Wrath of the Normals

DeSantis Reset: Part III.

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A “reserve army of voters” rejected a proposal to change the constitutional amendment process in an Ohio special election. What does the abortion proxy war for mean pro-life politics and the legacy of Dobbs? Sarah is joined by Steve and Jonah to discuss. Also:

-DeSantis campaign reset

-Will the GOP debates matter?

-Revisiting the Dean Scream

-Are adult sites worth your time?

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Comments (92)
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  1. Eeeeee’qkk

    I want the R-rated version of the Porn/teen pregnancy conversation.

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  2. Daniel Poeana

    RE: Why Gov. DeSantis announced his campaign in late May 2023

    Hi all! During the pod, there was a discussion about Governor DeSantis's decision to announce as late as he did. Until May 24th, 2023, there was a Florida law in effect that required state officeholders to resign if they ran for a federal position (e.g., the Presidency).

    During the spring legislative session, the Florida state legislature officially changed the law on April 28th, and Governor DeSantis signed it into law hours before announcing his run on Twitter (i.e., X) on May 24th. I'm guessing that the month gap was for coordinating that announcement, filing paperwork, and working through any bureaucratic processes.

    The following are resources to back up the above:

    > These could be some of the reasons DeSantis hasn't announced a presidential run (yet) (NPR, 12/14/22): https://www.npr.org/2022/12/14/1142680625/will-desantis-run-2024-president-campaign-trump

    > Florida Legislature passes bill allowing DeSantis to run for president as governor (Politico, 4/28/23): https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/28/florida-legislature-desantis-presidential-run-00094467

    > Ron DeSantis signs law clearing the path for his presidential run (NBC News, 5/24/23): https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ron-desantis-signs-law-clears-way-presidential-run-rcna82046

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    Matt Stokes

    If Sarah's argument was that The Kids need to be less risk averse and more willing to put themselves out there socially, I'm good with that. But the idea that we need more teen sex is quite a take. It's also a remarkably privileged idea.

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  4. Gsalas72

    Huge blind-spot regarding super-majority requirement for constitutional reform.
    It's not super-majority in a vacuum (it's reasonable to have super-majority for constitutional amendments). It is tagged on to absurdly onerous signature requirements to simply be on the ballot+ über gerrymandered districting that locks in Republican control.

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  5. Aaron H Frank

    How much does the timing of an August election really matter? Pre-COVID in my state and town I had to go to our town hall and sign an affidavit swearing I would be out of town during the election under penalty of perjury for lying.

    Now I can go online and request a mail-in ballot. I may still have to attest I will be out of town (I have not done this). But showing up at a polling place, even in our town with voting rules that would shock a Georgian, is not required. I can cast my vote from wherever I am whenever the election happens.

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  6. Drbill3000

    I thought someone would post a link to that "Downfall" video mocking Ron DeSantis. I'd be interested in checking that out if someone could link to it.

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  7. J. Cavaliere

    Apologies if this is a repeat of one of the 75 comments, but DeSantis waited to announce for the resign-to-run repeal to pass the legislative session.

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    Guffia

    I’m dying to see the DeSantis/Downfall meme that was referenced, but I can’t find it on Google. Anyone able to help out?

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  9. Michael.Mcchesney

    My sister is visiting from California with her daughters because our uncle had an 80th birthday party last night. My oldest niece will be 17 in a few months, and I have been kind of shocked at how little interest she has shown in getting a driver's license. She lives 3 blocks from her high school, and, apparently, doesn't need a car to hang out with her friends. I can't say I'd be upset if she decided to wait until she was older before having sex. I am not ready to be a great uncle. But your discussion of kids today primarily interacting through technology reminds me of a novel by Isaac Asimov. In The Naked Sun, a detective from Earth (along with his robot partner), come to the planet Solaria to solve a murder. But on this planet, people only interact via hologram and it is considered repugnant to be in the same room as another person other than your spouse. Does that remind anyone of anything? The amazing thing is that Asimov published the novel in 1956 as a serial in Astounding Science Fiction before the book was published in 1957. He was prophetic, to say the least.

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    1. Pohl

      Apropos of nothing, I only recently learned of the Japanese character Doraemon, a robotic cat that travels from the future to help a Japanese boy at the behest of his own descendants in order to improve their lot. Sci-fi can be amusing and illustrative.

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  10. Mkliegman

    Regarding DeSantis (or anyone else), what does pressing the electability issue look like? Either trashing Trump full on, or else not trashing him, implying that you don’t think he’s awful, or his supporters are foolish, but reminding everyone that he just can’t overcome the opposition to him by the majority enlightened electorate. Remains unclear to me what either of them actually looks like and how it could possibly succeed.

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      Steve Hayes

      I think it's much more straightforward: This guy has cost Republicans -- in serious, quantifiable ways -- in 2018, 2020 and 2022. He's a weak national candidate and his weakness hurts Republicans downballot. He polls poorly among independents and there is a chunk of Republicans who will never vote for him. Even if you're willing to vote for him in a GOP primary, when you do so you're likely supporting a candidate whose numbers are so bad he starts at a major disadvantage in a head-to-head even with Joe Biden and his track record suggests other Republicans' will suffer electorally, too.

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      1. Pohl

        But this kind of green-eyeshade analysis is less compelling than the much more straightforward case that Trump is a lawless buffoon. You won’t convince the dubious with Straussian advice when we all know what NeverTrumpers really think. Just say it loud and clear. Trump is a loser from many angles.

        [Immediate edit to acknowledge that, in your remark below, you don’t credit your electability argument as persuasive to Trump’s core supporters. Well played.]

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      2. Mkliegman

        But one of the big problems is his supporters don’t care about down ballot races or the Republican Party. They don’t acknowledge how Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell were essential to policy successes of Trump’s presidency. I guess it come down to how much of Trump’s support is irrational personality cult and how much can be reasoned with.

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          Steve Hayes

          I don't remember the exact context from the pod, but when I say DeSantis should have focused more on the electability argument, I don't mean that he should be targeting hard core Trump supporters with it. I think DeSantis started with the wrong strategy by trying to split the MAGA base. I would have run DeSantis on twin themes of competence and electability, contrasting in both areas with Trump and aimed at the roughly 70 percent of the GOP (depending on your poll) who are not diehard Trump supporters. Agree with you that the Trump base is unlikely to be persuaded by the electability argument (most think he won in 2022).

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