As the Republican race heats up (something between "chilly" and "tepid") going into New Hampshire, Governor Nikki Haley has announced she will only participate in a debate if ex-President Donald Trump also takes part. He won't, which would have left Governor Ron DeSantis debating himself.
With Mr. Trump a little occupied with court cases and Ms. Haley sitting it out, I'd think Mr. DeSantis would have been fully capable of contesting the issues with himself -- perhaps the "less government interference" Ron vs. the Ron who did his best to stick it to Disney over political speech by a corporation (Hey, who remembers Citizens United, kids? Fun times!). Or he could take on both sides over State interference with parental rights, with which he has lots of real-life experience.
Ms. Haley is considerably less awkward and about thirty percent less culture warrior than her foe for the second-place spot, so I guess we'll see which one a minority of Granite State Republicans prefer. The Iowa caucuses didn't quite bring out fifteen percent (15%) of that state's registered GOP voters, about 7.7% of whom preferred Mr. Trump, leaving 7.3% in a slightly uneven split between the two Governors. These are not numbers indicative of screaming landslide levels of support for any of them. (Not that the Democrats look to be any more excited about their guy, either.)
So far, 2024 is looking like the cold oatmeal of Presidential elections. It's a pity Pat Paulsen isn't around to bring his level of enthusiasm to join the third-party candidates; he'd fit right in. I can see it now: "Paulsen in '24: we've upped our expectations, now up yours."
Cult45 keeps on mistaking their rabid enthusiasm for broad support.
ReplyDeleteAnd like most modern cults, they think that shouting down & insulting anyone who disagrees into silence is converting them.
In Arizona, I actually was visited by a campaign worker hawking a RFK poster. First time one has made it to my door.
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