A solid dive by Law.Com and Daily Business Review into the background of who is financing Donald Trump versus who is financing Ron DeSantis should help to clarify the nature of the difference between them.
President Trump is funded primarily from massive amounts of small contributions from small donors, the MAGA base.
Governor Ron DeSantis is funded primarily by a small group of exclusive Wall Street corporations, billionaires and hedge fund managers, and almost no small donors.
Essentially, if you are thinking about MAGA populism -vs- corporate republicanism; well, there’s the issue in easiest to understand data form.
Additionally, the new managers of DeSantis have recently noticed the vulnerability and hired firms to try and stimulate small donor amounts in an effort to avoid the jaw dropping difference in average donation. A strategy deployed by Jeb Bush in 2015. Pay attention to the names giving large donations to DeSantis and you will see: (a) where the economic policy distinction comes from; and (b) where the RDS branding and consulting image is coming from.
Business Daily Review – Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has raised more money than Donald Trump since the former president left office, relying on deep-pocketed donors rather than the small-dollar contributors he’ll need if he seeks the White House in 2024.
DeSantis … has amassed $142 million from the start of 2021 through Aug. 5 this year from donors such as the hedge fund billionaires Ken Griffin and Paul Tudor Jones. That tops the $136 million Trump collected over a slightly shorter period.
Unlike Trump, who relies largely on a network of small-dollar donors to fund his postpresidential political operations, DeSantis has raised the bulk of his money from a small number of wealthy donors writing him giant checks. That gives him plenty of money for his reelection effort in Florida, where laws allow unlimited contributions.
But it also raises doubts about the level of grassroots support for DeSantis and suggests he’ll have to widen his fundraising base for any presidential bid because federal rules limit direct contributions to candidates to just $2,900 per donor.
About 500 donors have given $50,000 or more to Friends of Ron DeSantis, his political action committee which under Florida law can accept donations in unlimited amounts, accounting for $88 million of his fundraising haul. His big donors come from finance and real estate, health care and construction and a wide range of other businesses, a Bloomberg analysis of Florida campaign finance filings shows.
By contrast, donors who made contributions of less than $200 accounted for $8 million, or just 6%, of his haul. Unlike Trump, who’s raised $74 million or 54% of his total from January 2021 through June 30 from small-dollar donors, DeSantis doesn’t send multiple, daily fundraising pitches to supporters. Recently his campaign went a month without sending a text message to potential donors who signed up to receive them.
His top 500 donors include 10 billionaires, including Citadel’s Griffin, who moved his hedge fund’s headquarters to Miami from Chicago 14 months after giving $5 million. Other contributors include Tudor Jones, the chief executive officer of Tudor Investment Corp., Home Depot Inc. co-founder Bernard Marcus and Thomas Peterffy, the chairman of Interactive Brokers Inc. (read more)
Ron DeSantis has done a great job in Florida, mostly on social impact issues. However, on a national policy level, specifically on a presidential level for 2024, the donor influence becomes troubling.
Issues around school choice, school boards, woke policy and social issues in general are easier to handle for voters at a local level. City, county and state representatives, and the elections they come from, are the people and places where voters can make a substantive difference in their own outcome.
As a parent or individual you have the ability to fight back against social and ideological issues at a city, county and state level. However, when it comes to issues of national economics, international trade policy and national energy policy, those battles happen at the federal level. That’s where the President of the United States has a major influence.
As examples, the price of gasoline and energy are influenced by the president through regulatory policy. Similarly, international trade agreements, economic policy and monetary policy, have consequences for domestic investment, economic growth, jobs, employment, wage growth and expanded domestic wealth.
Simply put, the president has a strong impact on the nation, and the people within it, from an economic perspective.
All modern republicans are incapable of executing a policy that is pro-U.S. worker, because every modern republican is a beneficiary of Wall Street, hedge funds and multinational corporate contributions; exactly like those outlined for Ron DeSantis. As a consequence, economic policy adverse to the interests of Wall Street, Banks, hedge funds and multinational corporations do not come from modern republican politicians.
This dynamic reflects the distinction that made Donald Trump unique.
Unlike traditional republicans, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders both agreed on the problem. Where they disagreed was the solution.
Donald Trump used domestic economic policy tools like trade tariffs and countervailing duties to change the corporate behavior of the multinationals. Bernie Sander’s approach is to regulate the corporations and force a behavior change.
Put another way, Bernie wants to change the economic referees, while Trump’s approach is to change the economic rules of the game and let the teams play it.
You might remember a large percentage of Bernie Sanders voters joined team Trump in 2016. That’s because both teams agreed on the problem within our national economic situation. The result was MAGA, a massive coalition of working-class voters, based on economics, that cuts through every social distinction of race, color, sex, orientation, etc. The issue that binds the MAGA voters together is economic policy.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is a good governor for Florida, and he should be reelected easily. However, do not fool yourself into believing the massive coalition of MAGA voters would ever transfer to a corporate republican. It will not. EVER.
When people ask me who should come in after Trump, my answer is simple…. Show me the economic nationalist.
If there isn’t another one,… well, what does that tell you about the Republican party?
Last point. Florida republicans have a major blind spot they keep ignoring and DeSantis is very lucky Charlie Crist doesn’t have the resources to exploit it.
Housing costs, rents and homeowners’ insurance in Florida have skyrocketed. In some places home insurance has tripled just this year; yes, tripled. Energy costs also increased massively in Florida, in many areas electricity rates have doubled. Water utility costs in Florida have consistently been the highest in the nation due to the nature of the infrastructure and rapid expansion of the population. Additionally, property tax costs -even with homestead protections- are a serious issue for lots of voters.
Put those economic issues, all being ignored by the governor’s office – as he campaigns around the country to raise his national profile, on top of high gasoline and food prices and DeSantis is very vulnerable on the way Floridians feel about their economic security.
Focusing on wokeism and social issues is an option when economic issues are not in crisis. However, focusing on social issues while ignoring the economic pain and crisis, and you find yourself looking detached. aloof and vulnerable to political attack….. Then again, a typical republican.
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What do we do with the RNC Club? That is the question, not DeSantis or any other Republican being the chosen one and receiving donor(Club) money. How do we destroy them(Club) but still remain in power? That is the question.
