Doug Landry Profile picture
May 30, 2023 18 tweets 11 min read Read on X
Welcome to the first real Ron DeSantis campaign day, where they've chosen a small church venue in W. Des Moines for a "kickoff" event - that ostensibly will send him straight to the WH.

I've QT'd yesterday's thread on this choice also but I have some NEW THOUGHTS TO SHARE

🧵🧵
DeSantis has already had to quietly switch venues for this first in-person event - which is a mess because it's a HUGE moment in the history of any campaign.

The "first event" on camera is so important for setting the tone.

Here's Biden's in 2016 in PGH on his way out to IA ImageImageImageImage
the Pittsburgh stop drove a day of coverage while we were in IA setting up - we had laid out a ambitious schedule of 2 days/4 stops, with speeches at each. All were large + centrally located venues.

I don't think that DeSantis' team exactly went out and found the "A" venues: ImageImage
Just look at the photo galleries from these first four events we did for Biden in Iowa across 2 days - tiny advance teams, not much $$$, just a lot of effort and good planning:

flickr.com/photos/bidenfo…

flickr.com/photos/bidenfo…

flickr.com/photos/bidenfo…

flickr.com/photos/bidenfo…
At least some of DeSantis routing/scheduling makes some sense, especially if you fly from Des Moines up to Sioux City (airport code: SUX) to start the 2nd day.

But it's a lot of driving on the 2nd day - can't be late in Iowa, caucusgoers lose their minds over late candidates Image
[For Hillary in 2016, technically the first event was when she stopped at a Chipotle in like Ohio as the Secret Service drove her over in her Scooby Van and was recognized, but that didn't count...] Image
Her real first event as a Presidential Candidate was an adorable drop by at a local coffee shop on the east side of Iowa, in LeClaire -The Jones Street Java House. It was lovely. She got behind the counter for a bit and generally had a casual start with a small number of folks. ImageImageImageImage
I solemnly swore the coffee owner to secrecy the night before and I think I said something so over the top like "This will be...the first event...that starts a campaign...that ends with...Hillary Clinton...in the White House" Anyway, they're closed now and I should try the decaf.
[One day I'm going to do like a 250 tweet thread about the rest of Hillary's first trip to Iowa, but for now, suffice to say it all went beyond our wildest expectations..some of these 900 photos have to be worth sharing, too]

but anyway...back to Rob Meatball's big day today... Image
The problem is - he's moved on short notice from a giant rec center complex to a smaller megachurch. Why'd he move? Crowd wasn't big enough? Rec center didn't want the political hassle? Miscommunication among the local party?

Who knows. Doesn't matter, but something is amiss. ImageImageImageImage
And obviously, maybe some of the 50 reporters assigned 100% of the time to the DeSantis beat just stretching their legs after the three day wkd can start asking Pastor @jessethenewman of Eternity Church these questions:

1) when did the RDS campaign approach? Why the move? Image
2) Given your 501(c)(3) tax exemption, why did you say yes to hosting a very prominent partisan political event at your premises?

3) Will you invite Biden?

4) Have you used any personnel, resources, or social media to support Ron DeSantis/this event?

5) Are you charging a rental fee to the DeSantis campaign? Is it the same you might charge a similar activity, or way less? or way more?

6) wouldn't your time be better spent saving souls than harassing drag hour at the library? Image
7) Do you regret being an Extremely Online Reply Guy Pastor™, especially when it might land you in hot water with the IRS and others? ImageImageImageImage
Anyway - in summary, hosting your super prominent kickoff event under dubious legal circumstances - your first in-person activity after your twitter debacle - at some mediumchurch in a DSM suburb does not scream "we have our shit together" to me anymore than the twitter idea did. ImageImageImage
Maybe I'll be proven wrong - but probably not

I will provide the FULL COVERAGE of #DeSantisAdvance's journey today that you have come to expect, dear reader - prob will start a new thread at some point.

