It really depends on whether Nikki wants to have a future in the Republican Party. Obviously in the short term probably not--- If Biden wins or if Trump is elected and he is as big a disaster as he promises to be, and assuming we still have real elections, she may be positioned to revive her "common sense" campaign in 2028 and probably as the front runner. BUT only if she behaves as a Republican is expected to behave now. Which will include an endorsement from the podium of the Convention and the public humiliation to which Ted Cruz subjected himself in 2016.
Bill, you are correct that Nikki, much to my surprise "has a chance to try to play a historic role as well, to help chart a new path and explore a new continent in American politics." But Nikki's history and more recent language suggests that Nikki will do what she is best at: disappointing anyone who ever thought she will speak and/or act based upon principle instead of raw ambition. Nikki will endorse Trump at the end of the day so that she can say with a semi-straight face that she's still a Republican to keep her 2028 options open.
I stand corrected. In ending her campaign, Nikki was Nikki and tried yet again to walk an invisible line: “It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party who did not support him, and I hope he does." I HOPE HE DOES! She threw in the last 4 words to make sure it was a "non-endorsement" endorsement. She was consistently spineless right up to the end.
That's for sure. Dude is so hated in Mexico that his body was moved and hidden into the wall of a random church in the historic part of downtown Mexico City.
The red plaque, which was added after 100 years+ of hiding the body.
99% of Mexicans have no idea where the tomb is located, the Church certainly makes it a point not to advertise the fact: result in my three visits I've never seen anyone pay the red plaque any mind.
Also, Cortés was a wimp. He did in fact burn 10 of his ships, but kept one for himself unharmed.
I too, was amazed the UN has concluded that HAMAS maybe did some bad things. And one or two news organizations actually provided a paragraph or two of coverage.
After this election cycle hopefully a well funded, third party movement of center right and center left, can be born. Seems to dangerous to do so until post trump. Although, he would only be 80 something in 2028 and I'm sure raising money selling shoes or hats.
Nikki sounds like what Sarah Longwell is calling a "double hater" - people who don't like Biden or Trump. Sarah thinks most will settle on Biden, who is less authoritarian aspirational and less crazy.
This will probably never happen, but I love the idea of Biden reaching out to Haley and promising her Secretary of State or National Security Adviser in a second Biden term (NSA might be better as it doesn't require Senate Confirmation). Let Haley say she's still she's a Republican if she wants-makes Biden sound more reasonable and bipartisan anyway. She can tell the double haters and her supporters that might otherwise suck it up and vote Trump that "It's safe to re-elect Biden, I'll be in the room with Biden on all important foreign policy decisions-there won't be anyone but sycophants advising Trump. He will be unchallenged in following his worst and most dangerous impulses."
MAGA won't forgive her, but she's already beyond forgiveness for her traitorous temerity in challenging daddy. She could run for POTUS as a Dem in 4 years as "I was part of the unity ticket. We saved the country from authoritarianism." I suppose she can stay in the race a little longer in the hope something incapacitating happens to Trump, but Biden's people should be having back channel negotiations now.
A kid at a Trump rally said that "Fani and Nikki should be arrested." In the MAGA mind, criticizing Trump, or simply failing to step aside and let him claim the crown unchallenged, is a criminal offense -- an act of treason.
What so many MAGA fail to appreciate is how much their rhetoric resembles that of Chinese Communist true believers. As just one example of many, one of them told me a few months ago that criticizing Xi is disloyalty punishable by prison time.
Nikki Haley told Kristen Walker that Biden was worse than Trump. Just once - once!- I would like to hear a follow up question when Republicans say this. What specifically has Joe Biden done that makes him a bigger threat to our country than a guy who refused to leave office after he lost and continues to inflame his base with lies?
Instead, every journalist lets these statements stand.
Trump has cultivated a widespread belief that our institutions are all corrupt and rotten if they do not give him whatever he wants, including unqualified praise.
It's astounding that so many people smart enough to know better have accepted and amplified this doctrine. How can they not realize that they have subordinated their judgment to the whims of a psychopath?
Maybe Kristen Welker could have asked him to comment on the former Prime Minister of Australia's statements last week in an interview with Nicole Wallace. Malcolm Turnbull said that if Trump were elected it would be a threat to the free world. He also said that Trump is not a true conservative, doesn't believe in democracy and has a "creepy" adoration for Putin. And I couldn't find a major newspaper that had a single article on this.
