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Message to GOPers: Words Are Not Actions
DeSantis wrote in a Wednesday post on X that “it is absurd that anyone, much less someone running for President, would choose now to attack our friend and ally, Israel, much less praise Hezbollah terrorists as ‘very smart.'”
In a recent BDB post (who is on fire of late) crystallized a vague concept I had about the legacy GOP and their over-reliance on political debate as a substitute for achieving results. I mean that quite literally.
It doesn’t really matter what we do, it only matters what we say out loud, lest someone get the wrong ideas in their pretty little heads.
I have often read on these very pages on Ricochet and elsewhere, how Trump should be more careful about how he says things because the media and Democrats will pounce on the wrong interpretation.
This in itself is laughable because these people are entirely capable of making any statement into any absurd meaning they wish.
Further, the fear GOP candidates have of being misconstrued (usually with deliberate intent) turns their statements into mild pablum, full of platitudes and devoid of strength and impact.
This is why Romney lost, and why so many GOPers fail.
Then, these very same pols who have failed to gain higher office, or failed to keep their weasel-ly promises while serving in office, gleefully join the attacks on DJT for being insufficiently vague and nuanced in his speech.
The statement from Ron DeSantis is despicable and clearly desperate. But desperation should not mitigate the reprehensible conclusion that Trump is “attack(ing) Israel” by saying these words.
Apparently Trumps actions are to be completely ignored, and his latest ‘words’, badly misinterpreted, should define his entire being.
(This, by the way, dismisses the amazing accomplishments Trump made on behalf of Israel to include the bold action to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, the Abraham accords, and granting his Jewish son-in-law close advisory position and more)
As to the substance, or lack thereof, to the charge that referring to someone being “smart” is ‘praise’ well, I fail to see that logic, and it scares me if DeSantis actually believes we should never regard our mortal enemies as being smart, cunning or resilient. He wants to be Commander-in Chief?
On the second level, does DeSantis believe this absurd attack will help his chances?
That’s not very smart, Ron.
Published in General
As has been expressed here, I too don’t measure intelligence on the same scale as you . Vivek Ramiswamy is twice as ‘smart’ as all of them and he’s got no chance.
I have no real problem with DeSantis the man. I have a problem with those who back him. I think DeSantis will be controlled by the same cabal of GOPers that wanted a third Bush.
Second, DeSantis lacks charisma. Most people do. Not his fault but thems the breaks. Look at every successful Presidential run. Clinton and Obama had it, Bush edged out AlGore.. Biden could act like he had it, but 2020 was an anomaly to say the least.
So I don’t see how DeSantis will inspire anyone.
Third, depending on how this plays out with Trump, DeSantis has his work cut out to hold onto Trump supporters. So far he’s doing a pretty good job of alienating them,or let’s say ‘reducing their enthusiasm’ for his candidacy ( how I feel)If just 10% stay home, he’s got no chance at all against any Democrat.
And of course there will be zero fraud and no shenanigans in the voting. You guys are quite sure that can never happen so I don’t want to hear any complaints in that department…
Here’s what is absolutely true…fewer people voted for the Republican candidate in the runoffs than voted for Trump in the General just a short time before. That’s fact.
Now speculation … if you tell people over and over and over and over that elections – especially in their State – are rigged and their votes don’t count do you really think they are going to show up to vote? The more people tend to believe you the less likely they are to vote. No? You are turning your biggest fans into non voters.
What is meant by Only Trumper? I’m not being intentionally obtuse here. If Only Trumper means that the person will only vote for Trump regardless of anything he could possibly do, the definition quickly becomes absurd. No one would vote for Trump if he, for example, promised to execute their family once elected. If the definition is, all other things being equal, the person will only consider voting for Trump in the primaries then it’s no different than saying Only Bush, Only DeSantis, or Only Christie. How would you define it?
Re/ “I think DeSantis will be controlled by the same cabal of GOPers that wanted a third Bush. ”
You’re certainly free to think that, but it seems like an evidence-free assertion.