From the moment Trump came down the stairs in 2016, the powers to be aligned to ridicule and smear him. The Media tried to expose him with too much attention in the hopes it would diminish him as a viable candidate. When it didn’t work, both the Media, Democrats and the RNC Club worked together to destroy his candidacy. This much is obvious. Everyone associated with DC tried to destroy him and this continued throughout his Presidency.
I kept asking myself why are they trying so desperately to destroy this man? Reagan was an outsider (though a politician ),but he was Never treated this way. Something was up. Russia investigation(began 2016), Ukraine phone call, two impeachments, Covid, stopping the counting at midnight election night, and Jan 6 all led me to question everything and everyone.
The government is corrupt on all levels, I mean a level of corruption that if exposed would destroy the very fabric of this experiment in a Constitutional Republic. Hillary, the DNC, Obama, Bush, the RNC, Justice(FBI) and probably the entire Senate have been participating in something(spying, Benghazi, election fraud?,9-11? etc) that each and everyone knew threatened our Constitution and the foundations of our government. This is the only answer that rang true.
I believe Trump has to run as a third party candidate now. The RNC has demonstrated that they are not going to play ball, and Trump and MAGA is running out of time. Playing the long game seems to play into the RNC hands as they continue to go after Trump believing fully that the MAGA movement is only about one man. With McConnell’s recent statements we know they are trying to avoid what should be a landslide mid-term election.
Trump and MAGA need a strategy to fight the Club and winning elections with MAGA candidates is one way, but all these efforts can be marginalized by McConnell and his ilk. And winning local elections is important and part of a decent strategy but we need a better strategy on winning the Presidency that would permanently destroy the Club.(See the 1860 election). And I know, we could use a divided Democratic Party like then- but then that was what this mid-term election was suppose to bring about.
As the article says, small donors are Trump’s life blood.
Donate ONLY to the candidate of your choice.
Starve the RNC of money/support.
To donate to the RNC is the same as a donation to the GOPe.
I agree but the Club doesn’t rely on small donors to survive, which should be obvious at this stage.
Withhold your money and withhold your vote from the Republican party. Do not feed the RNC machine.
Go Galt, if you can.
Most of all, get right with God and pray.
I believe He is sorting the wheat from the chaff.
This is a battle between good and evil. We can’t deny that now. It is not between political parties or between human vs. human.
It is a battle between God and Satan. We humans are stuck in between. We live on the battlefield. Choose your side carefully.
The good news is, the Lord wins!
So you’d have us vote Dem or not vote at all in Nov sorry…I will vote straight R in Nov. I fortunateky have all excellent candidates to vote for in AZ this Nov. Not voting is how we got here… want change. Then show up and vote in primaries, that’s where we make changes.
Look into the precinct strategy common sense. Dan Schultz has been helping organize MAGA minded people to take over the GOP from the ground up. Everyone here should look into it. We need to participate. Get involved, let your voice be heard.
Common Sense,
Apperently, you haven’t been paying attention.
First off, after Perot both wings of the Uniparty ‘shored up’ their vulnerable flank, by making it virtually impossible for a NEW ‘third party’ (more accurately, a SECOND party) to be able to form and get a viable candidate on the ballot in all 50 States.
And, they (IMHO) further shored things up by taking operational control of the already established “3rd parties” like the libertarian party, green party, etc.
Notice that Ron Paul, a LIBERTARIAN, ran as a REPUBLICAN in 2012, knowing he had “no shot” running as a Libertarian.
And most relevant, PDJT has made it ubundantly clear he has NO INTEREST in forming a 3 rd party.
Its pretty obvious he could announce he was leaving the R party, forming an A1 party, and MOST of his supporters would go with him, myself included.
However, there is MORE to a political party than base (voters) and a leader. And, there is more to politics than POTUS and DC.
There is a whole, organised structure, State party structure, fundraising, and State and local offices.
There IS a STRATEGY, with TACTICS, and it IS being implemented even as we discuss this.
It capitalises on our STRENGTH IN NUMBERS.
Firstly, the Precinct strategy of MAGA patriots swamping the local R party meetings, and voting out the GOPe types running the operation, and replacing them with MAGA.
And moving up, taking out those in control positions from Precinct Captain up to State Executive Board.
As that is accomplished, the weighted thumb on the scales while professing “the Party stays neutral till after the primaries” is lifted.
So, no more “splitter” candidates to divide the MAGA vote and get the RINO through the primaries, and in time the funneling of big donor $ to the RINO.
Without such measures, the MAGA Candidate has a level, or at least closer to level playing field in the primary, and our numerical Superiority comes into play, overcoming their $ advantage.
THIS is EXACTLY what we just saw in Az.
And, on Voting day, SWAMP THE VOTE, which “Breaks the Algorythm” which we ALSO saw in Az.
In addition, voters being “onto” their tricks and immediately “calling” them out on it.
For instance, they TRIED “sharpiegate 2.0” again in Az. during this primary.
Telling voters in urban MAGA districts, who voted on election day that they must use suppiled sharpies to mark ballots; didn’t work.
They shorted two rural counties R ballots, as well.
Immediately exposed, and the R county recorder was relieved of his duties and censured by the R party.
These are voter suppression tactics; every MAGA ballot they eliminate is one less they have to produce a ghost vote to cancel out.
True A1 MAGA candidates ARE “Standing up” across the country, for election to offices from School board and County Commisioner to Gov.
It is now relatively easy to discern “MAGA or RINO”.
They need our $, and our INVOLVEMENT in the State party, in order to give them a fairer election.
We need to USE our numerical superiority.
And we need to FIGHT like our lives depend on it because they do.
And, you’ll notice all those who have fallen for the ruse of registering as “unaffiliated” cause they love saying “I am an Independant!” are removing themselves from the battlefield; can’t vote out RINOS from control positions in the party, if you aren’t a REPUBLICAN, and in many States you can’t vote in the REPUBLICAN primary, either.
And, right now, THATS where the battle is taking place.
Establishing transparent election integrity involves a MAGA team; MAGA GOV., SoS, State Legislature, County Recorders, County Boards of Supervisors, and AG, DAs, County Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (to prosecute).
And, in order to get that, within the State Republican party we need MAGA; State and County Executive Committees, State, County and District Chairs, Precinct captains and volonteers.
