Debate Me, Bro

Ron DeSantis vs. Gavin Newsom is good for everyone.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Photos via Getty Images)

The most substantive debate of the 2024 presidential cycle will involve a guy who isn’t running for president and a guy who might as well not be running for president.

That’s what happens when the presumptive nominees of the two major parties are mentally compromised geriatrics. To quench our thirst for ideological bloodsport, we’re forced to turn to also-rans and never-beens who are, at least, compos mentis.

In June, Sean Hannity interviewed California Gov. Gavin Newsom and used the opportunity to invite him to debate Ron DeSantis. Why DeSantis instead of Trump, you ask? For one thing, Trump would never agree to it. If he won’t take the arguably necessary political risk of debating other Republicans, he certainly won’t take an unnecessary one by debating Newsom.

But Hannity had a better reason to focus on DeSantis: He was taking a cue from Newsom himself. The governor of California has been needling the governor of Florida to debate him for almost a year.

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  1. Avatar photo
    Gbr0wn

    "seeing more downside than upside in debating a prominent left-winger who’s capable of landing hard blows"

    "hard blows"?
    I guess he is from San Francisco

    Maybe "No Labels" could run them together as 3rd party

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    Mjturosz

    "I respect you bro'!"

    https://youtu.be/CHnbC1N_G6w

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  3. Deleted Comment

    This comment has been deleted

  4. Halvor

    It's theoretically possible to dismay a Democrat with straightforward proofs that social democracy brings no benefit and causes much harm. That was Ronald Reagan's main argument, and droves of Democrats bought it. Since then, former Democrats have kept trying supply side economics over and over again because it feels right even though it doesn't perform up to prospectus in the real world. The American brain, like the Electoral College, has a Republican bias.

    Democrats have no chance in a debate against Republicans because the topics of debate -- material results -- have nothing to do with conservative commitments. Republicans assert the failure of social democracy, but the truth is that they know very well that it works and they fear and loathe it infallibly for that reason. Preferences don't need reasons. Conservatives are not obligated to agree to policies just because they foster prosperity or do no harm. Conservatives have different priorities altogether, which are to preserve personal relationships of power and enhance the prestige of religion, heads of households and small business proprietors. The world is a moral training ground for the world to come, and social democracy will gain the one at the cost of the other. That's unfortunately not subject to debate.

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  5. Larry H

    Unless he falls on his face Newsom will be declared the winner by Democrats, the press and Trump. It’s a no win situation for DeSantis.

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  6. Avatar photo
    Christophe

    Good post

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  7. Avatar photo
    Gibby

    Very good point here

    A Hail Mary for both of them. But they are both reserve players on the bowling league waiting for someone to break a leg. With the two running it’s best to be ready!

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  8. Avatar photo
    Cthocas

    Two self-regarding and ambitious statists slugging it out on TV? Pass.

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  9. MrMalredo

    I'll be honest, I don't quite understand Newsom's plan. He obviously wants to be president and seems to be running some weird shadow campaign to replace Biden. Now, personally, I think there is a lot of fantasy politics being played here, Biden is nearly certain to be the Democrat's nominee, unless he's no longer alive, and if that's the case, then the Dems still have to figure out what to do with Harris.

    I feel like Newsom's efforts will across as unseemly to the Biden crew, so if Biden needs a heir apparent to replace him and it's not going to be Harris, it's certainly not going to be Newsom. I imagine they'll try to turn to someone like Whitmer, who obviously wants the job but also isn't running around planning for Biden's funeral while he's still alive.

    And beyond that, what exactly is Newsom's appeal? I get that he "owns the cons," but I've never gotten the impression that it's led to a strong following (I have a lot of very Democratic relatives and they never bring him up) like DeSantis has (or used to have) for the same reasons. The Democratic Party is very identity politics driven nowadays and if they're going to run a straight white male, it's going to be because they can sell him as a moderate, crossover candidate (aka a candidate that wins), like with Biden. I just don't see Newsom being that person. He's a Liz Warren-style technocratic lefty who is the Governor of the most stereotypically left wing state in the nation. Why go with him when you could run a Whitmer or Klobachur and hit the identity politics angle while also running a candidate with more crossover appeal?

    Josh Barro had a pretty good article on his substack on the complete nonsense of a Newsom nomination.

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    1. Gsalas72

      He's earning goodwill with the party for 2028.
      The Ds don't have anybody else to counterpunch de Santis and they are grateful he does it. It's not that they don't want to poke de Santis in the eye, is just that they don't have the demeanour to do it.
      The D party has become a lot more institutional than the GOP. He is reading his party very well on this one. I much prefer Big Gretch, but like what Newsom is doing here - going to Fox, standing up to de Santis bullying. It's like a street version of Buttogieg.

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      Mudskipper

      One of the assumptions you are making is that Biden can control who might replace him. My suspicion is that if he weren't to run, a free-for-all would open up. Biden might put forth some candidate, but that wouldn't stop others from jumping in. I don't think that Biden's hold on the voters is such that they would automatically rally around his choice.

      I suspect that this is what Newsom is thinking. Whether he'd be a good candidate for the party is another question. But that doesn't seem to stop people from jumping into the races these days, does it? Just look what's going on on the Republican side.

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  10. SerenityNow

    Interesting article and strategically sound for both DeSantis and Newsome.

    The only problem with it is that the MAGA wing could care less about substantive policy arguments. It's about owning the libs for them and they could care less if DeSantis leaves Newsome huddling and crying in the corner locked in the fetal position.

    The issue for MAGA is not about finding ways to improve America, it's about embarrassing their opponents with nothing to show for their efforts.

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