Riaan 
Uhulumeni waseFlorida, uRon DeSantis, akakasho ukuthi ugaqele isikhundla sikamengameli, kodwa wenza umsebenzi ogculisayo wokuziphathisa okomuntu siqu.
UDeSantis, ongavamisile ukukhuluma ngaphandle kokukhumbuza abalaleli ukuthi uwine ukukhethwa kabusha ngamanani acishe abe ngu-20%, usohambweni olusuka ogwini oluya ogwini oluya enkantolo ngabavoti nabanikelayo baseRiphabhulikhi.
Ukhulume nabanikeli abalondolozayo eFlorida ngoLwesine kanye neTexas Republicans ngoLwesihlanu. Uhlelelwe ukukhuluma eReagan Presidential Library eSimi Valley ngeSonto kanye nasemcimbini wokuqongelela imali we-GOP e-Orange County ngeSonto ebusuku. Kubikwa ukuthi uhlela uhambo oluya e-Iowa naseNew Hampshire, ikhokhasi yokuqala nezifunda eziyinhloko.
Umgomo kaDeSantis ubonakala uqondile: Unethemba lokuthi uzoba enye indlela yokuvumelana nomgijimi ogabadelayo weqembu lakhe, owayenguMongameli uTrump.
Useyaphumelela. Ukuvota kwemibono yomphakathi, okwamanje okujabulisayo kodwa okungabikezeli, kukhombisa uDeSantis eqinile endaweni yesibili – emjahweni angakawungenelanga.
“Akujwayelekile ukuthi ube nabantu ababili ngokucace kangaka ngaphambili,” kusho usomaqhinga we-GOP u-Alex Conant, ebhekise kuDeSantis noTrump. “Lokho kuzokwenza kube nzima kwabanye abangase bangenele ukhetho ukuthi baphumelele.”
U-DeSantis umise indlela yakhe phezulu kwenqwaba ye-Conservatives ngokuzenza i-brawler engenalutho ezimpini zamasiko.
Ngesikhathi sobhubhane, waklolodela uDkt Anthony Fauci futhi wayala izikole zaseFlorida ukuthi ziphinde zivulwe ngaphambi kokuba ezinye izifundazwe eziningi zivule. Waqasha indiza ukuze alahle abantu baseVenezuela ababefuna ukukhoseliswa endaweni ekhululekile kakhulu yase-Martha’s Vineyard, iMisa. Wamisa umthetho wokuvimbela othisha ekuxoxeni ngokuziphatha kobulili ngaphambi kwebanga lesine (owaziwa abaphikisi bawo ngokuthi “Ungasho Gay”). Lapho abaphathi bakwaDisney begxeka lo mthetho, wabagxeka ngokuthi “bavukile” futhi baphuca iDisney World isikhundla sayo njengesifunda esizibusayo.
I-Fox News yamncoma njengeqhawe. Futhi kubanikeli abaningi be-GOP nabavoti, waqala ukubukeka njengomuntu ongase abe yi-fusion – enempi eyanele ukuze ahehe abalandeli bakaTrump, kodwa kujwayelekile ngokwanele kumaRiphabhulikhi akhathele isitayela esinesiyaluyalu sikamongameli wangaphambili.
UTrump waqaphela ngentukuthelo ekhulayo.
Ubize uDeSantis, ake wamgunyaza ngokuthi “Ron DeSanctimonious.”
Uhlasele i-DeSantis ngokusekela ukuncishiswa kwemali esetshenziswayo esikhathini esizayo ku-Social Security kanye ne-Medicare, isikhundla okwakuyi-orthodoxy elandelanayo ngaphambi kokuthi u-Trump ayiphike ngo-2016.
“Abantu bathola ukuthi wayefuna ukunciphisa i-Social Security futhi akhuphule ubuncane beminyaka okungenani engu-70,” kubhala uTrump enkundleni yezokuxhumana ngesonto eledlule. “Uyisihlalo esinamasondo phezu kohlobo lomfana.”
Lokho bekuyinkomba esobala yesikhangiso somkhankaso weDemocratic Alliance sango-2011 esasifanekisela i-Rep yangaleso sikhathi. UPaul D. Ryan, owayengusihlalo weKomiti Yesabelomali Sendlu, ejikijela intokazi enezinwele ezimhlophe entabeni.
