the democrats. That said…two things…
He does not seem to have the energy that he used to.Could be he is just getting older but I would toss in the fact that his kids seem less interested in following him. Ivanka, his best surrogate, is clearly not going along.I think the media have figured out that the best way to beat Trump is to ignore him and I suspect that that is precisely what is going to happen. There was barely ANY attention given to his announcement that he was running.
No, I think we are going to get a DeSantis nomination and then very likely a minority, possibly a minority woman, as the VP. Could be Haley, could even be someone like Tulsi Gabbard or Winsome Sears.

Mary Bruels
Mary Bruels
2 years ago
Reply to  Daniel P

I agree about Trump’s apparent waning energy. That his children don’t seem as eager as they were in 2016 is interesting. And DeSantis is smart in ignoring Trump at this point. Trump is a bully and the more one ignores a bully the more the bully bullies until it is apparent to all that the bullying doesn’t work as well as it once did.

Laurence Siegel
Laurence Siegel
2 years ago
Reply to  Daniel P

Tulsi is kind of a loose cannon. I like her but she is so wrong on Ukraine, which is our chief security concern right now. If the Rs have any sense they will nominate someone who is predictable, steady as she goes. I’d go for Haley.

Mary Bruels
Mary Bruels
2 years ago
Reply to  Daniel P

I agree about Trump’s apparent waning energy. That his children don’t seem as eager as they were in 2016 is interesting. And DeSantis is smart in ignoring Trump at this point. Trump is a bully and the more one ignores a bully the more the bully bullies until it is apparent to all that the bullying doesn’t work as well as it once did.

Laurence Siegel
Laurence Siegel
2 years ago
Reply to  Daniel P

Tulsi is kind of a loose cannon. I like her but she is so wrong on Ukraine, which is our chief security concern right now. If the Rs have any sense they will nominate someone who is predictable, steady as she goes. I’d go for Haley.

Daniel P
Daniel P
2 years ago

Warren did a lot more than sign a cook book. She used her “native heritage” to get jobs and positions. Either way, its really gross and off putting.
I also do not think that DeSantis is as bad as this article would make him out to be.
As for Trump, well, he will always be Trump, but to this day I am not convinced that he ever really wanted the job of president. I am not sure he really wants it now beyond simply having an overwhelming desire to thumb his nose at the media and the democrats. That said…two things…
He does not seem to have the energy that he used to.Could be he is just getting older but I would toss in the fact that his kids seem less interested in following him. Ivanka, his best surrogate, is clearly not going along.I think the media have figured out that the best way to beat Trump is to ignore him and I suspect that that is precisely what is going to happen. There was barely ANY attention given to his announcement that he was running.
No, I think we are going to get a DeSantis nomination and then very likely a minority, possibly a minority woman, as the VP. Could be Haley, could even be someone like Tulsi Gabbard or Winsome Sears.

Cathy Carron
Cathy Carron
2 years ago

Trump’s name-calling will be subject for many PhD theses to come. Do note he effectively targeted individuals only – went right for their Achilles’ heels. In comparison, Democrat leaders disparaged entire classes of people, not exactly a vote-for-me-strategy and cynical to the core; Hillary with her ‘super-predators’ (inner city blacks), ‘irredeemable deplorables’, Obama’s ‘bible thumpers, who cling to their guns’ and just recently Biden’s ‘semi- fascist’ and ‘you ain’t black unless you vote Democrat’. Trump never, ever disparaged the electorate which in my book was actually taking the moral high road. Instead, he attacked people who had self-important, narcissistic balloons to burst.

