Following Ron DeSantis' exit from the Presidential race, many 'Conservative' pundits and influencers who favored Trump (about 95% of them) have been reaching out to his supporters with conciliatory calls to unite behind the former President;
"You stupid loser DeSimps! Autistic groomer backstabbing worst Governor in America DeSantis with his Eddie Munster cancer faking c*nt wife and awful children didn't even win one county in Iowa! Ha ha! Get over it, you traitors! It's time to have a Bud Light and unite behind Trump! Do you want Biden to win?! Why do you RINO bastards hate America?!" (1/)
"You stupid loser DeSimps! Autistic groomer backstabbing worst Governor in America DeSantis with his Eddie Munster cancer faking c*nt wife and awful children didn't even win one county in Iowa! Ha ha! Get over it, you traitors! It's time to have a Bud Light and unite behind Trump! Do you want Biden to win?! Why do you RINO bastards hate America?!" (1/)
Much to the confusion of these Trump pundits and influencers, these gentle entreatries for unity have fallen on deaf ears. Why won't the DeSimps bend the knee? Can't they see just how irrelevant, useless and worthless they are? Why won't they join the winning team and bask in the divine glory of Donald Trump, the greatest man who has ever lived?
The man for whom no rules can or should apply? (2/)
The man for whom no rules can or should apply? (2/)
Of course, that's the problem. Many DeSantis supporters believe some basic rules should apply to Trump.
In spite of the assurances of the pundits and influencers, many remain unconvinced that this campaign was really no different from any we've seen before. Some even believe their anger and bitterness at the pundits, influencers and Conservative media in general, is somewhat reasonable. (3/)
In spite of the assurances of the pundits and influencers, many remain unconvinced that this campaign was really no different from any we've seen before. Some even believe their anger and bitterness at the pundits, influencers and Conservative media in general, is somewhat reasonable. (3/)
As folks such as @BlueBoxDave, @seanmdav, @michaeljknowles, etc. repeatedly informed us, things such as gangbang and rape memes and claims of faking cancer, like Casey DeSantis had to endure from Team Trump, have always been part and parcel of campaigns in America. So much so, neither they nor any so-called conservative outlet saw it as anything out of the ordinary, much less something to call out.
Meanwhile, many of these same pundits eg. @JavManjarres, gravely informed us of just how beyond the pale it was when DeSantis said Trump should "summon the balls" to meet him on the debate stage. (4/)
Meanwhile, many of these same pundits eg. @JavManjarres, gravely informed us of just how beyond the pale it was when DeSantis said Trump should "summon the balls" to meet him on the debate stage. (4/)
As we were informed at every turn, Roger Stone calling Casey DeSantis a c*nt was perfectly fine and even funny, demonstrating just how charismatic and in tune with the culture Donald Trump and his team were. Meanwhile, any random pro-DeSantis account who mentioned Trump giving a commendation to Fauci was decried as unbearably "toxic" by people like @tuckercarlson.
In other words, DeSantis supporters saw two vastly different standards being applied to the different candidates and their camps. Trump, his team and his supporters could say and do anything, and attack anyone as viciously and disingenuously as they wanted, but everyone else had to walk on tip-toe and be as polite and gentle as possible when it came to Trump or face torrents of condemnation from the likes of @dbongino, @bennyjohnson, @michaeljknowles, etc. (5/)
In other words, DeSantis supporters saw two vastly different standards being applied to the different candidates and their camps. Trump, his team and his supporters could say and do anything, and attack anyone as viciously and disingenuously as they wanted, but everyone else had to walk on tip-toe and be as polite and gentle as possible when it came to Trump or face torrents of condemnation from the likes of @dbongino, @bennyjohnson, @michaeljknowles, etc. (5/)
DeSantis supporters saw this thumb on the scale on Trump's behalf extended to every so-called conservative news outlet. Not only were Team Trump's attacks on DeSantis and his wife (and kids) ignored, covered up or excused, outside of a handful of interviews, there was an effective blackout on DeSantis.
You could count on one hand the number of times Fox, Newsmax, OAN, RSBN, etc. combined, covered a DeSantis event, live or not, in 2023. If there was any coverage of his campaign, it was decidedly negative. (6/)
You could count on one hand the number of times Fox, Newsmax, OAN, RSBN, etc. combined, covered a DeSantis event, live or not, in 2023. If there was any coverage of his campaign, it was decidedly negative. (6/)
Likewise, you can count, on one hand, the number of times they had someone who supported DeSantis on a panel, while Trump always had several supporters, all of whom were more than happy extol the sheer epitome of perfection that is Donald Trump and to level the attacks du jour on DeSantis (eg. boooootsss) and any others (Vivek usually exempted) who had the effrontery to challenge the greatest man in existence's birthright to the Oval Office.
We literally saw Fox News hold single-man "townhalls" in which the Trump campaign clearly pre-selected the questions, designated no-go topics, chose the audience members and clearly stipulated no challenges or follow-up to answers whether true or false. (7/)
We literally saw Fox News hold single-man "townhalls" in which the Trump campaign clearly pre-selected the questions, designated no-go topics, chose the audience members and clearly stipulated no challenges or follow-up to answers whether true or false. (7/)
In hindsight, the DeSantis campaign was clearly unprepared for the same people who had praised his acumen, competence, bravery, character and adherence to conservative principle, all of whom had said "DeSantis 2024" on social media, suddenly turn on him on command.
