Tales from the Mark Side: The Conservative Voice in Manatee County

Trump vs. DeSantis. Who’s your pick?

By Mark Young

I know, I know. No one is ready to start talking about the 2024 election just yet.

If you’re anything like me, it would be great to get through one election cycle at a time, but that’s really not the nature of American politics anymore.

It won’t be long before we are debating presidential runs decades out. The media will get wind of some kindergartner who aced his ABC’s and start flaunting him as a presidential candidate in 2060.

But just for fun, let’s look ahead and dive into all the speculation that’s out there about DeSantis considering a run and Trump continuing to hint that a run is likely.

I don’t think we are too far away from this being a very real possibility and if it plays out, it’s a bit of a nightmare scenario if you ask me. It’s like having to watch your two favorite prize fighters going at it for the title, or your two favorite football teams in the Super Bowl.

You’re going to be happy for one and disappointed for the other. In other words, it’s not the worst thing in the world, but it’s still going to suck.

There are facts to consider in this speculative scenario, however. Trump would undoubtedly fix all these massive Biden failures in short order, but DeSantis is more than capable of doing the same.

I think what we get in our beloved Florida governor is Trump policies without some of the baggage that is going to follow Trump whether we agree with what’s inside those suitcases or not.

If you look at Biden’s dismal poll ratings, he still allegedly comes out even in a head-to-head rematch with Trump. That’s just scary if there is anything to that particular poll.

How could anyone in their right mind say that the outcome of a Biden presidency is worth more of what we are suffering through now just because you despise a guy who kept every promise he made in making America thrive?

Makes no sense whatsoever, but that’s always the danger of having to coexist with the liberal mind.

I’ve also seen a lot of wishes for a Trump/DeSantis ticket as well. On paper that looks pretty fantastic with DeSantis then taking the presidency for eight years after a term as vice president.

In reality, I don’t think DeSantis would roll those dice considering what happened to Mike Pence, who was incorrectly vilified for fulfilling his constitutional duty.

And Mike took the time to check, too. It’s not like he didn’t start making phone calls to see if he could nullify the election, and of course, was repeatedly told he did not have the authority. Certifying the electoral votes is strictly a ceremonial thing.

Trump didn’t believe that though and turned on Pence. And so did Trump supporters who don’t understand constitutional basics. Pence was loyal as could be and was a good vice president.

It’s OK to question election integrity. It’s OK to even question whether the 2020 election was legitimate given historic changes made by democrat-led states and democrat election supervisors who used the pandemic to their own advantage.

That’s all fine and dandy, and I stand 100% with you in having those same concerns. I also know Trump isn’t responsible for the Jan. 6 rally that got out of control. Trump never told anyone to do anything.

I also know that there were paid agitators at the Jan. 6 rally that got out of control, but I also know there were plenty of Republicans who lost control.

But I also know that Pence had no choice but to fulfill his duty and to hear the things Trump has said about him and the shouts of, “Hang Pence,” at the rally is just stupid.

But it will be that moment that ruins any chance of a Trump/DeSantis ticket, in my opinion.

If I was DeSantis, I wouldn’t take that offer. It’s just not worth going down the rabbit hole because that’s a hole from which you don’t come back. It’s too risky for DeSantis to get caught up in unpredictable situations.

But as an American, it would be the ideal ticket to unify Republicans because if DeSantis and Trump run against one another, it’s not going to be pretty for Conservatives who are otherwise on the precipice of sweeping into power for the foreseeable future.

As I keep saying, the only thing stopping Republicans from kicking liberals to the curb for a while are Republicans. We don’t need or want to be in a position where we have an all-star roster and find ourselves having to forfeit the game because we beat the hell out of each other.

Trump is and always will be one of the greatest presidents to have ever served this great nation. History will eventually tell the story of his actual policies long after the last butthurt liberal tear hits the ground after a mean tweet.

But we can’t afford to wait for that. We have to save America now. If this speculative, but very possible situation comes to reality, then DeSantis will be my choice.

Trump could win another term, but it’s just too risky for my liking. I believe DeSantis hits a walk-off grand slam in November of 2024 and wins in a landslide. He then holds the championship trophy for the next eight years.

I guess we’ll see how it all plays out. Trump insiders say he will probably announce his decision in September, which will make the midterms that much more interesting either way.

So if it all went down today, I’d vote for DeSantis as much as I love Trump. I just think it’s better for the country, but I’d love to hear from you.

In the meantime, we all are just trying to survive this Biden administration. His latest major mistakes continue to benefit his Chinese masters.

I’m sure you’ve heard by now that he took millions of gallons of oil out of our strategic reserve. However, he didn’t use all of it to help bring gas prices down. He sold millions of gallons to China.

He’s also using our military’s pension fund to invest in Chinese companies that make weapons we’ll most definitely have to fight against one day.

Do you ever see something happening and a song immediately jumps into your brain?

Doesn’t happen often to me but almost every single time it starts raining, CCR’s “Have you ever seen the rain?” pops in my brain and I start singing it while I watch it rain.

Lately, whenever I see Joe Biden, the theme song to The Benny Hill Show pops into my mind.

If I’m dating myself beyond your knowledge of Benny Hill, well Google it.

Our local primaries are just a little over a month away. Whether or not you have made up your mind yet on a candidate, I hope you have at least made up your mind to vote.

We’ll start digging deep into the general election once the winners emerge from the primaries. So until then my fellow Patriots, stay vigilant, stay aware and stay informed.