Newsom vs. DeSantis - The Last Stand

Could this debate between California Governor Gavin Newsom and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis be DeSantis’ last stand?    Newsom takes his “not running for president” campaign back on Fox News, with a “nothing to lose” approach to a national audience focusing on every word and gesture he makes.     For DeSantis, the stakes couldn’t be higher. In this “do or die,” Ron needs a win.    Newsom is skilled, smooth and memorizes numbers, events, and facts. He convinces viewers that his talk is based on science, facts, and reality. Newsom’s opponents haven’t been able to push back hard. They get stuck debating the numbers, of which Newsom throws more in the discussion. The result is like punching a pillow – a furious effort by his opponent that has gained nothing. DeSantis can’t afford that.   When Newsom talks about the homelessness programs he has supported, the amount of beds, meals, and people it has helped, DeSantis better have a response. It requires an answer of facts. It requires DeSantis to ask so where is the accountability on all those programs?    Why are you allowing for the construction of a 220-square-foot unit for $720,000 in Los Angeles? Ask about how the money is being spent, who it goes to, and whether they must report back to the city, county, and state. How do you know what is working and what is not? $20 billion in homelessness programs over the past few years, and the situation has only worsened, isn’t a recipe for the nation but one that requires a forensic analysis.    And finally, Ron has to have a defining moment, something along the lines of why does it take a Communist leader for you to do what the people elected you to do – make their streets and neighborhoods safe and clean and crime-free?    Showtime.