Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Donald Trump has already announced that he is running for president in the 2024 elections. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis seems hot on Trump’s heels, scheduling trips to early primary states Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire, and otherwise looking like he will announce his presidential candidacy any day now. The possibility of a messy primary battle between them (and announced candidate Nimrata Randhawa a/k/a Nikki Haley, as well as other likely candidates, such as Mike Pence and Richard Pompeo) has some in the political press salivating over the potential for big ratings and readership. Democrats should also celebrate the possibility of a destructive Republican primary campaign.
As we’ve mentioned many times, the Republican Party is in a state of civil war. Sometimes the war is more hidden, and and other times it spills out into the open. In this case, Trump and DeSantis might have a few ideological differences, as can be expected. However, both Trump and DeSantis specialize in a fascist, dictatorial approach. For example, while Trump was in the White House, his press conferences were full of attacks on the (non-right wing) press. And in the ultimate wannabe dictator move, when Trump lost the 2020 election, he concocted the “Big Lie” that the election was stolen from him, and incited an insurrection against the U.S. Capitol to stop and reverse the counting of electoral votes that would certify Joe Biden as president.
Likewise, as Florida Governor, DeSantis is banning books and African studies. He also signed a “Don’t Say Gay” bill further restricting teachers and students. Then when The Walt Disney Company, under public pressure, spoke out against that law, DeSantis bulled Disney, taking control of Walt Disney World‘s self-governing zone in Florida. DeSantis is confrontational in an in-your-face way, just like Trump.
Accordingly, the fireworks may fly if the two of them share a primary debate stage. Indeed, Trump has already waged some ugly attacks against DeSantis, including implying in social media that DeSantis inappropriately spent time with high school girls at parties when he was a teacher in his 20s. (Note that, in furtherance of Trump’s typical projection pattern, Trump is the one with a long history of allegations of inappropriate behavior with girls that goes way beyond merely attending parties.) And just this week, pro-Trump demonstrators showed up at a DeSantis book signing in Florida, then accused police of threatening them on behalf of DeSantis. The 2024 Republican primaries, therefore, may well become more of a personality battle between the likely top two candidates rather than a clash of political ideologies.
Democrats can hope for a destructive public collision of these two personalities that results in one or both candidates, or the whole GOP, looking bad. But Democrats can do more than just sit on the sidelines with popcorn and hope for a battle royale between Trump and DeSantis. They can actively play up the differences and disagreements between the candidates, for example, by sharing their thoughts and articles that focus on such conflicts, frequenting sites that talk about this GOP Civil War, and more. Let the battle begin!
Photo by Matt Johnson, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/hsTHL4