Thats the Stategy and the tactics, in a nutshell. And, it requires a lot less energy than a futile attempt to start a seperate MAGA party which has NO hope of getting anywhere.
Nobody said it would be EASY, but it IS possible.
Starting a 3rd party is frankly, not.
Look, I know what you’re saying and I know a third party would not be easy. And believe it or not I have been paying attention especially to the RNC efforts against MAGA in particular.
You might think this strategy will work but by the time it does Trump will probably no longer be in the picture and then the question is just who is going to fight the RNC like Trump is doing? How much power will the RNC hold over these new candidates when this does happen. If at the very least we can’t even get new leadership in the Senate and House, what makes you think this strategy is actually working?
But there has been no other candidate until Trump who has enough support to successfully run and win on a third party ticket in my opinion. Splitting the Democrats would certainly help in this effort and that is what we should be focused on by destroying them in this mid-term election. But ask yourself what is actually happening as we speak? What is the RNC doing to make sure this election is a route which may actually assist in splitting the DNC? And what is McConnell doing right now?
Trump can successfully do this in my opinion. I no longer believe this long term strategy(precinct plus MAGA) will work to extinguish the corruption that is the RNC. They hold too much power. History is replete with parties going the way of ashes, when and only when, other parties rise up to challenge their ideas and power.
Gary Johnson is on the ballot in 43 states. It can be done with a little effort..
I agree. The reality is we can take back the Republican party we cannot at this time create a new party. Trump realizes this and is working towards that goal. Many are so angry with Republicans they want nothing to do with them instead of joining the hard work necessary to outsmart them and use their infrastructure against them. Many brag about being an Independent which in many states means you can’t vote in the primaries. I for one don’t care what political name I use to get the job done.
“The government is corrupt on all levels, I mean a level of corruption that if exposed would destroy the very fabric of this experiment in a Constitutional Republic.”
I think you must mean “if exposed” to the vast number of voters who remain either willfully ignorant of it or successfully propagandized and thereby blinded to it because the corruption has already been very well “exposed.”
The corruption was evident decades ago. It’s just that Trump forced it to more clearly show its face.
On Reagan, that was back before the major entry of China on the world economic scene. That caused the change I’ve mentioned before that generates much of the deep state’s hatred of Trump:
In the 50s and 60s when most manufacturing was located in the US and US products dominated the WWII-destroyed world, the oligarchy was nationalistic and the targets of the FBI and CIA were the anti-nationalists (communists/leftists).
Now that so much manufacturing is outside the US, mainly in Communist China, and even US-based corporations are far more multinational with board members who aren’t even US citizens, the oligarchy’s desired path is globalism, so nationalists are targeted and they, at least in the US, naturally tend to be anti-collectivists (anti-communist/anti-leftist).
What has changed are simply the underlying goals of the oligarchy which, throughout much of human history, have effectively OWNED governments everywhere.
Add to that the neo-Marxist Postmodernist agenda which has corrupted our educational system and dumbed down our culture at every level.
Yes, I agree and that is exactly why MAGA must win this war, not just a battle here or there.
I agree with most of what you say. My bigger question is after all the Club did to PDJT, why didn’t he make moves to distance? He made Reince Chief of Staff! How much betrayal came from that appointment? He sang the praises of Ronna right up until the coup. He continues to fund raise for them and endorse their candidates.
I am sure there are reasons, but that doesn’t address the problem we have. The opportunity to actually have a “MAGA party” was when PDJT held the office and the rallies, had staff and outreach to lead in a different direction. We can withold every dollar from them and it would not matter. We need a leader at the top to organize such a movement, I see no way for us to do it.
I agree on his choices. My gut feeling is he didn’t really believe he would win, and because of this had not done the necessary preparations. Or maybe he didn’t realize how deep was the swamp to begin with.
Don’t disagree, but I don’t think we can deny that was the best time for change, when the MAGA man had the power. Not saying it would have succeeded, but it was a missed oppurtunity.
I agree, but it was obvious from the start that Mitch McConnell was not going to allow this to happen.
Again, don’t disagree. Circling back to your original points of what needs to be done and questions or looking towards Trump starting a new party, IMO the optimum time was when he was in office and had SOME power. Agree odds were against him, but much worse now.
A lot of wasted effort. All they needed to do is go to Jared and Ivanka to get Trump to easily change his position.
From Peter Navarro: “That was one of my main beefs with Javanka. It did not matter who was chief of staff. If these two spoiled scions did not get exactly what they wanted in the West Wing during the day, they went straight to the East Wing during the evening to lobby their patriarch. Such meddling might have been all well and good if Javanka had been in sync with Trump’s agenda. But too often, Jared would undermine the president’s tough-on-China policies on behalf of his once and future Wall Street benefactors, while Ivanka would push a steady stream of New York liberal Democratic causes to subvert Trump’s efforts to make America great again.”
I respect Navarro so I’ll hold back from questioning whether this is true or not. But if it is true, it didn’t really seem to effect Trump’s trade policy with China which never waivered on veered away from sanctions. I believe Navarro didn’t like Jared and Ivanka’s politics and I would concur with his opinion.
Perhaps we need a viable third party…may I suggest the MAGA party?
3rd Party is a GUARANTEED failure … as evidenced by Perot.
The same RINO Establishment that support DeSantis voted for Hillary & Biden … they are an irrelevant number – as evidenced by Lizzie’s defeat.
WeThePeople are Patriots and there are nearly 100Million of us and growing … we don’t vote D or R – we vote Trump!!!
Third party is suicide. Keep moving to take complete control of the R party, from the grass-roots. City, county, state committees, and so forth on up to the Federal level. Lets the RINOs go third party. Serve ’em right.
***Governor Ron DeSantis is funded primarily by a small group of exclusive Wall Street corporations, billionaires and hedge fund managers, and almost no small donors.***
Of course he is. His net worth was last reported at only 350K. He cannot run for anything if he doesn’t have huge donors behind him. That’s not intended to besmirch him, but huge donations are made for some kind of payback down the road in terms of policies pursued.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, has his own billions. He, too, will solicit funds from deep pocket people, but he’s simply not as beholden to them as is a guy worth only 350K. Or you might view President Trump as a member of their club.
