It’s not often that you get the musings of a midsized Florida newspaper and the owner of the Libs of TikTok in a single post, but 2022 has been nothing if not fascinatingly peculiar.
On one hand, the good folks at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune wonder — months before he’s likely even to announce — whether Ron DeSantis is “peaking too soon.” On the other, Libs of TikTok owner Chaya Raichik explained Tuesday morning to viewers of Fox Nation’s Tucker Carlson Today why DeSantis may never peak.
Let’s address the latter up front:
Once the anonymous reposter of worrisome videos and other content exposing children and adolescents to gender-identity enthusiasts, Raichik reports — after she was doxxed (exposed) by Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz last April and, inevitably, started receiving anonymous threats — DeSantis offered her and her family safe haven at the guest house on the grounds of the Florida governor’s mansion.
“When I was doxxed, someone from Ron DeSantis’ team called me,” Raichick said. …
“And she said the governor wanted me to give you a message. He said, if you don’t feel safe or you or your family, if you need a place to go, to hide, to stay here, you can come to the governor’s mansion. That we have a guest house for you and you can come and stay as long as you need.”
Gavin Newsom, governor of the state in which Raichik has long lived — California — who has been snarky about other decisions, was silent on DeSantis’ offer to protect one of his (Newsom’s) constituents.
So, about that peaking. For Republicans mulling the contest for president that began when Donald Trump thumped back onto the scene in early November and thrilled by DeSantis’ deft calibration of the center-right pulse, the better question about the Florida governor is, “How high is high?”
It is with that in mind that we note today’s timely reminder of how writers of headlines often fail to convey with accuracy what lurks in the story below. Tuesday’s Herald-Tribune hooks us with the type that hypes: Is Ron DeSantis peaking too soon? The spotlight is on Florida’s governor in 2023.
With a teaser like that, readers might expect a rundown on how DeSantis’ surge in the polls mirrors that of Howard Dean, Gary Hart, or Jeb Bush, all spectacular flameouts who were pollsters’ early darlings. This misapprehension is why so many social media kerfuffles would never leave the starting line if readers actually, you know, read the story.
Promised a tale of the DeSantis skyrocket’s peak parabola, what we instead get is Herald-Tribune political editor Zac Anderson’s thoughtful inspection of the opportunities and potholes that lie ahead for America’s governor.
Long story short: DeSantis is in command of the battlefield. He’ll set the agenda when legislators (with a GOP supermajority) convene for their 60-day lawmaking session in March. And what the governor doesn’t get legislatively … oh, who are we kidding? While winning re-election by 20 points, DeSantis was the earthquake that triggered Florida’s red tsunami.
While acknowledging that there’s much on the line for DeSantis in 2023 — if he does choose to seek the presidency, that is — here’s the heart of Anderson’s well-reported analysis:
DeSantis proved adept over the last two years at governing in a way that thrilled the GOP base and routinely grabbed national attention. Political observers expect more of the same, which will help DeSantis stay in the spotlight and not peak too early. [Emphasis by Tom.]
“I think what he showed in his landslide election victory is that good governance makes for good politics, and if he decides to run, that will be his message,” said George LeMieux, a Republican attorney who was chief of staff for former Gov. Charlie Crist and was appointed by Crist to a vacant U.S. Senate seat.
To be sure, with their lopsided advantages in the Legislature, Republican lawmakers may be eager to tackle social issues that, while popular among conservatives, may prove prickly for a candidate on the national stage: a “heartbeat” bill that would limit abortion access to as few as six weeks, and a “constitutional carry” bill that would allow Floridians to practice the Second Amendment openly; currently, the state requires licenses, which include modest training, for the concealed carry of firearms.
Not to worry, Republican consultant and former Florida GOP executive director Jamie Miller tells Anderson: “I think he’s focused on doing his job and that’s what I would recommend for any incumbent, to be a candidate for the next office you need to be a good steward of your current one.”
The most recent poll, conducted Nov. 8, indicates an overwhelming number of Floridians — and there are a whole bunch of us — approve. Now add Chaya Raichik and every last fan of Libs of TikTok.
