" ... Florida Gov. DeSantis a 'Strong Potential Presidential Candidate'" Gaetz

"Rep. Matt Gaetz on Sunday floated a potential presidential bid by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and implied the Biden administration is considering pre-flight testing and domestic air travel restrictions to "cast aspersions on the Florida experience" because DeSantis could be a rival. 

"He is a strong potential presidential candidate in 2024," the Florida Republican said Sunday on Fox News. "The Biden team knows that, and so they're trying to somehow cast aspersions on the Florida experience because you know what, throughout America, there's a lot of Florida envy right now."

Gaetz's comments came after Fox interviewed DeSantis on Sunday, with the governor accusing President Joe Biden of mulling travel restrictions to target Florida for its thriving economy and housing sector. 

According to reports, the Biden administration has been looking into imposing domestic travel restrictions to curb the spread of coronavirus variants. The administration isn't targeting any particular state but is reviewing how to stop the spread of the virus mutations that are surging in some states, including Florida and California. "  Gaetz

--------------

It would be very nice if Trump would hunker down and shut up so as to clear the way for a viable 2024 candidate like DeSantis.  Do I think he will?  No.  His hubristic self destructive instincts apparently rage on even as he faces the prospect of criminal and civil legal action against him.

Do I think  the left cabal did everything fair and foul they could manage to steal the election?  I do, but the time has come to march forward and the path forward lies in backing young Republican candidates like DeSantis.  The troop of howler monkeys that is now the Democratic Party will greet my statement about their dishonesty with all the usual Goebbels style screeching about Qanon, the Proud Boys, etc., etc., ad nauseam  

To hell with them!  Ignore them.  There are 75 million actual citizens out there in the much despised flyover country who cry out for real leadership. 

The Democrats are a party that despises traditional America.  Despise them in return, but find viable leaders.  DeSantis is one such.  pl 

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/gaetz-desantis-florida-presidential-run/2021/02/15/id/1010038/

Comments

[BillWade]

The parking lots of Charlotte county hotels are full. I was talking to a realtor friend of mine this past Friday. He tells me they aren't tourists but folks waiting on closings or looking for homes. I was hoping they were tourists who would be going back to their home states and demanding their states open up like Florida is. I feel somewhat bad for our young families looking to buy their first home, they are up against daily rising prices and cash buyers from lock down states and there's a lot of lock down states!

[TV]

Well said Col.
We need "Trumpism" or whatever it can be renamed to without Trump.
He might be a little entertaining and says what a lot of us wish someone would say, but he does go way too far and has a bad habit of handing bullets to his enemies which is why he's no longer in the White House and we're stuck with Joe "property of China" dementia and his America-hating puppet masters.

[Fourth and Long]

Other contenders will be Pence, Romney and Wonderboy Marco.

[eakens]

Heads I win, Tails you lose. It will be Adelson vs Adelson. Haley vs DeSantis.

[Fred]

DeSantis is certainly viable, however I think it is premature to count Trump out. Trump's the perfect foil to suck up the continued legacy establishment, tech oligarchy and social media firestorm that will continue for years to come.

Meanwhile we see Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), house impeachment manager, proved the left thinks fabricating evidence is perfectly acceptable, as evidenced by submission of a Charlottesvillesque edited video of Trump's speech. This is in keeping with the now very visible institutional integrity of the FBI (FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith's fabrication of evidence against Carter Page, amongst other items), the DOJ (The Mueller team's phone erasures, and the entire investigation; Barr and Durham 'rope a dope' investigation), The Judiciary (U.S. District Judge for D.C. James Boasberg for sentancing Clinesmith to probation; Judge Sullivan re: Michael Flynn), The FISA court (supervised by Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts,), The Supreme Court (Roberts, re: "the whistleblower", and again, joined by 6 others, the dismissal on 'standing' in Texas v Pennsylvania et.al.).

The left has show itself concerned solely with the acquisition and maintenance of power at any cost to the fabric of the Republic. The next election being won by an effective and as far as we can tell clean political leader like DeSantis? Fat chance. He barely beat gay drug user Gillum. That was before the left was willing to pull the fraud levers everywhere. He'd be better off replacing Trump in 2028.

[Polish Janitor]

de Santis is 'too coastal' for the flyover heartlanders to be considered as a viable conservative candidate in 2024 in my opinion. The real sleeper candidate who could legitimately capture some of that Trumpism 'modjo' is Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz (albeit in a distant second place).

