What If DeSantis Collapses?

Be afraid.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on March 5, 2023. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The news of the day—well, the other news of the day—is that one guy from Florida who’s starting to hit back at that other guy from Florida.

I use the term “hit” loosely.

Read Piers Morgan’s account of his new interview with Ron DeSantis and you’ll find him, true to tabloid form, straining mightily to sensationalize a few light jabs at Donald Trump. “A blistering attack” is how Morgan describes DeSantis’ comments in his introduction. Later he celebrates the governor for having “slammed” the leader of his party, then breathlessly pronounces the conversation “explosive” in his closing teaser about the video to come tomorrow.

Here’s the sort of blistering explosive-ness you’ll find in DeSantis’ quotes.

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  1. Phillyex1

    I wrote in candidates in 2016 and 2020 rather than vote for that orange buffoon. If he is the nominee in 2024 I may go all the way to voting for the Democrat and I haven’t voted democrat since George McGovern.

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  2. Philip.R.M.Hunt

    It is not going to end until a majority of the mainstream (non-populist) right joins the never-Trumpers and says that they will throw the election to the Democrats rather than vote for Trump.

    Unless that happens, the populist right will just keep doubling down as long as they think there is a chance that the mainstream right can be bullied into supporting them. In the past 3 election cycles, only about a quarter of the mainstream right has been never-Trump. It has been enough to keep Trump and the populist right from the victories they crave, but it has been close. The populist right thinks just a bit more bullying, a little more threatening civil war and they can get the holdout mainstream right to knuckle under and vote for Trump.

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  3. Menchetta

    Nick, you are being MUCH too harsh on DeSantis. No candidate is perfect, however Ron is just the culture warrior we need before America loses any chance for reclaiming its greatness, due to wokism which can and will destroy our country if left unchecked.

    Ron is smart, resourceful and accomplished. He can (at least try to) restore the Republican Party to its former vitality , since it’s is now in tatters due to the Orange Blob.

    Nick- why can’t you support Ron without all the qualifications you give? Try taking yes for an answer!

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  4. DRJ

    If DeSantis collapses, then he wouldn't have made a good President.

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  5. Edcolt01

    "But many who preferred a different candidate in the primary will, at long last, lose patience. They could rationalize Trump’s nomination in 2016 on grounds that he was an outsider and in 2020 on grounds that he was the incumbent; in 2024, some untold number will run out of rationalizations for the Republican electorate’s persistent perverse priorities."
    This is me 100%. I have never voted Democrat my entire voting life--and I will not vote for Joe Biden (or whoever they replace him with). But I WILL NOT vote for Donald Trump--there is nothing anyone can say at this point that would change my mind.

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    1. Jwpetite

      Ditto.

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    2. Dnels

      I agree with you (and went third party both times) but I have lost hope of the "base", or the cowardly establishment ever coming to grips with with massive decline of the party. When they prefer protectionism, isolationism, and big government punishing the "right" people with unconstitutional laws they are a spent round.

      If Trump or Trump-lite (L'il D) get the nomination I will be voting for Biden in the primary and general. The only way they will get the message is with an overwhelming spanking, and going third party will keep the margin close enough for the delusional fools to think they are thisclose to being restored.

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        Jeff Younger

        If you prefer Biden over DeSantis you’re certainly not a conservative, and you deserve whatever you get. Unfortunately, the rest of us will get it too, good and hard. Or have you enjoyed the past 2 years?

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        1. Rblik

          If RDS is pro-Russia and pro big spending....then what good is he to conservatism? But looks like DeSantis has now flip flopped on his Putin love. He's calling Putin a "war criminal" now. I guess last week's pro-Putin trial balloon got popped.

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        2. Dnels

          There isn’t anything conservative about DeSantis (bullying private business, banning books and dictating curriculum, wasting FL taxpayer money flying around TX illegal immigrants) so I’m not seeing the relevance of yr statement. The last two years havent been the best spendingwise but still cheaper than the Trump budgets (I hope you don’t consider him conservative too)

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    Anne W (Raw5254)

    I sincerely hope Trump isn’t the nominee. If he is, then Biden will most likely be re-elected. I’d hate to see that happen, but then again, maybe this is what the Republican Party needs.

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  7. Dougrhon

    I have been saying for a while that if Trump actually (I can barely even type it) gets the nomination again, the Republican party is finished. It is one thing to justify staying with the party during his term. But if as you say a successful populist in his 40's can't beat a 78 year old lunatic loser there is no point in continuing. The party is gone. Those not part of the Trump cult should take the opportunity en mass to depart and form the first serious new major party since 1856.

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      Anne W (Raw5254)

      I don’t the the party is finished, but they are going to have a “Come to Jesus” meeting if they want to continue. Something is going to give because there will be no other choice. Being run by a group of far left idiot populists is not the answer.

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      1. Dougrhon

        This is the "come to Jesus" cycle. If they can't do it now they will never do it and normal conservatives cannot remain in a party controlled by people like this. Unlike say the financial and social conservatives, this is not a coalition that can work. Obviously. It's either get rid of MAGA or let them take the party and form a new one.

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    2. Drsterrett

      "The party is gone."

      People have been saying that on and off since FDR. Wrong every time.

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      1. Dougrhon

        This is kind of an unprecedented situation. After all no one like Trump had ever been nominated before even once, let alone under these insane circumstances.

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  8. Pishposh

    I can't stomach DeSantis. The last thing I need is another political bomb thrower starting/continuing the culture war. All the guy does is pick fight after fight over stuff I couldn't care less about.

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    1. Philip.R.M.Hunt

      I don't like DeSantis, but he is probably the only Republican that can win 2024. The never-Trumpers will never-Trump again and sink Trump in the general. His candidates did not win the SOS and Gov races in battleground states, so he cannot get them to "find" votes for him when he falls short again. If a never-Trumper wins the R nomination, the Trumpalos will not vote for him. They will likely J6 the convention, lock the doors and keep voting until they get the results they want. DeSantis is the only one that has a shot at being acceptable to both factions of the Republican party.

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    Donald E. L. Johnson, Florida

    My very conservative wife is reading the letters to the editor of wsj.com. She's a long-time, shrewd and wise political news junky and a retired business owner and publisher.

    She looks up and declares: DeSantis is out!

    Why?

    "Territorial dispute. He's done."

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    1. Philip.R.M.Hunt

      I think she is on to something. DeSantis is the only candidate that had a chance at winning over both wings of the Republican party. With his weak on Ukraine statement, he may have lost his chances with the mainstream conservatives, who care a lot about Ukraine and defeating Putin. He is trying to walk it back, but not very strongly. He will have to do better.

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  10. Pundette

    Trump cultists remind me of the bride who sees the future only to the point of dancing at the reception and tossing the bouquet. Yay!

    Then she wakes up the next morning and finds herself sleeping next to this loser for life. He's already a lame duck on day one. He can't talk anyone into being in his Cabinet or working in his administration. He's being sued by, oh, just about everyone. Criminal indictments linger. He's being impeached. Again. He's narcissistic, undisciplined, and -- like his cultists -- cares more about "winning" than actually doing the job.

    And he snores.

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