DeSantis and the NeverTrumpers

Expecting these Toadstools to Support Ron DeSantis is a Fool's Errand

Obviously I’m not getting through. I’ve explained on numerous occasions the neverTrump so-called “conservatives” and why they were never conservative at all. But the recent almost slavish pushing of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to run against Donald Trump for president now requires yet another review of this dynamic.

Quite simply, those neverTrumpers who have opposed, lied about, and in almost deranged fashion attacked Donald Trump are not now, nor will they ever be, Ron DeSantis supporters. Think Bill (Broken) Kristol, or even Menopausal Ann Coulter.

For some of these people, such as Coulter, it’s a matter of finances. She cannot be relevant unless she sells books and gets paid for speeches. She won’t be in demand for either if she is playing defense. She must constantly be provocative and edgy. Whether there are any core values, therefore, comes under suspicion. If Trump, with all his astounding achievements in really just three years (the China Virus claimed most of Trump’s last year, although he did get another Supreme Court Justice placed on the Court in that time) , didn’t fit the bill for meeting core values, I’m not sure what would.

DeSantis is their flavor of the month, the vehicle for attacking Trump, this time (supposedly) from the “right.” DeSantis is the “pure” Trump, much the way Al Gore in 2000 was to be the “clean” Bill Clinton. Trump without the baggage, as the mantra goes.

Lemme ‘splain something to you. You can’t have Falstaff and have him thin. You can’t have James Bond and have him a Lesbian woman. You can’t have Lia Thomas and have a female swimmer. Am I clear?

As I’ve argued ad nauseum, much of what Trump accomplished was because of his brash, hard-edged personality and style. What some people claim to want as “softening” is in reality concession and compromise and getting nothing of substance done. To a large degree, personalities determine results. Napoleon’s success came because his most fundamental military instincts were speed, decisiveness, and audacity.

But back to DeSantis. He also is bold, aggressive, and mostly unwavering. Recently he has, however, refused to punish schools that are still employing masking—-contrary to what he promised. He is still relatively early in his terms. We need to see if he can and will stick to his guns. I believe he will, but as the Gipper said, “Trust but verify.”

He hasn’t been 100% correct either. He has so far done nothing about “red flag” gun laws. His comments on national and international issues have been appropriately few and far between. After all, he is governor of Florida, not Ukraine. But sooner or later we all need to know if he would become a malleable tool of the Chamber of Commerce/ChiCom Better Business Bureau or an America First advocate.

Most important of all, we need to know his position on what is lurking below the surface as the equivalent of the slavery issue in the mid 1800s, namely the Deep State and its control over almost all of our lives. Will he be a James Garfield, a Chester Arthur, a Grover Cleveland, or would he be another George W. Bush when it comes to this threat?

You say, “Trump didn’t do such a great job on the Deep State,” and I agree. But Trump learned on the job what it meant to take on the Deep State. He tried declassifying thousands of documents to be blocked by an inserted FBI director. His personnel choices at times were disastrous, including the most useless of all American Attorneys General Jeff Sessions. But do not forget, a broad spectrum of voices, including my own, endorsed some of these people who turned out to be less than desirable. I once apologized to Steve Bannon for recommending H.R. McMaster: “everybody recommended him,” Bannon replied.

Part of this learning process for Trump was our own learning process, which is to say, I don’t think any of us appreciated how deeply insinuated the Deep State was in every single bureaucracy, including the military and the intel agencies. I believe most of us thought that somewhere, somehow, there were still “good people” and if we just got a few bad apples out of the way they would surface. (This is Sean Hannity’s claim that the majority of the FBI are “good people.” No. But it took a while to figure that out).

In short, I think Trump has learned this. The recent revelation from Axios that he is planning a massive downsizing/reorganization of government is one indicator. His endorsements, for the most part, have been better. He could have a core of MAGA congressmen and senators now to support him, and possibly a lot more in 2024.

So what is up with the neverTrumpers? Don’t stop me if you’ve heard this one, because “faith cometh by hearing,” not just “having heard.” A good example just today is Matt Walsh, who in his tweet today flat lies about DeSantis. Yes, DeSantis was good on the lockdowns, but he also “turned his state over to Fauci” before loosening it up. Remember, Brian Kemp of Georgia was the first to exit the lockdowns, and despite her other failings, Kristi Noem the Governor of South Dakota never locked her state down at all. Here is another of the DeSantis fansisoids: we "can't afford the drama" of Trump. This line of thinking is just stupid. There is no progress, no change without drama. As Steve Bannon said early in the administration, “Did you think they were just going to give your country back to you?”

Many, if not most, of the neverTrumpers were not then, nor are they now, conservatives. Let me repeat for the third time. Most of the neverTrumpers were not then, nor are they now, conservatives.

They used the cloak of conservative talking points as access, entry keys into television news shows, guests on panels, even cruises. At all times, the essential point was this: when the show wrapped, when the cocktail party ended, when the cruise was over, they could laugh with their liberal buddies that ‘Of course, we know none of these policies will ever be reality.” They were not even controlled opposition, for controlled opposition at least “opposes.”

They were court jesters, bottom-dwelling parrots repeating lines that they knew their talk show hosts could bat down easily, that their cocktail mavens could brush off. The key was that since none of the policies they supposedly espoused ever had a chance of becoming reality, they were never a threat. Even if they made a good point, as Coulter used to about the border, everyone knew that no one would ever close the border—-until Trump began to.

You can see proof of my point in the reactions to the Dobbs decision, which would otherwise be shocking. First, the neverTrumpers criticized the Court, praised Roberts’s “compromise” position, and, if ultimately pushed to confront their previous statements, tried to argue that Trump was somehow not responsible for appointing the three key judges who actually got the job done. None of them mention his success—-now largely undone by a criminal organization known as the Rutabaga’s administration—-of locking down the border and building the Wall. All of them criticized his policies of peace, which kept America out of any foreign engagements for four years and established the organized groundwork for the Afghan withdrawal hideously ditched by Biteme’s goofball advisors in the ensuing debacle.

In short, all the neverTrumpers were liars.

Don’t fall for the “support” they now seem to have for Ron DeSantis. If—-still a very big if—-DeSantis proves as consistently good as he so far seems, they will attack him without mercy. Do not think DeSantis will get praise from National Review, the Bulwark, or Ben Shapiro. Remember, they oppose conservative America First results, not people.

I sincerely hope Ron DeSantis is smart enough to realize this. If so, he has a bright political future ahead of him as President . . . AD. After Donald.

Larry Schweikart

Rock drummer

Film maker

NYTimes #1 bestselling author

Political pundit

For even more truth-based current events, politics, and history content + resources, check out my VIP membership below

https://www.wildworldofhistory.com/vip