Wayne Mapp
Wayne Mapp
2 years ago
Reply to  Cathy Carron

Part of the effectiveness was to tie the insult to the first name. It gave the impression he actually knew them (in many cases he did) which made the insult all the more believable. “Crooked Hilary”, “Lying Ted”, “Little Marco”, Low Energy Jeb”

Wayne Mapp
Wayne Mapp
2 years ago
Reply to  Cathy Carron

Part of the effectiveness was to tie the insult to the first name. It gave the impression he actually knew them (in many cases he did) which made the insult all the more believable. “Crooked Hilary”, “Lying Ted”, “Little Marco”, Low Energy Jeb”

Cathy Carron
Cathy Carron
2 years ago

Trump’s name-calling will be subject for many PhD theses to come. Do note he effectively targeted individuals only – went right for their Achilles’ heels. In comparison, Democrat leaders disparaged entire classes of people, not exactly a vote-for-me-strategy and cynical to the core; Hillary with her ‘super-predators’ (inner city blacks), ‘irredeemable deplorables’, Obama’s ‘bible thumpers, who cling to their guns’ and just recently Biden’s ‘semi- fascist’ and ‘you ain’t black unless you vote Democrat’. Trump never, ever disparaged the electorate which in my book was actually taking the moral high road. Instead, he attacked people who had self-important, narcissistic balloons to burst.

Bob Smalser
Bob Smalser
2 years ago

Lame apology. Even thirty years ago there were convenient genealogists to VET your claims before padding the resume. Warren still owes reparations for the minorities she cheated out of a job for 30 years by falsely portraying herself as Native American.

Bob Smalser
Bob Smalser
2 years ago

Lame apology. Even thirty years ago there were convenient genealogists to VET your claims before padding the resume. Warren still owes reparations for the minorities she cheated out of a job for 30 years by falsely portraying herself as Native American.

AC Harper
AC Harper
2 years ago

What if the language of the party becomes more temperate again? What if they become… normal again?

Is there any sign that the Elite Democrats are going to back down from their progressive woke, BLM, trans propaganda, machine politics? Because as long as the Democrats pursue a ‘far left’ agenda the Republicans and independents are going to react against it.

James Stangl
James Stangl
2 years ago
Reply to  AC Harper

“Temperate, “nice,” and milquetoast is what Dems desperately want the GOP to revert to. Think of Charlie Brown vs. Lucy, always playing by her rules and never kicking the football.

For all his faults, which are many, Trump did yeoman service in tearing off masks from both the Left and the GOP establishment. While I personally think that there are better standard bearers for 2024, I also feel that the GOP needs to do done with the McConnell wing of the party, who are more than willing to lose whilst maintaining leadership and hoovering up campaign contributions. Even more so folks like Lynn Cheney.

Warren Trees
Warren Trees
2 years ago
Reply to  James Stangl

Yes! That is the reason why they hate him so much.

Warren Trees
Warren Trees
2 years ago
Reply to  James Stangl

Yes! That is the reason why they hate him so much.

James Stangl
James Stangl
2 years ago
Reply to  AC Harper

“Temperate, “nice,” and milquetoast is what Dems desperately want the GOP to revert to. Think of Charlie Brown vs. Lucy, always playing by her rules and never kicking the football.

For all his faults, which are many, Trump did yeoman service in tearing off masks from both the Left and the GOP establishment. While I personally think that there are better standard bearers for 2024, I also feel that the GOP needs to do done with the McConnell wing of the party, who are more than willing to lose whilst maintaining leadership and hoovering up campaign contributions. Even more so folks like Lynn Cheney.

AC Harper
AC Harper
2 years ago

What if the language of the party becomes more temperate again? What if they become… normal again?

Is there any sign that the Elite Democrats are going to back down from their progressive woke, BLM, trans propaganda, machine politics? Because as long as the Democrats pursue a ‘far left’ agenda the Republicans and independents are going to react against it.

Charliec 0
Charliec 0
2 years ago

He’s the BBC correspondent. That kinda positions him don’t you think?

Charliec 0
Charliec 0
2 years ago

He’s the BBC correspondent. That kinda positions him don’t you think?

j watson
j watson
2 years ago

Good article. The dilemma the Republicans face – DeSantis can win the White House, but Trump might do irreparable damage to him before the chance arrives. As the author says, this is the dragon they chose to ride.

j watson
j watson
2 years ago

Good article. The dilemma the Republicans face – DeSantis can win the White House, but Trump might do irreparable damage to him before the chance arrives. As the author says, this is the dragon they chose to ride.

