Dem
47
GOP
53
There was a period of time where Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) really did seem like a rising star in the Republican Party. He won his reelection bid bigly in Florida, he was on Fox News more often than Sean Hannity, and it looked like Donald Trump's goose might be cooked and the MAGA base might be looking for a new Dear Leader.
But since those halcyon days, circa 2023, DeSantis kind of reminds us of that worm from the old logic puzzle. You know, "A worm is stuck in a 10-foot hole. He can climb 2 feet per day, but he slips back 1 foot when he rests at night. How long does it take him to get out of the hole?" Most people, realizing that the worm nets 1 foot per day, answer "10 days." However, the actual answer is "9 days," because after he does the 2 feet of climbing on Day 9, he's out, and doesn't slip back.
Anyhow, Governor worm's problem is that for every 1 foot he moves forward, he seems to slip about 4 feet back. That is definitely no way to get out of the hole. One of DeSantis' many enemies is Joe Gruters (R), who has been chair of the Florida Republican Party, and has also served as a state senator. The two men were once allies, which is how Gruters got the job running the Florida GOP in the first place. However, Gruters is very Trumpy and he saw which way the winds were blowing in 2024, and so endorsed Trump's reelection bid at a time when most Florida Republicans were at least pretending to be DeSantis backers. DeSantis responded to this by using his gubernatorial powers to cut all pork for Gruters' district out of the state budget.
On Thursday, DeSantis was making one of the many, many public appearances he makes in order to keep himself in the spotlight, and he launched into an extended harangue about Gruters, accusing him of betraying the state's voters. Now, there's a pretty good argument that a would-be leader of the MAGA base, like DeSantis, should hold his fire when it comes to ANY person who is closely allied with Donald Trump. On top of that, DeSantis might have taken note of the fact that RNC Chair Michael Whatley is about to step down, so he can run for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina. If he was a really talented politician, the Governor might even have had his ear to the ground, listening for information about who might replace Whatley. Keep in mind that when the chair of the sitting president's party comes vacant, the sitting president, by custom, picks the replacement.
Undoubtedly, readers can see where this is headed. About half an hour after the Thursday harangue, Trump announced his pick to be the new RNC chair, and it's Gruters. So, not only has DeSantis once again poked the mighty Donald in the eye, but he's also managed to thoroughly alienate the fellow who will probably oversee the 2028 Republican primary process.
We do not know if DeSantis is still deluding himself that, after his disastrous 2024 "run," he can actually make a go of it in 2028. The fundamental problem, beyond his clear deficits when it comes to political skills, is that there is no lane for him. DeSantis cannot possibly run in the Trump MAGA lane, as he's aggravated too many Trump insiders. He could possibly run in what might be called the Epstein MAGA lane, on the message "Trump disappointed us, but I'll bring down the deep state," but that's a longshot approach, and even if it might work, DeSantis is just not the guy to sell that particular message. And the Governor certainly can't run in the "I'm a sane Republican who will return the party to its Reaganite roots" lane. He's cooked. (Z)