UDeSantis ngokuhlakanipha wagwema ukuhweba ngenhlamba nomdubuli wodaka ophumelele kakhulu kwezombusazwe zanamuhla. “Yisizini engasile,” kusho yena.
Kepha ukuhlasela kukaTrump mancane amathuba okuthi kugcine lapho.
“Umbuzo uthi: Ngabe kukhona okunamathelayo, futhi iDeSantis ikuphatha kanjani?” Kusho uConant.
Kwelinye iphuzu, uTrump wayeqinisile kakhulu. Ngenkathi uDeSantis engenela iCongress ngo-2012, wathi iminyaka yokuthatha umhlalaphansi yeSocial Security kufanele inyuswe isuka ku-67 iye kwengama-70.
Lapho ebhekene nokucasuka kukaTrump, uDeSantis wahoxa. “Ngeke sixabane neSocial Security,” etshela iFox News ngesonto eledlule.
I-DeSantis ayizange ibe nesineke esivivinyweni sesibili: ukuthola isikhundla esibumbene ngempi yase-Ukraine.
Njengelungu lengqungquthela yama-hawkish ngo-2014, wagxeka owayenguMongameli u-Obama ngokwehluleka ukuthumela izikhali e-Kyiv. “Uma umuntu ethanda [Russian President Vladimir] UPutin ubona u-Obama ehluleka ukwenza izinqumo, ngicabanga ukuthi lokho kuyamkhulisa ukuze abangele izinkinga eziningi,” usho kanje.
Kepha ngenyanga edlule, uDeSantis wagxeka uMongameli uBiden ngokuthumela i-Ukraine usizo oluningi. “Banenqubomgomo yokungasho lutho,” ekhononda ngokungafanele. “Angicabangi ukuthi kuyintshisekelo yethu ukuthi … ukuzibandakanya ezintweni ezifana nemingcele noma eCrimea.”
Uma bekunomgomo oqondisayo lapho, bekunzima ukuwuthola – ngaphandle uma bekuphikisana nomongameli weDemocratic Alliance.
UDeSantis usenezinyanga ezimbalwa ukuthi asebenze ezikhundleni zakhe. Kepha uzobhekana novivinyo oluphelele ngo-Agasti, lapho amaRiphabhulikhi esehlele inkulumompikiswano yawo yokuqala kamongameli.
Kungenzeka kube nzima, ngoba wonke umuntu ozongenela ukhetho uzobe edubula yena – hhayi uTrump kuphela, kodwa bonke abanye, ngoba bafuna ukuthatha indawo kaDeSantis njengenye ehamba phambili.
Uma u-DeSantis ekhubeka, abafundi abambalwa abangaphansi kwabo bangancintisana esikhundleni sakhe: owayenguMbusi waseNingizimu Carolina u-Nikki Haley, owayeyiPhini likaMongameli uMike Pence, uSen. Tim Scott (RS.C.) futhi mhlawumbe nabanye.
Futhi amaRiphabhulikhi angewona ama-Trump azophinde abhekane nenselelo yokuhlangana endaweni eyodwa, ekhumbula ulwazi lwawo ngo-2016 lapho inkundla enkulu, ehlukene isiza uTrump ukuthi aphumelele ukuqokwa.
Kungase kube i-cliche, kodwa kuyiqiniso: Izibalo kulo mkhankaso zidlula ukukhetha oqokiwe. Lo mjaho uzocacisa ngekusasa leqembu laseMelika le-Conservative Party.
Uma i-GOP isachazwa ngokuthembela kuTrump, njengoba yayinjalo ngo-2016 nango-2020, uzokhethwa nguye.
Uma iningi labantu baseRiphabhulikhi lifuna ukwedlula uTrump liye enguqulweni encane enesiphithiphithi ye-conservatism – noma lifuna nje umuntu obonakala ekhetheka kakhulu – uDeSantis uzenzele isinqumo esiphusile.
Kodwa okokuqala kufanele asinde ezinyangeni eziyisithupha ezizayo.
