This is just embarrassing for Ron DeSantis
Ever since he rather unexpectedly became governor of Florida four years ago, Ron DeSantis has been a rather popular commodity among the punditry. A number of conservative pundits and even the moderates, hail him as what the next wave of conservatism will look like. If it is, then it really looks a hell of a lot like the current wave – and it’s at least as awful, if not worse. Liberal pundits tend to hold him up as some sort of boogeyman – a more dangerous Trump who can convince voters he’s normal – even though nearly all of his antics have been pandering to the lunatics who supported Trump and who probably won’t switch their loyalty any time soon.
At the moment, DeSantis is facing pushback for his attacks on public schools at home, so he’s begun taking his show on the road. He hasn’t officially announced that he’s running for president yet, but he is going through the motions of someone who is running for president.
On Monday, Governor DeSantis decided to make an appearance in New York – in the reliably Republican stronghold of Staten Island, to tout himself as a candidate who’s tough on crime. In a place like this, he should’ve had no trouble getting people to show, particularly as the election is drawing closer.
It was an embarrassingly low turnout affair – with less than 100 people attending – at a more generous estimate. Contrary to the Beltway punditry, DeSantis, even with his sizable name recognition, can’t turn out any crowds outside of his home state. He’s not only beatable, he’s not even all that popular.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making