{"id":2008365,"date":"2023-08-22T16:34:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T20:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-suffering-backlash-for-listless-vessels-comment-provides-a-fun-teachable-lesson-about-insulting-voters\/"},"modified":"2023-08-22T16:37:13","modified_gmt":"2023-08-22T20:37:13","slug":"desantis-suffering-backlash-for-listless-vessels-comment-provides-a-fun-teachable-lesson-about-insulting-voters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-suffering-backlash-for-listless-vessels-comment-provides-a-fun-teachable-lesson-about-insulting-voters\/","title":{"rendered":"DeSantis Faces Backlash for Insulting Voters, a Lesson in Respect"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdesantis-suffering-backlash-for-listless-vessels-comment-provides-a-fun-teachable-lesson-about-insulting-voters%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2008365&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>DeSantis Suffering Backlash for &#8216;Listless\u2063 Vessels&#8217; Comment Provides a\u200c Fun, Teachable Lesson \u2062About Insulting Voters<\/h2>\n<p>Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of \u200cFlorida found himself in\u2062 hot water \u2063over the weekend thanks to an ill-advised \u200ccomment.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview Friday with\u2064 Will Witt of The Florida Standard, a\u2062 conservative news outlet, DeSantis cautioned Republican voters against becoming \u201clistless vessels\u201d who unthinkingly follow former President Donald Trump\u2019s lead.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis\u2019 remark prompted criticism from\u200b Trump\u2019s\u2062 campaign as well as from the governor\u2019s own supporters. \u200cSome have interpreted the comment as the \u200blatest example of elitist contempt for Trump\u2019s working-class MAGA voters. Others believe the governor guilty\u2063 of making an\u2064 important point \u2063in a clumsy way.<\/p>\n<p>The full context of the interview allows for both interpretations. It is best, therefore, to try to understand what DeSantis might have been thinking and also how the average MAGA voter might reasonably have interpreted the \u201clistless vessels\u201d comment.<\/p>\n<p>During the Friday interview, Witt noted that many of Trump\u2019s supporters regard DeSantis as an establishment Republican.\u200c The governor clearly bristled at \u200bthe charge, calling it\u200c \u201ctotally \u200dfabricated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis\u2063 then\u2063 defended his record in both Florida and the U.S. Congress. He cited achievements on a \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-suffering-backlash-for-listless-vessels-comment-provides-a-fun-teachable-lesson-about-insulting-voters\/\" title=\"DeSantis Faces Backlash for Insulting Voters, a Lesson in Respect\">half-dozen issues important<\/a> to conservatives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been fighting the Republican Establishment\u200b my whole career, including as a \u200cfounding member of the Freedom Caucus,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Thus far, DeSantis\u2019 comments included nothing\u200c that would alarm any Republican voter, MAGA\u2063 or otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>When pressed by Witt,\u2062 however, on whether MAGA people actually believe that the Florida governor represents the Republican Establishment, DeSantis waded\u200c into his first potential minefield.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think they think it,\u201d the governor said.<\/p>\n<p>Oh boy. If they don\u2019t think it, then why do they say it? Are they \u200bmerely responding to dog whistles? The governor must clarify.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that we have a strand in our party that views supporting Trump as whether you are a RINO or not, and so you could be the most conservative person since sliced bread, [and] \u2062 unless you\u2019re kissing his rear end they will somehow call you a RINO,\u201d DeSantis said.<\/p>\n<p>Here DeSantis appeared resentful of Trump and contemptuous of voters who, according to the governor, do not think for themselves.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis quickly recovered, however, and made an important point with genuine clarity. He described the current RINO\u2064 question as \u201ctotally detached from principle and what you actually believe and \u2062results.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo there\u2019ll be people who are huge \u200dTrump supporters\u200b like in Congress \u200dwho have, \u200blike, incredibly liberal, left-wing records that\u2019s really just atrocious, and yet they\u2019re viewed by\u200d some of these folks as, like, really, really good,\u201d the governor added.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis posed a legitimate question. Have Trump and his working-class supporters pulled \u200bthe traditional Republican Party too far to the left? The governor\u200b might not persuade MAGA\u2062 voters on this point, but the discussion at least \u2063has merit.<\/p>\n<p>In \u2062fact, it sounds like a battle\u2064 for the party\u2019s proverbial soul.<\/p>\n<p>Could DeSantis make this point without insinuating that Trump\u2019s\u200b supporters respond to dog whistles? He tried.