My sense is that Trump is a rebel in the ruling class, and he drives them crazy. I’d like to see DeSantis run after the President has finally been allowed to sit in the seat of the presidency he won in 2020.
Are you listening to yourself? If huge commercial donors spend huge amounts of money on a candidate, do you think it’s because they “love this country and freedom”? I’m sorry if this reality is new to you, but that’s how the swamp runs!
100% correct Daniel sir. When I was a kid, our congressional rep used to hold weekly meetings in different parts of his district to listen to his constituents concerns and serve his district. How many Senators/Reps (Congress) on the Federal level do this”? (You can also take it to the state level)
Big fat ZERO, that I’ve ever experienced where I live.
Thats what Gabby Giffords was doing, when she was shot.
Representatives are far more likely to do this than Senators, because of the inherent difference between district vs State.
Still, lets turn your rhetorical question around and expand on it;
How many reading this KNOW if your State or Federal elected representatives HAVE such “meet the elected representative” meetings?
How many have gone on the websites virtually all such elected representatives have, and signed up for notifications from the Gov., State legislature, and other officeholders, which would include “invitations” to such “meet their constituents” events?
How many of you have actually SEEN your U.S. or State, County or city political representatives, “face to face”, or heard them speak in person?
And we wonder why those who go to D.C. are so out of touch and hold us in contempt?
I agree, Steven.
DeSantis does get more money from corporate donors. PDJT is beloved by all MAGA patriots. However, it does not follow that just because DeSantis gets less small donations from individuals and more money from GOP leaning corporate donations that PDJT is the ONLY acceptable candidate and DeSantis is the enemy.
There are many true MAGA patriots that do not like PDJT’s constant attack mode. It doesnt bother me EXCEPT when trying to convince some of the very MAGA PATRIOTIC family and Christian voters I know who simply do not approve of his behavior and what I view as his typical Yankee lack of gentlemanly behavior.
My first choice, if he runs, is PDJT. My second is DeSantis. However, too many fire-breathers want to demonize DeSantis and too many GOP middle-class white people demonize PDJT over his approach. Both the fire-breathers and elitists need to STFU, work to elect their candidate, get behind whoever wins and stop the ridiculous nonsense.
Look, you might mean well, but to think the RNC should survive after what they have done to Trump and everyday Americans, is an abomination in my eyes.
This Republic has survived Parties before but only by destroying the corrupt Party in power. The RNC is the corrupt Party just like the DNC. They are aligned in corruption. To think you can go back to old ways and ignore the corruption is why we are in the situation we find ourselves in.
Trump needs to start a Third Party run right now!
Trump would never run as a third party candidate.
How do you know? After what the RNC is doing to him? I would in a heartbeat.
“There are many true MAGA patriots that do not like PDJT’s constant attack mode. It doesnt bother me EXCEPT when trying to convince some of the very MAGA PATRIOTIC family and Christian voters I know who simply do not approve of his behavior and what I view as his typical Yankee lack of gentlemanly behavior.”
Pardon me while I puke. Those allegedly “very MAGA Patriotic family and Christian voters” of whom you write are the very voters who, because of their gross naïveté and political ignorance have helped elect the series of weak-spined, two-faced “gentlemanly” but CORRUPT RINO politicians who have repeatedly stabbed us in the back while enriching themselves at our expense.
I’ll take the plainspoken, blunt-talking and steel-spined President Trump any and every day of the week to the traitorous milquetoasts those friends and family appear to prefer.
Ditto.
Demonize or warn? I see no reason not to warn people with facts about who they want to support. How is it Demonization if it’s truthful. If you leave out all the opinion and only look at the facts I personally see a clear warning that DeSantis could be someone we can’t trust with the presidency and I’ve seen no reason whatsoever to think he has the kind of understanding of fiscal policy that would be successful, if he does where is it being used in his own state.
No, the RNC must be destroyed and Never allowed to yield power ever again.
When DeSantis ran for Congress, he raised 4,678,387 but spent 3,657,150. Candidates get to keep the remaining money and so the question is…what happened to that million?
My personal opinion is there are way too many millions, billions, trillions floating around out there in the political arena with absolutely NO accountability. Of course, they all like it that way.
We need to start hunting the money down and bring attention to it. Let them know we’re watching.
I don’t know if you saw my comment on page 1 regarding using state campaign funds for federal campaigns, which you’re not supposed to do, but it appears that’s what DeSantis is doing. He has more than $150 million for his Florida Governor campaign now, which is absurd. Obviously this is money his donors intend for his presidential campaign, and he’ll probably get away with it because the FEC declined to stop another guy who used his state money for a federal campaign.
On donations more broadly, you S.I. while you don’t intend it your comment, and more broadly the “Trumps a billionaire, and so doesn’t need to be beholden” narrative leaves the impression that only he, because of his wealth, can run and win against “the machine”.
Simply isn’t true. KL’ primary opponent had a 10-1 advantage, $ wise.
But her R primary opponent ran a standard GOPe campaign, KL ran what will become an anything but standard MAGA campaign, and didn’t just BEAT Robson, but TROUNCED her.
More broadly on financing and donations; in 2016, Hillery financed her campaign by going from fundraising dinner to fundraising dinner, rarely deighning to stooping so low as to speaking or meeting “the little people”.
Bernie, although a freakin commie, ran a POPULIST Campaign. Almost all financed by small $ donations.
At one point he was asked, on National TV, if he would do “like his opponent Hillary” and “fundraising”.
He said “Yes, right now. Please go to www. bernie etc. and donate.”
He had the largest 24 hour total of any campaign.
Hillary went to Cal, and was being driven up the winding canyon road to some millionares house for a gala fundraiser.
Bernie Sanders supporters lined the road, and threw handfulls of $1 bills at her.
Right up to the end, Bernies fundraising stayed “neck and neck” with the grifting Hillary.
Not a Bernie fan, my point is; firstly a Populist Nationalist candidate has a policy message that trumps $, secondly such a candidate can raise as much $ through small donations as a GOPe or DEM (Uniparty) candidate can through sucking up big donor $.
Hence, even for a National campaign for POTUS, the question “what happens after Trump” question is already answered.
Do the math, 100 million MAGA, times $50-$100 /month.
Numerical Superiority and enthusiasm are already OURS, we just need to USE them, effectively.
