Scarred DeSantis staffers form a support group

[brooklynite]

Politico

RON DESANTIS is looking ahead to reelection next year and quite possibly a 2024 bid for president — but he’s left behind a trail of former disgruntled staffers and has no long-standing political machine to mount a national campaign, DeSantis vets say.

We talked to a dozen or so onetime aides and consultants to the Florida governor, and they all said the same thing: DeSantis treats staff like expendable widgets. He largely relies on a brain trust of two: himself and his wife, CASEY DESANTIS, a former local TV journalist. Beyond that there are few, if any, “DeSantis people,” as far as political pros are concerned.

Yes, DeSantis recently hired highly regarded operative PHIL COX. But there’s no savant that he’s been through the trenches with, like a KARL ROVE or DAVID AXELROD — let alone an army of loyalists. That’s probably not fatal to his White House prospects, but it can’t help.

A few key nuggets from our reporting:

— A “support group” of former DeSantis staffers meets regularly to trade war stories about their hardship working for the governor. The turnover in his office and among his campaign advisers is well known among Republicans: In three of his five full years in Congress, he ranked in at least the 70th percentile in terms of highest turnover in a House office, according to data compiled by Legistorm. In the governor’s office, he has only two staffers who started with him when he was a junior member of Congress.

[Baitball Blogger]

1. kick

[Bettie]

2. It is interesting and unsurprising

that all of these right wing assclowns are abusive to their staff.

Although, that doesn't seem to be limited to right wingers entirely, we have some of that type on our side too, men with a staggering sense of entitlement who see abuse of people around them as their right.

[blm]

3. That's the tell. They see the position as the right to abuse.

[Bettie]

4. It all melds together,

all those signs about businesses 'not being able to find employees'...ask former employees and you'll see this same thing, abusive white dudes (most of the time) who think it is their right to abuse, well, everyone.

[KS Toronado]

6. Please, abusive people come in all shapes, forms, religions, sexes, nationalities, & skin tones

[Elessar Zappa]

10. But it's

white dudes who are in control in this country, for the most part. I say that as a white dude.

[Submariner]

5. DeSantis may have picked up that trait in the Navy

I was enlisted and the all of officer types like DeSantis treated the enlisted like the so-called expendable widgets.

He was an in the rear with the gear Jag officer, which makes it very likely he stepped on all his subordinates to make himself look good on his way to where he is now.

A very Trumpian personality trait, narcissistic just like his Donnie boy. I wonder if DeSantis's father was as much of a racist assh*le as the former guy's father. That's where the shit starts...at home.

[certainot]

7. disantis is a proud dittohead, by the way. has a diploma or something

[Jon King]

8. I truly hope he is their guy in 2024.

He would be demolished nationally. Lacks Trumps celebrity or gift of wowing a crowd of idiots, yet still would be seen as a Trumper. He comes from Florida which most of the country sees as a joke state except for the winter weather. He also is short and creepy looking, which in this day and age, matters to some voters.

Desantis would get absolutely destroyed, losing every state Trump lost. He might even lose NC and TX too. Even voter supression could not help him.

[StevieM]

13. First of all, I expect 2024 to be a rematch between Biden and Trump.

Second, I expect DeSantis to be the GOP nominee in 2028, likely running against Kamala Harris.

By 2028 the GOP will have run multiple swift boating operations, and they are often quite good. That is how Trump became president. He had nothing to do with his own victory, other than the fact that he nearly blew it. But the GOP smear machine was so good that even Trump could not find a way to lose.

DeSantis will be a much better candidate than Trump was. He could very well win. And a DeSantis victory could mean the end of our country as we know it. Like many GOPers these days, I don't think he really believes in democracy.

[Volaris]

14. I'll argue your third point. It was only because they had already spent 2 decades

Smearing hillary, that that shit worked. For a whole new 'swiftboat' campaign to be effective against Harris, youd need the team that has run them in the past...and I dont think youd get most of them to get close enough to trump to kick him in the balls for money.

[StevieM]

15. A few years before running for president in 2016

she had been the most popular public figure in America. She finished up as Secretary of State with 69 percent job approval and 66 percent personal favorability.

It took a long time for the GOP to bring those numbers down. They had to swift boat her long and hard. People forget how popular and trusted she had become.

I don't think Trump will beat Biden in 2024, just that he will be the Republican candidate. It is 2028 when they will be well-positioned to swift boat, especially since it seems like after Democrats have been in power for almost 8 years the American people are more susceptible to falling for their smear tactics and their phony, contrived "scandals."

[johnthewoodworker]

9. A Republican/Nazi politician who's mean spirited and nasty. Seems normal.

[ZenDem]

11. He makes me think of Damien Thorn...

...in the last Omen movie. I'd post a pic, but I'm too lazy to set up an account.

[hay rick]

12. His brand in two sentences:

Own the libs. Kiss Trump's ass.

[BlueNProud]

16. He's a ghoul. They're all ghouls.