If Donald Trump remains steadfastly fixated on the year 2020 — the former President still insists he won the election, despite numerous court findings — he’s not the only Republican presidential candidate seeking to shine a spotlight on that year.
As political observer Russell Drew points out in sharing the video below, Florida Governor and GOP presidential contender Ron DeSantis is also focused on the COVID era. “It’s bizarre,” Drew asserts, “that the DeSantis campaign keeps running on COVID.”
But as Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis makes clear below, speaking in Iowa, it isn’t about COVID per se, it’s about portraying the Governor as a rugged individualist, a maverick who bucks trends and marches to his own drummer, etc. (Even when other Republicans can’t hear the drum.)
The Governor’s wife uses COVID and Florida’s response as a chance to list her husband’s enemies — those who “came after him” — and the list is comprehensive.
It’s bizarre that the DeSantis campaign keeps running on COVID, an issue that few voters are even talking about anymore. I haven’t heard a conversation about it in months. Besides, DeSantis has nothing to be proud of. He let COVID run wild like coeds on spring break. https://t.co/rbqFIpZxJ3
— Russell Drew (@RussOnPolitics) August 5, 2023
Who “came after” the Governor? DeSantis lists her husband’s critics: “The Left. Corporate media. The Medical Establishment. Even his fellow Republicans.” It’s a big list, when one considers it leaves almost nobody out.
The list — notably including Republicans and people possessing medical expertise — is presented to show just how little Ron DeSantis cares about the approval of others and how little he is influenced by his enemies.
The enemies list illustrates — from the DeSantis campaign perspective — how far out on a limb the candidate will go to protect “freedom” — as he claims his COVID policies did.
[NOTE: After generally following lockdown policies, DeSantis re-opened Florida for business faster than most states and eschewed a mask mandate. As CBS News reported: “Florida unwound restrictions throughout May and June, and Florida cases rocketed up through the summer.”]
Being brave enough to stick with policies that are disparaged by everybody — even people on your own side — is presented here by Casey DeSantis as one of her husband’s strengths. DeSantis’s poll numbers don’t yet reflect the effectiveness of this messaging.
