Talk about a scandal! Newsweek has an eye for the stories that really don’t matter at all in an article titled, “Ron DeSantis' Sweaty Appearance Raises Questions.” Khaleda Rahman writes:
Ron DeSantis' appearance as he spoke to supporters in Oklahoma at the weekend prompted questions and mockery on social media. (snip)
Following DeSantis' speech, photos of the Florida governor in a shirt drenched with sweat circulated on social media.
"Ron DeSweaty in Oklahoma," Ron Filipkowski, an attorney who says he monitors right-wing extremism, tweeted alongside a photo of DeSantis from the event.
Reading mean tweets replaces field reporting, which is appropriate for a publication that is a shadow of its former self. The endorsement DeSantis received from the Governor of Oklahoma (DeSantis is “the right guy to beat Biden”) pales beside the “scandal” that his properly functioning perspiration worked well to cool him off in a crowded room in June in Oklahoma. Gee, it's surprising that a guy born and reaised in Florida has a body well adapted to cool off in the midst of heat and humidity.
Not that properly functioning physical health is a consideration when running against Joe Biden….
The media clearly are afraid of Ron DeSantis, for obvious reasons. His track record as Governor of Florida turned a n arrow first term election victory into a 20-point landslide for re-election. They equally clearly see Donald Trump as the ideal candidate for the GOP to nominate, as they believe – correctly or not – that he is toxic to a sufficient number of voters that he cannot be elected. So, they are carrying out what might be termed a pincer strategy: hyping the DOJ’s unprecedented persecution of Trump so as the ensure GOP base’s support for his re-nomination grows even more robust, while doing everything in their power to discredit Ron DeSantis, just in case he ends up as the nominee.
Because his track record in office is so popular with constituents and has led to prosperity and growth (results sorely desired by much of the country), the media are trying to compose of narrative of an incompetent campaign. The “failure” of his campaign launch on Twitter – where technical difficulties resulted in a huge amount of publicity – is now being echoed in a narrative that will seize on literally anything that can be criticized, even if the underlying phenomenon – DeSantis’s robust good health -- is positive. And his dedication to campaigning, even in a hot and sweaty environment, speaks well of his physical endurance and moral fervor.
Well, it’s all they’ve got and they will push such pettiness even when they look ridiculous. And note the negative cast of the four other stories about DeSantis listed at the bottojm of the article.
Hat tips: Richard Baehr and Lauri Regan
Photo credit: Twitter