Thread by @jlupf

Everyone needs to stop talking and especially writing articles about the governor of FL.

It’s a game designed to make you look bad, and it mostly works.

It helps no one & reinforces his base’s beliefs abt the media. It will tip more swing voters toward him than away from him.

Here’s how it works:

A few people react to something he says or does (often bad things but sometimes really minor).

Then it grows online and his staff stoke the freakout.

By the time the most accusatory version circulates widely, his staff puts out info to prove it wrong.

So then you have easily debunk-able stories and tweets (fake news?) about DeSantis, faraway and less-informed progressive Twitter going bananas on false pretenses, and a vindicated GOP base.

This all suits the governor and his political staff (I say this bc he treats governing and campaigning as one, and his comms staff are more about campaigning than information or policy) perfectly. They are playing you like a pawnshop fiddle.

Example 1: “DeSantis has gone missing.” So stupid. I know there was a covid spike. But he can take a few days off. And his staff said he was. But then, when the media were atwitter with #WheresRon, they post a schedule Thursday showing he worked all week but w/ no public events.

It’s dishonest of them, but they don’t care. Their job is to get you to write stories based on semantics (“on vacation” v “taking time off”) and incomplete info, then make you look bad by providing the info later.

It’s working.

Example 2: Speculating about whether he caught covid and asking about his booster status.

Now we are getting stories abt his health, and staff are saying they won’t release private health info.

As soon as this goes on a while, they’ll tell you he got the booster weeks ago.

Etc

You can’t really harm this guy. Writing about him, especially after engaging with his staff, only help him. It puts him one step closer to re-election (which is a given anyway) AND one step closer to national GOP prominence.

Best thing prog activists can do is ignore him. Would be best if NY/DC journalists did too. I know his a big state governor with a meh approach to the covid pandemic. But to a large degree you’re just helping prove his point to the only people he cares about.

His pandemic response has been bad in major ways. Mostly bc he couldn’t have done less to encourage vaccinations, and given anti-vax cover as a mere private health decision. His promotion of monoclonal antibody treatment with zero emphasis on prevention was weird gaslighting.

But he is a good politician who will be re-elected with 52-54%.

He will be there nationally when Trump fades. Like Youngkin, he will say stuff to win swing voters and #NeverTrump back while not alienating Trump’s most slavish, bootlicking disciples (Where else can they go?)

Best thing you can do is get him talking about the 2020 election, Jan 6, and stuff where he’s in a tight spot between the Trumpist base and the few moderates or Democrats he needs.

Pressing for NY-style infection control polices is a dud. He wins.

Follow Florida media.

Don’t tweet stuff like “#WheresRon? Does DeSantis have covid?” Because they’ll just come back and say “No, he was accompanying his wife to her CANCER TREATMENTS.” You’ll look bad, and with good reason.

Really try to ignore him.

Don’t talk to or amplify his comms/political staff.

Their job is to RT rightwing sites, cheer Northern covid spikes, minimize FL deaths, and critique MSM (who they’ve often gaslighted) all day.

If you engage them you’ve already lost. It’s a game they will win and you will lose.