Meeting them in Person
Ron DeSantis was a guest at our local congressman's annual picnic. The last three years our local House Rep, Randy Feenstra, has hosted a picnic that anyone can attend (for a price of course). We've not attended this in the past, but this year we forked over the 50 dollars per adult (the kids are free) and enjoyed some pork burgers.
We try to meet as many presidential or potential presidential candidates as possible.
Meeting a candidate in person in these types of situations helps you see how they act around others in a setting not so easily choreographed. This has helped us rule out or add to the potential list of candidates we would be willing to support with a vote on caucus day.
Watching a person on tv just doesn't show how a person really acts. Little things like walking through a crowd, how they talk to people who push a little harder to get in line to see them, and how do they push back against their own handlers when their handlers are trying to hurry them up, are just a few things we like to notice.
This isn't the same as a regular quick stop tour close to caucus day. We are, after all, 8 or 9 months away still. But there are several things we can still gather from today's events.
1) The campaign mailings and even attack radio ads that started flooding our mailboxes and radio waves for and against someone who has not officially announced a candidacy yet, especially this early in the election cycle, is significant.
2) The media was all over this. We've seen the media at campaign events in rural northwest Iowa a lot, but this event had more media than I recall in a long time. Easily rivaling Trump's visit to Dordt College 8 years ago.
3) Just like every other time the big liberal media shows up to these events, they notice my wife and start taking video or pictures. It gets to the point where she often thinks twice before attending one of these events. This is a perfect example of how the coastal liberal or bigger city reporters have a skewed view of race, culture, and middle America.
4) Ron DeSantis does seem real. The crowd was large so we didn't get a chance to shake hands or talk to him. However, we were able to listen to the conversations he had with others and his speech seemed genuine. He is definitely polished, but not fake.
5) The Never Back Down, Super PAC was of course at this event as well. The big Super PACs almost always follow their candidates and help push their agendas. They were inviting people to sign the Super PAC bus. I wonder how long till the bus gets repainted.
Is Ron DeSantis the one to vote for next year? It's way to early to make that decision. We have a long campaign and a lot of candidates to evaluate. But, he has not been ruled out. And the other campaigns have taken notice. Especially the Trump campaign and the Super PACs supporting him.
Attack ads are usually a sign that someone is doing well. You don't attack the ones who are down in the polls. Remember national polls are not relevant when it comes to the primaries and caucuses. We are a long way off, but things are already heating up. It will be interesting to see where things go from here.
We try to meet as many presidential or potential presidential candidates as possible.
Meeting a candidate in person in these types of situations helps you see how they act around others in a setting not so easily choreographed. This has helped us rule out or add to the potential list of candidates we would be willing to support with a vote on caucus day.
Watching a person on tv just doesn't show how a person really acts. Little things like walking through a crowd, how they talk to people who push a little harder to get in line to see them, and how do they push back against their own handlers when their handlers are trying to hurry them up, are just a few things we like to notice.
This isn't the same as a regular quick stop tour close to caucus day. We are, after all, 8 or 9 months away still. But there are several things we can still gather from today's events.
1) The campaign mailings and even attack radio ads that started flooding our mailboxes and radio waves for and against someone who has not officially announced a candidacy yet, especially this early in the election cycle, is significant.
2) The media was all over this. We've seen the media at campaign events in rural northwest Iowa a lot, but this event had more media than I recall in a long time. Easily rivaling Trump's visit to Dordt College 8 years ago.
3) Just like every other time the big liberal media shows up to these events, they notice my wife and start taking video or pictures. It gets to the point where she often thinks twice before attending one of these events. This is a perfect example of how the coastal liberal or bigger city reporters have a skewed view of race, culture, and middle America.
4) Ron DeSantis does seem real. The crowd was large so we didn't get a chance to shake hands or talk to him. However, we were able to listen to the conversations he had with others and his speech seemed genuine. He is definitely polished, but not fake.
5) The Never Back Down, Super PAC was of course at this event as well. The big Super PACs almost always follow their candidates and help push their agendas. They were inviting people to sign the Super PAC bus. I wonder how long till the bus gets repainted.
Is Ron DeSantis the one to vote for next year? It's way to early to make that decision. We have a long campaign and a lot of candidates to evaluate. But, he has not been ruled out. And the other campaigns have taken notice. Especially the Trump campaign and the Super PACs supporting him.
Attack ads are usually a sign that someone is doing well. You don't attack the ones who are down in the polls. Remember national polls are not relevant when it comes to the primaries and caucuses. We are a long way off, but things are already heating up. It will be interesting to see where things go from here.