A.G. Gancarski
Ron DeSantis continues to be frustrated by Donald Trump’s unwillingness to debate the rest of the 2024 Republican field.
To that end, the Florida Governor vented to NBC after Wednesday’s candidate clash in Miami, saying the 45th President is having a lot more trouble in his third bid for the White House than Ronald Reagan would have had if he’d run in 1988 for a third term, which would have not been permitted due to the 22nd Amendment.
Asked by interviewer Hallie Jackson about the most recent Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll of the race, which shows DeSantis down by nearly 30 points, the Florida Governor suggested that he’d be doing even worse against Reagan (who would be presenting himself to Republican voters for a fourth consecutive election cycle, given that that former President ran unsuccessfully in 1976 as well).
“He’s at 42%. He’s the most famous former elected official in the world, the former Republican President, he’s at 40%,” DeSantis said.
“If Ronald Reagan ran in like ’88. Ronald Reagan would be getting 85 or 90%,” DeSantis suggested.
While there’s no way to test DeSantis’ theory, it’s worth noting that Reagan faced no real competition in 1984, when former Minnesota Gov. Harold Stassen was the only thing approaching intraparty competition that year.
In 1988, one could argue that Iowa Republicans were moving away from the Reagan administration, given that U.S. Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas won the Iowa caucuses with 37% support, finishing ahead of tele-evangelist Pat Robertson and Reagan’s Vice President, George H.W. Bush.
In 1980, Bush actually bested Reagan in the caucuses, with 32% support to 29% for the former California Governor and mid-century film actor.
9 comments
Ron DeSantis wears High Heels
November 9, 2023 at 10:32 am
Ronald Reagan would be considered a RINO by today’s GOP standards.
Silly Wabbit
November 9, 2023 at 2:04 pm
Twue that.
M McL
November 12, 2023 at 7:32 pm
Imagine, ZOA- owned Disantis quoting Reagan at the Berlin Wall when after 75 years as a nation Israel remains Putin-dependent for its existence in the M East.. Disantis & Israel get a pass from the owned press.
ScienceBLVR
November 9, 2023 at 10:44 am
And even though my middle of the road Republican parents loved Reagan, his economic policies only exacerbated the decline of the middle class and the great divide between the Uber wealthy and all the rest of us. Policies continued by the GOP today, when they aren’t stifling free speech, banning books, screwing with women, education, gays and all the rest.. and you know, Reagan was suffering from dementia for most of his tenure and seemed pretty old and feeble, yet no one seemed to mind, back then??? Wat up, Joe?
Silly Wabbit
November 9, 2023 at 2:06 pm
Wepublicans kwazy.
MH/Duuuval
November 9, 2023 at 10:31 pm
Agree w/ Mr. Science.
His 600-ship Navy never broke 300, but he did increase military spending overall. Cut social services, cut taxes for the rich from 70 to 30 percent rate, and increased military spending — which became the budgetary model for W and Trump as well as increasing the national debt. RR initiated the GOP master plan to fill the judiciary with young right-wingers who would have lifetime sinecures. RR did seem to lose it in the second term with his biggest self-delusion being about his military service in WWII. Sold arms to Iran to finance contras in Nicaragua who targeted infrastructure and assassinated aid workers, engineers, teachers, etc.
Still, RR gave only lip service to fundamentalist Christians who had to wait until W — who claimed he regularly talked to Jesus — and Trump to actually leverage their influence into action.
MH/Duuuval
November 9, 2023 at 10:33 pm
CORRECTION: cut rate from 70 to 35 percent
PeterH
November 9, 2023 at 12:15 pm
The fact is …. Ronald Reagan would not recognize or recommend today’s Republican Party.
Reagan imposed trickle down economics…… but didn’t have the slightest idea how the model would change America for the worse!
Reagan was a sucker for fake Christian and wacko evangelical grifters and, to win votes, merged Fake Christian Warriors into a force within the GOP……but he had no idea of the future damage this group would have on the Republican Party.
Republicans are America’s worst enemy!
Vote all Republicans out of office!
MH/Duuuval
November 10, 2023 at 1:29 pm
Due respect, Mr. H, but RR played evangelicals — not vice versa. It wasn’t until George W — who had Jesus on the main line — and moreso Trump! that evangelicals got the Supreme Court they had sold themselves for.
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