Trump Plays Checkers, DeSantis Plays Chess
Ron DeSantis is championing Donald Trump’s idea of making it easier to sue media outlets who promote falshoods about their subjects. In the midst of doing so, DeSantis hosted a round table discussion in Miami yesterday and invited noted conservative attorney Libby Locke to participate. Locke has worked with the likes of Sarah Palin and James O’Keefe and has a long history of helping conservatives who were maligned by media outlets. Trump world was furious at Locke’s invitation to the event because one of her other clients is Dominion Voting Systems. Here’s everything you need to know.
Can DeSantis keep his calm? Donald Trump doesn't read up on the issues very much -- after stumbling around for a year as POTUS he did get people in his cabinet who knew how to get things done -- but he does know The Insult. He can do insult humor of both the teasing and outright demeaning varieties. He will dig and dig until he successfully demeans or hits a nerve with his opponent, forcing the guy or gal into a critical error.
What should be stated first off is that Donald Trump would readily destroy the administration and career of the most successful conservative governor in the United States if he thought that person MIGHT try to win something from him (fairly) that he wants. He would take the entire Republican party down with him should he be rejected by GOP primary voters in 2024. As such, he needs to be beaten early enough so that by mid 2024 he's just a ranting boor. No filled stadiums.
Marco Rubio had a legitimate shot at catching Trump in 2016 while sticking to the high ground. But he succumbed: He tried insult humor of his own, about penis size. It ruined his mature image. Ted Cruz after that had a shot, playing the high ground (even after Trump put down Ted's wife's looks). But then he went after Trump for "New York values." Disaster. Trump the counter-puncher twisted Ted's remarks into a slander about New York's 9/11 first responders.
Keep your class, Ron. Keep your cool. America needs you.
Trump isn't playing checkers. He's playing "Cranko" (or maybe even "Double Cranko") the game that Hawkeye & BJ used to play on M*A*S*H that often ended when Hawkeye would slam a stick on the board and scatter the chess pieces throughout The Swamp whenever he'd be close to losing.