By J.C. Bruce
If you’re not familiar with him already, let me introduce you to Keith Boykin. He’s the guy talking in the video above, and I encourage you to watch it all the way through.
By way of background, Boykin is an author, political commentator, and was a special assistant to President Bill Clinton in the White House from 1993 to 1995.
Although he was born in St. Louis, he moved to Clearwater at 15, where he became student government president and editor of the school newspaper. So, he’s got some Florida and journalism chops.
This video shows the kind of social media blowback Byron Donalds’ decision to scrub Donald Trump from his campaign website has sparked.
Donalds may end up wishing that he’d left well enough alone, as all it has largely done is cast a spotlight on his relationship with Trump, which is exactly what he was trying to minimize.
That’s kind of hard to do, though, when your entire political career centers on Trump’s endorsement, which is clearly a double-edged sword—it’s why so many G.O.P. candidates are now playing duck and cover.
The latest poll numbers show Trump’s popularity among American voters even lower than it was just a few weeks ago. According to the latest surveys, about 60% of voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the presidency, in general. And when pollsters for The New York Times asked registered voters who they favored for Congress, Democrats were significantly favored over Republicans, as you can see in this chart:
No wonder Republicans like Donalds are erasing Trump from their websites. But the problem with Donalds and others, as Boykin points out in this video, is you can’t erase a history of servility.
ON IRAN
Donalds: "The president has not committed troops on the ground in Iran and won't spend years fighting never-ending military entanglements like we saw in Afghanistan and Iraq."
Reality: It’s been nearly seven months since the war started on Feb. 28, and the end is not in sight.
ON THE PRICE OF GAS
Donalds: "Energy dominance actually gives you the ability to stabilize prices, because energy is a component cost of everything that the American people buy."
Reality: The price at the pump is $1.30 higher than a year ago.
ON THE ECONOMY
Donalds: "When Republicans are in charge, the economy is better, and I got more money in my pocket."
Reality: Inflation is up 3.4 percent from a year ago.
ON TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION STYLE
Donalds: “I think it's important for the American people to have a commander-in-chief, have a president who speaks his mind... The American people want to hear from their leader. It may not always be nice but is what needs to be said because our country is in decline. We need to get it back on track and Donald Trump will fix it."
Reality: The polls speak for themselves on whether the nation thinks Trump has gotten the country “back on track.”
Which is precisely why Donalds is erasing Trump from his campaign.
There’s a somewhat dated saying cops used to use way back when I was on the police beat: “You can run from my cruiser, but you can’t outrun my Motorola.”
And you can’t outrun your history, either.
Latest on the Jolly/Donalds race
Donalds, while raising far more money for TV advertising than his Democratic opponent, David Jolly, is still slipping in the polls.
Here’s the latest update from Decision Desk HQ, which said in a social media post Wednesday that it is moving the Florida governor’s race from “Leans Republican” to “Toss Up.”
"In our gubernatorial forecast update, Florida's gubernatorial race has shifted into the Toss Up column. Byron Donalds now has a 60% win probability, down from 68% at the start of September," the post said.
Still, they show that Donalds is still narrowly favored, as you can see in this graphic:
Should Jolly debate Donalds?
I asked readers that question in an earlier column after Jolly said he couldn’t debate “a liar.” More than a thousand of you responded. Here are the results.
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J.C. Bruce
Debate yes. Neutral venue only.
Jolly’s decision not to debate is why Florida Democrats should nominate Democrats, not warmed-over Republicans. Every time we do this, we get our asses handed to us. Fight the fight!