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| Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and wife Casey Click above to go to article and video of his acceptance speech |
As I was saying to Jing last night, I never used to pay any attention to mid-terms. I prolly didn’t even know what they were. But — I guess, since 2016 — they’ve loomed larger; likely for everyone.
It’s what makes US politics so endlessly fascinating. You’ve no sooner come off a presidential election that you’ve got the mid-terms! Contrast the engagement and excitement of every US election with the recent China Communist Party Congress and its hall-full of stuffed waxworks. Where the most exciting thing happened was a geriatric ex-leader being led off the stage, in mysterious circs.
The Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis has been re-elected by a handy 20-point margin 60-40. That’s after winning four years ago by just a point. He got lots of support for his handling of Covid. He kept the economy open, beaches open, schools open, while protecting the elderly (a version of rhe Great Barrington approach). Result: better for kids and better for the economy, while the hospitalisations and deaths tracked closely with national averages. Significantly, Florida did about the same as California, which locked down severely under Democrat Gavin Newsome. The media at the time hammered DeSantis all-but calling him a mass murderer. They used false stats (or no stats), and flat out disinformation to a breathtakingly dishonest extent. Because they hated him so much and hated everyone not in lockstep with lockdown. The actual data, the real stats, showed otherwise and I’m pleased to say I noted that, here on this blog, at the time. Hurrah for lockdown skepticism.
DeSantis must be a candidate for presidency in 2024. He can’t afford to wait it out when Trump announces (likely next week). DeSantis’ gubernatorial term runs out in 2026, and if he doesn’t run in 2024, he’d have to wait two years after his gubernatorial term ends (2026), to the 2028 election.That doesn’t work. You can’t just cool your heels for two years in politics. Also if Trump is 2024 nominee without DeSantis, and wins, it’s for only one term so who would be the GOP candidate in 2028? DeSantis? But what would he have done in the meantime? as consequential as his handling of Covid? DeSantis must be GOP candidate for 2024. (I’m rather sure he knows all that!)
21:51 EST. Time to return to the voting count. I’m just reading tea-leaves here, but so far, DeSantis landslide aside, it seems more like a “Red tide” than a Red Wave. We’ll see.
ADDED: Florida has the population and GDP of my country Australia. DeSantis is the equivalent to our Prime Minister.
23.50 EST: ADDED: Daily Wire: 0 < red trickle < red tide < red wave < red tsunami. Now calling it “red trickle”
