Hits the road to selling agenda.
For analysis, we turn to our
politics team.
It's great to see you both.
We have Republican presidential
candidates, let's talk about Ron
Desantis.
You wrote a piece about his
perceived failure to launch.
>> I did this by looking at the
data points, Sarah Longwell, it
seems like the biggest stumble
with messaging and timing.
The timing was, he decided to
wait but he was the hottest at
the end of 2022, wondering if he
took the momentum and kept
driving rather than going back
to Tallahassee.
The second is messaging.
It was clear in focus groups
that Republican voters were
never voting for Donald Trump or
liked him but were open to
alternatives, they said they
liked Ron Desantis because he
looked delectable.
Santos focused on being the
anti-woke warrior, going after
cultural issues, using his time
at the governor's office to go
after those issues and it moved
him off of the talking point
that was hitting home for those
voters, then the indictments
happened.
>> On the issue of momentum, how
important is Iowa?
>> It's the first opportunity to
pierce the inevitability of
Donald Trump, and it may be one
of the only opportunities,
because momentum is a thing in
primaries, and at the moment, he
has a lead in the polls, I was
in Iowa a couple of weeks ago
and saw a lot of driveways, and
I will tell you I saw a lot of
trump signs and nothing else.
Tons of trump signs.
Trump signs with Mike pence's
name taped over.
The indictments have done
nothing to consolidate support
among the Republican base and
these people are out there
fighting at his heels, trying to
get attention and everyone is
still talking about it.
>> We are awaiting a potential
fourth indictment in Georgia
relating to the efforts to
overturn the election.
It feels ridiculous in terms of
politics, but politically, what
effect will it have?
>> It feels like white noise.
You can hear that from voters.
I don't know what indictment we
are on.
You have a segment of Republican
voters who believe that all of
this is targeted at Donald Trump
because these actors do not want
him to run for president.
For the folks outside of that,
they have already made their
mind up about Donald Trump and
whether these are serious
charges, does this move the
needle?
Probably not.
The only thing is when we get to
a place of a trial, there was
news today that if an indictment
comes down from Georgia, this
could be televised unlike the
federal cases, that adds an
interesting new layer, not
saying it will get people to
feel one way or another, but
imagine a televised trial of a
potential nominee.
>> Indeed, as for the Democrats,
members are going across the
country on the anniversary of
the inflation reduction act and
we now have a special counsel in
the hunter Biden case.
>> President Biden tried to make
the pitch for his policies, he
attended some fundraisers and he
is more revealing about his
thoughts when he is talking to
donors.
He said I am not so sure we
should have called it the
inflation reduction act, he also
said he does not feel like he is
getting the credit he deserves
but he is going to be patient.
This is what his campaign will
look like for the next year.
Shouting from the rooftops.
>> Has in this white house been
saying that for two years?
>> You alleges numbers go up?
What extended five years, maybe
they will.
That is the challenge,
individual policies tend to be
popular but nobody knows what it
is, nobody knows what the
bipartisan infrastructure plan
is or who voted for it, so that
is the ongoing challenge.
The entire time the president
was traveling, everyone was
paying attention to Donald Trump
and the latest incremental thing
in that jurisdiction when no one
was paying attention to anything
president Biden was saying and
speeches that are admittedly
pretty repetitive, he does not
make news when he is out there
pitching the public.
>> How can the white house may
policy cool?
>> You will hear less about
business right?
And more about here's what we're
doing and here is what my
opponent is doing.
I think the contrast between a
president selling an economic
plan versus the hunter Biden
story also made the news and
that sullied it a little bit.
Not as clean of the contrast.
>> There trying to make it a
choice.
>> It's great to see you.