Top Gun Ron: A DeSantis reminder in new campaign ad

NEWS AND OPINION:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a slick, straightforward and good-humored campaign ad Tuesday, with himself in the role of a “Top Gun” fighter jet jockey in the political world. It was released in time for Tuesday’s primary election in the Sunshine State.

“Don’t fire unless fired upon. But when they fire, you fire back with overwhelming force,” Mr. DeSantis advised his intended audience in the 30-second spot.  

It proved to be a very popular outreach, racking up over 151,000 views on YouTube alone within the first few hours of its release.

Mr. DeSantis also went a bit further. A collection of new campaign merchandise equating the governor with the incredibly popular “Top Gun: Maverick” blockbuster movie is also selling very well, according to the governor’s campaign.

And no wonder.

“For DeSantis, the brand synergy has offered a convenient narrative hook. DeSantis was a commissioned U.S. Navy JAG Officer deployed in the global war on terror as an adviser to a U.S. Navy SEAL Commander in support of the SEAL mission in Iraq, where DeSantis earned a Bronze Star,” wrote A.G. Gancarski, a contributor to FloridaPolitics.com.

Mr. DeSantis, however, is not getting swept away with the Hollywood touch. The political battlefield is complicated, and he intends to keep his eye on productive strategy. He also is clear about who is friend or foe.

“What is our dog fighting about? It’s about dealing with the corporate press — and always making sure that we stand our ground,” Mr. DeSantis told Fox News on Tuesday, when asked about the overall concept behind the ad.

Find his campaign at RonDeSantis.com.

The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, wasted no time in condemning the new outreach.

“While Floridians struggle with sky-high housing prices and unaffordable health care costs, GOP Governor Ron DeSantis is putting out cringey ads about his grievances with the media instead of addressing the needs of his constituents. Let’s be clear: DeSantis is no ‘Top Gov’ — he’s Top Dud,” the organization declared in a statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

JONI HAS A SAY

Sen. Joni Ernst will offer her thoughts at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library live and in person Thursday, addressing some critical questions about the future of the Republican Party and the role of conservative thinking in that future.

This unique event will also be livestreamed online and is part of the library’s “Time for Choosing” speaker series — a forum for those conservatives who are ready to address critical questions facing the future of the Republican Party.

“The series derives its name from the iconic 1964 address President Ronald Reagan delivered to support Sen. Barry Goldwater’s presidential campaign. A political newcomer at the time, Ronald Reagan presented the country with a choice between ‘man’s old-aged dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order’ and ‘the ant heap of totalitarianism,’” the organizers said in a statement.

Curious? The speech begins at 9 p.m. EDT on Thursday. Find access at YouTube.com/c/ReaganFoundation. And yes, the “c” is part of the online address.

LONE STAR REALITY CHECK

The White House has attracted the attention of the Texas Public Policy Foundation — a nonprofit free-market research institute that promotes liberty, opportunity and personal responsibility.

“Despite the Biden administration’s claims to the contrary, the U.S. is in a recession. And despite its claims that everything else is to blame for the 40-year high in inflation, the blame is on the bad policies of excessive spending, taxing, regulating, and money-printing out of Washington,” said Vance Ginn, chief economist for the organization

“The progressive fiscal policy pursued by this administration and Democrats in Congress is only making it worse. The so-called ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ was only gasoline on the raging economic fire,” Mr. Ginn said in a statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

“In the first two quarters of 2022, the U.S. had two consecutive quarters of declining real economic output, historic declines in productivity, and rapid inflation contributing to half of companies planning to cut jobs. Every time there has been two declining quarters of real economic output since 1950, the period has been called a recession, so why should this time be different?” Mr. Ginn asked.

FOXIFIED

Fox News continues to dominate the cable realm. During the week of Aug. 15-21, the news network attracted more viewers than its rivals among both the news and non-news competition.

Fox News drew an average nightly primetime audience of 2.3 million viewers, the 79th consecutive week it has topped both CNN and MSNBC, according to Nielsen Media Research.

In addition, Fox News aired 81 of the top 100 cable news telecasts during the week. The standouts included “The Five,” which enjoyed an average nightly audience of 3.4 million, and “Tucker Carlson Tonight” with 3.3 million.

Fox News is also an online powerhouse. The network accrued 81 million “unique” visitors to the site during the month of July. They accrued 1.4 billion views of the Fox News fare, and spent 2.8 billion minutes taking in the online content during that time — this according to Comscore, an industry source.

In the social media world, Fox News also drove 17.9 million interactions on Facebook, 13.8 million Instagram interactions and 4 million Twitter interactions according to Amplify, another industry source.

And one more: The cable news network also rang up 282 million video views on its website during July, according to Shareablee, yet another source.

POLL DU JOUR

• 43% of U.S. adults who are now fully retired say their age could be a barrier to getting a job.

• 41% would look for a job if they could have a flexible work schedule.

• 39% say Social Security is their main source of income.

• 33% say a retirement plan such as a 401(k) account or pension was their main source of income.

• 35% would seek employment if they could work remotely full-time.

• 25% would rejoin the workforce if Social Security or retirement plans no longer covered their expenses.

• 14% are actively looking for work.

SOURCE: An American Staffing Association/Harris Poll survey of 459 U.S. adults who are retired and not employed.

• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.