For what it’s worth, here’s one red-flag that caught my eye a while back.
When DeSantis ran for Governor, he had the support of Trump and his supporters to help propel him to victory. Now that he’s running against Trump, most of that support isn’t going to be there. So how is he going to fund his Campaign? I have to conclude, largely from legacy GOP donors who just want a socially moderate Republican that keeps the money and cheap labor flowing. That’s not DeSantis, but he’s the closest they can get to someone that has a legitimate chance of winning but would ultimately be beholden to them for financing him. DeSantis for Governor and DeSantis for President are two completely different campaigns.
Well, at least one possibility is they wouldn’t vote for anyone other than Trump, in the general election. So if Trump isn’t the nominee, they stay home. Or something.
But unlike at least some Never Trumpers we’ve known, they wouldn’t actually vote for the Democrat.
Yep. There are a number of different ways it can be defined. And different Trump supporters may fall under one or more of those definitions. Some might fall under none of them.
Depends on how they feel about their family.
I know some people where that would probably earn their vote.
if someone would vote for Trump in the primaries but then would still vote for whoever the nominee is in the general election, I don’t see how that could make them “Only Trump.”
Touche XD
So you agree that the narrative that Trump told people not to vote — a narrative promoted by way too many so-called “conservatives” — is false. Correct?
Have you previously heard/read the CIA assassin job interview joke?
Drew, you frequently use the word “hate” to describe the motives and/or emotional state of people you disagree with. I don’t know why. You’re not God, so you can’t know the actual emotions of someone writing a comment, someone you don’t know from Adam.
I don’t hate anyone. I definitely do hate some movements and some institutions – the Left, the Leftist ideology in the media and academia, transgender ideology, etc. But I am a Christian and thereby I am compelled to love my enemies. No exceptions to that rule are given. But in the case of politicians, I simply can’t muster the energy to either love or hate some figure that I’ve never met and never interacted with. They’re just politicians. The same is true for Trump supporters – I just can’t bother to work myself up to hate people I’ve never met, and I don’t think it would be very Christian of me to do so. I think it’s funny, really, that you have so often accused me of “hating” Trump. Trump is just a politician, period. A politician can be basically good or basically bad, intelligent or mediocre, destructive or constructive, depending upon what I think of his policies. I can’t be fanatically loyal to any politician because I don’t think Americans should elevate their politicians to that level.
You appear to disagree.
As I said … evidence free.
I have a friend whom I would describe as an “Only Trumper”, and so in describing him, hopefully I will answer your question.
My friend John was, up until Trump’s presidency, fairly uninvolved in politics. He is a Christian, and therefore he would have been considered socially conservative, especially since the Democratic party has lurched to Left and become, in some situations, downright hostile to religious faith (excepting Islam, of course). He used to regard my political involvement with some mild curiosity, but nothing more. Trump changed all that, and to be honest I don’t entirely understand why that is. He definitely seems more emotional than he used to be. He went to Trump rallies, started listening to Steve Bannon’s shows, and has immersed himself in that world. He frequently – several times a week – sends me links to Steve Bannon videos. He does not entertain other views and so I think he’s kind of in a bubble of his own making. He believes whatever Trump says, and is convinced that Trump, and only Trump, can solve any of our country’s problems. He has absolutely no time for any other option, though he did tell me recently that if Trump wasn’t running, only Larry Elder was a candidate he could vote for. I think it’s fair to say he’s an Only Trumper.
You don’t? Maybe consider how your nasty comments come across.
I didn’t say that. I have no evidence he told people not to vote. And I don’t make that assertion.
But…
His constant drumbeat about stolen elections certainly could result in fewer people voting. Especially those who believe him most. If it’s rigged like he says, why bother?
If you say so. I don’t have a magic 8-ball that can remotely view the backroom dealings of wealthy republican donors. I try to make sense of things based on what is available to me.