The main issues inside the G.O.P. central command are the following:

1. How to re-define the conservative movement without Trump as its leader

2. How to harvest some of the Trump energy in preparation for the 2022 midterms (as alluded to recently by Lindsay Graham)

3. Which candidates to groom for 2024 and to add to the growing list of frontrunners including Nikki Haley, Tom Cotton and Mike Pompeo

4. What role could or should Trump's family play in the G.O.P. and the conservative movement in general. We know that Ivanka is eyeing Marco Rubio's seat and that she is distancing herself from the Qanon and Proudboys and the fringe right at the moment.

Before all of this, I would like to see whether or not Donald Trump would get mired in a torrent of lawsuits and so forth from both the establishment G.O.P. and the Democrats or not.

We shall see...

[BillWade]

Yep Fred, I'd prefer DeSantis stay as our governor. He is the front runner for Prez I would think though.

If you want to eat some truly great food, try La Botte in Venice. A family of 4 from Rome, only open about 6 months now, I see Michelin star written all over this place in a few years. It's an hours north drive for me but I don't mind at all.

[Valissa]

Don't think Nikki Haley has any chance. The Trump base can't stand her and see her as a betrayer of Trump. They also know she's a neo-com, warmonger, protégé of the swamp/deep state. This was already obvious from her UN stint but her recent criticisms have made her more of a pariah with the base. If the RINOs think they can propagandize the Republican base into supporting her, they are deluded.

At a Republican Breakfast in Boston... Nikki Haley torched and booed! https://www.independentsentinel.com/nikki-haley-torched-and-booed-she-betrayed-trump-after-she-used-him-for-4-years/

Donors Shun Anti-Trump RINO Nikki Haley – This Comes After She Slams President Trump During Impeachment Trial https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/02/donors-shun-anti-trump-rino-nikki-haley-slams-president-trump-impeachment-trial/

[coboarts]

From my meager understanding of history, one of the reasons the Eastern Roman Empire out lasted the Western Roman Empire was due to their philosophy that whoever could gain and keep the throne was the proper ruler. As I've stated before, I think Trump played the Pied Piper to expose and 'F' his supporters. Why would a billionaire give a 'F' about you? So, I'm looking for Tom Cotton or even better to come out of the pack :- )

[The Twisted Genius]

At the present time, DeSantis is a likely candidate for the Republican nomination as long as Trump supports him. However, I can't see Trump relegating himself to the role of cheerleader or even king maker unless it was to anoint his Ivanka as queen. If he thinks he could run again, I don't think he could be held back from going for the nomination. But who knows? An awful lot can happen over the next three years.

A lot will depend on what happens to the QAnon movement. Will they just die out after so many failed predictions? Will they continue to see Trump as their God appointed savior or will they transfer their near religious loyalty to a new savior? What percentage of that 75 million are QAnon diehards or cafeteria QAnoners or just QAnon curious? I'd hate to believe that half the Republican voters are enthusiastic QAnon deplorables like Clinton did. I seriously doubt it, but again who knows?

[turcopolier]

TTG

Do you really think there is such a thing as Qanon or is it just a propagandist's fable like the Knights of The Golden Circle?

[akaPatience]

DeSantis would be great. Regime Media and other leftists know it and are probably already trying to devise ways to thwart his chances. Trump will be too old, and would be better at serving as a "kingmaker" of sorts, either giving or withholding his stamp of approval to prospective candidates for POTUS and other elective offices.

I rarely saw comments on this or other conservative sites I frequent that espoused QAnon, and when I did, they were generally and roundly mocked by others and not taken seriously AT ALL. But in the last couple of months, leftists jumped on the topic and have blown it up to wrongly characterize it as something the majority of conservatives subscribe to. Why are they doing this?

For leftists, who fell for the biggest conspiracy theory of recent times -- Russian Collusion -- it seems as though they're projecting/deflecting, as usual. Some things never change. SMH...

[Deap]

I want someone who is a good executive branch manager, who can touch the third rail deep state bureaucrats and stay standing, but will also makes government smaller, more efficient, more direct, more accountable, and more honest.

We need a cracking good, charismatic executive manager; not a
symbolic national daddy substitute in our next leader of the executive branch of government.

Good time to analyze pros and cons of former governors who took over this position - may not be a good option after all. But I like someone who has large organization executive experience. Trump had large organization experience, but not in the public sector. That takes a certain skill set and understanding of the inertia and treachery that comes with management in the public sector - too many built in pitfalls for the naive and/or unwary.

