As 2024 hopefuls prepare to face off in Milwaukee on August 23 for the first Republican primary debate of the season, Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis’ campaign continues to implode. Just when it seems like things can’t possibly get any worse for the gay-hating governor, they do. And this week has been no exception.
In addition crappy poll numbers and a heaping dump of bad press, an internal strategy memo drafted for his campaign by outside advisors just leaked and it includes some unintentionally hilarious tips for him to keep in mind as he prepares for his presidential debate stage debut, including a reminder to “show emotion” and a quote from late Fox News CEO/accused sexual predator Roger Ailes about falling into an orchestra pit.
“You have two guys on stage and one guy says, I have a solution to the Middle East problem, and the other guy falls in the orchestra pit,” the Ailes quote reads. “Who do you think is going to be on the evening news?”
The two-page memo, which was obtained by the New York Times, suggests four possible “orchestra pit” moments for DeSantis to consider, including going after Vivek Ramaswamy, who has quickly usurped his #2 spot in several polls, defending ex-president Donald Trump after his latest indictment out of Georgia, and attacking Joe Biden and the media.
We have no idea how much the DeSantis campaign paid these outside advisors for their expertise, but you know things are bad–really bad–when the best thing they can tell you is to “show emotion” so you come across as a likeable human being, or at the very least, someone who is not completely off-putting.
The recommendation comes after months of DeSantis making one embarrassing gaffe after another and behaving really, really strangely around voters on the campaign trail, as well as numerous reports from former colleagues who’ve said he’s socially awkward and unfriendly.
“I think he’s an a**hole,” former Republican Rep. David Trot, who sat next to DeSantis for two years when they both served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Politico recently. “I don’t think he cares about people.”
“I was new to Congress, and he didn’t introduce himself or even say hello,” he continued, adding that in all the time they worked together, DeSantis “never said a single word to me.”
And Florida State Sen. Joe Gruters, who served as chairman of Florida’s GOP for four years under DeSantis, told the Washington Post that he doesn’t think the guy has a chance. He’s just too unlikeable.
“The more he is met by people, the more they are not going to like him,” he said. “The more he’s out there, the more his numbers go down. It’s not a good long-term scenario for him. I fully expected the downfall of his campaign a long time ago.”
A Fox News poll published on Wednesday showed support for Ramaswamy has more than doubled since the previous poll, while DeSantis’ support remained stagnant. And an Emerson College survey released on Tuesday found Chris Christie has surpassed DeSantis in New Hampshire, a critical early presidential primary state.
If things keep going the way they’ve been going for DeSantis ever since he announced his candidacy back in May, then next Wednesday’s debate should be quite a debacle. Fire up the popcorn maker!
Related*
Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis is so unlikable now even his closest allies are ripping him a new one
Florida Republicans says they aren’t surprised that Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign is tanking.
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dbmcvey
None of these losers have a chance against Trump if they’re afraid to criticize him. DeSantis has no charisma and his whole raison d’etre is “anti-woke.” None of them are going to rise above. Christie is the only one who has shown any movement.
abfab
Christie looks like a movement.
Kangol2
Christie was a horrendous governor for New Jersey so we’re talking bottom of the barrel but this is what the GQP has become. An outright insane person, Don the Con, vs. a gaggle of wannabes, poseurs, scam artists, and crackpots. “Basket of deplorables” barely scratches the surface in terms of describing this gang, and it gets worse each election cycle!
abfab
They loved being called the deporables. They got to learn a new vocabulary word.
dbmcvey
Christie is horrible but he pulled ahead of DeSantis in the New Hampshire polls. I wouldn’t vote for any of these people, including the ones who have gone after Trump (Christie, Hurd, Hutchinson).
abfab
CHRISTIE IS HORRIBLE. FULL STOP.
barryaksarben
Christie is NOT a movement. There e will be no GOP president this time ABFLAB. sorry bitch. People are terrified of trump and they are seeing just how insane the GOP supporters are by watching the trump. and disantis shitshows. They may not like us but they aren’t ready to throw us in the fire which is what DiSantis wants and the radio al far right wants too
abfab
Barrry, oh dear sweet, gullible Barry. We meant bowel movement.
Mister P
Dick Santis is trying to change his message. He wants to back away from fighting with Disney and to have something more than his anti woke drivel.
abfab
Santis needs to change his diapers.