James Sullivan
James Sullivan
2 years ago

Warren was doomed well before Trump – her inability to tell the truth, while not ever rising to the level of Hillary’s obfuscations, was nonetheless habitual. This was why she was never nominated to run the CFPB she got Obama to create – her Cherokee lies and pandering were already poison to further advancement.

Warren Trees
Warren Trees
2 years ago
Reply to  James Sullivan

But the author says she only signed a cookbook. Buhahahaha.

Warren Trees
Warren Trees
2 years ago
Reply to  James Sullivan

But the author says she only signed a cookbook. Buhahahaha.

James Sullivan
James Sullivan
2 years ago

Warren was doomed well before Trump – her inability to tell the truth, while not ever rising to the level of Hillary’s obfuscations, was nonetheless habitual. This was why she was never nominated to run the CFPB she got Obama to create – her Cherokee lies and pandering were already poison to further advancement.

Stoater D
Stoater D
2 years ago

Warren is a fraud and a liar, simple as that.

Stoater D
Stoater D
2 years ago

Warren is a fraud and a liar, simple as that.

Marissa M
Marissa M
2 years ago

Trump is an amazingly talented bully while being a relatively astute judge of character. His nicknames stick because they are unfortunately applicable. He reminds me of Dickens…he always came up with the best names for characters. .
He is also a media villain, which by design, makes him a media darling. He “sells”. The point the media is missing, and I think Trump himself misses, is that although he still has a core in the US….many people are also bored with him. He played his tricks. He put on his show. America’s swing voters, with their typical Attention Deficit Disorder, are looking for a new hero. Whereas before he took the country by storm, now he will have to outdo himself in terms of entertainment and promises. I don’t think he can do it.
Don’t get me wrong, he’s still amusing to watch at times, but all he will do now is split the GOP vote. Unless the Democrats throw up a complete moron, which they are apt to do considering their current crop of candidates, they will probably win. Trump will never, EVER, back down.We already know he could care less about any political party. He will fight on unless he feels he is losing too much face, at which point he will blame anyone and anything else for the failure. But I think by the time that happens, the damage may already be done.
Perhaps he and Boris will skip off into the sunset together.

Last edited 2 years ago by Marissa M
Marissa M
Marissa M
2 years ago

Trump is an amazingly talented bully while being a relatively astute judge of character. His nicknames stick because they are unfortunately applicable. He reminds me of Dickens…he always came up with the best names for characters. .
He is also a media villain, which by design, makes him a media darling. He “sells”. The point the media is missing, and I think Trump himself misses, is that although he still has a core in the US….many people are also bored with him. He played his tricks. He put on his show. America’s swing voters, with their typical Attention Deficit Disorder, are looking for a new hero. Whereas before he took the country by storm, now he will have to outdo himself in terms of entertainment and promises. I don’t think he can do it.
Don’t get me wrong, he’s still amusing to watch at times, but all he will do now is split the GOP vote. Unless the Democrats throw up a complete moron, which they are apt to do considering their current crop of candidates, they will probably win. Trump will never, EVER, back down.We already know he could care less about any political party. He will fight on unless he feels he is losing too much face, at which point he will blame anyone and anything else for the failure. But I think by the time that happens, the damage may already be done.
Perhaps he and Boris will skip off into the sunset together.

Last edited 2 years ago by Marissa M
Martin Bollis
Martin Bollis
2 years ago

Surely there is one word guaranteed to excite the limbic cortex system, particularly of Americans.

Since 2020, both the result and the almost entire reversal of his legislative program with a few strokes of a pen, and 2022, he is now, demonstrably, a Loser.

All De Santis has to do is hold his hand to his forehead, forefinger and thumb at right angles.

Last edited 2 years ago by Martin Bollis
Martin Bollis
Martin Bollis
2 years ago

Surely there is one word guaranteed to excite the limbic cortex system, particularly of Americans.

