After 4 years of Trump, it’s hard to have a baseline on what normal really is anymore.
But, I’d agree that they share the same authoritarian tendencies and demagoguery.
Difference is that Trump was better at riling up a crowd, and DeSantis would actually pass the marshmallow test.
If Trump had a bit more self control, we may have had a bigger problem on our hands. And if DeSantis could command the same cult of personality that Trump does, it would be even worse.
Fortunately, it seems so far that whatever quality it is that lets one command such attention seems to be in opposition to the qualities of self-control and discipline.
And sadly, this is the worst damage he has wrought.
Agree with all your other points, too.
The good thing is, Trump will be in the race as long as it remains possible to do so, even if he runs as an independent. Even if he runs from jail. He’ll take the whole Republican party down with him if they don’t line up to support him.
They’re not lining up to support him. At least, the big money isn’t.
I may be missing something, but I just don’t see any other way it shakes out.
Trump is fundamentally incapable of dropping out of the race. First, because he has no other way out of his criminal peril (and even this is a long shot). Second, because he can’t “lose” to Biden a second time. He believes he is the rightful, anointed leader of the USA. He can’t hear anything different.
I don’t think even being charged and/or held in custody pending resolution of his criminal matters is going to stop him. Rich Republicans are doing their best to peel away. But Trump is like dog shit on your shoes. Sticks hard, no matter how unwanted.
You realize that we recently were relieved of an autocrat/wannabe dicatator-for-life as the leader of the free world (quite the ironic title, huh?), don’t you?
I look forward to the two wannabe autocrats tearing their party apart.
In fact, I’m a little surprised that the big money is turning toward DeSantis – although that may be a temporary thing. Might could even end up in a three-way Republican split!
Yeah, but it’s unlikely to carry through past the primaries. I could see Trump going off on his own since he’s such a nihlist, but if Haley or Desantis loses the primary, they’ll probably step down.
That just shows the big donors really do want this sort of society established, they just want someone who will act like a %^#$²µ respectable autocrat doing the deed.
Trump may not want to admit it, but he’ll struggle without big donors behind him. Without Federalist Society, McConnell, Koch money and others, he’ll have to declare as an independent sooner rather than later. He’s going to try and hold Republicans hostage by threatening it, but without big money and support, there’s no campaign.
Happily, I think DeSantis will be his own worst enemy. I think a lot more people are dialed in to autocratic candidates now than they were before Trump. And DeSantis can’t seem to stop handing Biden ammunition. His response to Biden’s trip to Ukraine/Poland was to point out that Russia isn’t as big a threat as it was before. Umm, duh, Ron. That’s because of what Biden has done in reuniting NATO. Dolt.
