In my humble opinion, ladies and gentlemen (and I do mean ladies and gentlemen), this is a masterclass in how to answer questions from a hostile press with winning answers.
Gov. Ron DeSantis sat down with CNN's Jake Tapper last night and you might have missed it because the last time anyone watched CNN was in 2014 in the airport late at night, a secret you will gladly take to your grave.
To show you how well he did in this interview, here is the worst comment the uber-lefty Aaron Rupar could muster in his thread on DeSantis' response.
Post-birth abortion isn't (yet) legal in states, but there are top state leaders who have stumped for it, such as former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam:
DeSantis answers exactly like a shrewd statesman should: He affirms what he believes, but then sets realistic expectations. The idea that Congress, fiercely divided as it is, would send him a 6-week abortion ban in the Oval Office is unlikely. Instead of attacking the question, DeSantis sidesteps it to focus on what matters, but he does so without ignoring the issue or turning into a blame-game.
Tapper tried at one point to wield "suburban moms" against DeSantis, since this is the group that largely led to Joe Biden's victory:
Even the most liberal moms are raising their eyebrows at what's happening in the classroom. They weren't aware of the Marxist desire to replace parents with the State when they signed up for Tolerance-R-Us, and now they are getting bad vibes from the "progressive" crowd that wants to trans their kids.
This terrifies the Left.
Leftists haven't had to defend their ideas for decades. All they have to do is cry racism or homophobia and their opponents run away. So this must have been a surprise to Tapper:
Newsflash: You can have a spine and respect people at the same time! Take notes, Republicans!
I also appreciated how DeSantis responded to a question designed to attach him to Trump:
Finally, here is a clip of DeSantis responding to the Ukraine mess exactly as a presidential candidate for the United States of America (not Ukraine) should respond:
You might disagree, but this may oddly be the best exchange I've seen in the 2024 race so far. Getting interviewed by Tucker or Fox is friendly ground, and with Trump, I've grown used to them riling him up on purpose so he'll take swings at them. I guess it's nice to see someone (on either side of the aisle) articulate an actual vision for things that isn't filled with hyperbole and anger.
