Saturday, June 03, 2023

ANNALS OF DeSANTISTAN: Exclusive: Donors fret whether Ron DeSantis abortion ban will turn off pro-choice backers. (Jacob Ogles, Florida Politics)

With TRUMP and DeSANTIS, it's all about the cruelty.  

But is our Boy Governor, RONALD DION DeSANTIS, now perceived as too extreme, even for the leisure class of louche County Club Republican funders?

You tell me. Footnote: DeSANTIS has his Yale University Baseball Team uniform framed at left of photo: is the frame on hinges to allow access to the safe or vault where Governor DeSANTIS keeps his dirty little secrets and his ill-gotten corporate PAC loot? You tell me.

From Florida Politics: 





Exclusive: Donors fret whether Ron DeSantis abortion ban will turn off pro-choice backers. 

By Jacob Ogles

Florida Politics

May 27, 2023

One donor-attendee suggested reminding contributors that 'abortion is safe, legal and rare in Florida.'

Supporters of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential ambitions fretted at a donor dinner about his stance on abortion. That’s according to audio obtained exclusively by Florida Politics.

Supporters gathered at the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami shortly after the Florida Republican launched his presidential campaign. The audio shows that during the meeting, many expressed concern about the state banning abortions six weeks into pregnancy.

“My Republican friends who have daughters and wives are upset,” one donor stated.

Pollster Ryan Tyson acknowledged the issue could prove divisive, but said DeSantis already showed the ability to address the matter. He pointed not to a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk generating headlines, but to an interviewwith Fox News host and former Congressman Trey Gowdy. There, DeSantis suggested the issue largely rests with states.

Tyson called that the best position for a Republican to hold on the issue politically.


“His position is while he understands that there are ways that the federal government can be helpful to preserve life,” Tyson said, “the best way that you will preserve life is at the state level.”

But some feared that the Florida law may prove so extreme that it damages Republicans in the General Election. Some supporters said DeSantis had potential to reach moderate voters, but that could be more complicated after he signed a heartbeat bill.

“I’m just looking for some talking points to get more dollars,” the supporter said.

A donor in the room’s response on that could prove jarring to social conservatives.

“Abortion is safe, legal and rare in Florida,” he said, using a phrase popularized by Democratic President Bill Clinton in the 1990s.


“It (abortion) is legal in Florida. It has not been banned. Most abortions occur with a chemical, with a Plan B, at this point. When you are talking to a pro-choice donor, I don’t think just go lie. I say, look, abortion is legal in Florida.”

Tyson said DeSantis needs to win the Primary, where pro-life voters have a larger say on who wins delegates, before he can worry about the General Election. But staff also said candidates in the modern political climate can’t waver on every position.

“We don’t tell our candidate what his principles should be,” a staffer says.

“That’s not how it works. Our candidate, our Governor, he is who he is. … I totally understand how difficult that is when you’re talking to a pro-choice donor. I get that. Sorry. One of the things I’ve said for a long time is if we want a man in the White House capable of standing up to Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, we want him to be able to stand up to donor pressure on issues that are difficult.”

Jacob Ogles

Jacob Ogles has covered politics in Florida since 2000 for regional outlets including SRQ Magazine in Sarasota, The News-Press in Fort Myers and The Daily Commercial in Leesburg. His work has appeared nationally in The Advocate, Wired and other publications. Events like SRQ’s Where The Votes Are workshops made Ogles one of Southwest Florida’s most respected political analysts, and outlets like WWSB ABC 7 and WSRQ Sarasota have featured his insights. He can be reached at jacobogles@hotmail.com.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is part of the reason why Noam Chomsky called America a one party state. Not only do both parties support big business exploitation, low taxes, and unbridled political donations... but you got pro-choice people voting for DeSantis? What kinda nonsense is that man? All comes down to who they view can make them the most money personally. They don't have any real values.