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Where Did It All Go Wrong For Ron DeSantis?
Ron DeSantis projected confidence in the video that started his presidential campaign in May.
To shouts, he strolled across a flag-adorned stage and promised his fans “the Great American Comeback”.
Seven months later, the guy dubbed “Trump 2.0” and “Trump without the baggage” has dropped his presidential bid. Along with his resignation, he acknowledged that there is no “clear path to victory” against the undisputed front-runner for the Republican nomination.
So, where did things go wrong for Florida’s governor, who was once seen as a political rock star for his fight against “woke ideology” and impressive track record in office?
There were issues with the candidate himself, including a perceived lack of charisma and awkwardness with voters and the campaign he ran. But the actual reason for his failure was the guy he was up against, Donald Trump.
Where Did It All Go Wrong For Ron DeSantis?
Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist based in New Hampshire, said he couldn’t compete with a figure with unshakable devotion from his supporters.
“He [Trump] has been their political identity, and maybe even personal identity, for the better part of a decade,” he said.
Looking back on the campaign, observers claimed it was nearly impossible for a rookie on the national scene. Mr. DeSantis was competing against an incumbent with name recognition, unlimited funds, and a loyal base of voters.
A year ago, when the fight for the White House had started, it did not feel this way.
Mr DeSantis began 2023 as a credible challenge to Donald Trump. When the former president first announced his candidature, Mr DeSantis was polling at roughly 35%, putting him within striking reach of his adversary.
He also had momentum from his record-breaking re-election triumph as Florida governor the previous November. Many criticised Mr Trump for the Republicans’ poor midterm results.
However, that proved to be the pinnacle of DeSantis’ campaign.
By May, when the governor publicly announced his presidential campaign in an interview with Elon Musk marred by technical difficulties, his poll ratings had plummeted to less than 20%. Mr Trump had risen back above 50%.
Where Did It All Go Wrong For Ron DeSantis?
According to strategists, delaying the official launch lost months. More crucially, it allowed Mr Trump to restore his image as a political outsider by using the national news surrounding his various legal difficulties.
“[The DeSantis campaign] started pretty late, [and] raised a tonne of money obviously,” David Kochel, a long-time Iowa Republican strategist, told the BBC. “But by then, Trump was going after him with a hammer. I am not sure if they had effective responses. I believe it took them a long to engage.”
While Mr. DeSantis may have quietly hoped that the former president’s legal woes would catch up with him, he never chastised Mr. Trump for them, instead frequently echoing his rival’s accusations that he was unfairly persecuted.
“It seems like every time [Mr Trump] was indicted, his poll numbers went up,” said Timothy Hagle, a political science professor at the University of Iowa. “And to some extent, that’s not surprising, because it’s kind of a ‘rally around the chief effect’.”
DeSantis first tried not to insult Mr Trump, but the former president displayed no such restraint, frequently using nicknames such as “Meatball Ron” and “Ron DeSanctimonious”.
Mr Trump has annihilated every Republican opponent he has faced since joining politics in 2015, but few have decided, like Mr DeSantis did, to run to Mr Trump’s right.
He focused on cultural battles rather than the economic issues Americans were most concerned about, leaving the moderate lane in the race to Ms Haley.
When Mr DeSantis was thrust into the national spotlight, his weaknesses as a candidate were highlighted, particularly in comparison to Mr Trump’s outsized character.
“When you watch DeSantis mosey around a room, it looks like he feels it’s something he has to do to take centre stage,” Mary Civiello, an executive communications coach and body language specialist, told the BBC at the time of his debut. “It also appears to be an unusual occurrence. You could tell he’s apprehensive about it, as one would expect.”
That embarrassment was especially prevalent in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states to vote, where retail politics are significant.
Where Did It All Go Wrong For Ron DeSantis?
“He has a robotic personality that does not resonate with voters,” Sean Westwood, a Dartmouth College government professor, said of DeSantis. “In a world where almost all of his attention was focused on Iowa, he still barely managed to win over [Nikki] Haley.”
By edging past Ms Haley for second place in Iowa on January 15, the DeSantis campaign appeared to have bought themselves some time.
Supporters at the caucus night watch party in West Des Moines appeared genuinely delighted with the outcome, yelling “Ron!” and waving banners. In several interviews, they expressed confidence that he was in a solid position in the future.
“He’s the clear alternative to President Trump,” college student Jeff Schreier stated. “Voters can coalesce around him going into New Hampshire and South Carolina.”
In the end, Ron DeSantis voters in neither state will get a chance to support him. By suspending his campaign and endorsing Mr Trump before the primaries, the Florida governor avoids harming his standing with Trump supporters.
At 45 years old, he realises this is not the end of the path.
Jack Figge, one of his supporters, was also looking ahead when he spoke to the BBC following the disappointing outcome in Iowa. “This is a big year to see who our leader will be, but I’m much more interested in 2028.” He went on to say. “DeSantis is my guy.”
SOURCE – (BBC)
News
Canadian Man Arrested for TikTok Video That Threatened Trudeau
A TikTok video that went live earlier this week has led to a Toronto man facing charges of threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. Andrew Marshall, 61, is facing two counts of uttering threats.
On Friday afternoon, the Ontario Court of Justice granted him bail with a surety and restrictions after the RCMP charged him on Wednesday.
Following Monday’s upload to TikTok, CBC Toronto conducted its own independent investigation of the video. Marshall vehemently opposes what he perceives as restrictions on free expression in Canada in it.
“I get them taken down all the time— I make videos — or all my comments, that are just simple comments,” Marsh says in the TikTok. “It’s just getting ridiculous, Marshall said.”