Agreed.
Your story sort of reminds me of when I first became involved in Politics and was, to my everlasting shame, Only-Obama. I was a High-School sophomore, in both senses of the word. It’s possible that your friend is enthiastically supporting Trump because he’s new to politics. If you follow politics long enough, enthusiasm will eventually give way to jaded cynicism, which is where I find myself. I think that, like Obama, Trump was a very unconventional candidate and the media covered them both almost constantly. This pulled in a huge number of new voters for Obama, and probably did so for Trump as well.
Obama’s popular vote total in 2012 was less than in 2008. Trump’s 2020 vote was higher than 2016.
I’m not so sure there are many Only Trumpers out there. What annoys me is when Trump skeptics and Nevers characterize Trump supporters as being in the thrall of the man’s personality or are somehow cultish. This is quite insulting, and may I say reveals the same kind of cluelessness that created the rise of Trump as a backlash.
The cult accusations have been used and abused so much anyone who has even a mild affinity for Trump’s policies or who utters any defense of the man has been accused of near worship of the man and everything about him. All I have to do at this point is smell a mild whiff of that and it’s immediate loss of respect in the political realm.
The issue of ‘only Trump’ is that almost everyone in the primary contest is a generic old-fashioned Republican. Vivek is the exception but he’s not going anywhere. If like me, you can’t see a path for DeSantis to win the general, much less the nomination then the last man standing is Trump.
After what I’ve witnessed the last 8 years from our Intel agencies’ manipulation, along with incessant war-mongering from the Uniparty, I want my candidate to address those issues directly. Rand Paul is not running. Tulsi Gabbard is not running. DeSantis does not satisfy those priorities for me. So I’m ‘only’ Trump by default.
Painter Jean seems to believe those who advocate for Trump are not doing so with a political calculation but with an emotional attachment. Not so.
If I am presented with the choice between DeSantis and a Democrat I will have to see how that plays out. I will not vote for the Democrat however.
No, not all Trump advocates. Some have reasons that are political calculations, not emotional rationalizations.
The more we delve into it, the more Trump supporters appear to be the same as supporters of any other candidate. You have some who support him based on political calculations, some who support him based on emotion, some who are fiercely loyal to him, some who can take him or leave him, etc.
There is one difference: I don’t recall there being such loyal fans for other Republican presidents, such elevating onto a pedestal. I take your point – not every Trump supporter falls into the “Only Trump” camp – but the only other president that I have seen such emotional attachment to by some is Obama. I don’t think it’s a healthy impulse for Americans to put any politician on a pedestal. One of the aspects of my friend John’s being an “Only Trumper” is that he reacts to criticism of Trump as if were directed at him – he takes it personally. I don’t get that.
Reagan?
Hate to be the policeman here, but PJ’s reply still implies that “some” are supporting a political calculation leaving open ‘most’ being emotion-driven.
What would be the percentage of Trump supporters who have attended one Trump rally? I’d say at most 5%. Of those I would guess that half are super-supporters.
No, a large majority of Trump supporters are simply making a political calculation.
This is how the GOPe types try to shield themselves from criticism- well-justified criticism. They can’t accept they any blame or accountability for helping us get into this mess by 2015 and have been instrumental in trying to tamp-down any resistance to their desires. They are in complete denial . Still. It’s amazing.
You’re comparison to Obama is quite important. To understand how this political dynamic came to be, we need to start with the Great Savior himself. As someone who was caught up in the Obama hype machine as a teenager, I can confirm that any attack on him was taken personally. Trump was in many ways the reaction to Obama.
I have no way of knowing what that
Doubt it. I don’t recall anyone acting as if criticism of Reagan was directed at them personally. I think he’s admired, but while he was alive I don’t think there was a vocal segment that seemed fanatically loyal to him. (Granted, we didn’t have social media then so it would be harder to see.)
And had been part of the attack since Day 1 on Trump supporters.