Listen to the fundraising, not the opponents, pundits

Within seconds of the start of Gov. DeSantis' glitch-filled campaign start on Twitter Spaces, opponents and pundits alike were pouncing on how terrible the event was. While pundits were pontificating or his opponents started ripping the campaign, the voters apparently didn't get the memo that this was a total disaster.

Instead, those uppity peasants contributed to the DeSantis campaign. Then they contributed some more. And after that, they contributed some more. When the first 24 hours since that glitch-filled launch, those uppity peasants had broken the record for the first-day contributions.

This article reports that those damned uppity peasants didn't trust Donald Trump's mean-spirited tweets or Nikki Haley's statement (I'd forgotten about her.). Those uppity peasants refused to listen to the pundits, too. (The indignity of it all.)

The lesson in this episode of campaigning is simple. Worry most about whether the people are with you. After that, worry whether the pundits approve or opponents criticize. In fact, expect opponents to criticize and the pundits to tut-tut. What happened when all of the dust settled? Here's what happened:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has raised a record $8.2 million in the first 24 hours after announcing his 2024 presidential campaign, as he barrels toward an expensive and combative primary led by former President Donald Trump. The sum includes online donations and money raised by fundraisers at a gathering in Miami to dial for contributions, DeSantis' campaign confirmed. The breakdown of how much each method raised is unclear.

DeSantis' $8.2 million haul surpasses President Biden's first day fundraising of $6.3 million on day one of his 2020 campaign launch, and outpaces the $9.5 million Trump raised in the first six months of his 2024 campaign.

Only South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who had over $22 million in his Senate reelection account when he transferred it to his presidential campaign, began his White House bid with more "hard" dollars — or money raised under federal fundraising limits.

Then there's this:

A super PAC supporting DeSantis' run, Never Back Down, is expected to have a budget of $200 million, with $100 million of that dedicated for voter turnout and the ground game. The PAC says it has already begun knocking on doors in Iowa and New Hampshire this week.

This isn't proof that DeSantis will win or that Trump is doomed. It's simply a lesson that media can only take you so far. It's also a reminder to do your own thinking on who's in the race. Does anyone give a rip whether Asa Hutchinson or Nikki Haley are in the race? Does anyone care whether Mike Pence, Chris Sununu or Chris Chistie jump into the race? Their best days would be the day that they announced. After that, it's downhill. Mike Pence is a good guy so I wish him well in whatever he does. (Perhaps he starts the next conservative think tank or becomes a cabinet secretary.) When the primaries are over, I hope this happens:

I just hope that it's Gov. DeSantis that's the nominee. Finally, Trump's argument is that he's already done the job. The flipide of that means that he can only serve 1 more term. If we want to drain the Swamp, we'll need a 2-term president to accomplish that. Trump made a more-than-valiant effort at draining the Swamp but couldn't do it. Persistence, talent, the right reformers in key cabinet spots and time are required.