'The dread is palpable' among DeSantis fans but they 'have no one to blame but themselves': analysis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was supposed to be the Republican Party's savior from former President Donald Trump. But it hasn't worked out that way — he is flagging in polls and mired in bad press and scandals, while Trump appears to be cruising to another nomination despite having been impeached twice and despite facing multiple criminal indictments.

"The dread is palpable" among Republicans who want a candidate other than Trump, wrote Christian Vanderbrouk for The Bulwark — but they should look in the mirror when asking why this is happening, because they "have no one to blame but themselves."

"We can stipulate that the team behind Ron DeSantis has done their candidate no favors. But reserve the lion’s share of blame for the conservative movement as a whole, which acceded to the purge of anti-Trump leaders like Liz Cheney and stifled criticism of the January 6th riot," wrote Vanderbrouk. "As a result, Trump is virtually untouchable within the party. His personal corruption, his criminal behavior, and his offenses against the American people and the Constitution are all taboo subjects for his leading primary opponent" — meanwhile DeSantis says nothing to criticize Trump except that maybe he isn't electable.

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In the immediate aftermath of the January 6 attack, many establishment Republicans seemed to be coalescing around kicking Trump out of the party, with several GOP congressmen and senators voting to impeach and remove him, and even some GOP leaders suggesting he should resign. They swiftly covered up or walked back these sentiments, and most of the Republicans who voted to remove Trump either retired or were defeated in primaries — preserving Trump's grip over the party. This was solidified when the GOP voted to remove one of Trump's fiercest critics in GOP leadership, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), from her caucus leadership role.

"[T]he act of purging Cheney was decisive in extinguishing that narrative within the party mainstream. Instead of a much-needed reckoning after January 6th, the movement capitulated, sidelining anyone who failed to truckle to Trump," wrote Vanderbrouk, exemplified best by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who called the January 6 attack an act of "terrorism," groveling for mercy and taking it back under former Fox News primetime host Tucker Carlson's fury.

The upshot is that now, Trump is not only leading, his opponents in the primary are chasing after his positions, with DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy even adopting his isolationist stance on Ukraine.

"The idea that a candidate could triangulate their way around Trump — that a conservative could outflank him with performative 'own the libs' antics — was always a fantasy," concluded Vanderhouk. "The conservative movement lacks both the will and the capacity to stop Trump. Their plan to nudge him aside only made him stronger."