After 10 years in politics, from when he ran for Congress in 2012, suddenly, pundits like @JavManjarres discovered that DeSantis was 'autistic' and 'awkward', words that had never been used to describe him anywhere before 2023. All of a sudden, Casey DeSantis was an awful woman raising awful children. People who used to praise his devotion to his family suddenly decried it as "weird" and "unrelatable." (8/)
After 10 years in politics, from when he ran for Congress in 2012, suddenly, pundits like @JavManjarres discovered that DeSantis was 'autistic' and 'awkward', words that had never been used to describe him anywhere before 2023. All of a sudden, Casey DeSantis was an awful woman raising awful children. People who used to praise his devotion to his family suddenly decried it as "weird" and "unrelatable." (8/)
Suddenly, people who were extolling him for how open Florida was in May of 2020 now claimed that Florida was locked down like North Korea until December 2022 eg. @julie_kelly2. People who used to talk about his policy successes in Florida were suddenly 100% focused on his footwear, "rizz", "it" and Donald Trump getting his chance for "retribution."
The DeSantis campaign was clearly caught flatfooted by all this and, to their diacredit, never recovered. They failed to realize that the lines that were not to be crossed no longer existed. Worse yet, they never particularly tried to innovate their way out of the silo they found themselves in. Instead, they focused on ground game to the detriment of the air war, and failed to counter the inevitability narrative Trump had carefully cultivated. (9/)
The DeSantis campaign was clearly caught flatfooted by all this and, to their diacredit, never recovered. They failed to realize that the lines that were not to be crossed no longer existed. Worse yet, they never particularly tried to innovate their way out of the silo they found themselves in. Instead, they focused on ground game to the detriment of the air war, and failed to counter the inevitability narrative Trump had carefully cultivated. (9/)
Nonetheless, DeSantis supporters feel betrayed and cheated. By many people and institutions (Con. Inc.) they had trusted to play fair and police all sides to the same high standard. This includes the RNC allowing Trump to refuse to sign the pledge to support the eventual nominee or attend any of the debates.
This includes numerous state parties changing rules to provide an advantage for Donald Trump, including Iowa, where, in many counties, procedures were altered so caucus votes were held before advocates for other candidates could deliver their pitches. (10/)
This includes numerous state parties changing rules to provide an advantage for Donald Trump, including Iowa, where, in many counties, procedures were altered so caucus votes were held before advocates for other candidates could deliver their pitches. (10/)
It's one thing to be beaten, even badly beaten, in a fair fight. But when the referee clearly has a competitor's name tattooed on his arm, and the judges were all asking for the same guy's autograph before the fight, and then the referee says no headshots allowed on his favored fighter while he is allowed to hit below the belt, asking the disfavored party to shake hands afterward is clearly not going to be taken well.
This was a Primary. One rule has always been that no one runs in such a way as to make it impossible for them to unite the party afterward if they win the nomination. Witness the aftermath of the Rispone-Abraham Primary in Louisiana in 2019. (11/)
This was a Primary. One rule has always been that no one runs in such a way as to make it impossible for them to unite the party afterward if they win the nomination. Witness the aftermath of the Rispone-Abraham Primary in Louisiana in 2019. (11/)
However, because he knew he would never be held accountable by Con. Inc. Donald Trump decided to go full scorched earth.
No matter what @dbongino, @MZHemingway, @BlueBoxDave, etc. say, a candidate embracing people who make gangbang and rape memes about an opponent's wife has never been a standard part of GOP Primaries. A campaign tacitly endorsing supposition that a Primary opponent secretly raped and murdered his sister, or that his wife faked cancer is not normal.
It's certainly not normal for these tactics to be laughed, nudged and winked away by people who claimed to be conservatives. (12/)
No matter what @dbongino, @MZHemingway, @BlueBoxDave, etc. say, a candidate embracing people who make gangbang and rape memes about an opponent's wife has never been a standard part of GOP Primaries. A campaign tacitly endorsing supposition that a Primary opponent secretly raped and murdered his sister, or that his wife faked cancer is not normal.
It's certainly not normal for these tactics to be laughed, nudged and winked away by people who claimed to be conservatives. (12/)
All that said; the good news for Trump's coterie of pundits and influencers is that most DeSantis supporters - perhaps up to 90% - will eventually trudge to the polls, hold their noses, and pull the lever for Donald Trump in November.
The bad news is that (and this also applies to Haley supporters), for large numbers of them, that is all that they are going to do. (13/)
The bad news is that (and this also applies to Haley supporters), for large numbers of them, that is all that they are going to do. (13/)
They will not donate, volunteer, walk the precincts or do any activism or advocacy to friends and family. They will not go that extra mile that wins elections in a closely divided electorate.
And the problem is that no amount of bullying, guilt-tripping or scare-mongering about Biden (or whoever will replace him) will make them do so for a candidate they absolutely despise and believe was unfairly favored and stuffed down their throats. (14/14)
And the problem is that no amount of bullying, guilt-tripping or scare-mongering about Biden (or whoever will replace him) will make them do so for a candidate they absolutely despise and believe was unfairly favored and stuffed down their throats. (14/14)
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