I am a lot more interested in the international trade policies towards Communist countries. We have seen that those policies have allowed Communism to act as grifters off of our economy in order to cover up the obvious flaws in their own political philosophy.
Where China is concerned, with about 4 times our population, the Communists have been allowed to try beating our Wall Street Economy at their own game. We have an economic crisis on our hands and no amount of trashing Trumps potential opponents will change that situation. The Chinese Communists are the biggest spending lobbyist group in the United States and are now infecting our money strapped local Governments with their own demise. Unless Trump’s small donor base can influence him to shut China and the rest of the Communist world completely out of our economy and prevent them from purchasing real property and financing politicians in the USA, we are toast. Our Founders knew 250 years ago understood the dangers of allowing foreign interests to influence our political and free market systems. I haven’t seen anyone in Washington DC ever even try to do anything about the Communist influences attempting to take over our Country. They are paralyzed and do not possess the where with all to even try. President Trump has to be included in that group because of his inability to run his own Bureaucratic Government.
We the People have brought this upon ourselves because we continue to choose inferior quality cheap merchandise, medical, and food products made in China. China is expanding its orbit of third world manufacturing sources in order to continue supplying us with these inferior and sometimes dangerous products, in exchange for our actual wealth. Made in Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Honduras, Brazil and others are truly just Made by the Communist Chinese in those locations. Even Made in the USA doesn’t mean anything if the company is majority owned by the Red Chinese. The only way to stop this crap is to prevent our business interests from selling out to the Communists in China. Good luck with that.
I believe that the Communists in China will soon take over our entire country without ever having to fire a shot. We are toast, unless we pull our collective heads from our asses right now.
I am interested in America first policies; be damned with the rest of the world!
I personally would switch the word “paralyzed” with “compromised.” There’s currently much concern about China rapidly getting on a physical warfare footing right now.
I’ve unsubscribed from all the GOP fundraising e-mails and I still get one every once in a while from a new source. If Trumps announces his candidacy, then I will give some money directly to him but the GOPe can kiss my ass. They have done nothing to fight against Joe Biden’s madness and misery.
I agree 100% and had stopped my RNC / Winred donations as soon as the fraudulent election was certified by the RepubliCONs in Congress on January 6, 2021.
COLD ANGER
Do they actually think that jacket fits ?????
😳😳😳
——————-
They need
more than that
to keep make them stand- up!
COLD ANGER……
I absolutely cannot stand Ted Cruz. He was always a fraud. He can go back to Canada, for all I care.
I first became aware of Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, in any major way in the run up to 2016.
Actually, Marco choked as a rebuttal to an Obummer SOTU speech, IIRC.
My take was “Cruz is a used car salesman, Rubio is is younger brother, a time share sales associate.”
My opinion of both has gone down considerably since then.
About a mile below pond scum?
You are correct. That was little Marco’s water bottle incident.
Sorry ted.
I’ve been voting my conscience, and you have been found lacking any.
-“We’re coming Home”
Sundance is absolutely right here. I find social cons creepy (it is a corporate con) and that includes Santis and Va. They will betray you on the economy. Every. Single. Time. The difference is Trump who is actually a great democrat candidate as well; populist economically and does not gaf about social.
You didn’t think that Ken Griffin moved to Miami for the weather and beaches did you? Even liberals in Chicago would mocking that Ken was moving more to control his new puppet.
Right. His new puppet, because his puppet in Illinois lost the GOP primary. Griffin dumped an astonishing $50 MILLION into that guy’s campaign, and when he lost to a MAGA candidate Griffin was pissed! Griffin claims he’s leaving because of crime but we’re not stupid. He already gave DeSantis $5 MILLION in 2021, I expect to see many more contributions coming up.
So is this 1940 GOP Platform MAGA/MAFA or Uniparty Globalism?
Republican Party Platform of 1940
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/republican-party-platform-1940
Hate to say it.. but he’s not wrong.
I will be withholding any judgement on anyone until Sep 2024 WHEN THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD.
In the meantime we will be discerning the wheat from the chaff.
Many people mistakenly this RDS didn’t shut down FL in various ways during C19 in 2020. He did. I will say that RDS did a very good job dealing with the issues, but in 2020 he was dealing with the same issues every state was. Everything wasn’t just foot loose and fancy free and open.
Linked is a list of RDS EO’s for that timeframe. The are brief; 2 pges, easy at-a-glance read. Here are some important ones to see what RDS did during the 2020 timeframe of C19.
https://www.flgov.com/2020-executive-orders/
June 3, 2020 phase 2 recovery EO #2020-139
May 22, 2020 expanding full phase one recovery EO #2020-131
May 14, 2020 expanding phase 1 step-by-step plan for for Florida’s recovery #2020-121
May 9,2020 Expanding phase 1 Florida’s recovery EO #2020-120
April 29, 2020 phase 1 plan for Florida’s recovery EO #2020-112
April 29,2020 Limited extension of essential services and activities and vacation rental prohibition EO#2020-111
People’s memories are a little foggy, it appears.
Someone had written yesterday that DeSantis was anti-COVID vaccine, the opposite of Trump, but that’s not true. It was easy for me to find a 2021 news article with direct quotes from DeSantis, supporting the vaccine and urging others to take it too.
So much has happened since the imposter was installed. I was very interested in what was going in in FL as I go there for extended summer to family property I am delegated legally to oversee. FL tourism was greatly impacted. Rentals prohibited at times. FL was the best state compared to the rest, but it was closed and regulated businesses per the EOs. Yes, people forget.
I think 45 will sit back and let RDS glide through his re-election (hopefully), but if he makes the mistake of getting out of his lane, 45 will run him over just like he did the other 16/17? (How quickly we forget:):) Have a nice day. Waiting now the the search warrant release.
Yes, RDS was FOR the vax. I remember him saying that 2x specifically, but the EOs address that also, I believe.
Thank you for this. Most people aren’t aware or they have chosen to forget. You are right, RDS did a better job than most Governors but at the beginning he shut it down even the beaches.
Matter of fact, Noem didn’t shut anything down, so in comparison, she did a much better job on Covid. She has other RINO problems but on Covid she did well.