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUltimately, a movement can\u2019t be about the personality of one individual,\u201d the\u2062 governor said. \u201cThe movement has gotta be about what you are trying to \u2064achieve on \u2062behalf of the American people, and that\u2019s gotta be based in principle because if you\u2019re not rooted\u200c in principle \u2014 if all we are is listless vessels that [are] just supposed to follow, you know, whatever happens to come down the pike on \u2063Truth \u2064Social every morning, that\u2019s not gonna be a durable movement,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Readers can watch the relevant portion of the interview here:<\/p>\n<p>!function(r,u,m,b,l,e){r._Rumble=b,r[b]||(r[b]=function(){(r[b]._=r[b]._||[]).push(arguments);if(r[b]._.length==1){l=u.createElement(m),e=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0],l.async=1,l.src=&#8221;https:\/\/rumble.com\/embedJS\/u4&#8243;+(arguments[1].video?&#8217;.&#8217;+arguments[1].video:&#8221;)+&#8221;https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/?url=&#8221;+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+&#8221;&#038;args=&#8221;+encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify([].slice.apply(arguments))),e.parentNode.insertBefore(l,e)}})}(window, document, &#8220;script&#8221;, &#8220;Rumble&#8221;);<\/p>\n<div id=\"rumble_v36tgis\"><\/div>\n<p>Rumble(&#8220;play&#8221;, {&#8220;video&#8221;:&#8221;v36tgis&#8221;,&#8221;div&#8221;:&#8221;rumble_v36tgis&#8221;});<\/p>\n<p>In the end, the governor spoke of principles but did not \u200cstick to them. Rather\u200c than focus on what he regards as \u2064Trump\u2019s deviations from conservative positions and values, DeSantis returned\u2064 to the voters.<\/p>\n<p>Detached from context, the governor\u2019s larger point\u200b has merit. The conservative movement does depend \u2063on adherence not to candidates but\u2063 to conservative principles.<\/p>\n<p>Directed to these particular voters, however, \u2062\u201clistless vessels\u201d amounts\u200b to a benign-sounding substitute for the \u201cMAGA cult\u201d \u2063slander.<\/p>\n<p>If\u200c DeSantis sincerely believes that the MAGA\u200c movement revolves around Trump\u2019s \u201cpersonality,\u201d or that MAGA voters \u2062do not really think the \u2063things they say because they only look to Trump for direction, then the governor\u2019s problem stems from either an elitist disposition or a grotesque misunderstanding of his opponent\u2019s supporters.<\/p>\n<p>If, on the other hand, DeSantis\u2064 meant only\u200d to amplify his point about conservative principles, then he committed nothing more than a tactical \u2062and rhetorical error.<\/p>\n<p>Predictably, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disneylands-snow-white-ride-sparks-leftist-outrage-over-lack-of-consent-in-cartoon-kiss\/\" title=\"Disneyland\u2019s \u2018Snow White\u2019 Ride Sparks Leftist Outrage Over \u2018Lack Of Consent\u2019 In Cartoon Kiss\">left-wing outlets<\/a> such as Politico and \u2064Mediaite\u2064 gleefully reported the Republicans\u2019 intra-party kerfluffle. Both reports quoted Trump campaign officials as comparing DeSantis\u2019 remark to Hillary Clinton\u2019s infamous \u201cdeplorables\u201d line.<\/p>\n<p>During \u200dthe 2016 \u200dpresidential campaign, Clinton, then the Democratic nominee, described half of Trump\u2019s supporters as a \u201cbasket of deplorables.\u201d She quickly expressed at least partial regret\u200b over her comment.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, the DeSantis campaign responded with a statement blaming the \u201cdishonest media.\u201d \u2064One DeSantis supporter\u200b posted the statement on X,\u2063 formerly Twitter, with an accompanying tweet that \u200camplified the official statement.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The \u2062leftist media are once again refusing to report the facts.<\/p>\n<p>The media continue to attack @RonDeSantis because they\u200d know he\u2019s the biggest threat to their power. Not only do they know that he beat Biden, but that he can actually follow through on\u200c his promises! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/M8WhZR73Nw\">pic.twitter.com\/M8WhZR73Nw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Zach Montanaro (@ZachMontanaro) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZachMontanaro\/status\/1693276389284176135?\">August 20, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Meanwhile, some of\u200c DeSantis\u2019 higher-profile \u200csupporters have lamented the governor\u2019s \u201clistless vessels\u201d comment.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Gateway Pundit, for instance, a Fox News panel over the weekend expected the \u2063comment to land exactly as Trump campaign officials hoped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s so frustrating because Ron DeSantis has \u200dsuch a tremendous record to run on,\u201d panelist \u200cCharlie Hurt said. Alas, the governor is \u201cfailing,\u201d and \u201cthe biggest tell is when you go after the voters that you\u2019re supposed to win\u2064 over and you attack them and you mock \u2063them,\u201d Hurt added.