Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson predicted that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ anticipated bid to win the Republican presidential nomination could be very short.
Polls still show DeSantis has best chance of beating Donald Trump in GOP race. He wrote. “But they also show that his prospects are rapidly turning in the wrong direction.”
DeSantis, who is expected to announce his candidacy within a few weeksis 37 points lower in a recent poll.
DeSantis is trying to run to Trump’s right, imposing “some of the most draconian” restrictions on abortion rights and attacking everyone from the LGBTQ community to teachers in the name of his “anti-woke” agenda.
“Tada! Yet his polls continue to fall, not rise,” Robinson wrote.
DeSantis is also engaged in a war with Disney in retaliation for the company’s criticism.
“Trying to penalize a company for statements that had no practical impact — except, perhaps, on DeSantis’ fragile ego — seems wildly inconsistent with traditional conservative values,” he noted, adding:
“The Disney thing would just be a crazy sideshow if it didn’t highlight traits that could hold DeSantis back as a presidential candidate — and that would be dangerous to the nation and the world if, heaven forbid, he ever became president: paper-thin skin , the tendency to hold grudges and the tendency to go way too far.”
DeSantis has told donors he is a better candidate than Trump because he thinks he can win in the swing states. But Robinson said DeSantis’ far-right agenda won’t work well in those key regions.
“Why should suburban women who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 vote for Ron DeSantis in 2024?” he wrote, adding: “Great politicians learn from their mistakes and correct where necessary. DeSantis doesn’t seem to understand that going full steam ahead is a bad idea when you’re approaching a cliff.”