Weird Debate: Govs. DeSantis and Newsom Go At It Tonight
[guest post by Dana]
I don’t even know what is going on here. California’s Gov. Newsom is going to be debating Florida’s Gov. DeSantis (and Republican presidential candidate) tonight. Fox personality Sean Hannity will be moderating the event, and there will be no audience in attendance.
And why are they doing this? I don’t know. I’m sure their massive egos are the prime drivers here. But I also think there is political positioning taking place too. Gov. Newsom said he would not run against President Biden for the 2024 election, yet he is making his ‘national debut’ tonight in a debate with a noted Republican governor who hopes to become the next president. As Biden falters with his progressive flank (the latest issue being his support of Israel), and Senate and House Democrats continue to voice concerns about his age and the accompanying lapses that come with being an octogenarian, the pressure is mounting for him to step down. Gov. Newsom might be a considered viable replacement. After all, the California governor has the skill set that VP Kamala Harris doesn’t have: He can walk and talk and chew gum at the same time. And he knows politics, and he knows how to reach his base. He also has the charm and appearance that draws people to him. Additionally, he is the governor of the largest state in the country. While I have never voted for Newsom, I can see the draw. Newsom brings to the table what Harris doesn’t, and is unable to.
DeSantis must be panicking at this point. His poll numbers consistently lag behind Trump, who still leads by a wide margin. And just this week, billionaire Charles Koch announced that he would be backing Nikki Haley. So what has DeSantis got to lose? Not much. But I guess he could stand to gain some good publicity for himself and Republicans at large if he cleans Newsom’s clock. While DeSantis is also the popular governor of a large state, his appearances have been lackluster, and his tilt toward authoritarianism should not be ignored. Unfortunately for DeSantis and Haley, they are still playing for second place. Unbelievably.
You can watch the debate on Fox News at 6 pm tonight.
—Dana
“Unbelievably “ as in: Trump is still leading and it’s simply mind-boggling and an indictment against Republican voters at this point.
Dana (932d71) — 11/30/2023 @ 4:49 pmWell, Ross Perot and Al Gore once had a debate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=0fi8OOAKuGQ
Sammy Finkelman (f1a67c) — 11/30/2023 @ 5:38 pmPeople who like attention are attention seeking?
Nic (896fdf) — 11/30/2023 @ 5:47 pmPreening.
Dana (932d71) — 11/30/2023 @ 5:56 pmI’m glad DeSantis is doing so well in his presidential campaign that he can take the time to debate someone who is not 1) a Republican or 2) a presidential candidate.
Days until Iowa caucuses: 40
538 Iowa polling average: Trump +27 over DeSantis; DeSantis +2 over Haley.
Rip Murdock (1992c1) — 11/30/2023 @ 6:05 pmCorrection: It’s 46 days until the Iowa caucuses.
Well, Ross Perot and Al Gore once had a debate.
Neither was a presidential candidate at the time who was 47 points behind the leading candidate.
Rip Murdock (1992c1) — 11/30/2023 @ 6:13 pmThere should be more open discussions, debates, by opposed leaders. This is a good thing.
Richard J Wetmore (7abb7e) — 11/30/2023 @ 6:18 pmNot recently.
And Trump leads DeSantis in the FL presidential primary by 37 points.
Rip Murdock (1992c1) — 11/30/2023 @ 6:27 pmIt’s good for one of two and it’s not DeSantis.
Rip Murdock (1992c1) — 11/30/2023 @ 6:33 pmRip Murdock (1992c1) — 11/30/2023 @ 6:33 pm
Desantis has more facts, but when he inflects all I hear is a boy-in-puberty voice. Bearing is lacking. Newsome delivers the message better but is making up his own facts. A stark difference in the perspective and language of the two polar opposites.
Richard J Wetmore (7abb7e) — 11/30/2023 @ 8:06 pmI think Gavs got smoked, on a weird way I think it’s Hannitys weird way of inducing a come to Jesus for RDS, giving Trump a chance to reconsider the pre-2022 odds on favorite for VP and also sticking a knife in Tucker’s VP aspirations, loyal Fox man Sean is.
urbanleftbehind (538d19) — 11/30/2023 @ 8:11 pmUnless you are a dyed-in-the-wool leftist, Gavin got nuked. DeSantis clearly had facts and reality on his side.
NJRob (eb56c3) — 11/30/2023 @ 9:08 pmTucker as VP? Lincoln wept.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 11/30/2023 @ 9:09 pmCan DeSantis move to CA and run for governor?
Kevin M (ed969f) — 11/30/2023 @ 9:10 pmHere’s the LA Times and leftist (birm) refrain:
“[DeSantis] had the boost from Hannity, who geared the questions toward issues that benefited DeSantis.”
As opposed to all those “centrist” questions of interest to Californians that GOP candidates usually get in debate.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 11/30/2023 @ 9:13 pm“[DeSantis] had the boost from Hannity, who geared the questions toward issues that benefited DeSantis.”
