When I was still on the Trump train in 2022, I remade an old 2020 campaign sign. I replaced Mike Pence, who should have returned the questionable Electoral results back to the key swing states, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. I displayed in the sign during a pro-life rally in Santa Monica. Not exactly the most welcoming venue, but I didn’t care. They would have been a dream team. And now, if Trump’s dream of returning to the White House is to have any chance of coming true, he needs to bring in Ron DeSantis.
Let’s not fool ourselves here. Trump barely carried the Iowa caucuses with 51% of the vote. In 1980, incumbent president Jimmy Carter almost captured 60% of the vote, but he had to fight US Senator Ted “Chappaquiddick” Kennedy al the way to the nomination. “The Dream will never die,” bellowed the Boston Brahmin, recognizing that his four years of machinations against Carter and for the presidency had all sunk in the Potomac. Then Carter went on to lose to Governor Ronald Reagan. Of course, Carter was also dealing with another liberal nattional party contender, Republican-turned-Independent Congressman John Anderson of Illinois, who very likely siphoned away enough votes for Reagan to upend the incumbent.
The disaffected third-party candidates make the difference. In 1992, George H. W. Bush got dragged down from his right by Patrick J. Buchanan, who wanted more culture war and a return to lower taxes for working Americans. Independent Ross Perot siphoned votes away, and Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton knocked out the GOP incumbent.
In Election 2024, we are looking at at least three strong or well-known independents and third-party challengers: Robert Kennedy, Cornel West, and Jill Stein. They are all left-leaning, although Kennedy is reaching out to disaffected Republicans and Democrats by stressing the importance of health freedom and civil liberties. Joe Biden is in trouble. If the No Labels Movement brings in Joe Manchin, then Democrats are in really big trouble. Yes, Joe Biden can lose 2024.
However with the ongoing unfavorables weighing down Trump, it’s all too likely that voters will stick with the Devil they know and vote for Joe for four more years. Furthermore, there is nothing to stop the DNC from releasing the delegates from Joe Biden to someone else, i.e. Gavin Newsom, Michelle Obama, who will be even more competitive than Biden, who is mired in favorable percentages in the 30’s. Kamala Harris will get pushed aside for the other black woman whose magical last name will charm the voters, and Democratic woke enthusiasts will be thrilled to vote for TWO black women on the ticket. Oh, the significance of the passage of time!
But back to the Iowa and now the New Hampshire results.
Trump won 51% of Iowa caucus voters, and 54% of New Hampshire voters. Yes, the horrific weather contributed to the lower Iowa turnout, but Governor DeSantis shared with Steve Deace in a post-mortem interview that a number of prior caucus goers were foregoing the exercise this year. They wanted someone else, but they felt that Trump’s ascendancy was inevitable, so they didn’t go. With all of these mitigating factors, Trump still scored 51% of the vote. Only 51%!
That’s 49% that voted for someone else, and the remainer was nearly evenly split between Nikki Haley and DeSantis. I predict that that division is only going to fester for the remainder of the primary season. Yes, NeoCon Nikki, propped up with corporate money and fawning corporate media, will run this campaign as long as she can. Big donors from the military-industrial complex have the money to burn, and Nikki has nothing but time and lobbyist jobs waiting for her once this primary ends.
Trump needs to coalesce a still fractured GOP, and the best way to do that is to bring Governor Ron DeSantis onto the ticket. There’s 20-25% of the Republican electorate—including myself—that is not on board with Trump. If necessary, I am prepared to write in Ron DeSantis, and let the election results land where they may in November. Trump can’t ignore the fact that DeSantis is Trump with results, more polished on the campaign trail, without the baggage, willing to do what is best for the team. He has already endorsed President Trump, and he has lost nothing of his conservative, constitutionalist swagger which made him a Republican rockstar.
Trump needs to heal the divide BEFORE the convention. Incumbent Gerald Ford in 1976 faced a bitterly divided conference all the way to the convention, then pulled off the win on the first ballot. Conservatives were not happy, even though Governor Reagan took the podium, celebrated the RNC platform’s bold colors, and gave a subtle endorsement for the Ford-Dole ticket. Ford still lost. Imagine if Ford had brought Reagan onto the ticket. Maybe then we would have never had to suffer through a Carter presidency!
Trump and his campaign have burned so many bridges. Trump’s influencers have been particularly petty. A wide swath of them don’t want any olive branch extended to the DeSantis people. Even on my little social media feeds, I still get blowback from other Republicans who can’t believe that I would rather settle for four more years of Dementia Joe than Donald Trump. But the acrimony is still there. The lack of trust is palpable. Trump didn’t keep promises during his first term. Whether due to his own incompetence or the insolence of the executive corps around him, he failed. The best way to restore any kind of trust is to bring on a tried-and-true conservative warrior who can also serve as GOP successor.
So, President Trump, the choice is yours. Do you want a chance at winning again? You can’t make it on your own record. Bring on Governor Ron DeSantis for the VP slot. Then you will have my vote. Otherwise, I am totally at peace writing in the Governor of Florida and resigning myself to four more years of Biden failures.