The Midterms returns are (mostly) in, and it has been decidedly a mixed bag for the Republicans. Many Trump-supported candidates such as Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania failed to win seats, and the best Republicans can hope for is a slim majority in Congress- a “red ripple” instead of the hoped for “red wave.”
The one stand-out for the Republicans came in Florida with Ron De Santis’ big win in the Governor’s race. The first time De Santis ran, he won by 2%; this time, his win is closer to a margin of a whopping 20%. Other Republican candidates in Florida surely won riding De Santis’ coattails.
This is a mandate on De Santis’ performance as a successful governor during the COVID years. He chose against the lockdown strategy- and ended up being very successful . He chose to reject head-on the wokeness of Disney and the transgender movement- and won; pundits are now saying Florida is “where woke goes to die.” He chose classic conservative approaches to economic matters, with low taxes and $6,000 vouchers per child for school choice. For these reasons, Ron De Santis’ victory this November could be a springboard to becoming the next leader of the Republican party, finally replacing Donald Trump.
But old Trump still stands in the way of a potential De Santis Presidential run. Trump has said that since they were one time allies and familiar in Florida, he could reveal things about De Santis,
“things about him that won't be very flattering - I know more about him than anybody - other than, perhaps, his wife.”
What should Republicans think about all this?
Turn to the classics- namely, Shakespeare’s history plays. In Henry IV, Part 1, King Henry IV (Henry Bolingbroke) knows that he has a legitimacy problem with the British people, since he seized the throne by force. His son, Prince Hal, chooses to live a rambling life on the streets with the fat, boisterous, and wickedly wise Sir John Falstaff. Hal does this, so that when he cleans up his act, his sun will shine all the brighter.
I submit to you: De Santis is the Republicans’ Hal, and Falstaff is our Trump. It is not until Henry IV, Part 2, after Hal has claimed some victories and the respect of his dying father, that he turns away from his old drinking companion Falstaff. In the final act, Falstaff thinks he will ride into power with Hal, but Hal responds:
I know thee not, old man: fall to thy prayers;
How ill white hairs become a fool and jester!
This is what Ron De Santis will say to Donald Trump. It is sad for the audience to lose their old, funny friend Falstaff- but lose him they must.
Yup. The set up reminds me a lot of Obama v. Clinton, with COVID playing for DeSantis the role that Iraq played for Obama.
And then in "Henry IV Part 3: Falstaff's Revenge", Falstaff becomes a creature of pure spite and malice (with Richard III's hump on his head but painted gold), runs in the general against Prince Hal, spends the fall of 2024 hounding and belittling him, and in Act V the entire Republican party runs each other through with their bare bodkins leaving Queen Kamala to dump their blood-soaked corpses in a pit and rule unimpeded for 8 glorious years...