Kangol2
DeFascist called the deplorables “listless vessels.” He’s a weird ass f*ck, to put it mildly.
still_onthemark
“We have no idea how much the DeSantis campaign paid these outside advisors for their expertise…”
They didn’t pay anything. Queerty slightly misunderstands what this memo is. It’s by a pro-DeSantis PAC which had to post this (supposedly unsolicited) advice, publicly, so as to avoid illegally “coordinating” with the campaign. I know, it’s almost surprising that Republicans pay attention to ANY campaign or election laws at this point, but people still get indicted for “coordinating.”
barryaksarben
WTF was that laugh???
cuteguy
Duh-santis is so socially awkward you have to question what’s wrong with Florida that they would vote this loser to govern them. Disney is destroying him and now he wants to run away from a fight he started. The memo leaked is basically setting him up for Christie to turn him into Robot Rubio 2.0. He’s going from meatball Ron to Robot Ron.
bftlguy
Florida always elects its Governor in non Presidential years and in Florida and nationally Democrats have ridiculously low turnout. In 2018 DeSantis beat an almost unknown Andrew Gillum by 33,000 votes and Rick Scott beat Bill Nelson by 10,000 votes for the Senate seat statewide. Here in Broward County where I live voters support Democrats and we have over a million registered voters. In 2016 we gave Hilary a margin of almost 300,000 over Trump with 71% turnout. In 2018 with 60% turnout gave both Nelson and Gillum + 260,000 votes each but had more people voted during the two weeks of early voting or the absentee ballot on demand or even on Election Day itself two of the nastiest GOP members would be vanquished by now. Then in 2022 the Democratic Party let Charlie Crist a has been former Republican become the nominee. Not the man to rally those Broward voters he badly needed. DeSantis is term limited so he and his puppet master bride Casey will disappear but he never should be where he is and he (and so many others) were badly mistaken in thinking his overwhelming margin meant he was a rock star.
Kangol2
Thanks for this post. So essentially DeFascist will be out after this term and has to find a new job, making him particularly hungry and dangerous going forward. Rick Scott will be challenged next year for US Senator, and DeFascist has already served in the House (2013-2018), so that doesn’t leave a lot of options; does he primary Marco Rubio? Try for 2028? Go work on Wall Street? At a far-right think tank? It sounds like in the future he’s going to continue to be a national problem rather than just Florida’s, unfortunately.
abfab
Lyrics and great songs that were winners and also helpful to many of us. The chosen ones. This is not for Ron. It won’t help him. He’s stuck.
This is for other Joan fans and the kids coming up who might enjoy a new discovery. And some good advice……
Show Some Emotion
by Joan Armatrading
Show some emotion
Put expression in your eyes
Light up if you’re feeling happy
But if it’s bad then let those tears roll down
Some people hurting
Someone choking up inside, some poor souls dying
Too proud to say, they got no place to lie
And there’s people if they hear a joke
Can’t keep the laugh out of their eye
I said, “Show some emotion
Put expression in your eyes
Light up if you’re feeling happy
But if it’s bad then let those tears roll down”
Some people in love
But all they got’s a photograph
How can they feel it?
Too scared to open their mouth and ask
I said, “Show some emotion
Put expression in your eyes
Light up if you’re feeling happy
But if it’s bad then let those tears roll down”
Come on try, learn to bleed
When you get a bad fall
Light up, light up, light up if it’s nice
But if it’s bad then let those tears roll down
I said, “Show some emotion
Put expression in your eyes
Light up if you’re feeling happy
But if it’s bad then let those tears roll down”
Come on try, come on try, come on try
Learn to bleed when you get a bad fall
Light up, light up, light up if it’s nice
But if it’s bad then let those tears roll down
If it’s bad then let those tears roll down
Songwriter: Joan Armatrading
Brian
“one guy says, I have a solution to the Middle East problem”
Who? Roger Ailes is delusional. No Republican candidate has a “solution” to end conflict in the Middle East, and no U.S. president will ever be able to achieve that in 4 or 8 years… or even a generation’s time.
None of the top Republican candidates have even a rough idea of what to do. Donald Trump’s entire campaign theme is grievances over issues here in this country. He has no policy proposals, no list of priorities, no “first day” or “first 90 days” plans. He certainly never talks about how to achieve peace, not in the Middle East and not anywhere else either. Today’s Republican Party is entirely about anger and whining.
abfab
Not to mention bragging about crowd size.
Kangol2
Umm, the point of Ailes’s quote wasn’t having a solution to anything, particularly Middle East peace, it was about making a spectacle of yourself to get media attention. Please reread it again.
He’s basically saying DON’T be so focused on policy, but DO create a memorable show and you’ll be the one whom the media fawn over it. Cf. Don the Con.
Matthewnow
Born and raised in FL. He is an embarrassment of biblical proportions. A major A-hole and not the good kind.