Ronnie! When Will You EVER Learn!

Blue state vs Red state (and Sean Hannity) in a debate on FOX News Network. Each participant had their reasons for being there, including the moderator!

DeSantis-Hannity takes on Newsom, and looks as STUPID as they are!

In this corner we have Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. In this corner Gov. Gavin Newsom of California. After the first question ask by this ‘moderator’, FOX News Sean Hannity, and I’m using this term rather loosely since we are talking about FOX News Network, you shall come to the center of the ring and begin shouting at and interrupting each other, as you continually keep trying to leave an impression on the idiot Fox News viewers that are actually watching this nonsense!

The “debate”, which took place in Alpharetta, Ga. this past WEEK was a chance for Mr. DeSantis to hold the spotlight without other candidates for the Republican presidential nomination on the stage. BUT, it also was a chance for Mr. Newsom to bring his smooth persona and quick wit to a national, not the mention a very conservative, ‘Trumpian’ audience.

Hannity, right from the start, wanted the night to be a showdown between the liberal governor of the most populous state in the nation and the conservative governor of the third most populous state over extremely different views of governing.

Mr. Hannity pressed Mr. Newsom, responding right from the beginning, on:

His state’s high tax rates

California’s loss of residents over the past two years

California’s relatively higher crime rate.

All the while, Ron DeSantis kept backing up the moderator in his challenges to how California is run. So, right at the beginning, it became quite clear that this was meant to be a DeSantis-Hannity vs Newsom-Biden debate. And DeSantis-Hannity didn’t really intend on Newsom having the stage, much.

But, things didn’t go as they planned!

It was an odd, mismatched conversation. Newsom is not running for president, but, he tried hard to focus on the 2024 campaign in which DeSantis is currently running. Newsom talked up President Biden’s record on the economy, health care and immigration. Plus, he and took swipes at DeSantis’s rapidly failing, or on its death bed, campaign in the face of Trump’s dominance.

Early on in this ‘debate’ Newsom looked at DeSantis and stated:

“We have one thing in common: Neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024.”

Newsom followed a bit later with a left hook about Mr. Trump’s polling lead in Florida:

“How’s that going for you, Ron? You’re down 41 points in your own state.”

Sean Hannity, appearing totally exasperated. He asked Newsom at one point:

“Is Joe Biden paying you tonight? I thought this was state versus state?”

DeSantis has struggled to make an impression through three Republican primary debates, on a crowded stage with several other campaigners. On Thursday night, a different Ron DeSantis seemed to be onstage.

DeSantis kept Newsom on his heels for much of the night. With Hannity’s help, he hit Newsom on several subjects: crime, immigration, taxes, education.

And, DeSantis seemed to be prepared.

When Newsom brought up DeSantis’s war on Disney, the Florida governor didn’t defend his actions but went after his California counterpart over his COVID policies:

“You had Disney closed inexplicably for more than a year,” DeSantis quipped.

Notice that vertical dotted line, showing the point at which 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccines had been administered. Before that point, the relative death toll in each state was fairly even. After that point, Florida’s numbers skyrocketed. About two-thirds of Florida’s deaths occurred after vaccines were widely available. Less than half of California’s did, even though the post-vaccine period made up more than two years.

It looked, right from the beginning, DeSantis and Hannity wanted to take the sheen off the Golden State. Gov. Newsom seemed very determined to bury DeSantis’s White House aspirations. The Californian was definitive in dismissing speculation that he was running for president, and was just as definitive in saying the Floridian was going nowhere.

“Joe Biden will be our nominee in a matter of weeks,” Newsom said before adding of Mr. DeSantis, “In a matter of weeks, he will be endorsing Donald Trump.”

This was NOT a one-off jab at DeSantis. Newsom told his onstage rival, when discussing Florida’s initial COVID restrictions, that l:

“Donald Trump laid you out”.

He made it very clear that DeSantis caved to the far right and lifted the COVID restrictions which ended up allowing tens of thousands of Floridians to die.

Newsom invoked Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and one of Mr. DeSantis’s competitors for the Republican nomination, when he said the Florida governor opposed fracking.

“You were celebrated by the Sierra Club for that action until you weren’t,” Newsom said.

To conclude the debate, Newsom stuck in the knife, and gave it a good right twist and upper thrust into DeSantis’ heart:

“When are you going to drop out and give Nikki Haley a chance to take on Donald Trump?” he asked. “She laid you out!”

Sean Hannity, at the beginning of the debate, allowed that he was a conservative, but stipulated that as a moderator, he would be fair and nonpartisan. (NOT!!!)

About an hour later, he began one question directed to Newsom: “Joe Biden has experienced significant cognitive decline.”

Fair, he wasn’t.

Hannity didn’t even try to be evenhanded. Again and again, he served up softball questions to DeSantis, while shutting down Newsom’s attempts to defend himself.

Fair, he wasn’t.

Then, he trotted out a series of well-prepared graphics to show Florida in the best possible light, and California in the worst: on education, crime, tax rates and population loss and gain.

Newsom tried to rebut those graphics, but all DeSantis did was turn to the graphics to say the Californian was a slick spinmeister.

During the debate Newsom wanted to shine a rosy light on President Biden’s record before a Fox News audience, which was definitely not used to hearing anything positive about the president.

Inflation was down to 3.2 percent, he noted.

Wage growth had topped 4 percent

Economic growth in the last quarter was a blistering 5.2 percent

After Newsom made these points he added, “Those are facts you don’t hear on Fox News.”

But in a two-on-one fight (DeSantis-Hannity vs Newsom), those facts probably didn’t get through, especially when both the moderator and the Florida governor were double-teaming Newsom on their repeated assertions of the president’s cognitive decline.

Newsom did’t come up with a really good defense on this. But, he did say he would:

“Take Mr. Biden at 100 years old over Mr. DeSantis at any age in the White House.”

DeSantis and Hannity also teamed up on the dangers of an uncontrolled border. When Newsom tried to hit DeSantis on having gladly taken money from Mr. Biden’s signature achievements, including millions of dollars from the law he signed to promote a domestic semiconductor industry and revive commercial science, Hannity just moved the conversation along.

I want to close on a different note.

I have neglected to comment anyplace on the two wars which I feel deeply in my heart ate the blame if one person, and his treasonous, traitor acts with his spying for Putin. That person is Donald J. Trump. In my book, every innocent life taken in the Russian conflict with Ukraine, and the Israel conflict with the Hamas rebels. These were the work of the American secrets given to Putin by Trump, and sent to Putin by Trump using a sitting Senator as the currier! Every innocent death of a Ukrainian, Israeli, or Palestinian is on Trump, and Putin. I strongly feel Putin has started this Israel-Hamas conflict to take funds away from Ukraine so he can counter a front to try to win that war. It’s not working good for him, on either front.

My heart goes out to the thousands of innocent lives taken in these conflicts, and their families. To the millions whose homes, lives, and families, have been destroyed. And to those that are still held hostage by the Hamas, I pray for their rapid release and safe return to their families and loved ones. I say a prayer each day, and night, that President Biden, and Secretary of State Blinken find a solution to both of these needless wars. May these conflicts end soon!

One last thing. On a different note. This day in history, talking about co flicks, and wanting to end them.

This day in history, December 2, 1942, was the first Nuclear Chain Reaction.

Under leadership of Enrico Fermi, the first controlled nuclear chain reaction took place at the University of Chicago.

This one milestone was the beginning of the development of atomic energy.