Originally Posted by
Dan Druff
Speaking of CPAC, it's amazing how wrong they've been regarding the GOP's nominee for President in non-incumbent years. These were the candidates preferred by attendees at CPAC the year before the election;
1987: Jack Kemp
1995: Phil Gramm
1999: Gary Bauer (lol) -- though GW Bush was a close second, so they almost got this right
2007: Mitt Romney -- Rudy Giuliani was a close second, which wasn't even unreasonable at the time
2011: Ron Paul
2015: Rand Paul (like father, like son)
At the last CPAC, Trump was preferred for 2024, but we will see next year, as DeSantis is gaining ground quickly. But they're 0-for-6 so far in picking candidates a year before the election.
To be fair, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden were not assumed to be the nominees a year before they won the nomination.
Some generic polls that reflect concern and noise over these hearings and concern he’s getting hurt by them is irrelevant.
Saying he’s gaining implies he could conceivably beat Trump if both wanted it. There is no world where that scenario exists.
Desantis has 0.0% value outside Trump deciding not to run or being in jail or indicted. In any world where they both want it and run, Trump destroys him in one minute. If he goes after him for two days straight he’ll be polling in single digits.
I don’t think Desantis is stupid enough to fall for that, but if he does, he’ll get destroyed.
Fox and all the other conservative outlets distancing themselves because they’re getting their face sued off and refusing to run his rallies and finally talk badly about him doesn’t matter even a little.
I’m not even sure Desantis could beat him in Florida. It’s too far into the primary process and Desantis would be already dead by that point.
Every GOP voter I know kind of likes Desantis, but there is zero enthusiasm behind him, and if Trump said one bad word about him they’d hate him tomorrow.
I laughed at Trump beating Desantis in that Florida turning point straw poll by 60 points among young conservatives. Even being 30 years younger than Trump, Desantis had zero enthusiasm for that group.
There is no GOP, there is a Trump Party until he decides to quit or dies and everyone else can fall in line and kiss his ass and hope he endorses them in the future, or they have no future.