DeSantis told not to attack Trump in GOP debate. That won’t help him
I’m starting to surprise if Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential marketing campaign is a social experiment aimed toward measuring how a lot humiliation one human can endure.
Both that or the people running his campaign and super PAC are secretly working for former president and present felony defendant Donald Trump.
Two issues occurred Thursday to intensify my suspicions.
Undecided Ron DeSantis wished ‘awkward’ to be his model
First, The Washington Put up ran a narrative beneath the headline: “Awkward Americans see themselves in Ron DeSantis.”
The governor’s typically off-putting public persona and clear discomfort participating with different people have rather a lot to do together with his plummeting ballot numbers. And whereas I’m no knowledgeable on political campaigns, I don’t suppose an “Awkward folks get me!” headline is what strategists would think about a win.
It might be like 1988 Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis getting a headline that learn: “Individuals who look embarrassingly bizarre and misplaced posing for images in an Military tank see themselves in Michael Dukakis.”
An excellent PAC gives (horrible) debate recommendation to DeSantis
As if being topped King of the Awkward wasn’t sufficient, The New York Times reported on a prolonged doc meant to advise DeSantis forward of subsequent week’s first GOP presidential main debate.
The talk technique was posted on-line by a Republican political consulting agency related to DeSantis’ fundamental tremendous PAC, By no means Again Down, a reputation that may quickly be hilariously ironic. And the recommendation provided is … fascinating?
As if to rub salt within the “Ron, you’re awkward” wounds, the fabric directs DeSantis to express real human emotion when talking about his family.
Per The Times report: “The technique memo additionally highlights considered one of Mr. DeSantis’s long-running political vulnerabilities, his status for awkwardness or aloofness on the marketing campaign path, by suggesting that he ‘invoke a private anecdote story about household, youngsters, Casey, displaying emotion.’”
I envision debate-prep flash playing cards that learn: “Carry up kids and spouse. Make face do factor that implies a sense of happiness.”
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No matter you do, Gov. DeSantis, do not go after Donald Trump!
Past that, these “advisers” say DeSantis ought to be ready to defend Trump from assaults delivered by others on the controversy stage. You learn that proper. DeSantis ought to go to bat for the man who’s presently beating him by nearly 40 percentage points in GOP primary polls.
Are we 100% certain the folks operating this tremendous PAC aren’t all simply infamous Trump adviser Stephen Miller carrying totally different pores and skin fits?
Trump is presently juggling indictments and court docket dates whereas feverishly trying to relitigate the 2020 presidential election that he has now, if you embody futile court docket circumstances, lost more than 60 times over.
Trump has extra vulnerabilities than a shell-less turtle, however the DeSantis people need their struggling candidate to “hammer” fellow Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, a businessman born to Indian immigrant dad and mom in Cincinnati who has seen a slight surge in polling numbers, bringing him close to DeSantis’ No. 2 position.
I noticed hope in DeSantis.As Trump surges, can GOP give us better candidate to vote for?
‘Pretend Vivek’? You will by no means beat Trump at nicknames, so do not even strive.
In accordance with The Instances report, the genius DeSantis tremendous PAC strategists recommend this, “Take a sledge-hammer to Vivek Ramaswamy: ‘Fake Vivek’ Or ‘Vivek the Fake’.”
Ah, sure. Nicknames.
Look, there’s one optimistic factor, and one factor solely, I’ll say about Trump: The man is aware of the right way to provide you with humorous/ hurtful nicknames. “Ron DeSanctimonious” is objectively hilarious – and correct.
So telling Awkward Ron to roll out a staggeringly lame nonzinger like “Pretend Vivek” through the debate is like encouraging him to stroll onto the controversy stage bare and see how issues work out.
Letting the world know your debate technique earlier than the Republican debate is … not splendid
Tremendous PACs can’t talk immediately with campaigns, in order that they publish stuff like this on-line in locations they hope the marketing campaign will know to look (wink-wink) and journalists gained’t discover (oops!).
However now that each one this sage recommendation has leaked, think about how dopey DeSantis goes to look if he tries to make use of these ways onstage at Wednesday’s debate.
If he trots out the road “Pretend Vivek,” Ramaswamy will simply skewer him for robotically following his not-bright strategists’ orders.
Actually, Ramaswamy didn’t even wait till Wednesday. Reacting to The Instances story, the candidate tweeted: “One other boring, institution assault from Tremendous PAC-creation ‘Robotic Ron’ who’s actually taking lame, pre-programmed assault strains in opposition to me for subsequent week’s debate. ‘Hammer Ramaswamy.’“
How a lot humiliation can one presidential candidate take?
It’s all simply totally humiliating, and I’ve to imagine DeSantis desires nothing greater than to drop out, run dwelling to the Florida governor’s mansion, pull a blanket over his head and go to his blissful place, which I assume entails daydreaming of more ways to be cruel to LGBTQ+ children in his state.
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Alas, I think about the man’s going to stay round within the main a bit longer, hoping like all of the others that Trump’s marketing campaign someway collapses or he all of the sudden vanishes in a poof of narcissistic rage.
Each of these issues are unlikely.
However for Robotic Ron, for Awkward Ron, for Ron DeSanctimonious? Effectively, the marketing campaign headquarters might use a brand new signal: “The humiliation will proceed till morale improves.”
Observe USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Twitter @RexHuppke and Fb facebook.com/RexIsAJerk