Yes, you are right. They did close the beaches. I specifically remember that because our family condo is on a barrier island, on the beach. The beach was closed but our Board of Directors went to the city and said: the state owns the water up to the high tide mark and the condo complex owns the beach (the sand, not the water) above the high tide mark. Darn if the city didn’t allow the complex to be on the sand above the high tide mark during the beach close down! It gave owners a chance to get some fresh air — abiding by distancing.
Thanks for refreshing my memory re: Noem. Yes, I recall she didn’t close anything. Agree she did well, but has her own RINO problems.
I like what DeSantis has done for most of florida.
However, I don’t trust him on the national level.
He is being courted by none other than ccp mitch & Co. and I’m afraid he’s buying into their whispers.
It’s beyond obvious that Mitch McConnell and other GOP leaders are trying their damndest to put MAGA in their rear view mirrors and they want Trump to go with it. I’ve got news for them, no matter what they do to Trump, MAGA is here to stay and we’re not voting for anymore stinking RINO’s.
If I try to give DeSantis the benefit of the doubt then I theorize that he is doing all he can to prepare for a presidential run just in case Trump chooses to not run. Thus the tour of the states, the barfy branding (“America’s Governor”) and PR, and intake of extremely large campaign donations with the hope/expectation that he might be able to transfer much of the money to fund his presidential run (see my comment on page 1).
DeSantis needs Trump’s huge base of supporters. He can’t win without us. Does his team not understand that many of us are offended by the optics? It looks like DeSantis used Trump to advance and is now climbing over Trump while Trump is injured in order to propel himself further upward, and it looks like DeSantis is the chosen one by the GOPEs just as Obama was by the Dems in 2008. That’s the last thing we need.
I hate to be used and I hate when other people take credit for my work or backstab me to advance themselves, and I have no tolerance for it when it happens to someone else, especially someone like Trump who did so much for all of us and endured the worst political and personal persecution in U.S. history.
The DeSantis team is offering no explanations of his actions, they must think we’re stupid. DeSantis can just f off then. If Trump doesn’t run in 2024 there will be other candidates. “Top Gov” (lol) won’t be the only one.
I want to add an extra comment about my remark:
it looks like DeSantis is the chosen one by the GOPEs just as Obama was by the Dems in 2008
I used to be a Dem, and it was the disgusting obvious grooming of Obama that ultimately caused me to vote all-Republican in November 2008 and I’ve never gone back. The Dem Party wouldn’t tolerate any other candidates, I was a Hillary supporter (I know, cringe!) and I was shocked by how antagonistic her own party was toward her. Obama was the chosen one and nobody was going to disrupt his handlers’ plans.
I see the same thing happening with DeSantis now. The grooming and the marketing of DeSantis as some kind of savior to conservatives. Pre-fab President.
fka serena,
Thanks for sharing your history and background, it explains much and in reciprocating perhaps an understanding of our different perspectives can help resolve our primary difference of opinion regarding “voting straight R” vs “voting MAGA only”?
Lifelong Republican, Dad lifelong Republican, and was a precinct Captain in Az. and one of “Barrys boys” in 1963.
Goldwater utilised the Precinct strategy to win the R nomination, over the strong resistance of the RNC.
We called them “Rockerfeller Republicans” or “Country Club/Blueblood Republicans” back then, but they were the same elites.
Later, I looked back at that campaign and saw clearly how the RNC conspired with the DNC, MSM and I/C and bugged Goldwaters campaign plane, in order to hear his strategy sessions, and execute a CIA type operation to destroy his campaign. And, it WORKED.
Without detailing all the other, many instaces I have observed over the years of the GOPe “abusing” the base, betraying US, and forwarding the leftist, America destroying aganda, I (and many others here) are “battered conservatives” and we are NOT going to allow our abuse to continue.
You, are a “battered Democrat, and have rightly simply left your abuser.
WE, as battered conservatives, DO NOT HAVE THAT OPTION.
AS I detailed above, creating a viable “3rd party” (actually a true ‘loyal opposition’ party simply isn’t a viable option.
Ergo, we MUST “reform” the party from within.
WE, the battered Conservatives, were kept in our abusive relationship by the abuser using the very same lies (the equivalent of “I promise, I won’t hit you again!”) that have kept us IN this abusive relationship all this time.
“Vote straight R”
“In the primary, vote for who you like, but in the general, vote for the R, cause the D is worse!”
THIS is exactly what many of us DID, and at every election the GOPe R candidate would PROMISE us they would work to further OUR Policy prescriptions (anti-abortiin, pro 2A, fiscal and social conservatism) and then stab us in the back once in office.
They would point to “Dem” victories like passing Obamacare and say “SEE! THIS is why you must donate $, volonteer your time, etc. in order to get more R’s in Congress!”
AND WE DID.
And, we watched as they voted 50 times to R&R Obummercare, when they knew it would not be signed by Obummer, and when they knew they had a POTUS that WOULD sign, they made a show of “trying” ONCE, and used hid behind the fillibuster rule and ‘squishy vote’ tactic to deny us a victory.
We watched as they gained majority status in 2010, and put on phoney Goudy hearings on Fast/Furious, Tea Party/IRS and Benghazi, to fake investigate these “Obama admin scandals” and cover up their deep involvement IN these scandals.
To sum up, you are new to the Republican party, and are “falling for” their manipulations, we who have been with the party a long time, now see through them.
Might I suggest you do some “deep dive” research on the history of what is now “your party”?
In the CTH archives, use the search engine to find Sundances article on “Benghazi” and read it.
It lays out how Rspublican leadership was fully involved in what is percieved as HILLARY’S operatiin which funnelled 100’s of tons of US weoponry to ISIS, including manpads used in Afghanistan to kill American troops, including seal team six.
Do a deep dive on the Goldwater campaign of 1964, and see how the GOPe worked to destroy his campaign.
I, personally am convinced the same forces took out JFK, because neither would
go along with THEIR plan in Viet Nam, which is EXACTLY what we all saw, play out.
Respectfully, you have left one abusive boyfriend (Dem party) only to take up with another (Rep party), and don’t appreciate that he is manipulating you into furthering the abuse.
“It was my fault, and he promises me it win’t happen again!”
Is “Vote R, cause the D is worse!”
Having said and believed those lies for years, it GRATES on our nerves, to hear anyone (you and others) repeat them.
Do a deep dive research on your “new boyfriend” he is NOT what he appears.