Since 2020, both the result and the almost entire reversal of his legislative program with a few strokes of a pen, and 2022, he is now, demonstrably, a Loser.

All De Santis has to do is hold his hand to his forehead, forefinger and thumb at right angles.

Last edited 2 years ago by Martin Bollis
Jerry Carroll
Jerry Carroll
2 years ago

Kudos to the writer for his lung power in inflating a nothing-burger into something to put between a thin bun, but he’s dead wrong about DeSantis. This guy took on the all-powerful Disney Company in Florida on issues people care about and emerged a big-time winner. He is clued in to the people who are generally described in the largely dispised mainstream media as Trump’s base. He is not nasty, which by now is a saving grace and isn’t ridiculously full of himself. He will be the GOP nominee — guaranteed.

Jerry Carroll
Jerry Carroll
2 years ago

Kudos to the writer for his lung power in inflating a nothing-burger into something to put between a thin bun, but he’s dead wrong about DeSantis. This guy took on the all-powerful Disney Company in Florida on issues people care about and emerged a big-time winner. He is clued in to the people who are generally described in the largely dispised mainstream media as Trump’s base. He is not nasty, which by now is a saving grace and isn’t ridiculously full of himself. He will be the GOP nominee — guaranteed.

Hardee Hodges
Hardee Hodges
2 years ago

People voted for Trump mainly because he was real. Most of the others spoke poll tested rubbish hiding behind words of little meaning. You had no idea what they stood for or believed. Not Trump, he was candid, off the cuff, real. DeSantis has a similar yet more thoughtful way of speaking; he too comes across as real. Who knows what will happen on the way to ’24? After Sleepy Joe almost anything would be better. The default has been awful.

Hardee Hodges
Hardee Hodges
2 years ago

People voted for Trump mainly because he was real. Most of the others spoke poll tested rubbish hiding behind words of little meaning. You had no idea what they stood for or believed. Not Trump, he was candid, off the cuff, real. DeSantis has a similar yet more thoughtful way of speaking; he too comes across as real. Who knows what will happen on the way to ’24? After Sleepy Joe almost anything would be better. The default has been awful.

Corey o,Connor
Corey o,Connor
2 years ago

Oh and screw Elizabeth Warren and her take down of crypto. Another thing the average American doesn’t support. Most freedom loving Americans support innovation in tech a dollar bill that can’t be controlled by globalists.

Corey o,Connor
Corey o,Connor
2 years ago

Oh and screw Elizabeth Warren and her take down of crypto. Another thing the average American doesn’t support. Most freedom loving Americans support innovation in tech a dollar bill that can’t be controlled by globalists.

Vince B
Vince B
2 years ago

All of the conservative establishment knives are out again for Trump as they were the day he entered the 2016 race. In Washington, nobody loves him. He is not dedicated to a set of ideas which they share. He only exists for his own glory and power, and he is only seen as a vehicle for their power. There is no honor among thieves.
They were able to turn against him in a nanosecond the poor moment midterms results started coming in, showing that his hand-picked nutjob candidates lost, because he no longer looked like a suitable vehicle for their power.
The author has it right that the establishment is not going to get rid of him that easily, however. But not because of his ability to gore personalities with his nicknames. His ability to shock, and therefore entertain, has waned as people have become inured to his crassness.
He will become the nominee (and lose the general election badly), exactly because the entire establishment is now against him, as they were in 2016.

Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
2 years ago
Reply to  Vince B

Good points. I’m fairly conservative, but it seems UnHerd’s comments section has been targeted for slander by particular American conservatives. The publication’s foolish unified ‘upvote-downvote’ net count enables them to bully commenters with whom they disagree.

Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
2 years ago
Reply to  Vince B

Good points. I’m fairly conservative, but it seems UnHerd’s comments section has been targeted for slander by particular American conservatives. The publication’s foolish unified ‘upvote-downvote’ net count enables them to bully commenters with whom they disagree.

