How far can gratitude for what former President Trump accomplished — and rage against the Deep State/Democrats — take you in an election? That's the existential question Republicans need to be asking right now. Is it worth going down with the ship to send a message to those persecuting Trump? What should be our goals at this pivotal moment in history? Avenging Trump or winning the 2024 election at all costs — even if Trump has to take one for the team?
Radio talker Steve Deace warned yesterday that if Republicans don't start living in reality, there won't be a country to leave behind for our children.
"The future of the country is at stake, and we all recognize that," he began. "But right now, on a very practical level, things that every previous generation of Americans except during the Great Depression took for granted, we are on the brink of not being able to take for granted anymore."
He listed as examples being able to buy a home or a car and not having to worry about their child dying of a fentanyl overdose because Joe Biden left the border wide open.
"We are on the brink right now, as a people, of the kinds of things that, if you read history books, civilizations don't come back from," he added. "I've never been 'this is the most important election of our lifetime.' Guys, I hate that, okay, but I really believe this year is a win-or-go-home kind of election in 2024. We have to win."
Deace insisted that Ron DeSantis, based on his record as Florida governor, is the one who can lead the GOP to victory. Among his many accomplishments, DeSantis was able to reduce his state's Democrat Party "to ash," without having "to compromise any principles or anything at all… He destroyed it and I think he can do that on a national level."
But he believes the Democrats and their accomplices in the media have been involved in a "psyop" to ensure DeSantis is never the GOP nominee because they believe he'd be harder to beat in 2024 than Trump.
"Everything they're doing to Donald Trump legally is complete and total BS, which is exactly why they are doing it," he said. "I predicted this nine months ago. The Colorado State Supreme Court just a few minutes ago disqualified Donald Trump from the ballot, and they're gonna do more of this. Especially once they convict him of whatever phony crimes in Washington, D.C., they'll make up next year."
"There are Democrat secretaries of state in Arizona, North Carolina, Nevada, and Wisconsin. Whoever the Republican nominee is, I want you guys to please listen to me very carefully. Because what I'm about to tell you, you need to go back to your family members who will say stuff to you like 'Trump's got a plan. They'll never do this to him.' The same people who tell you that the Deep State will do whatever they can to stop Donald Trump cannot then turn around and say to you, 'Oh, but by the way, they wouldn't dare put him in jail or imprison him or convict him.'"
"Both those things can't be simultaneously true," he argued. "It is time to have an adult conversation. Look at your children and your grandkids and understand the future that's at stake right now. This is their plan."
He noted that intense battles against Trump are happening right now in those four swing states and the Republican nominee "has to win at least three of those four states to get to 270."
"All four of those states have Democrat secretaries of state. Next year, you're going to have a choice. You can spend tens of millions of dollars destroying the dementia patient in the White House and the Democrats, or you could spend tens of millions of dollars next year trying to make sure our nominee is even on the ballot."
You can't argue with that—not honestly, anyway.
"To me, that is a very simple choice," Deace said. "What they're doing to Donald Trump is wrong. What they will do to our children and grandchildren for the next four years if we lose this election is far more wrong. And we will regret it far more."
"All of the sentiment now— 'well, even if we go down with a sinking ship, we have to do it'— sounds great right now, until you're paying 28% inflation as opposed to the 14% you're paying right now. It won't sound very great in 2025, 2026, and 2027."
He urged the audience to take that message to their family members and insist that "we must win this election. If we don't win this election, we're toast."
Related: That Sound You Hear Is Gen-Z Voters Running Into the Arms of the Democrats
I get the desire to be loyal to Trump and the impulse for revenge. A lot has happened over the last few years that's appalling and completely un-American. But at what point are we cutting off our noses to spite our faces just to "send a message" to the Left? Trump can't drain the swamp if he doesn't get elected—and he won't be elected if he's not on the ballot in key swing states. Most legal experts are sure the Supreme Court will overturn the Colorado decision, but what if they don't? Or what if the next state on the list gets away with it? Or what if Trump is in jail? What then? Do you seriously believe that the nation, including those in the middle, without whom Trump can't win, will rise up to defend him? Will vote for him on principle? If you believe that, you're deceiving yourself. It's time for a reality check. The visceral hatred of those on the left—and especially those running our institutions—will make it nearly impossible for Trump to win. At minimum, it's an extremely risky proposition.
The alternative reality is that Republicans thank Trump for his service and move on to a young, wildly successful governor with a record of turning a blue state red—including the bluest county in Florida. A governor who has proven that he's willing to fight the woke agenda, and who has the skills and knowledge to take down the Deep State using the legal levers of power granted to him—just like he's done in Florida.
All those millions of campaign dollars being poured into Trump's legal defense fund are not going to win us the White House. It's a recipe for disaster, and our kids will pay the price if we lose in 2024.
And before you take to the comments to declare that DeSantis is a loser who wears heel lifts or whatever, be honest with yourself and ask if you'd be gung-ho for DeSantis if Trump were not running. And think about what it means long-term to destroy the GOP bench for the sake of an octogenarian who sees every Republican rival as an enemy who needs to be destroyed. This is not a winning long-term strategy, folks.
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𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 🔥🔥🔥🔥 @RonDeSantis hosted a meet and greet this evening in Ankeny, IA. One of the guest speakers was @SteveDeaceShow. His speech, although not easy to hear, hits the nail on the head. We have to… pic.twitter.com/Loj8lWQOmv
— NONBidenary (@KellyLMcCarty) December 20, 2023
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