I’m only voting Republican now because even the best Dems are worse than the worst RINOs, and Dem majorities are absolutely worse than Republican majorities. I never became a Republican. I’m unaffiliated.
(I’m laughing because you wasted so much space, and vitriol, on your response to me and it’s completely off-base. You should try being a little less presumptive.)
Here’s the place where you can track the DeSantis contributions: https://dos.elections.myflorida.com/campaign-finance/contributions/
I haven’t figured out a way to save my searches or provide the link with the search criteria filled in, so here’s a quick explanation of what I do:
Scroll down to the Committee Search section and in the Committee Name field enter DeSantis and select With Committee Name Containing
Scroll farther to the Contributor Criteria section and in the With Contribution Amount From field enter the minimum you’re interested in, like 100000 or 1000000. (I don’t enter commas.) In that same section you can change the Limit Number of Records Returned to something other than the default 500. I use 1000.
I was just looking for details about a April 2022 $100,000 contribution to DeSantis made by a “Tread Standard LLC” out of Delaware. I found this info:
On May 19, 2022, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that unknown contributors violated the federal straw donor ban by making contributions totaling $125,000 in the name of “Tread Standard, LLC,” an obscure Delaware limited liability company, to two super PACs, 34N22, Inc. and South Florida Residents First, thereby concealing their identities from public disclosure. (https://campaignlegal.org/document/clc-files-complaint-against-tread-standard-llc-straw-donor-scheme)
Tread Standard LLC, an entity with no apparent income or assets, no identifiable commercial activity, and no known physical or online presence — not even an address — has only one apparent function: to serve as a straw donor for political contributions, thus depriving voters of information essential to a transparent political process by concealing the true contributors’ identities. Since 2015, this LLC has funneled at least $680,000 in secret political contributions into federal, state, and local elections, and in just the past two years, Tread Standard has been used to hide the true sources of $125,000 in contributions to two federal super PACs. This was a blatant violation of federal law. […]
Tread Standard has also been reported as the named contributor for multiple political
contributions to state and local candidates and committees, totaling $380,000, as follows:
a. $210,000 to Friends of Ron DeSantis, a nonfederal committee supporting Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis’s 2022 reelection campaign: $50,000 on February 4, 2021;
$10,000 on April 13, 2021; $50,000 on May 24, 2021; and $100,000 on April 12,
2022.1 […] (https://campaignlegal.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/Tread%20Standard%20LLC%20Complaint.pdf)
I wonder who the hidden donors are. Who is donating to Ron DeSantis and either doesn’t want to be identified or the DeSantis campaign doesn’t want them to be identified?
Very good research, thanks.
People who can’t donate to Trump because they will be accused of everything illegal under the sun. So, it goes to Desantis and he may carry it right into VP slot. Don’t always think the worst of what you see.
I’m pretty sure DeSantis will never settle for VP. He wants to be President and he’s already running, he just hasn’t announced.
Somehow I don’t see DeSantis as that gutsy. Maybe I’m wrong.
Yeah,…right! Pull the other leg, so I don’t walk in circles!
As PDJT has not declared, he doesn’t have to disclose donors right now.
Which means efforts to identify and target his donors, like were done with Tea Party contributors can’t go forward.
Notice all the calls for him to “Declare NOW!” and then giving rationale for why he “MUST declare NOW!” (which if objectively and unemotionally evaluated, make no sense)?
THIS is WHY, and is one of several reasons why he hasn’t yet “Officially” declared, while making it abundantly clear he is running.
Another rolcon line “he hasn’t officially declared, he may not run, and this is why we need to look at an alternative!” is using his finessing of the OFFICIAL declare status to sew dissention..
SEE THRU their manipulations, don’t FALL for them, and therefore don’t repeat them.
Brilliant work. Now all we need is public disclosure and await RDS’s response. I’m sure all we would hear is crickets.
General: I also piddle with Open Secrets for research. They send me onward.
I’m glad you are pointing this out Sundance.
This brings to mind, a conversation I had a few months ago with my neighbors, who are retired folks from Florida.
They went down to visit family for a week.
Long story short, she said: “It’s really good to be back in the woods, on the lake, where we can live in peace, without spending a fortune. I know that DeSantis is a good Governor BUT things are not all that great where we came from and it’s really expensive to live there.”
So, we will see what happens.
since florida does allow unlimited donations it makes some sense that desantis goes after the big ones. but i agree his national policy ideas, except for better border control, are largely unknown, especially in the crucial foreign policy areas. what are his opinions on sanctions on russia, on the war in ukraine, on the one state solution for israel/palestine? on sanctions/tariffs on china? on taiwan?
with the exception (and it is a big one) of the one state solution, trump’s current opinions on these topics are either war mongering (expanded nato) or unknown. we have got a way to go on both men.
Our nation is in crisis with recession, inflation, soaring crime, immoral and incompetent leaders, an endless proxy war, exploding national debt, attacks on people of faith and the filthy grooming of our children. These issues are now and the ones that we should be using every resource at our disposal to combat. Yet the DeSantis derangement society made up of Charlie Crist, DNC, mainstream media, George Soros and Sundance focus on destroying the best Governor in America. 25 months in politics is a lifetime, if PDJT runs in 2024 there is no other choice but I am not as gifted as some and cannot see all of the events that may occur so I must live in the reality of today. We do not need to make up potential problems, I think our plate is quite full.
Nobody is trying to “destroy” DeSantis. It’s all about recognizing who and what he is, not making assumptions, and not ignoring evidence just because we’ve been told he’s so great. The media isn’t doing much reporting about any other GOP Governor with the exception of Abbott because he’s transporting illegals to DC and New York.
I wouldn’t discount some working together here between Trump and Desantis. If it were possible to suck up all the donor money big and small and work together in a way that saves America, wouldn’t you like to see that?
They could portray themselves as against each other but you can bet there will be friendly wink wink nod nod, and whoever wins will have full support of the other. Or, just maybe, Desantis is suckering the big club donors and may very well end up VP. I know the rules don’t allow both from same state but Trump can easily switch his home address.
There could be a plan here to vaccuum up all the money preventing anyone but Big Don and Big Ron from any serious competition. Wouldn’t it be entertaining to see these two cordially competing but making so much noise everybody else gets drowned out? All smiles while destroying the media and the left and motivating more voters than ever before!
