With the Malignant Loser becoming more unhinged and violent as days go by, some Republicans have looked to Florida's fascistic White- washing book banner Gov. Ron "Bootsie" DeSantis as their party's savior from the mango monster. He has a well-deserved reputation for being a poor campaigner, poor at small talk, eschewing crowds and reluctant to work the rope line at campaign events. But things like that can be mitigated by large infusions of money and media advertising. However, NBC News reports that donors and allies of DeSantis are coming to the conclusion that a run for the Presidency might be beyond his ability, particularly when faced by vicious and personal attacks daily by the aforementioned unhinged mango monster and his sycophants:
"The fears of some of his own supporters, along with a growing sentiment among GOP operatives that Trump may be impossible to defeat — even with a possible indictment looming over him — present DeSantis with the conundrum of trying to demonstrate that he is a viable presidential candidate before he even launches his anticipated campaign.
NBC News spoke with more than 20 GOP strategists, politicians and donors about whether DeSantis can bounce back from adversity — some of it self-inflicted, some of it the result of constant pressure from Trump — or is destined to wilt under the white-hot lights of a campaign for the highest office in the land.
For a governor who prides himself on taking bold stands, and winning on the electoral battlefield, DeSantis has not yet shown the strength that gave some Republicans reason to believe he could compete with Trump. [snip]
Once surging, DeSantis remains well below Trump in polls measuring the prospective GOP primary field. He was slow to respond to the possible indictment of Trump — and then sideswiped the former president once he did. DeSantis was also forced this week to clean up his position on U.S. support for Ukraine after a backlash from establishment Republicans.
'It’s 100% possible that we’ve seen him peak already,' said one veteran Republican campaign operative who speaks to donors regularly. That person said he believes DeSantis can recover, but the governor’s reaction to the indictment question 'was really telling about how far behind the eight-ball' he and his team are." (our emphasis)
The problem that Bootsie has is that the Malignant Loser commands the blind loyalty of a significant plurality of their voters -- even larger for zealous primary voters. They end up mouthing Trumpisms, hoping to peel off some MAGA morons who might not see the Malignant Loser as viable in 2024 (or available, if he's sent to prison). Such is the bed they've made for themselves by obediently lining up behind a criminally sociopathic, lying demagogue years ago.
(photo: 🎼 These boots are made for walkin' 🎼/ USA Today)