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis supporter Tomi Lahren agreed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMoving forward on this DeSantis comment, it \u2064was not a good\u200b comment to make, and I\u2019m sure\u2063 he is kicking himself, and I\u2019m sure he wishes he could rephrase it,\u201d\u200b Lahren said.<\/p>\n<p>Lahren correctly \u200dnoted, however, that DeSantis had a larger point to make even if he made it poorly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow, what I heard him say is maybe a kernel of\u200c the\u200d truth. And I\u2019ll tell you what I believe he was trying\u200b to get across, and he failed at it. I think\u2064 what\u2064 he was \u2064trying to say is this I am not\u2063 a RINO simply \u2064because I am running against Donald Trump,\u201d Lahren added.<\/p>\n<p>Here Lahren identified the solid, principled ground on\u2064 which DeSantis stood \u2062if only he had stayed there.<\/p>\n<p>The bottom line to this story is \u2062both instructive and unfortunate.<\/p>\n<p>Trump commands the support of voters who believe they have no\u2064 power. America\u2019s institutions do not represent them. Furthermore, the establishment despises them. The rich and well-connected types have rigged the system against the \u200dworking class and can barely conceal their contempt for\u200d ordinary people.<\/p>\n<p>When Clinton called Trump supporters \u201cdeplorables,\u201d\u2064 she meant it, no\u200d matter what she said after the fact. \u200cShe has shown her true elitist colors. That 2016 comment would not be the last time she denigrated ordinary Americans as racist, bigoted, cultists, etc. Her mind \u2063is vile.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, when Joe Biden cursed at a factory worker during the 2020 presidential campaign, the then-Democratic candidate revealed his authentic self.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not working for you, gimme a break, man. Don\u2019t be such a\u2064 horse\u2019s\u200c a**,\u201d \u200cBiden told the worker according to NBC News. The corrupt career politician meant every word.<\/p>\n<p>In 2012, cameras caught Republican <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-knows-he-messed-up-on-fracking-at-debate-and-is-now-doing-damage-control-the-daily-wire\/\" title=\"Joe Biden Knows He Messed Up On Fracking At Debate And Is Now Doing Damage Control | The Daily Wire\">presidential candidate<\/a> Mitt Romney making elitist comments\u2064 about President\u2063 Barack Obama\u2019s voters. For once, \u2062The Washington Post told the\u2064 truth when it reported\u2064 that the \u2062comments \u200d\u201cplayed \u2062directly into the stereotype\u2062 of Romney \u200das an \u2064out-of-touch rich guy that President Obama\u2062 and \u200dhis campaign were playing up.\u201d The\u2062 stereotype rings \u2063true.<\/p>\n<p>The unfortunate thing about the \u2062present controversy is that DeSantis never\u2062 struck\u2064 Trump \u200bvoters\u2062 as contemptuous of them. In fact, the perception was quite the opposite.<\/p>\n<p>When Trump began attacking the \u200dFlorida\u2064 governor and referring to \u2064him as \u201cDeSanctimonious,\u201d I \u2063spoke to \u2062one ardent Trump supporter who told me he \u2062felt uncomfortable about it.<\/p>\n<p>It does seem\u2063 strange and disquieting. After all, people\u200c who voted\u200c for Trump in Florida \u200balso backed the popular governor.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, \u200cDeSantis \u200calso won \u2062the support and gratitude \u2064of people who found themselves \u2063powerless. From his establishment-bucking COVID policies to his assault on institutional wokeness, DeSantis appeared not as a mere politician but as a warrior against true\u2064 evil.<\/p>\n<p>As a presidential candidate, however, DeSantis has squandered nearly all of that goodwill.<\/p>\n<p>Either the Florida governor has suddenly revealed a \u200bdeep contempt for people whose basic values he shares, \u2062or he has campaigned poorly and allowed his frustrations to get the better of him.<\/p>\n<p>It might not help him with MAGA voters in 2024, but we could not be blamed for betting on the latter.<\/p>\n<p>The post DeSantis Suffering Backlash\u200c for &#8216;Listless \u2062Vessels&#8217; Comment\u2062 Provides a Fun, Teachable Lesson About Insulting\u200c Voters appeared first on The Western Journal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida faced backlash for a comment cautioning Republican voters not to blindly follow former President Donald Trump. The remark, made during an interview with conservative news outlet The Florida Standard, drew criticism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2056,"featured_media":2008366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2008365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2008365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2056"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2008365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2008365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2008366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2008365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2008365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2008365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}