Yeah, over at NRO one of the writers made the point that Democrats who complain about Hannity need to understand that this is exactly what Republicans put up with every time a debate features questions from panelists affiliated with NPR, CNN, PBS, NBC, ABC, CBS, the New York Times, the Washington Post, etc.
JVW (ce7bca) — 11/30/2023 @ 10:36 pmNothing about nyt article about fox’s friend netanyahu knowing in advance that hamas would attack for almost a year and did nothing even after 3 days before attack egyptian intelligence phoned netanyahu.
asset (e9353b) — 11/30/2023 @ 10:40 pmI watched for about 10min. Heard about charges of book banning by Newsom…then there was a lot of talking over each other. There were claims and counter claims about education performance. The problem was it was hard to know what was true and what was spin. It felt that each was doing his fair share of spinning data and claims and avoiding context.
In my 10min, neither came across as especially likable. There was no consensus to treat some of these hot-button issues as adults….and pay some homage to federalism. Both seemed willing to run over federalism if they got to the White House. Both were there to battle the caricature of the other that has been built up.
For me, DeSantis seems too pressed to make America into Florida. I’m not sure that’s what we want from the President. Both seem way too authoritarian for my taste. I prefer Romney’s view of what might work in Massachusetts might not work or be preferred in other locations. Conclusion: DeSantis better than Trump but still not better than Haley.
AJ_Liberty (b2a25a) — 12/1/2023 @ 4:23 amI was driving and didn’t watch. I do see lots of “DeSantis has facts” here, so I’ll ask: which facts are you talking about? Is it about per capital COVID death rate, drug overdose death rate, firearm death rate, suicide rate, accident mortality rate, something else?
SamG (4d254c) — 12/1/2023 @ 5:20 amAutocorrect hates “per capita”*
SamG (4d254c) — 12/1/2023 @ 5:21 amMore complaining by the media that Hannity, oblivious to how it reflects on their own faults.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 12/1/2023 @ 7:51 amGingrich responds to ex-wife questions in 2008:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VwV14NZrsQ
Kevin M (ed969f) — 12/1/2023 @ 7:54 amDeSantis made that argument before he announced his campaign, so it’s not really surprising.
Rip Murdock (b88d19) — 12/1/2023 @ 8:38 amI’m still trying to understand the point of this “debate.” Newsom isn’t a presidential candidate; DeSantis is but hopelessly behind Trump nationally; fading to third or fourth place in Iowa or NH; and totally dominated by Trump in his own state of Florida.
Shouldn’t DeSantis be out in Iowa kissing babies or something?
Rip Murdock (b88d19) — 12/1/2023 @ 8:52 amDeSantis in NH is in fourth place, polling at -38 behind Trump; -11 behind Haley; -3 points behind Christie; and virtually tied with Ramaswamy.
How did this “debate” improve his polling (against anyone)? I seriously doubt it will.
Rip Murdock (b88d19) — 12/1/2023 @ 9:04 amDeSantis gets to bash a commie on Fox. What’s not to like?
Kevin M (ed969f) — 12/1/2023 @ 9:04 amWasted time and effort, which could have been put to better use, like bashing one of his real political opponents. I think DeSantis knows he won’t win the nomination or even a primary. He will be a ghost candidate by the time the Florida primary rolls around (March 19, 2024.)
Rip Murdock (b88d19) — 12/1/2023 @ 9:09 amRip Murdock (b88d19) — 12/1/2023 @ 9:04 am
A “debate” gets more a audience than as standard radio or television interview.
No single appearance can do very much.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 12/1/2023 @ 10:14 amTrump supporters watch Hannity on Fox. If he looks more competent than Trump and has less negatives, maybe he peels off some support. This was less a debate about being President though and more a debate about competing ideologies. In essence, Red States are better than Blue States. Except for ideologues, it doesn’t make sense to make this case. The President isn’t the President of the Red States of America, but must demonstrate an ability to govern everyone and lead our country despite it being divided. It was annoying to watch because there’s a lot at play with the numbers in a given state. It’s not just all the governor with a magic knob that he must jerk one way to make everything better. The constituency is your constituency, like Romney in Massachusetts. My guess will be that DeSantis did not expand his appeal much beyond those that already favor him.
AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 12/1/2023 @ 11:00 amFIFY
Rip Murdock (b88d19) — 12/1/2023 @ 11:18 amDeSantis tried to make it a general election debate but he forgot that he needs to win the nomination first.
Rip Murdock (b88d19) — 12/1/2023 @ 11:28 amSome people maybe took it as an early 2028 general election debate.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 12/1/2023 @ 11:32 am@29
This. Right here is why DeSantis wanted this.
Zero clue as to why Newson wanted this. My guess is he vastly underestimated DeSantis.
whembly (5f7596) — 12/1/2023 @ 11:39 amJust finished watching the replay.
THIS IS WHAT I WANTED FROM DESANTIS!
He clearly creamed Newsom.
whembly (5f7596) — 12/1/2023 @ 12:02 pm