If Trump loses, I expect the Republican base will be adrift in the wilderness, waiting for a new charismatic figure to take back the Whitehouse. I have a hard time seeing them rallying behind another career politician: Dan Crenshaw is the only one who jumps out as an obvious possibility. I wouldn't be surprised to see someone like Herman Cain emerge from the political dead to win the nomination. Or someone we haven't even considered as a potential presidential candidate.
Stop searching for an up and coming Republican politician, and start thinking of ambitious celebrities with the right profile to strike a chord with GOP voters.
Dang you socialists really do think poorly of us. No we don't support "celebrities" for the presidency. Trump wasn't as much of a celebrity as he was a successful businessman.
Oh come on, Trump known for being a reality TV host first and foremost. Yeah he talked a lot about being a businessman, but he broke the primaries exactly because of his media career. He understood fame, he understood cable television, and he used those advantages to clobber the field.
And the turn towards celebrity is not something that is limited to the right. If Donald Trump wins releection, I expect AOC to become the immediate front-runner for the 2024 Democratic nomination. Not because of her politics (though I think those help), but because she is a telegenic and media-savvy woman with a far larger platform than any of her potential competitors.
The desire of some to find a career politician to support for President is anachronistic. By and large, the people who are all in on Biden or Beto or Buttigieg this year are people who, deep down, just want to go back to the Obama years. In most instances, that yearning betrays their class position. Who could want to go back to that decade of post-crisis stagnation and endless war but a comfortable liberal, someone who is horrified more by the impolite standards of contemporary political discourse than the US's role in killing tens of thousands of Yemenis.
You don't think Ron DeSantis could fit the profile? Young, popular governor of a huge swing state who served in Iraq and has both congressional and executive experience. What's not to like?
If DeSantis strikes a chord with Republican voters, it won't be because of his resume. All that matters is the campaign he runs. He can win if he out-alphas his competitors and meets the psychological needs of Republican primary voters. But the way you describe DeSantis makes him sound like another Jeb Bush.
