The mainstream media and conservative media agree -- from the New York Times and CNN to the New York Post and Fox News Channel: Donald Trump is to blame for the remarkably poor showing of Republicans in the 2022 midterms.
Donald Trump wishes to set the record straight: he is not to blame.
Some on the right are looking to a new savior. Is there a man, anointed by God, in Florida (but not Mar-a-Lago) to save the Grand Old Party?
And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a protector."
So God made a fighter. . . .
Tag line: Never stop fighting for freedom.
The media is going gaga over the almost 20-percentage point victory of God's fighter, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Even granting that evangelicals may take such talk to heart, we might wish to pause and take a breath.
Ezra Klein, unconvinced that he has seen God's handiwork in the Florida election results, points to Marco Rubio and other Florida officials who did almost as well, to another governor in a state no redder than Florida (Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio) who did a bit better than DeSantis, and to numerous other governors past and present, of both parties, who have had healthy reelection numbers.
We might add that victories, such as the one Governor Gretchen Whitmer and her party scratched out on tougher terrain in Michigan, were more impressive than DeSantis's domination of Florida. And may offer more significant lessons nationally for 2024 and beyond.
Governor DeSantis may be poised to have a strong second term in Florida. Does this mean that he is ready to grab the mantle of leadership from Trump in the run-up to the 2024 election? That's easier said than done. Trump's grip is still pretty tight. And many commentators have noted among the reasons why party leaders are fearful of Trump: he would have no qualms about blowing up the Republican Party if he were challenged.
But suppose DeSantis were to succeed. Suppose he secured the nomination without a Bull Moose-style challenge to his right or wanton sabotage from a vindictive former president. Does that mean that the rest of the country -- which just decided that it is not ready to accept with open arms what the Republican Party is offering -- would welcome a President DeSantis?
Many Republicans have convinced themselves that DeSantis can deliver Trumpism without Trump, which they believe represents a talisman that could bring them victory. Perhaps, though Donald Trump won one general election. In 2016. Against Hillary Clinton. While losing the popular vote by more than 2.8 million votes cast.
Whether or not one regards Florida as an earthly paradise, it's one state out of fifty. What Ron DeSantis is dishing out in Florida may not be palatable (even without mean tweets) to the rest of the country. He may have started out as a libertarian, but he's ready to drop that as soon as a 'woke' corporation resists his vision. He is an enthusiastic culture warrior now, a superstar on Fox, ready, willing, and (in Florida) able to employ the coercive power of the state to impose his version of the chosen way on anyone standing in his path -- whether they be Venezuelan families seeking refuge in this country, or parents wishing to make life more tolerable for their gay children in public schools, or Florida voters disadvantaged by aggressive gerrymandering.
Folks beyond Florida have seen a MAGA Republican Party develop right before their eyes since that 2015 escalator ride. DeSantis, who views the world through a partisan lens and delights in picking fights, hardly represents a change of pace. That's why he's so popular with a party fueled by grievance and animosity.
Inflation is sky high. Most Americans are unhappy with the direction of the country. Joe Biden's approval rating is in the low forties. The fundamentals pointed to a red wave that didn't happen. We'll have to wait a few months for an accurate assessment of the 2022 exit polls. But right now, it sure looks like independent voters sided with Democrats -- and thus voted in favor of democracy and a conception of freedom (contrary to Dobbs and) incompatible with the version that Ron DeSantis and MAGA Republicans are offering.
Until proven wrong, I'm willing to give voters credit. Most Americans look to elected officials to govern, to seek solutions to public problems, to act on behalf of our communities, rather than to wage a culture war that divides us.