My Hopium.
The point is that DeSantis has been bought off.
We don’t need another person saying one thing to garner votes and being paid off to actually do another.
He’s a chameleon.
As Sundance said he’s getting press on the hot social issues which they’re pushing to make him look good but not addressing the other that they dont want us to pay attention to.
Leave him as governor but he’s not presidential material.
“Trust the plan” in all its iterations had several common components.
It starts with truggering a strong emotional responce, in this case HOPE.
THAT shuts down critucal thinking, so that virtually ANY nonsensical, irrational idea with no concrete supporting data can be inserted into the mind and, because it is not subject to critical thinking, is mistakenly accepted as valid and real.
And, always TENDS to encourage inactiin rather than action.
Suggesting DeSantis and PDJT may be ‘secretly working together’ without any concrete evidence (if coarse not, its SECRET) allows the gullible to engage in inaction, rather than action regarding making a detirmination, based on logic and concrete evidence, of “DeSantis, MAGA or GOPe?”
No one, least if all Sundance has suggested not voting for DeSantis in Nov.
ALL we are saying is that there is a mountain of evidence, only SOME if which Sundance has detailed, to make it very clear DeSantis is being positioned BY the GOPe “Club” to be a ‘splitter’ or ‘alternative’ to PDJT.
SEE the manipulations, and don’t fall for them.
Gov. Desantis, fine!
PRESIDENT DeSantis? NEVER.
His coarse is set, his allegiance is clear, and he will not, at this point ever leave the GOPe.
Like it or not Desantis is America’s best governor. He may make a great president in 2028 also.
“DeSantis does not send multiple daily fundraising pitches to his supporters.”
God bless him for that. And no, it does not raise any “doubt about his grassroots support” just because he chooses not to bother the people with his “pitches”during hard times when he can easily get money elsewhere for his gubernatorial (NOT national) campaign.
I am getting really tired of the divisive rhetoric, purity tests and self-fulfilling prophecies.
DeSantis is now blamed for the Biden’s disastrous economic policy, inflation, and increase of cost of living. He is also scorned for not having “independent wealth” and for using his popularity to help elect conservative candidates in other states.
The guy just can’t catch a break.
God help us.
That statement is not true. Numerous people on this thread, including myself, have reported getting multiple emails and texts from Ron.
Summer, the case against DeSantis has been made in numerous threads now. I’m not going to repeat all of the evidence again. Re-read the threads with an unbiased mind. It’s not divisive rhetoric, it’s digging for the truth to find out exactly what kind of person DeSantis is and not accepting the narrative delivered to us by his PR team.
If Trump doesn’t run, DeSantis isn’t going to be the only candidate.
Valid questions raised is exactly what we need in these times. If any blame falls on DeSantis because of these questions I for one plan to take them into account. If ever we needed purity tests for candidates it’s now. Heaven know Trump had enough used where his candidacy was concerned.
My last post only lasted about 1 minute, guess that it did not fit the narrative.
Just did a quick search for anti DeSantis articles and stopped on page two because the sources of the articles kept repeating.
New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC & LA Times.
Try to get away from search engines that are biased to show MSM / Deep State-friendly sources before any others. Even Duck Duck Go has been altered by its owners to suppress most alternative / conservative sites way back in the results because they do not agree with establishment narratives. Try using Freespoke or Swisscows search engines.
The articles are nearly identical because the material in them comes from the DeSantis PR team. We are being sold DeSantis. He is being groomed and marketed to appeal to a nationwide audience. They’ve already made a brand out of him and declared him the new leader of the new GOP party … even though MAGA is still extremely strong and viable and Trump hasn’t bowed out.
Hopefully that breakdown of the financing will open the eyes to the DeSantis 2024 die hards on here who believe Ron is the next-new and better-Donald Trump. Money talks, so hopefully it’s loud enough for people to hear!
From Peter Navarro: “That was one of my main beefs with Javanka. It did not matter who was chief of staff. If these two spoiled scions did not get exactly what they wanted in the West Wing during the day, they went straight to the East Wing during the evening to lobby their patriarch. Such meddling might have been all well and good if Javanka had been in sync with Trump’s agenda. But too often, Jared would undermine the president’s tough-on-China policies on behalf of his once and future Wall Street benefactors, while Ivanka would push a steady stream of New York liberal Democratic causes to subvert Trump’s efforts to make America great again.”
I wonder if Ron DeSantis can be so easily played to betray the America First agenda by his own family? Does what Navarro describe make Trump GOPe?
DeSantis is pretty clearly the GOPE-endorsed candidate. The GOP won’t fight against DeSantis, they’ll help him. Trump wasn’t afforded such a courtesy. DeSantis is not a threat, Trump was a threat and still is a threat.
Florida voters rolls are not good. Some highlights:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/08/election-integrity-florida-defend-floridas-raj-doraisamy-lays-massive-voter-rolls-canvassing-issues-sunshine-state/
This is such a great article: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/05/politics/ron-desantis-campaign-finance-2024-election/index.html
It explains how another Florida candidate managed to use state campaign funds for a federal race, which is supposed to be illegal but for some reason the FEC was deadlocked and the candidate got away with it, and people in the know think DeSantis is going to do the same thing.
The article also mentions how DeSantis is getting a lot of free exposure and advertising through all of his media appearances, both local and national.
He has purchased a modest $1.8 million of commercial time for the fall, but has mostly relied on the free exposure he receives from local and national news outlets and conservative media organizations that often promote his agenda and brand. “Fox & Friends” recently featured the “Top Gun”-inspired campaign merchandise the DeSantis campaign is selling on its website.
I think we can conclude that Rupert Murdoch is a DeSantis fan.
I’m remembering the GOP debates in 2015/2016, with that awful Chris Wallace and narcissist Megyn Kelly who thought her spat with Trump was going to cause him to be knocked out early. Expect kid gloves if DeSantis runs.
As far as homeowners insurance in Florida, a lot of the blame goes to FEMA, who went crazy remapping areas into flood zones.
You made a smashing point regarding current costs on taxes and insurance. It’s killing us in Florida, DeSantis is offering us feel good measures, and people haven’t woken up yet regarding the other stuff but it’ll hurt Ron when he tries to go nationally. Some people are noticing and will soon make this point louder and louder very soon.