WEBVTT - Steve Schmidt on why Ron DeSantis’ presidential run is already over

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<v Speaker 1>How is it that Ron de Santas came to be

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<v Speaker 1>seen as a credible candidate for the office of President

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<v Speaker 1>of the United States?

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<v Speaker 2>What was that trajectory?

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<v Speaker 1>What qualifications does he have to be a national leader.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's look at his career. He was elected to Congress

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<v Speaker 1>and then very narrowly he won an election to Florida governor,

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<v Speaker 1>running against somebody who was found passed out pictured half

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<v Speaker 1>naked smoking crack a few months after the election. So

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<v Speaker 1>with that, Ron de Santis became qualified, according to the

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<v Speaker 1>American national news media because of his office, to hold

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<v Speaker 1>the most powerful office in the world, to be the

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<v Speaker 1>commander in chief of the most powerful military, to be

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<v Speaker 1>the commander in chief of the world's most powerful nuclear arsenal,

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<v Speaker 1>and leader president of the mightiest republic in human history.

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<v Speaker 1>Then Ron de Santis obviously lacks the talent, the grace,

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<v Speaker 1>the judgment for the position doesn't matter. All that matters

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<v Speaker 1>is that he cleared the admissions process. He's not so

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<v Speaker 1>different than a high school kid whose life is made

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<v Speaker 1>at the age of seventeen because they did well in

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<v Speaker 1>high school and popped high on the standardized tests. Does

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<v Speaker 1>he have a lick of common sense judging by the

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<v Speaker 1>fights he's picked as governor of Florida, the war he's

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<v Speaker 1>waged with Disney, the answer is no. Chris Christie described

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<v Speaker 1>Ron de Santis as one of the two worst politicians

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<v Speaker 1>he's ever seen, the other being Marco Rubio. The simple

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<v Speaker 1>truth is Ron de Santis is a strange cat. In

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<v Speaker 1>America doesn't elect strange cats to be president of the

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<v Speaker 1>United States. This country elect an orange, narcissistic demagogue, but

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<v Speaker 1>not a strange cat like Toy Santas. I mean, first off,

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<v Speaker 1>why does Ron de Santis, a fifty two year old male,

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<v Speaker 1>walk around with everything he owns having.

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<v Speaker 2>His name stamped on it. It's bizarre. Trump was right

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<v Speaker 2>about one thing.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe all the presidential candidates should just go back to

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<v Speaker 1>wearing a blue suit again, because the outfits outside of

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<v Speaker 1>the blue suit aren't cutting it, to say the least. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>Ron DeSantis has a problem connecting. And I'm going to

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<v Speaker 1>show as lethal a question that's ever been asked in

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<v Speaker 1>modern presidential politics. It's disguised as a friendly question from

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<v Speaker 1>a Fox sikaphant who in an instant turns into a

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<v Speaker 1>Fox News assassin gunning for Ron de Santis's weak spot.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's watch.

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<v Speaker 3>There's something about you that's not connecting for whatever reason,

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<v Speaker 3>not connecting with the voter, to not be personality. Donald

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<v Speaker 3>Trump says it's about loyalty. Francis Suarez says, it's about

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<v Speaker 3>your relationships and it's not about those individuals so much

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<v Speaker 3>as I'm curious in the analysis of Ron DeSantis of

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<v Speaker 3>why not yet is connecting?

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<v Speaker 2>Well?

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<v Speaker 4>I think, did you just see the news today about

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<v Speaker 4>the record fundraising hall we've had. Nobody's been able to

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<v Speaker 4>match that in the history of modern presidential politics. So

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<v Speaker 4>we've got a huge amount of support to be able

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<v Speaker 4>to take the case to the people. We really haven't

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<v Speaker 4>started that yet. We're in the process of building out

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<v Speaker 4>a great organization and I think we're going to be

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<v Speaker 4>on the ground in all these early states. It is

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<v Speaker 4>a three yards in a clouded dust type situation. That's

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<v Speaker 4>what we're going to be doing. But look, at the

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<v Speaker 4>end of the day, nobody has stood up for hard

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<v Speaker 4>working Americans more than I have over these last five

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<v Speaker 4>years and delivered the level of results that I have.

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<v Speaker 2>It's brutal, isn't it.

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<v Speaker 1>You can see his panic blinking, You can see Ron says,

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<v Speaker 1>folding it together barely trying to figure out what he's

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<v Speaker 1>going to say, and the answer reveals his character, his

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<v Speaker 1>childish petulance.

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<v Speaker 2>What he basically.

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<v Speaker 1>Responds is saying, but I got the most money. Ron

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<v Speaker 1>de Santis could have all of the money in the world,

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<v Speaker 1>but it won't help his failing presidential campaign, which has

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<v Speaker 1>already collapsed.

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<v Speaker 2>Now.

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<v Speaker 1>In the old days, it was said that presidential campaigns

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<v Speaker 1>ended when they ran out of money. In this new age,

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<v Speaker 1>it's really hard for them to run out of money,

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<v Speaker 1>but they still ultimately will and do, though just much

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<v Speaker 1>later in the cycle. The simple truth about Ron de

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<v Speaker 1>Santis is he had a moment after his landslide reelection.

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<v Speaker 1>Ron de Santis had a straight line to the Republican nomination.

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<v Speaker 2>His team, he and.

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<v Speaker 1>Him just didn't understand enough about politics, the history of

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<v Speaker 1>presidential campaigns. They didn't understand the moment and they missed it.

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<v Speaker 1>Ron de Santas jumped through an open window, but by

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<v Speaker 1>the time he got there, it was closed and he

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<v Speaker 1>smashed through it. Ron de Santis's polling collapse has been epic.

