I am on record as saying Donald J Trump has passed his sell-by-date. I said that six months ago.

Trump Sell By Date Arrives

In that blog post, I argued it was time to “pass the baton” and my candidate to whom to pass it was Ron DeSantis, who had just won a huge victory for re-election in Florida.

DeSantis used to call Donald J Trump his “mentor.”

Since that utterance former President Trump has filed for the Republican nomination and so have several others, including DeSantis. DJT will not be passing that baton.

The field is a good field and there are several men and women who would make great Presidents at some time. I miss Mike Pompeo.

Trump Fatigue

Donald J Trump continues — unfairly in my view — to be pounded with one legal onslaught after another. He lost a defamation suit in New York that was far beyond the statute of limitations, but New York State’s legislature passed a one year law to waive the statute of limitations thereby allowing this lawsuit.

This kind of special “get Trump” weaponization of the political and legal environment is no longer novel. It is a travesty as was the entire six year saga of the Russia – Trump farce. It was all a hoax.

Trump brings a great number of supporters, but also an entrenched opposition. A mark of his success has been the ability to run against the GOPe, the Dems, the media, and the weaponized Deep State.

The simple truth of the matter is Trump is exhausting.

Having said that, I still support all of Trump’s policies and I firmly believe the world would not be where it is in Ukraine — staring down nuclear war — if Trump had been re-elected.

Trump Lite

Governor Ron DeSantis was a beneficiary of Trump’s well-articulated policies and his endorsement which he rode into two terms as Governor of Florida.

Interestingly, DeSantis would have had to resign as Florida Governor in order to run for POTUS, but he had his pals in the Republican controlled legislature pass a law scrapping that provision. Seems a little chicken shit on his part, not a “burn the boats” sort of dedication.

With DeSantis you get all the Trump policies, less bullshit, better conduct, no hookers, but a Yale/Harvard Ivy League traditional, though conservative, politician with good hair, a hundred dollar haircut, and an All American family.

DeSantis’s position on the Ukraine war is a total non-starter with me, but at least now he admits his first thrust was a miss and he’s “re-evaluating” his position. 

Trump Fatigue v Trump Lite

So, the Republicans are faced with a choice of Trump Fatigue v Trump Lite.

This is no easy choice as, currently, Trump is dominating DeSantis. Recent Quinnipiac poll had Trump at 56% v DeSantis at 25%. This will, of course, tighten, but it is a formidable hill to climb.

Right now, Trump holds a winning hand and if anybody is going to change that they are going to have to DO IT — take the nomination — as he will not give up.

So, how does Trump Lite campaign v Trump?

Ahhhh, therein lies the dilemma for the DeSantis campaign.

The last time we had a Republican primary, Trump eviscerated a well-funded, two term Florida Governor named Jeb Bush.

Trump is a bully and he gave Jeb Bush the bum’s rush and Jeb could not rise to the occasion and handle it. Trump bullied the scion of a powerful multi-generational dynasty like a little girl.

So, can DeSantis handle the inevitable Trump attack and emerge with his manhood intact?

Bear in mind that a great number of Trump’s supporters love this kind of red meat confrontational style and the media will be reporting it.

Bullies and bullying

A word about bullies — they are everywhere and, unfortunately, they are often in positions of great power or positions of great power encourage and inspire bullying.

This is the world as it really exists. DeSantis does not get the Republican nomination for President unless and until he develops a mano-a-mano strategy to deal with the inevitable, personal onslaught coming from Trump.

The question for DeSantis is this — can an Ivy League lawyer with a $100 haircut deal with a punk like Donald J Trump, a kid from Long Island who has a chip on his shoulder who has already taken one two term Florida Governor apart?

Bottom line it, Big Red Car

I think the choice gets down to Trump Fatigue v Trump Lite. I have said Trump’s sell-by-date has come and gone.

Can Trump Lite do the heavy lifting and the bar knuckle brawling to overcome the raw bullying coming from Mr. Trump Fatigue?

There are four vital areas (there will be more) in which there are substantive differences between Trump Fatigue and Trump Lite:

 1. Tax policy — DeSantis is a huge critic of the Internal Revenue Service and is an advocate of the Fair Tax.

Trump does not currently support the Fair Tax.

Being anti-IRS is a hugely popular position.

 2. Ukraine — it is not perfectly clear the current position of either Trump Fatigue or Trump Lite, but they are not in agreement.

I personally could never vote for anyone who does not intend to support Ukraine to victory, whatever the cost.

 3. Character — DeSantis owns the high ground temporarily on this and should use it. Expect to see a lot of pictures of DeSantis drinking beer in Rome, Georgia with students when he taught high school his first year out of Yale.

 4. Military service — DeSantis served as a Navy Jag Officer and Trump Fatigue was a Vietnam Era draft dodger with his dainty bone spurs.

The whole cowardly draft dodgering business is why Donald J Trump is such a military jock sniffer. Totally over compensating for personal failure. It is pathetic.

Will DeSantis rise to the challenge? What do you think?

But, hey, what the Hell do I really know anyway? I’m just a Big Red Car.