Ron DeSaster

“Casey got them for me,” and that was the end of the conversation abt the cowboy boots.

The earpiece was uncomfortable, at which point an aide said, “Casey got this for you,” and that was the end of the conversation abt the earpiece

?@rubycramer? https://t.co/cjGP4fJj4x

— Annie Karni (@anniekarni) June 18, 2023

The Jackie O and Melania comparisons have been obvious, but the vibe I’m getting from the DeSantis marriage — which this article highlighted — is Ronnie & Nancy Reagan. The Reagans shared a history of severe childhood trauma, which bound them into a mutually unstoppable political force within the GOP at that particular point in time. Don’t know the explanation behind the Ron & Casey ‘juggernaut’, but the comparison is scary enough. Washington Post (unpaywalled) gift link:

… Casey DeSantis was on the other side of the room. She knew, starting with his early days in politics, when Ron was still a member of Congress, elected at the age of 34, how she wanted to figure in his world. She knew the staff he should hire, former aides said, the invitations he should accept and the invitations he should decline. She knew his walking path at events, the people he’d stand next to on a stage. She knew his schedule, down to every meeting and call and fundraiser and congressional vote, because she asked to be copied on every calendar entry. She knew the cowboy boots he should wear, even though, at first, he complained that they hurt his feet, until a staffer suggested he buy dress shoes instead, at which point he said, “Casey got them for me,” and that was the end of the conversation about the cowboy boots. She knew the earpiece he should use for live interviews, because she had spent 15 years in television, even though, at first, the earpiece was uncomfortable in his ear, at which point an aide said, “Casey got this for you,” and that was the end of the conversation about the earpiece.

Ron was always talking about the two of them as one — when “we” got elected, when “we” protect freedom, when “we” fight the woke agenda — as if it was hard to see his role and hers in clear relief. Reporters approached Casey’s story with phrases like “co-governor,” “secret weapon,” “not-so-secret weapon” — the “X-factor” who “knows what’s best for Ron.” Ron was known to inspire fear, even in his allies. “If you can’t make ’em see the light,” he has said, quoting Ronald Reagan, “make ’em feel the heat.” But Casey — she was a subject they wouldn’t touch if they didn’t have to.

She stood, as many political spouses do, whether they wish to or not, as a mirror onto which the public could project its doubt and its criticism: Where Ron was hard and bellicose, people said, Casey was soft. Where he was unable to connect with voters, she was charming, telegenic, warm to the touch. Where he broke his stage presence — with an angry outburst, or a wild, sarcastic look in his eyes — she was steady in front of an audience. As a young TV anchor, she would stand in front of her bathroom mirror, practicing, practicing, practicing. Before debates during his campaign for governor in 2018, he was instructed to write “LIKABLE” in all-caps across the top of his notepad, according to footage published by ABC News, like a reminder…

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Interesting Read: Casey DeSantis, <del>Master</del> Mistress of DeSasterPost + Comments (130)