Opinion: DeSantis 2024?

[Dill]

(01-21-2023, 03:20 PM)Nately120 Wrote: DeSantis has to have more political savvy than Trump and realize that endlessly pandering to his ultra loyal ultra conservative base in FL with all the culture war stuff isn't a slam dunk to beating Biden or whatever candidate he hands the baton off to, right?  We will see what happens, but DeSantis seems way too into the idea of being the big fish in the Florida pond and flexing his muscles there rather than going head to head with Trump and then attempting to reclaim places like AZ, GA, PA, WI, and MI that Biden took back from the right in 2020.

The culture war crowd already loves DeSantis, but Trump is getting back on his faux-populist approach which could resonate with more independent voters than stuff like this.  DeSantis is going to be 46 in 2024 and he has plenty of time to make a push for the WH, so I don't see why he wouldn't just let Trump and Biden politically and possible literally expire before making his move in 2028.  Unless democrats move on to another candidate who beats Trump, 2028 is going to be an election without an incumbent to worry about.  Well, Trump could declare for 2028 as logically as he would for 2024, but you know.

May be necessary for the nomination though. Then pivot a bit in the national election. 

It may be possible that Desantis isn't running for president and is waiting for 2028. He may be wise to wait a few more months. Trump is back on the campaign trail now. If he can get 2/3s support, which he probably can, then millions of the remaining GOP voters will still support him rather than the party which raises funds by child trafficking.  

Lindsay Graham was on Hannity last night explaining why you can't have Trump policies without Trump. E.g., our NATO allies would not have coughed up 480 billion dollars in alliance dues if they weren't convinced Trump would actually pull the U.S. out of NATO. Trump's China sanctions brought Mexico into cooperation as well, including their deploying 28,000 troops to help control our border. China and Russia know Trump will do what he says etc. (Like Putin would hate to see Trump back in the presidency.) This has to sound very persuasive in MAGA world--No Trump policies without Trump! It forecloses on those who would run on pro-Trump policies, but supposedly without all the other chaos and baggage.

I don't think Trump will resonate much with real independent voters, who understand that putting a twice impeached coup-plotting president back into power will not stabilize the country, end division etc.  Many of them may respond to "energy independence" and the like, but will see the other candidates--a Haley or a deSantis--as more likely to actually function AND get that done.
 
My point--Trump is not at all out of the picture.