Yes, Trump burned a lot of unnecessary bridges which wasted everyone's time even though he was right and only counter-punched. But we did not need to have even his "friends" to write tell all books about him.

He owes his base some dignity in return for their support. So much that was good and pragmatic about Trump. So much that needed more seasoning which I sensed would have been more apparent in a second successive term. No one can jump untested into entrenched Big Government at the top as a newcomer .Trump did a heck of a job with everything stacked against him - even his closest insiders.

Happy to see pressure taken off Ted Cruz, as others now become the current shiny objects du jour. But remind me again after the Ukraine phone call "interference with a potential political opponent" impeachment standard, why that same political interference standard does not apply to any Biden machinations against his potential future political rivals?

Dang, there is that double standard again.

[The Twisted Genius]

pl,

It's a cruel joke perpetrated on millions of gullible people. It started on 4chan, the home of countless chain jerkers who bullshit each other as a hobby. It's a massive con, but the payout doesn't go beyond the selling of T-shirts and hats. Politicians have latched onto it for their own political purposes. It really needs to be put down.

[Eliot]

TTG,

"unless it was to anoint his Ivanka."

Why do you think he would want to do that?

- Eliot

[Artemesia]

What is the grand design behind Trump's move to Florida, Bloomberg's heavy investment in FL politics, and the great migration of NYC denizens to the SE coast of FL?

This shift in power center started happening many months ago.
coboarts alluded to the splitting of the Roman Empire. Is that what's underway in US?

Unfortunately, migrants to FL may take their politics with them. That is what happened in Charlottesville, begun at least a decade before the ominous Event.

[LJ]

"To hell with them! Ignore them. There are 75 million actual citizens out there in the much despised flyover country who cry out for real leadership."

Wow!

I don't think there is a QAnon but I do think there are script writers whose goal it is to get large groups of people enraged and focused on other groups of people imagining they are the face of evil. Looks like the road to chaos is well greased -- and that is the goal imo. People screaming at each while the end times are prepared for them.

[Fred]

BillWade,

I'll see if I can make it one day. Next time you come North go 15 minutes further and stop at the Nokomis Sunset Hut. Happy hour starts early, they serve great drinks, live music and its on the water. Food would never get a star but the sunsets work wonders.

cobarts,

Is that what Trump did? That seems a standard California view. As to me, I so look forward to Jeb!, or Little Marco, or Nikki! or whomever runs next to make way for Kamala's second term. Trump would eat their lunch with no effort, or, to the detriment of non-institutional shareholders, a single tweet.

[JerseyJeffersonian]

A link to James Kunstler's latest post.

https://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/unity/

If that phone call was as reported, I sure do like it; DeSantis not being cowed is a good example to follow. Wish it was a realistic option up here in East Venezuela, but sadly not, what with Golden Sacks Murphy as governor.

[Valissa]

For the past 4-5 years I have been following the political and sociological changes in the Republican party related to Trump and the wokeness trend, especially the growth and evolution of the populist right. Have read many thousands of comments from Trump supporters, both strong and weak. This is the basis for my take on the following issues.

Polish Janitor, I have never even seen a single comment criticizing DeSantis for being a "coastal elite." He is incredibly popular with the populist right/Trump's base. I think if he ran with Kristi Noem as his VP candidate and there is no "vote fortifying" they would have an excellent chance of winning.

On Qanon. When I first came across Qanon fans in the YouTube comments a few years ago I tried to find out more about it. But other than determining that someone was having fun playing mysterious political guru/conman (conperson?), and that some folks enjoyed participating in that game, I determined it was basically harmless and participation was limited. Sure there are/were devotees, but they reminded me more of flat earthers. Never saw any of the Q followers talk about violence or rebellion. Their focus was on "The Plan" (for Trump to be victorious over the Swamp) It was the thrill of the mystery and "knowing" special supposed inside information that seemed to be the draw. Some people want to believe. They are convenient scapegoats and the media is making them seem ubiquitous though their numbers are quite small. 2 or 3% at the outside, probably less.

