26 Comments

Desantis 2024! Let's Make America more Like Florida!

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Too bad Trump isn't now our president. In 2016 I supported Cruz, but he wasn't tough enough to stand up to Trump. Jeb Bush withered in the debates. Who could possibly want a brash, uncouth, loud-mouthed, New York real estate developer!? Perhaps DeSantis will spare us, if he's a street fighter.

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I did not vote for Trump in the 2016 primary, but did vote for him in the general election. He did, however, surprise me by effectively doing everything he said he would do as President -- his failures were the ones brought about by the failure of Congress to enact the legislation he supported. As a result, I voted for him in the 2020 primary and general election, and I know we would be better off today had he won. But I will not vote for him in a 2024 primary election -- we need new leadership, not old rants about stolen elections.

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No more octogenarians. Or septuagenarians for that matter. The GOP has ideas that work. Let the next generation carry them out.

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I agree with Erick Trump did a really good job with most of his policies except for Covid and a government bureaucracy that tried to and was successful in getting in the way .I can’t go back to the Bush McCain Romney and for that matter McConnell party we are broke and we need a new leadership that puts America first and the people first I liked Trumps message but we need a new messenger

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“Donald Trump is, in large part, a creature of and creation of the media. He used that $2 billion of free exposure to capture the hearts and minds of many a voter.”

That media exposure was always 90% negative yet he filled arenas. I thing the thing lost on many voters who are down on Trump is that if you go back and really review his performance, words and behavior, other than his tendency to cut almost anyone that stands in his way… in a weird high school sort of way like the left does… but Establish Republicans think they are above… nothing is as bad and much of it is great.

The game of politics is a Madison Avenue media branding game. The Democrats own the system today. Through repetition of messaging, combined with Democrat FBI, Justice and other political abuses of power, they have weakened Trump’s brand while elevating Biden’s brand. Elon Musk had a top name brand but they are working to destroy his too. Ron DeSantis is current on the list to destroy. If Establishment GOP hero Ronald Reagan was alive and running today, they would be destroying him.

I think Republican neverTrumpers and those with Trump fatigue are weak.. and their weakness will just pass to the next real fighting Republican that the media and Democrats go to character assassination.

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Dec 15, 2022·edited Dec 16, 2022

In 2016, I did NOT vote for Trump in the primary. Out of 18 candidates running,, Trump was MAYBE in my Top 15.

But given a choice between Trump and Hillary? It was an easy vote for Trump.

Ditto for Trump v. Biden in 2020.

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One of Rush’s most memorable points was that if the media created you, then they can destroy you. Rush was rightfully saying this didn’t apply to him and thus the destruction never worked. Is Trump in the category of a media creation?

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I think a lot about Theodore Roosevelt. He came to power in spite of GOP politics, he disrupted the party by appealing directly to voters through savvy use of the media. He moved the party and the country in unexpected directions. He was a New Yorker that was wildly popular in rural America.

His bid to unseat Taft that ultimately lead to his Quixotic 3rd party candidacy seems prophetic, too.

By the time he ran in 1912, he was old news and his style of politics was off putting. Wilson won BECAUSE he was quiet academic that wasn’t looking to fight everyone and everything.

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Stop writing about *him* and he'll go away. Amazing how the press just...can't...let...go.

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Based on the current polling. It will be Desantis not trump. If Tim Scott runs it will be a two way battle and trump May actually come 3rd.

I think we are all panicking over trump when in reality he doesn’t hold all the blame.

The GOP leadership needs to understand while we need better candidates, we need to match candidate with policy.

It does us no good to have a joe manchin or John McCain in our party.

If a good candidate runs and wins yea we get the senate back. Wonderful. But if that winning candidate is too moderate and won’t stand on policy or vote for what’s best for the country. Then it’s no better than just having a democrat in office. It will be 2006 all over again.

Moving on from trump is fine. Just stick to the path he set us on.

Some people say “well we need moderation…” can you please name me a real and true moderate democrat? There is none. Sinema and JM appear moderate but in reality they still vote with the liberals 98% of the time.

We need conviction and solitude. If we can’t achieve that then the country is truly lost.

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Dec 15, 2022Liked by Erick-Woods Erickson

Give EE a cigar and the spirit of his choice to drink to salivate and reflect.

Heck, you have an invitation to come to Mossy Creek and listen to the water and pontificate even more.

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I believe Trump loves this Country--but only 2nd to loving himself. I hope he sees the trend lines for what they are and steps aside to help a more viable option. He has done us a big favor by exposing serious flaws in the GOP Establishment. But his bombastic approach is getting stale and unappealing. Plus, he is only 4 years younger than Biden. We need a fresh face who is a proven political "MMA" fighter. For me, that would be DeSantis.

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A weak GOP is as responsible for Trump as Obama and the fact that Democrats just didn't (and still don't) have any qualitie candidates.

Democrats have to console themselves with Russia stole the election to avoid facing the reality Hillary was a worse candidate than Trump.

In 2020 Trump and Trumpers have console themselves with stolen election so they don't have to face the reality a geriatric dementia also ran beat him.

The 2022 results are clear, the mythical "independent" is very real. And Democrats need do nothing except let the GOP be stupid vis à vis McCarthy, MTG, and Trump.

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I love McConnell, he is dry, to the point, and effective with his communication.

Trump cycles between being 80 and 8, dependents on which side of the cake he is standing.

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I think I finally became a paid subscriber about that time. Your independence of Trump gives credence to your platform as far as I am concerned.

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