I traditionally have a thread heading to the election, here we go.

Get out the popcorn for this one.

Quote

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to formally announce next week he is running for president in 2024, NBC News reported Thursday, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

The governor's official entry into the Republican primary field will put him head-to-head with former President Donald Trump, the party's current frontrunner for the nomination. Trump has already spent months treating DeSantis as his primary campaign rival, thrashing him with torrents of criticism over his gubernatorial record, his political skills and his personality.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/18/desantis-plans-to-officially-announce-presidential-run-next-week.html

I think it's crazy that DeSantis could have national appeal. The fellow is an authoritarian. 

He has great appeal.  He was wise in waiting until his obedient legislature hereFlorida passed his agenda so he has somethingnto say.  His only problem is Trump supporters.

Tweety said:

He has great appeal.  He was wise in waiting until his obedient legislature hereFlorida passed his agenda so he has somethingnto say.  His only problem is Trump supporters.

I'm not certain Trump voters are DeSantis' only problem.  His stance on abortion or guns or his choice for attorney general or his dispute with Disney aren't popular with the majority of Americans, are they?

toomuchbaloney said:

I'm not certain Trump voters are DeSantis' only problem.  His stance on abortion or guns or his choice for attorney general or his dispute with Disney aren't popular with the majority of Americans, are they?

The big two are guns and abortion and they are wildly popular with republican voters.  The anti-woke "we aren't doing pronoun Olympics" here is also popular as his anti-illegal alien.   The choice for attorney general or the dispute with Disney won't sway people away from the big issues.

I can't answer at this point if he wins the nomination and runs against Biden if he will get the majority of votes or win the electoral college.   Trump did.

Who??

Quote

Ahead of a "major announcement" in his hometown of North Charleston, S.C., on Monday, Republican Sen. Tim Scott has quietly made his run for president official. In a filing with the Federal Election Commission Friday, Scott filed a Statement of Candidacy as a member of the Republican Party. The office sought? President.

https://www.npr.org/2023/05/19/1177077948/tim-scott-president-2024-election

Between trump and DeSantis, I consider DeSantis to be more dangerous. Both men are sociopathic bullies indulging creepy fantasies (Google BDE). Both men are the intellectual and political heirs of Roy Cohn (who was, FYI, a known closet case) and Newt Gingrich. Both men are the American equivalent of aristocracy. 

The main difference between the two men is that the guv is marginally smarter than the 3-time loser.  trump is the one trying to start a shooting war, though ...  

As for Tim Scott - have seen his name around. He comes across on lefty media as a Candace Owens wannabe. (Which is to say that I know his name and that's about it.) I'll have to keep an eye out for more reliable info.

Not a fan of popcorn, but am retired, no license to protect and certain laws recently changed here in NM. I'm all set. 

I don't consider DeSantis an autocrat.  I could listen to the idea that he might be a bully, but he's highly intelligent.   The citizens of Florida not only elected him, but gave Republicans a super majority in the state house and senate.  Not only that but 20 representatives are in Washington (as opposed to 8 Democrats), as well as two Senators.  

Jacksonville just flipped Democrat for a mayor and there are several progressive Democrat mayors around.  But for the most part Republicans together are passing the agenda, he's not making them and forcing them on anyone. He is the symbol of all that's going on here in Florida but he's not an autocrat, there are plenty of proposals from his legislature.  Much of the grumbling comes from places like Disney (that is paying that price) and the cities, but most of it is coming from the outside.  Floridians are relatively happy with him.  He gets standing ovations.

I saw a recent clip of some Democrat from another state saying "if you want such and such...go to Florida, don't come here".  The commentator says that's the new way to say "go to hell" is to say "go to Florida".   

That's the good news, is that on a national level he might not be that popular.  His approval rating here in Florida is pretty steady and has been on the upswing since his legislative session began.  

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/desantiss-approval-rating-in-fl-is-4-points-higher-than-it-was-before-his-re-election/

Tweety said:

That's the good news, is that on a national level he might not be that popular.  His approval rating here in Florida is pretty steady and has been on the upswing since his legislative session began.  

He's not that popular nationally right now, and is far behind in polls to Trump.

However,  most of the country doesn't know who he is.  That'll change of course, assuming he decides to run.

Beerman said:

He's not that popular nationally right now, and is far behind in polls to Trump.

However,  most of the country doesn't know who he is.  That'll change of course, assuming he decides to run.

As I said before, his main problem nationally is Trump, not his agenda.

Tweety said:

I don't consider DeSantis an autocrat.  I could listen to the idea that he might be a bully, but he's highly intelligent.   The citizens of Florida not only elected him, but gave Republicans a super majority in the state house and senate.  Not only that but 20 representatives are in Washington (as opposed to 8 Democrats), as well as two Senators.  

Jacksonville just flipped Democrat for a mayor and there are several progressive Democrat mayors around.  But for the most part Republicans together are passing the agenda, he's not making them and forcing them on anyone. He is the symbol of all that's going on here in Florida but he's not an autocrat, there are plenty of proposals from his legislature.  Much of the grumbling comes from places like Disney (that is paying that price) and the cities, but most of it is coming from the outside.  Floridians are relatively happy with him.  He gets standing ovations.

I saw a recent clip of some Democrat from another state saying "if you want such and such...go to Florida, don't come here".  The commentator says that's the new way to say "go to hell" is to say "go to Florida".   

That's the good news, is that on a national level he might not be that popular.  His approval rating here in Florida is pretty steady and has been on the upswing since his legislative session began.  

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/desantiss-approval-rating-in-fl-is-4-points-higher-than-it-was-before-his-re-election/

I don't disagree that Florida seems happy with him but he is definitely an authoritarian. He has a cooperative state government, yes.  There is a decided lean toward authoritarian leadership among Republicans in this era of Trump. 

It's no mystery that DeSantis has been running for president. Lots of Americans don't pay attention to candidates this early in the process, but if they are paying attention they aren't that impressed with DeSantis... or at least they weren't a couple months ago. 

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/desantis-agenda-wins-florida-could-cost-him-2024-reutersipsos-2023-03-23/

Quote

Only a third of Americans want a presidential candidate who supports severe restrictions on abortion rights and most voters oppose allowing people to carry concealed firearms without a permit, according to the poll of 4,410 adults.

Should DeSantis run, his positions on abortion and guns will likely help win support of Republican primary voters in the early months of 2024, but may hurt him with the independent and more moderate voters he would need to win, the data suggested.

"If a candidate ran on these issues, Democrats are going to have an advantage," said William Frey, an expert on polling and elections at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

 

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4010319-florida-republican-moves-to-expel-schiff-from-congress/amp/#amp_tf=From %1%24s&aoh=16845996524794&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.Google.com

 

Oh, the irony of a republican member of the House wanting to remove a Democrat from Congress because of the Durham report. Seriously. 

You can't make this up.