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<v Speaker 1>He has dropped like a rock since he got into

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<v Speaker 1>the race with his disastrous Twitter appearances, and there's a

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<v Speaker 1>truth about American politics dropped rocks don't bounce. Incredibly, Ron

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<v Speaker 1>de Santis named his super pac never Backed Down, which

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<v Speaker 1>is a really bad name and a really bad way

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<v Speaker 1>to live life. But incredibly, his super pack did exactly that.

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<v Speaker 1>Steve Cortes is one of its leaders. Steve Cortes was

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<v Speaker 1>a MAGA lieutenant who defected from the Trump team to

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<v Speaker 1>the DeSantis team at that brief shining moment when DeSantis's

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<v Speaker 1>stock was high. The bottom line is Ron de Santis

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<v Speaker 1>is a meager talent running on division, running on cruelty,

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<v Speaker 1>running on meanness, running against the woke mind virus, whatever

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<v Speaker 1>that is. He's running to be a Fox television host

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<v Speaker 1>or maybe more accurately, a Newsmax or Oan one. Every day,

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<v Speaker 1>Ron de Santis gets up and he tries to find

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<v Speaker 1>the smallest, dumbest, most fatal issue to twist to antagonize

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<v Speaker 1>as many people as possible.

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<v Speaker 2>His campaign is rudderless, it's visionless.

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<v Speaker 1>And more than that, it's disconnected from the real life

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<v Speaker 1>experience of most every person in the United States of America.

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<v Speaker 1>What Ron de Santus is doing is trying to stoke

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<v Speaker 1>and antagonize a cold civil war with the belief that

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<v Speaker 1>it will produce a Desantus presidency. Its madness. He has

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<v Speaker 1>no chance of being the Republican nominee because he is

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<v Speaker 1>among the very smallest people in the country.

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<v Speaker 2>Think about it.

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<v Speaker 1>Ron de Santis was given a great privilege. He became

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<v Speaker 1>governor of Florida, and what did he do. He antagonized

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<v Speaker 1>the state's largest employer to such a degree, picked such

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<v Speaker 1>an unnecessary fight that they've canceled projects worth hundreds of

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<v Speaker 1>millions of dollars and thousands of jobs. But Rond de

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<v Speaker 1>Santis has offered the people of Florida.

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<v Speaker 2>Is NonStop chaos, NonStop.

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<v Speaker 1>Conflict, and the rest of the country is looking at

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<v Speaker 1>it and saying no thanks. Soon, the Republican presidential debates

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<v Speaker 1>will begin. The voting starts in one hundred and eighty

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<v Speaker 1>eight days. Rond de Santis will fade quickly on that

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<v Speaker 1>debate stage. But his campaign has no rationale other than

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<v Speaker 1>his ambition. He's milk toast, He's Diet Trump, and nobody's

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<v Speaker 1>in the mood for Diet Trump. The Trump supporters don't

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<v Speaker 1>want it, the Trump opponents don't want it.

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<v Speaker 2>Nobody does.

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<v Speaker 1>Rond de Santis is losing this election because he's talentless,

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<v Speaker 1>he lacks conviction principle and an ability to communicate with

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<v Speaker 1>normal people. He clearly doesn't like them. In the end,

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<v Speaker 1>politics is a people business, not a data business. Ronda

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<v Speaker 1>Santis's spokesperson issued an incredible quote. It deserves pondering because

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<v Speaker 1>it speaks to the faded rationale and hopes of the

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<v Speaker 1>DeSantis campaign. What he said is, nobody should panic. If

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<v Speaker 1>you're on Team Dessantis, everything will be okay because just

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<v Speaker 1>wait until the maga Republican voters find out that Donald

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<v Speaker 1>Trump didn't do much of what he promised in his

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<v Speaker 1>first term. Can you imagine they really believe that what

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<v Speaker 1>is it that the Santa's people think is going to happen?

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<v Speaker 1>When the Trump people find out that Donald Trump is

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<v Speaker 1>full of it's pretty incredible. Seven years on that. That's

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<v Speaker 1>your takeaway, that's your assessment of American politics. Donald Trump

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<v Speaker 1>has been accused of thirty seven acts of breaching the

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<v Speaker 1>nation's most important, most closely guarded secrets, and he's gone

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<v Speaker 1>up in the poll. Donald Trump is the Republican front runner.

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<v Speaker 1>Donald Trump is the leader of an autocratic cult of personality,

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<v Speaker 1>and Donald Trump appears to be getting stronger, not weaker.

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<v Speaker 2>The Biden campaign, which.

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<v Speaker 1>On its best days seems rather lackluster, has made repeatedly

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<v Speaker 1>clear they want Donald Trump. They want Donald Trump to

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<v Speaker 1>be the Republican nominee because they feel they can easily

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<v Speaker 1>beat him. Sound familiar. Frankly, I find it terrifying. And

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<v Speaker 1>anybody who believes that Donald Trump can't be elected president

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<v Speaker 1>of the United States again is a fool.

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<v Speaker 2>He can be, and he might be.

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<v Speaker 1>His coalition is a minority coalition in this country, but

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<v Speaker 1>if you add indifference apathy to it, it might just

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<v Speaker 1>well be the majority coalition. Ron de Santis won't be

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<v Speaker 1>the Republican nominee, but Ron DeSantis has helped break the

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<v Speaker 1>Republican Party forever. He helped end conservatism, and he helped

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<v Speaker 1>launch a new American fascism. The politics of punishment, the

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<v Speaker 1>politics of control, the politics of retribution are what Ron

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<v Speaker 1>de Santis stands for. It's just that his strange personality

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<v Speaker 1>is leading the voters to reject him.

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<v Speaker 2>Even a Fox News host can see that clearly.