Not just with politicos. DeSantis just isn't good at retail politics, period --- and it is causing his current cadre of consultants major heartburn. He is unrelatable and unlikeable.
So what? Being "likable" and "relatable" has zero relevance to how well you actually govern. Bill Clinton and his "I feel your pain" crap. Obama and his mushy "hope and change" crap that made so many voters like him.
Sure, personal charisma is a tool that can help you get elected, But it is a tool devoid of an values, principles, or substantive meaning. It's voting for the guy you
like the most, most effective with the gullible who don't bother to think any deeper than that.
Trump's advantage over DeSantis in that regard has been acknowledged from the start. He's a TV personality who knows how to appeal to people, just like Jerry Springer or Oprah.
So that may be a reason
why Trump wins the nomination. But it's not a reason for explaining why he
should win the nomination. Because once you get passed the small state early primaries in which retail politics has a disproportionate impact, the vast majority of voters are never going to meet that person face to face, and so that used car salesman talent has little value.
At that stage, and in the general election, people are going to form their opinions on a candidate based on what that candidate says and does, not on how effectively they can chat them up in a diner. And we know now that based on what Trump has said and done, there are an awful lot of voters who absolutely cannot stand him, and would not vote for him.under any circumstances.
