Spoonman wrote: ↑Wed Nov 16, 2022 10:04 pm
Definitely a case where you wish both would be mortally wounded. Still, if DeSantis launches a presidential bid of his own it'll likely be worth stocking up on the popcorn, whilst hoping the Democrats don't use it as an excuse to take their eyes off the 2024 prize. Being "not Trump" might well work again, but "not DeSantis" less likely so.
The real unknown factor here is, what do the true MAGA believers do if De Santis gets the nod? Do they refuse to vote for an election stealer? Because I am willing to bet Trump will be more than happy to extend his stolen vote narrative to Republican candidate primaries than ever countenance admitting he lost anything. I can also believe Trump would go scorched Earth and stand as an independent, knowing he’d split the GOP vote but not caring as long as he beat DeSantis.
We also have 2 years now of a super-weak GOP House majority where they’ll be at the mercy of Trump headbangers, causing huge amounts of noise but doing fuck all. Moderate Republicans will hate it. Moderate republican voters and the wider electorate even moreso. So if Trump gets the nod, everyone will have had a multi-year reminder of the awfulness and ineptitude of his administration before polling day.
While Biden and the Dems may have a few awkward things come their way from the house, it’s not going to be anywhere near as awkward as the potential GOP implosion. And we’ve seen exactly what that leads to with the Tories here. I’m sure the dems would have liked to hold the house, but in some ways this may even work out better.