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| Ron DeSantis |
Support for Florida governor Ron DeSantis has tanked since he decided to “reboot” his campaign. It seems once potential voters get to know him, they immediately look for alternatives.
Prior to the Aug. 23 debate, DeSantis assumed that as runner-up to Donald Trump in the polls, his debate rivals would make him the focus on their attacks. Instead, they ignored him. That was even worse.
The governor’s tough guy act fell flat. DeSantis vowed that on his first day in office he would dispatch US special forces to Mexico to kill drug traffickers “stone dead.” That is just crazy. Declaring war on America’s No. 1 trading partner is not good politics.
In dodging a question on abortion, DeSantis came up with this doozy. “I know a lady in Florida named Penny. She survived multiple abortion attempts. She was left discarded in a pan. Fortunately, her grandmother saved her and brought her to a different hospital.” Say what?
He also tried to avoid a question about whether Mike Pence did the right thing when he certified the 2020 presidential election. "We need to end the weaponization of these agencies." Moderators Martha MacCallum and Brent Baier jumped in and told DeSantis he wasn’t answering the question.
“I know, but here's the thing," responded DeSantis. "This election is not about Jan. 6 of 2021, it's about Jan. 20 of 2025 when the next president is going to take office.” And it’s not going to be DeSantis.
Jason Miller, a Trump advisor, neatly summed up DeSantis’ lackluster performance. “I knew president Trump wasn’t going to be there,” he told MSNBC. “I didn’t know Ron DeSantis was going to skip the debate.” Ouch.
Out to lunch on climate change… Entrepreneur and presidential wannabe Vivek Ramaswamy declared climate change is a hoax during the debate.
“Unlock American energy, drill, frack, burn coal and embrace nuclear,” he said as he debuted his campaign for Donald Trump’s potential vice president.
Vivek is right in step with the climate-change-denying Republican Party.
Despite America just experiencing the hottest month on record (July), struggling with devastating wildfires and dangerous downpours, only 35 percent of Republicans blame climate change for the hellacious weather.
Ignoring reality, only 37 percent of Republicans believe the weather is becoming more severe, according to a Washington Post/University of Maryland poll.
Six in ten GOPers say the media have “generally exaggerated” the seriousness of global warming.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2021 found “unequivocal” links between human activity and global warming.
Ninety percent of Democrats support that science but only 55 percent of Republicans do.
Nut-jobs like Ramaswamy ignore the truth about warming at the nation’s peril.
New York’s thin-skinned mayor Eric Adams fled to Israel for a three-day visit to avoid the migrant crisis that plagues the Big Apple.
But he waged a long-distance PR campaign to buff his own image. On Aug. 22, Adams ordered city agencies to mount a social media blitz to praise his handling of the migrant crisis, according to a report on Gothamist.
They were told to post a video showing NYC workers helping people file for asylum.
On Aug. 23 more than 20 agencies posted the video along with a canned statement: “New York City remains a beacon for all who come to our shores. And we will continue to uphold these values and reach out a helping hand to those in need.”
The Israeli press gave positive coverage to Adams's trip that featured meetings with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leaders of the pro-democracy movement and high-tech executives.
During his campaign for mayor, Adams told of his love of Israel and “a plan to find a plot of land so it can be my retirement place.”
Adams shouldn’t waste any time. He should move up his retirement plans.
Straight talk at Peloton… Peloton Interactive CEO Barry McCarthy has promised “radical transparency” at the struggling exercise bike company. And boy, he’s delivered the goods.
Peloton’s stock cratered 20 percent on Aug. 23 after McCarthy warned that the number of paying subscribers dropped by 29K during the fourth quarter ended June, which contributed to a $241.8M loss.
“The slowdown exceeded our expectations through May and through the first three weeks of June as consumer spending shifted toward travel and experiences,” he wrote in a letter to shareholders.
He conceded that the cost of a bike seat recall “substantially exceeded our initial expectations,” leading to an additional accrual of $40M for the quarter for actual recall costs and future-related expenses.
Pulling no punches, McCarthy said Peloton expects negative cash flow for the next two quarters due to the seasonality of hardware sales, timing of inventory payments and marketing outlays.
McCarthy noted that Peloton has “many new irons in the fire to drive both short- and long-term growth” but “we have no operating history with these new initiatives which means we don’t know how to model their impact on our growth.”
There could be “significant upside to our financial performance later this year, or not at all.”
McCarthy stressed that Peloton operates a “seasonal business.”
A “COVID-19 seasonal business” is a better description of Peloton’s business.
The pandemic triggered a surge in demand for Peloton’s bikes. A new variant has triggered an uptick in COVID-19 cases, which could be good news for McCarthy’s company.
Glimmer of hope for Bud Light. The boycott is losing steam, according to a report from Deutsche Bank that found the number of former Bud Light drinkers “very unlikely” to buy the beer during the next three to six months declined from 18 percent to 3 percent.
There are reports that even Kid Rock, who famously used cans of Bud Light for target practice, has been spotted drinking the brew.
The most ardent boycotters are consumers over the age of 55, making less than $25K annually.
Bud Light has unveiled a promotion with the National Football League to win back boycotters. It is running a contest featuring free NFL Sunday ticket subscriptions and gift cards to the NFL store.
That’s a far cry from the alliance that Bud Light had struck up with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
A huge PR opportunity looms for a firm that is willing to take some heat by promoting Immigration & Customs Enforcement... Disgraced New York mayor Eric Adams couldn't wait to make another pilgrimage to Israel to stick it to his successor Zohran Mamdani... Hats off to Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett for writing his always engaging and witty annual reports over the years.
The ADL plans a Mamdani Monitor to track down any whiff of antisemitism from the policies and appointments made by his administration. It should have given him a chance to live up to Election Night promise... Brendan Carr, Alden Global Capital, Alphabet, Meta and Elon Musk make Reporters Without Borders' roster of Press Freedom Predators.
Andrew Cuomo's political career is not dead yet... Steve Bannon says Republicans should learn from Zohran Mamdani and his Working Families Party and Democratic Socialists of America, instead of mocking them... Internet advertising model is on the way out, says Tim Berners-Lee... Gannet rebrands as USA Today Inc. What about its other 200 papers?
Thomas Jefferson warned about the dangers of an imperial president who would deny an election loss in a bid to cling to power. Sound familiar?... Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says reporters don't need his permisson to take a photo of the Pentagon's 9/11 memorial, as long as they are not on the job... Kirkland and Ellison lawyers need some negotiating tips. 
Shareholder activitism is poised to hit an all-time high for 2025... Kamala Harris’ “107 Days” reads like an autospsy of her failed presidential run. Democrats need to look forward, not backward... The Reagan Foundation dishonored The Gipper by providing PR cover to tariff-loving Trump.
