Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom had their own goals and advantages heading into Thursday night’s highly anticipated debate.
For DeSantis, this forum was a home game.
Moderator Sean Hannity may have some chemistry with Newsom, but he is first and foremost a conservative and had a vested interest in presiding over an event in which DeSantis prevailed.
Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis speaks to the media after debating California Governor Gavin Newsom in Alpharetta, Georgia, November 30, 2023. REUTERS
As the only presidential candidate on stage, DeSantis’ somewhat urgent goal was to revive his stalled campaign.
Newsom, on the other hand, was playing with the house’s money.
His goal was to become a national figure and the presumed future face of the Democratic Party.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and California Governor Gavin Newsom during their televised debate on November 30, 2023. Reda, Reda, /X
And since he is not a candidate for anything, he had the privilege of trying to take the leap without risks.
By the end of the contentious hour, both men had made progress toward their respective goals, but only one, DeSantis, could call it a triumph.
His progressive counterpart put up a fight thanks to his gift of words.
California Governor Gavin Newsom appears on Fox News during his debate with Desantis in Alpharetta, Georgia, on November 30, 2023. FOX News
DeSantis called him a “slick, slippery politician.”
All in all, there are worse insults to absorb, but it was the kick that stung: “. . . whose state is failing.”
That line succinctly summed up the entire event.
Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis speaks in the spin room after the debate held on Fox News, in Alpharetta, Georgia, on November 30, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
The truth is that DeSantis had won the debate long before he showed up, not because he was the best politician, but because he was the best executive.
On issue after issue, the facts supported DeSantis’ arguments and refuted Newsom’s.
California spends more on education with worse results.
Florida has less restrictive gun laws and fewer mass shootings.
Crime is significantly higher in the Golden State and unemployment is significantly lower in the Sunshine State.
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Newsom began each question with a hole.
To his credit, he scratched, clawed and coaxed the public into circles in an admirable effort to break out of them.
But his overly confrontational and bellicose attempts to mock his opponent played into DeSantis’ hands, allowing him to appear the more mature and presidential of the two and fueling the perception that he had the better substantive argument.
DeSantis was at his best when he presented his case with illustrative but sensible framing.
“You would almost have to try” to get people to leave California, DeSantis reflected at one point.
After Newsom referenced his dispute with the Walt Disney Corporation, the Republican noted that he nevertheless made “a fortune” for the company by leaving it open during COVID while Newsom closed it.
He scored another point when he criticized Newsom for closing public schools while sending his own children to private schools.
DeSantis’ willingness to jump into the ring with his political opponents and perform well in it could be contrasted with the Republican front-runner who refuses to even show up for a debate.
Newsom also distinguished himself as his party’s standard-bearer with his ability to articulate himself and project vitality.
And for us viewers, it was a glimpse into what a race between two energetic governors with divergent but viable visions for the country’s future would look like.
Americans seem uncompromising in their push to condemn themselves to a rematch of the 2020 race.
But perhaps Thursday night’s debate will inspire them to see reason.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn