Gavin Wax’s provocative piece unfortunately recalls the tendency of some Republicans to resort to a circular firing squad. But why are Republicans, who have real political enemies pursuing dangerous goals, giving ammo to them by attacking each other?
Here’s why I disagree with pretty much everything Gavin Wax wrote:
First, his false binary comparison: You’re either for Trump or you want to bury or “cancel” him. That’s far too simplistic. The reason many Republicans want to find a better candidate than Trump is that the perception of him by the critically important swing/moderate/middle voters who will be essential to a national election victory has become so poisoned, thanks in part to Democrats’ vilifying, that he is unelectable. Firing up the base – as Trump loves to do – is a waste of time, energy, and resources. That base will always be fired up. From the day Trump was elected by a razor-thin margin over a deeply flawed opponent, his first task should have been to start widening his base of support and add more moderate voters to his coalition – but he never did, and he still isn’t doing it. That’s either political blindness or narcissistic stupidity. Vengeance (i.e., infuriating Democrats by re-electing the hated Donald) may be appealing to some Trump supporters, but it’s not enough to win less passionate voters, and because of that it’s a strategy that’s doomed to fail. (RELATED: GAVIN WAX: Republican Voters Won’t Settle For A Pale Imitation Of Donald Trump)
Wax says voters either love Trump or hate him. Well, most Democrats probably do hate him, but most conservatives are somewhere in the middle. Many who voted for Trump and supported his SCOTUS appointments and policies ultimately became disappointed not only by his failure to follow through on some of his key promises such as border enforcement but also his personal behavior, which was often unbecoming to the office and did not improve. Democrats may forgive their presidents like Bill Clinton for that, but Republicans have higher standards. Republicans don’t like being embarrassed by presidential boorishness. And many Republicans will not want to vote for Trump again if his main goals for another term are revenge and relitigating the 2020 election. The country has far more important problems to solve.
As for Ron DeSantis, how can Wax dismiss his populism as a “facade” after what DeSantis has actually done? DeSantis’ achievements are proven facts, not promises to do something in the future, which was the fate of many of Trump’s unfulfilled promises.
It also takes a lot of gall for a diehard Trump supporter to accuse anyone of “sheer hubris.” DeSantis has shown himself to be a tough, tested, and level-headed leader who is offering a range of specific, legally defensible reforms for the federal level and plans to carry them out. He has refused to lower himself to respond to Trump’s childish provocations. And his track record – as a two-term re-elected governor of a major state – includes defying the unprecedented limits on Americans’ basic freedoms that were imposed under Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci, and economic policies that have lured businesses and freedom-loving Americans from every state in the union.
Hubris? No. This is a public record of performance by a dedicated family man and veteran who has lived the kind of values that pre-Trump Republicans used to admire and expect in their presidential candidates. (RELATED: JOSH HAMMER: The Case For Ron DeSantis)
In fact, Wax’s crack about “blind ambition” actually fits Trump rather than DeSantis. Yes, the Florida governor’s motivation is ambitious: Anyone who aspires to be president must be ambitious. But it is not blind. DeSantis’ motivation comes from a clear-eyed recognition of the need for conservatives to win a national election and stop as soon as possible the arguably treasonous abandonment of our borders and our national military defense, the alienation of our erstwhile international allies, the destruction of our energy independence, and the transformation of our economy from its historically independent capitalism to a dependent socialism where many young people appear to be avoiding demanding work or careers and others either quit or never even seek work because they can get paid to stay home and do nothing except keep voting for the Democrats who promise endless handouts through forgiven loans and increasingly limited and delegated healthcare.
DeSantis’ record of public service shows that he has the drive, the discipline, and the intelligence to achieve these goals. Trump’s record cannot compare.
It’s time for Trump backers to stop trying to destroy an attractive, up-and-coming conservative leader who, unlike Trump, actually has a chance to appeal to the huge number of moderate Americans who will also be voting, and win the next national presidential election.
David S. Jackson spent 23 years covering politics and the world for Time magazine, then held senior communications roles in the State and Defense departments.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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