Donald Trump seems unstoppable as the Republican nominee for 2024, but Florida's Gov. Ron DeSantis is plunging into the race anyway. Is that good?
The theory behind a potential DeSantis run was that the GOP needed to put up a candidate who offered Trump's policies without Trump's personality. That theory gained traction as DeSantis turned Florida into a shining success, and provided victory after victory -- even in Miami -- in the 2022 midterm races.
But that theory eroded for two reasons. First: Democrats succeeded in making Republicans rally around Trump by pursuing frivolous prosecutions against him, making it clear that there was far more at stake in 2024 than the presidency.
Second: DeSantis became too Trumpy, personality-wise, by chasing a conflict with Disney too far, and by signing more aggressive pro-life legislation than he had before. Suddenly he did not seem like a steadier pair of hands than Trump.
DeSantis hurt himself with his botched campaign launch. It was never a good idea to start by talking to two billionaires on a tech platform. Then the tech crashed, undermining DeSantis's image as the guy who makes things work.
Once the conversation was up and running, it was deeply unimpressive. Sure, there was wonkish detail on policy, but that is not what people want -- either from DeSantis, or in general. It felt like the Ted Cruz campaign, circa 2016.
Voters need to feel that DeSantis stands for THEM, not for conservatives as such. What connected Republican voters to Trump in 2016 -- and, for many, what connects them still -- is a sense of empathy that DeSantis still lacks.
It's not too late. DeSantis can -- against the odds -- overtake Trump. But even if he doesn't, he can also bring something to the race. That "something" is his home state: Florida. "Make America Florida Again," as the wisecrack goes.
Give us more than the distorted picture that California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats are portraying. Tell us the story of successful governance. Export the model -- whether you win or lose. That's how to make a difference.
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
An interesting weekend -- one of the last of Daylight Savings Time -- in which there is much to celebrate, much to contemplate, and a bit to worry about.
The Gaza peace deal is shaky, but holding, after the living hostages returned; the shutdown is still going on, with no end in sight; the China trade war is heating up; and the confrontation with Venezuela continues to escalate.
The "No Kings" protest was a dud, despite the media's attempt to inflate it. What I find fascinating is that the Democrats have basically stolen the rhetoric and the imagery of the Tea Party protests, circa 2009. They claim they are defending the Constitution -- just like the Tea Party did.
On the one hand, this is good. How wonderful to have a political system in which both sides, bitterly opposed though they are, articulate differences through the Constitution -- and not, as in so many other countries, outside it.
On the other, this is sheer hypocrisy for the Democrats. Not only did they malign the Tea Party as ...
