The 2023 De Santis--Newsom Debates
How the Nation's Two Leading Governors Can Elevate Political Discourse in America
The most recent draft version of the US Re-Constitution can be downloaded at this link. As always, I welcome your suggestions and criticisms for improving this document. It currently weighs in at 41,446 words spanning 147 pages in a large font type. This includes the actual text of the Re-Constitution along with an extensive Exegesis.
Now on to the main topic…………
Ron De Santis is emerging as a likely challenger for the 2024 nomination, even if Trump decides to run. However, if Trump wanted to run for the Republican nomination, and realized that he would not be coronated, unopposed, then there is a strong possibility that he will seek to repeat Ross Perot’s performance in 1992 where he ran as a third party candidate. Ross Perot received over 20% of the vote and likely cost George H.W. Bush a second term in office.
It would be interesting to see a poll with Biden, De Santis, and Trump in a 3-way race. I believe that the same 1992 outcome is likely where Biden would obtain a plurality around 40% and De Santis and Trump would each receive about 30%.
Therefore, unless they can come up with some novel ideas, the Republicans are probably facing inevitable defeat in 2024, even with ongoing recession and inflation burdening Biden. Given the inevitable likelihood that Trump will engage in this petulant brinksmanship, sane Republicans should should do their best to set themselves up for a successful run in 2028.
De Santis continues to govern as a strong Conservative who is likely to win an over-whelming victory for a second term as Florida’s Governor. However, he lacks Trump’s stage appeal and outsized personality, and proven ability to attract large crowds. To remedy this De Santis could pursue a course of action to elevate his status as the most popular spokesman for the Conservative Cause, and expose Trump as someone who is just speaking for himself.
The new spokesman for the Left in the Culture Wars may be Gavin Newsom. Currently, he’s not on anyone’s short list of 2024 Democrat Party Nominees for the Presidency, but he could gain more stature if De Santis and he collaborate to boost each other’s celebrity status.
Both of them are likely to be easily re-elected this November. After that, I recommend that both of them consider a nationwide debate tour as the leading spokesperson for their respective Political Party. Can you imagine them filling up indoor arenas with 10,000 plus attendees witnessing hard-hitting debates over current topics? Debates about Critical Race Theory and Transgender Policies and Curriculum in Public Schools could occupy at least an hour of riveting debate.
They could also cover election and voting reforms, homeless policies, criminal prosecution and legal reforms, abortion, gun control, parental rights in education, education standards, affirmative action, government spending at the State and Federal levels, and Foreign Policy. As sitting governors the public has the advantage of comparing their records as governors with their policy prescriptions, and that will constrain the hyperbole and wishful thinking that appears in many political debates.
John Favreau of Pod Save America (the Progressives) and Ben Shapiro of The Daily Wire (the Conservatives) could serve as the sponsors and producers of this bi-partisan event. However, any bi-partisan cooperative venture would suffice. They would jointly agree on a moderator for the events.
Ground rules for running the events:
Favreau and Shapiro each pay for half the costs and each are allotted half the tickets to distribute as they wish to their followers.
They will try to sell the limited broadcasting rights to the debate (HBO, Netflix, etc.), but the debates will be available free of charge after three to six months.
The debate participants will each have equal time to speak, like a timed Chess Match. Let’s say that each gets 45 minutes. The speaker at any point in time will have control of a device that controls the microphone and the clock. As long as the speaker presses on the control, they will be the only one speaking over the microphone, excepting the host. Their allotted time will be decreasing for as long as they press on the control.
This has the advantage of reducing the pressure on the moderator to police the behavior of the debaters. It also allows for a less-structured colloquy between the debaters instead of rigid questions and answers between a debater and a moderator.
The only policing would be regarding audience interruptions. Whenever one side of the partisan audience drowns out the their opponent debater, then their side loses 30 seconds and the other side gains 30 seconds if the moderator rules that there was interference.
I believe that these debates would be wonderful political theater, and it would likely be conducted in a civil manner by these participants. I am optimistic that these debates would provide a productive airing of differences and bring out the best rational elements of partisan political thinking. Debates are not about playing to the base of support. The goal of a debate is to change the minds of the undecided and your opponents. They cultivate a different ethos than a campaign rally in front of the converted.
Here’s to hope that we’ll witness the De Santis - Newsom Debates in 2023. If they do occur, then it’s very likely that most of the company will be riveted by the spectacle and forget about Donald Trump. Making Trump irrelevant is the best outcome possible.
David Barulich