Vince B
Vince B
2 years ago

All of the conservative establishment knives are out again for Trump as they were the day he entered the 2016 race. In Washington, nobody loves him. He is not dedicated to a set of ideas which they share. He only exists for his own glory and power, and he is only seen as a vehicle for their power. There is no honor among thieves.
They were able to turn against him in a nanosecond the poor moment midterms results started coming in, showing that his hand-picked nutjob candidates lost, because he no longer looked like a suitable vehicle for their power.
The author has it right that the establishment is not going to get rid of him that easily, however. But not because of his ability to gore personalities with his nicknames. His ability to shock, and therefore entertain, has waned as people have become inured to his crassness.
He will become the nominee (and lose the general election badly), exactly because the entire establishment is now against him, as they were in 2016.

Srinivasa Sarma
Srinivasa Sarma
2 years ago

It appears that there is no news in USA worthy enough to communicate. The media seems to target Mr.Trump every day and it becomes very boring and pathetic. The media seems to have joined the ruling party, instead of being impartial. The Trump is being attacked in order to hide all failures in many other fronts. The day begins with Trump. I thought it would be over once the November election is over. Now again the day begins with Trump attack. Perhaps, it may continue till he agrees not to stand for 2024 election.

Srinivasa Sarma
Srinivasa Sarma
2 years ago

It appears that there is no news in USA worthy enough to communicate. The media seems to target Mr.Trump every day and it becomes very boring and pathetic. The media seems to have joined the ruling party, instead of being impartial. The Trump is being attacked in order to hide all failures in many other fronts. The day begins with Trump. I thought it would be over once the November election is over. Now again the day begins with Trump attack. Perhaps, it may continue till he agrees not to stand for 2024 election.

Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
2 years ago

Great piece. The false claim was a bit weird. The thing about Donald, though, is that the many epithets thrown at him are invisible, since he’s made of epithets. Perhaps his opponents just need to be more succinct.

Last edited 2 years ago by Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
2 years ago

Great piece. The false claim was a bit weird. The thing about Donald, though, is that the many epithets thrown at him are invisible, since he’s made of epithets. Perhaps his opponents just need to be more succinct.

Last edited 2 years ago by Andrew Boughton
Alan Hawkes
Alan Hawkes
2 years ago

Perhaps the influence of the media is exaggerated: it’s not exactly monolithic.

Daniel Lee
Daniel Lee
1 year ago

“As Adam Serwer of The Atlantic put it: ‘The cruelty is the point.’”
The entire Left has been calling ordinary middle class Americans vicious, racist, greedy, violent, cretins for literally decades as their supposed defenders in the mainstream Republican Party stood by cowed into silence. Even if you accept the idea that calling out a Dem politician on her cynical masquerading as a Native American is “Cruel” (which I don’t), it’s more like “The cruelty is payback.”
Now, about this “(T)he net worth of the poorer 50% of Americans has doubled since the first quarter of 2020.” Come on. In the brief space of two years how can this be anything but a book-cooking distortion of the plunge into and then recovery from the Covid hysteria?

Corey o,Connor
Corey o,Connor
2 years ago

This writer doesn’t understand Trump or his base. And DeSantis is sanctimonious. He wrote a bill called don’t say gay. Trump and his base are much more open minded than people give them credit for. Trump is mainly into financial wellbeing of the country and he has always thought the life long political class have been making a mess of things. He isn’t the normal holier than now Republican of old days. DeSantis is ok. I like him enough. But as an independent I wouldn’t vote for him. I think he would be easily paid off and he would be not for the average working man. Trump is sort of a unicorn bc he has found his path in the Republican Party but he is more a populist. In the old days he would of been a Democrat. Like a Kennedy style one.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
2 years ago
Reply to  Corey o,Connor