On the Proud Boys. I like the Proud Boys and respect what they stand for though sometimes cringe at what they get caught up in. They are not extreme IMO. They refer to themselves as Western Chauvinists because they stand for traditional American values and have taken on the responsibility for trying to maintain them. They see themselves as protectors of Western Civilization and Free Speech/Liberty and in that capacity they protect conservatives and conservative protestors from Antifa. They do get into fights with Antifa, but they rarely start the fights. However they do goad Antifa on occasion (they are manly men who are irritated by girly men). The Proud Boys do not riot, burn or loot. They are preservers, not destroyers. They are definitely NOT racists. Ironically the Proud Boys are generally more "diverse" than the Antifa they are battling (this perplexes lefty authors, who try to find psychological excuses LOL). They are predominantly middle class and working class, with many in the trades, industry, police, military, etc. They value hard work and strong families and they like to drink beer. A few months ago I watched a excellent 2 hour interview that Tim Pool did with Enrique Tarrio, the current leader of the Proud Boys. Enrique is Afro-Cuban, but the lefty outrage mobs still try and label him a white supremacist, which I find hilarious. They get bad press because they stand against emerging social trends of "wokeism" and related political and gov't suppression of free speech and association. Antifa gets away with a huge amount of violence whereas the Proud Boys get no quarter. This asymmetry is not surprising given the dominance of the democrat activist MSM

[Jose]

DeSantis, Crus, Noem (if she survives the cold), or even Tim Scott would get my vote.

Rubio es un...(before PL bans me...:))

Hope you all enjoyed your pool parties today:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Iowa/comments/lkr258/checks_flight_prices_to_florida/

[Jose]

DeSantis, Crus, Noem (if she survives the cold), or even Tim Scott would get my vote.

Rubio es un...(before PL bans me...:))

Hope you all enjoyed your pool parties today:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Iowa/comments/lkr258/checks_flight_prices_to_florida/

[Valissa]

After rereading my comments on Qanon, I realized I didn't finish editing that bit. I meant to say that I observed a max of 2-3% of Qanon commenters at some of the youtube channels and some of the populist blogs I frequented. Other commenters either ignored or told them they were being conned. Perhaps there are 10s of thousands of hardcore Qanon followers? They appear to be primarily introverts. Many people would check out the Qanon videos out of curiosity, so don't count as believers. I watched a couple of Qanon youtube videos but it seemed so obviously political conspiracy-ish I didn't pursue it further. Imagine a Glenn Beck style 'chalkboard scenario', but with better graphics, to explain what was really going on with Trumps battle with the Swamp . As if there was a Plan rather than the reality of political chaos. I believe youtube purged them all. Which is too bad, because then you could see for yourself.

[Cortes]

JerseyJeffersonian

If the phone call went as reported, it sounds like one of those “Take it outside, gentlemen, take it outside. Don’t want no trouble in here” moments familiar to bartenders everywhere and beloved of Hollywood Western movies. It’s not easy to envisage either party backing down gracefully from such an exchange. And when political egos are involved, withdrawal of intemperate remarks may be that bit more of a bitter pill to swallow.

[longarch]

A lot will depend on what happens to the QAnon movement. Will they just die out after so many failed predictions? Will they continue to see Trump as their God appointed savior or will they transfer their near religious loyalty to a new savior? What percentage of that 75 million are QAnon diehards or cafeteria QAnoners or just QAnon curious? I'd hate to believe that half the Republican voters are enthusiastic QAnon deplorables

On 8kun, we often say, "There is Q. There are anons. There is no 'Qanon'." People who follow Q drops do not call themselves part of a "Qanon" movement. The Q drops were extremely vague, so it is nearly impossible to get two Q researchers to agree on what any particular Q drop means. I have not done a statistical survey, but my impression is that most admirers of Q would probably call themselves Constitutionalists or Constitutional conservatives.

In my opinion, the major effect of the Q drops was to de-radicalize many conservatives. Prior to Q, there were numerous conservatives who mostly shared right-wing politics but could not talk with each other politely. You had ultra-military veterans squabbling with white nationalists, Bible-quoting Christians, pot-smoking libertarians, a few black conservatives, etc. Q convinced all of these conservatives that they had strength only if they stayed united. This took the wind out of the white nationalists' sails, and convinced the Christians to love non-Christian Q researchers. Even if everything Q wrote was a lie, the Q drops made right-wing politics much more viable in the USA, because the white-pride crowd are willing to swallow their pride and cooperate with the Bible readers and the black conservatives.

On 8kun, I often read the rants of very aggressive, very angry survivalists with military experience. Without Q, they would be yelling for a second civil war. After Q, they don't want to start the war because they fear it would mess up Q's cooperation with Trump. So if you could wave a magic wand and get everyone to stop believing in Q all at once, you would accomplish nothing good, but you would increase the likelihood of a second civil war. If present company has any interest in one such rant, I have an example of a "second civil war" post that I could copy and paste.