Make sure to like, follow, mash that subscribe button, etc etc etc
This must be what Woodward and Bernstein felt the first time they met up in the parking garage with deep throat

Anyway, seems like people should do some digging into Ron DeSantis’ host today Image
Pastor Jesse struggling with the difference between "hosting a political event at my church complete with literal campaign signs on the doors" and "political candidates speaking at a church service"

like nobody's gonna do anything about it, but this isn't even a little bit legal ImageImage

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More from @dougblandry

Oct 27, 2023
Lord help me because I'm gonna do a thread on the Dean Phillips launch in Concord, NH today - because it's already a little bit of a mess - in multiple domains.

Let's get into them: Image
First, their social launch has been janky, to say the least, which I briefly covered earlier. Their main twitter account remains suspended at this time.

Next, the website that they put up last night is a direct copy of the Biden layout and brand:

Read 25 tweets
May 30, 2023
🚨 GOP LAUNCH REVIEW🚨

First images of Ron DeSantis' first event as a candidate are out!

My knee-jerk reaction is: mediocre at very best.

Will link my earlier threads about this weird venue choice below

Follow this thread for ~MORE INSIGHT + WISDOM~

🧵🧵🧵#DeSantisAdvance ImageImageImage
first, if you're wondering

"hey, is that a relatively small, low-ceilinged church sanctuary that Ron DeSantis' team picked for his huge launch event, against both the law and basic common sense?"

yes, yes it is. Read more about that in this thread...

Read 20 tweets
May 29, 2023
Early indications are that the DeSantis advance team is already facing challenges for their first in-person 'kickoff' event in Des Moines tomorrow

They already quietly moved venues from a huge "RecPlex" (from their original release) to a megachurch (website now)

🧵🧵🧵!

[1/?] ImageImageImageImage
Now, listen, it could mean that the crowd got too big!

But I don't think so.

As far as megachurches go, the Eternity Church is more like a mediumchurch amirite?

These are the only photos I could find, but you get the idea. Not so big.

[2/?] ImageImage
(and as an aside, I'm getting some "mega" Koresh vibes from Pastor Jesse from Eternity Church)...

[3/?] ImageImageImage
Read 8 tweets
Mar 10, 2023
The advance work for Ron DeSantis' first-ever campaign-ish appearance in IOWA is surprisingly coming out between medicore and hot garbage

a few THOUGHTS on this mess because I enjoy this stuff entirely more than I should and this is cheaper than therapy

🧵🧵 (1 of 800 etc etc) ImageImageImageImage
First things first, the positive:

This is a healthy crowd, especially for a Friday morning.

It's not "thousands" like this guy says but it's definitely 800 to 1k or so.

That said, Joe Biden also drew a ton of people to his 1st stop in Iowa - which was a Tues in April '19 in Cedar Rapids, The City of Five Seasons™

(I'm a little biased here but I thought this looked acceptable to good, considering we only spent approx $11 U.S. dollars on this) ImageImageImageImage
Read 8 tweets
Feb 21, 2023
The advance work and optics on Joe Biden's Warsaw speech are just flat out amazing

Simply cannot do it better

And the President's speech matched the staging in strength & tenor

10/10 no notes etc

...ok well some notes BUT THEY'RE ALL GOOD NOTES:

🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵 ImageImageImageImage
What do you do if you found THE MOST AMAZING site, but the tight shot would be an ugly black glass arch?

Do not despair - just print a banner of what you WISH it was.

In this case, a quaint wooden door wrapped by a huge gradient arch of UKR colors to perfectly fill the hole ImageImageImageImage
I love The Door. I hope someone cuts out The Door and brings it home to America.

Put The Door in the Biden Presidential Center & Amtrak Station in Wilmington, DE (opening 2032)

Also, I believe The Door (fake) is supposed to evoke the door (real) from last year's Warsaw speech ImageImage
Read 5 tweets
Feb 20, 2023
Good morning and Happy Washington's Birthday

Oh and Joe Biden went to Kyiv

This is amazing - some notes on the most significant trip of his Presidency thus far:
Starting with, how is "secret trip to Ukraine" compatible with already custom plaques embedded in the masonry? Would love to know how this worked.

(also where does the QR link to?)

Don't worry, the custom plaque guy with the Very Top Secret clearance also does the custom stationery:

Read 35 tweets

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