According to the CBC more and more people are threatening politicians. The commissioner of the RCMP has hinted that further measures may be necessary to ensure their safety.
In the TikTok video, Marshall explains in great detail how he would brutally assassinate Trudeau and Freeland “if it was up to him.”
Marshall attacks multiple groups throughout the roughly 11-minute TikTok video, including the media, Muslims, migrants, and the police who defend the government.
Among Marshall’s bail terms are the following: he must not communicate with Trudeau or Freeland; he must not use the internet to make social media posts or comments; he must not own any weapons; and he must not apply for a firearms permit.
During the bail hearing, the prosecution provided all of the evidence that is often not published.
Nate Jackson, Marshall’s attorney, stressed his client’s liberties and privileges as a Canadian in an email message.
“He has the right to freedom of speech, the right to reasonable bail and the right to a fair trial,” he said. “Having secured his release from custody, we will continue to defend Mr. Marshall’s Charter rights as his case proceeds.”
Neither Freeland’s nor the prime minister’s office would comment on the allegations, according to the CBC.
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Canada’s Unemployment Rate Hits its Highest Point Since 2017
As the job market remains dismal, the national unemployment rate in Canada has risen to its highest point since 2017. This has led some analysts to question whether the Bank of Canada should be reducing interest rates more quickly.
In spite of a net gain of 22,000 jobs, Statistics Canada reported on Friday that the unemployment rate increased to 6.6% from 6.4% the previous month. The rise was due to an uptick in part-time employment and a fall in full-time employment.
Outside of the pandemic years, the national unemployment rate has reached its highest position since May 2017, according to StatCan.
Rapid population expansion in Canada has increased the overall labour pool, but the country’s unemployment rate has persisted in rising.
The summer job market was especially tough for students, according to StatCan. Not including the pandemic, the unemployment rate among students going back to school in the autumn was 16.7 percent, which is the highest level since 2012.
Two days after the Bank of Canada dropped interest rates for the third time in a row, reducing borrowing costs to alleviate economic pressure, the most recent reading of the Canadian job market follows suit.
According to TD Bank economist Leslie Preston, who wrote a note on Friday, the central bank is “giving the OK” to keep dropping rates due to the bad August jobs report. Preston predicts two more quarter-point decreases at the remaining decisions this year.
According to CIBC senior economist Andrew Grantham, there are indications that the labour market is quickly contracting more than initially thought, since the unemployment rate is nearly two percentage points greater than the record low of 4.9% in June 2022.
“Due to this, we believe the Bank should be contemplating a quicker rate of reductions in order to bring interest rates to less restrictive levels,” he informed clients in a letter on Friday morning.
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US Job Growth Falls Short of Expectations: Economy Struggles Under High Interest Rates
Last month, job growth in the United States was weaker than predicted, prompting concerns that the world’s largest economy is beginning to struggle under the weight of increased interest rates.
The Labour Department said that employers added 142,000 jobs in August, which was less than the nearly 160,000 economists predicted. It also stated that job gains over the preceding two months were weaker than expected.
However, the jobless rate went down to 4.2%, down from 4.3% in July.
The report is one of the most important indicators of the US economy and arrives at a vital time, as voters consider presidential candidates for the November election and the US central bank contemplates its first interest rate decrease in four years.
Analysts said the latest statistics kept the Federal Reserve on pace for a rate drop at its meeting this month, but did little to answer worries about the trajectory of the US economy or how much of a cut it should make.
“There has rarely been such a make-or-break number; unfortunately, today’s jobs report does not completely resolve the recession debate,” said Seema Shah, chief global strategist at Principal Asset Management.
Soaring prices in 2022 caused the Federal Reserve to hike its key lending rate to 5.3%, a nearly 20-year high.
Faced with increased borrowing costs for homes, vehicles, and other debt, the economy has slowed, helping to alleviate pressures that were boosting inflation but exacerbating market concerns.
As inflation has fallen to 2.9% in July, the Fed is under pressure to decrease interest rates to prevent additional economic deceleration.
Although job increases in August fell short of expectations, they were greater than in July, when a slowdown aroused anxieties and triggered several days of stock market volatility.
Last month, construction and health-care firms hired the most, while manufacturing and retailers laid off employees.
Ms Shah stated that the data in Friday’s report was mixed, but provided enough concerning indicators that the Fed should make a larger cut.
“On balance, with inflation pressures subdued, there is no reason for the Fed not to err on the side of caution and frontload rate cuts,” she told reporters.
Others, however, felt the advances were just steady enough to warrant a 0.25 percentage point decrease, as markets had long projected – though this could signal more cuts than expected in the coming months.
Paul Ashworth, Capital Economics’ senior North America economist, predicted that the Fed’s decision will be “close run.”
“The labour market is clearly experiencing a marked slowdown,” he said, adding that the new statistics were “overall still consistent with an economy experiencing a soft landing rather than plummeting into recession”.
Concerns about the economy are a major issue in the US election.
According to polls, a majority of Americans feel the US is in a recession, despite healthy 2.5% growth last year.
Donald Trump has declared that the economy is headed for a “crash,” and his team instantly latched on the latest data to criticise Vice President Kamala Harris, publishing a press release titled “warning lights flash as Kamala’s economy continues to weaken.”
Democrats have defended their performance, claiming that the United States survived the pandemic and inflation better than many other countries.
They believe the slowdown is a sign that the economy is returning to a more sustainable rate of growth following the post-pandemic boom.
“Although hiring has slowed, the US job market continues to generate solid job gains and wage growth that is consistently beating inflation,” the White House Council of Economic Advisors stated in a blog.
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