The bill was never called ‘don’t say gay’. That name was invented by critics of the bill. Get your facts straight. That particular bill does illustrate though, what I believe is DeSantis main problem. A lot of what he does is grandstanding and publicity stunts to fire up his base. He’s similar to Trump in many ways, but at least he manages to do his grandstanding and publicity mongering in a less offensive and buffoonish way. Like his confrontation with Disney. I agree with the principle that corporations should stay out of politics in general and corporations are not persons and should not have the same rights as actual people. The way he confronted them however, was silly and arguably counterproductive. Revoking their special tax district has no real consequences by itself. He could theoretically tax them now, but he probably doesn’t want to drive them out entirely because of the tourism dollars. Maybe with federal power he would actually confront corporations in a more meaningful way, or maybe he’s just scoring political points. The ‘don’t say gay’ bill’s basic stated purpose is to give parents control over their children’s education. Again, that’s something I can get behind, but some of the actual language of the bill seems rather narrowly construed toward sexual orientation, hence the derogatory nickname. I’d rather he have passed something that delegates more power over all school curricula to local school boards versus the state, so again, it leaves the question of how committed he really is to populist goals vs using populist rhetoric to get elected. Same thing with the busload of migrants sent to Martha’s Vineyard. Funny, but also pointless in the grand scheme of things. Half the reason I didn’t like Trump is that he never acted on many of his more populist sounding promises, the other half being that Trump is a buffoon and an embarrassment to the nation.

Last edited 2 years ago by Steve Jolly
Laurence Siegel
Laurence Siegel
2 years ago
Reply to  Corey o,Connor

The bill isn’t called “don’t say gay” and it has nothing to do with saying the word “gay.” The bill says that K-3 teachers (third grade!) shouldn’t discuss their sexual preferences. Good idea.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
2 years ago
Reply to  Corey o,Connor

The bill was never called ‘don’t say gay’. That name was invented by critics of the bill. Get your facts straight. That particular bill does illustrate though, what I believe is DeSantis main problem. A lot of what he does is grandstanding and publicity stunts to fire up his base. He’s similar to Trump in many ways, but at least he manages to do his grandstanding and publicity mongering in a less offensive and buffoonish way. Like his confrontation with Disney. I agree with the principle that corporations should stay out of politics in general and corporations are not persons and should not have the same rights as actual people. The way he confronted them however, was silly and arguably counterproductive. Revoking their special tax district has no real consequences by itself. He could theoretically tax them now, but he probably doesn’t want to drive them out entirely because of the tourism dollars. Maybe with federal power he would actually confront corporations in a more meaningful way, or maybe he’s just scoring political points. The ‘don’t say gay’ bill’s basic stated purpose is to give parents control over their children’s education. Again, that’s something I can get behind, but some of the actual language of the bill seems rather narrowly construed toward sexual orientation, hence the derogatory nickname. I’d rather he have passed something that delegates more power over all school curricula to local school boards versus the state, so again, it leaves the question of how committed he really is to populist goals vs using populist rhetoric to get elected. Same thing with the busload of migrants sent to Martha’s Vineyard. Funny, but also pointless in the grand scheme of things. Half the reason I didn’t like Trump is that he never acted on many of his more populist sounding promises, the other half being that Trump is a buffoon and an embarrassment to the nation.

Last edited 2 years ago by Steve Jolly
Laurence Siegel
Laurence Siegel
2 years ago
Reply to  Corey o,Connor

The bill isn’t called “don’t say gay” and it has nothing to do with saying the word “gay.” The bill says that K-3 teachers (third grade!) shouldn’t discuss their sexual preferences. Good idea.

Corey o,Connor
Corey o,Connor
2 years ago

This writer doesn’t understand Trump or his base. And DeSantis is sanctimonious. He wrote a bill called don’t say gay. Trump and his base are much more open minded than people give them credit for. Trump is mainly into financial wellbeing of the country and he has always thought the life long political class have been making a mess of things. He isn’t the normal holier than now Republican of old days. DeSantis is ok. I like him enough. But as an independent I wouldn’t vote for him. I think he would be easily paid off and he would be not for the average working man. Trump is sort of a unicorn bc he has found his path in the Republican Party but he is more a populist. In the old days he would of been a Democrat. Like a Kennedy style one.