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Dunedin, FL – In a shocking and unprecedented development, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis entered the 2024 race for president today without firing a shot.
Or, at least, without firing a traditional shot.
As one of the three most likely people to take the oath of office in January, 2025, the Sunshine State Topper’s choice to join the field like a frog slowly boiling in Lake Okeechobee has shocked the political world.
Or, at least shocked those paying close attention.
The signs of “DeSantis ‘24” are everywhere today.
Consider:
1. In a stunning Zito interview with DeSantis published in the New York Post, we get a literal and figurative tour of how the governor plans to frame his bio as a candidate, the “hero” narrative of how his dramatic/cinematic life story informs his public policy views, a huge step along the road to the White House that was skillfully traveled by Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama:
“My world had always been … this blue-collar town of Dunedin, and summer trips to my grandparents places in blue-collar Pennsylvania and Ohio steel towns,” he recalls, adding he had no idea at the time that the college was so liberal. “I showed up the first day at Yale wearing jeans and flip-flops and it was a major, major culture shock; I was definitely an outlier just in terms of how that culture was up there.”
The article is speckled with DeSantis-curated and provided photos that will make some swoon:
2. Also in the Murdoch paper: A separate book excerpt for DeSantis’ forthcoming tome, which is/will be essential reading.
3. Monday’s previously known trip to Illinois actually starts with a law enforcement breakfast on Staten Island, noticed in, yes, the New York Post, as well as by Politico, which adds, “DeSantis will hold additional events in the city, but [no known] specify details.” Hmmmmmm….
4. The Washington Post has an essential reading piece on the outlines of the history of the Trump-DeSantis relationship; they got a lot but there is a lot more.
5. This is, truly, honestly, I mean it, the lead of an actual Politico story:
Donald Trump on Saturday said he wouldn’t use the nickname “Meatball Ron” to describe Ron DeSantis, a likely rival for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
In a Truth Social post, the former president said it would be “inappropriate” to use the word “‘meatball’ as a moniker, which has been described as referring to DeSantis’ appearance and carries connotations to his Italian lineage.
6.
7.
I could go on.
The point is, no need to wait for spring and the end of the Florida legislative session.
You can mark Sunday, February 19, 2023 in your journal as the date Ron DeSantis started to run.
Now, it gets interesting…
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TEN BIG RON DESANTIS ’24 QUESTIONS
1. How much money will he raise in small increment hard dollars compared to Donald Trump?
2. How much bundled money will he raise in maxed out contributions?
3. How much Super PAC money will he raise?
4. Will his team go the Bush ’00 route and insist that none of his donors also help any other candidate?
5. Which is the thicker file – the amount of self-oppo Team DeSantis has done on their own guy or the amount of research done by the opposition?
6. Does DeSantis have an unprecedented path to the nomination that involves completely stiffing the Dominant Media and being rude to his own donors?
7. Will he become the “governors’ candidate”?
8. What will his Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina strategies (and tactics) be?
9. When he (inevitably) has his time in the barrel, how will he react to and handle the scrutiny?
10. Will Casey DeSantis turn out to have political acumen for the national competition that is more like that of Michelle Obama or that of Judith Steinberg Dean?
(I’VE GOT TEN MORE QUESTIONS COMING SOON! THERE ARE A LOT OF THEM….)
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IN OTHER NEWS…