US news is eternal presidential campaigning - even Ukraine or Israel, when briefly mentioned, it's in context of the race. As for other things going on in the world, like Horn of Africa, they are totally ignored. We have means to know what's going on all over the world (and beyond), but media (and a lot of us) have this narrow focus
I saw the interview on Nicole Wallace and expected that it would generate a flurry of commentary and news articles, but....crickets. They're all too busy reporting on Joe Biden's poll numbers and age.
An early MAGA mantra was: "Conservatism didn't conserve anything." Meaning: "It didn't keep everything exactly as we want" -- or as it's imagined to have been.
Combine "There's nothing left to conserve" with a "Blow the whole thing up!" mentality, and you have a counterrevolutionary movement willing to give fealty to an "I alone can fix it" demagogue who regards his own will as the highest law. And some of those people claim to be defending "American values.'
I wish Bill had used Alexander's burning of the boats as the example instead of Cortez. Much less cultural baggage, and a more noble effort, if vanquishing armies and cultures can be called that. Plus Alexander was cooler and more classical.
I think she has been playing a game to consolidate "swingy" GOP voters and then use an eventual concession + Trump endorsement to win her way back into relevance with Republicans.
Trump's "we don't want Nikki voters" statement means the only path back to the GOP for Nikki is crawling on her belly in abject humiliation, to then be relegated to Trump's trophy case alongside the heads of other (politically) dead RINOs.
The problem is that she's consistently said the only thing worse than Trump is Biden which makes a Biden endorsement problematic. Will her followers turn on her if she suddenly claims Trump is actually worse than Biden?
I think Nikki will do neither. She'll avoid endorsing anyone in the hopes that Trump will lose and / or die and she will be positioned to pick up the pieces. I also think this is a losing strategy as MAGA will never welcome her back, even if/when Trump shuffles of this mortal coil.
IMHO her only path to relevancy again (other than quitting politics for cushy private sector cash) is as part of a big tent Dem coalition where she delivers decisive votes to Biden and parlays that into some kind of appointment in his administration (Ambassador again?) and then plays the voice of conservative reason within the only remaining viable political party until such a time as a replacement for the MAGA GOP rises from the ashes.
I wish I thought she was sophisticated enough to choose that path forward, but I don't.
My opinion - for what its worth - is that she is strong and will stick it out as long as the money holds out. If Trump ends up in prison, and with him facing 91 criminal charges, there is still a chance of this - she may be maneuvering to replace him over time. So the longer she runs the better - it upsets Trump, and helps Biden.
I hope this challenge has stiffened her. I doubt Trump will be that forgiving and Ambassador Haley has only to look at USS Tim Scott and former governor Chris Christie to see what a humiliating experience it is to reenter Trump's orbit after committing the "heresy" of challenging him in a primary.
Hi Kate and yes all true. I thought Cosby went to prison for a while, but now remember he got out. My daughter Lize managed a joint venture in Moscow called the Beverly Hills. It was half owned by Chuck Norris and the other half by Mayor Lyushkov in Moscow. Trump attended their grand opening and returned often. This JV was known for its corruption, naked women, and famous faces. Trump's lewd and vile behavior was splashed in the Russian news. Everyone in Russia knows that Trump has been compromised by the Russian KGB a long time ago. Only Americans do not get it. Take care, Elizabeth www.democrazy2020.org
hi steve_lilienthal. i'm new here but i like the zip and the zing i am encountering. this place is more fun than some others. can you tell me how to use a handle instead of a name? I am a little queasy about names.
I'm another ex-Republican who will vote for Nikki in the Arizona primary on March 19th. Then I will go back to being an Independent and vote for Joe Biden in November. I fervently hope that Nikki WILL burn the boats!
Sarah Longwell has said Biden should show up wherever Trump is appearing for “split screen” moments. After listening to both their speeches when they went on the same day to the Texas southern border, I couldn’t agree more.
Biden should drop his 'good guy' image and really attack Trump in full Dark Brandon mode. If Biden took some of the shine off his halo he might appear tougher and far more relatable to more people. Thanks for the link.
One should never lose hope that people will do the right thing. That’s how I feel about Nikki. Here’s hoping she feels it’s important enough and aligns with her values to end up doing the right thing.
I tend to agree when I hear the "all politicians are liars" screed. My comment is "why do you keep voting them in?" I normally take people at face value. Trouble is pols like Nikki, and others make it very easy to doubt they have any values. I have no trouble with people actually changing their minds about issues for real reasons. But to me, attaining power isn't a good enough reason. And that's what Nikki's after.
p.s. people vote for incumbents because, at a local level, their representative is doing a good job or there is no other choices out there. It really isn’t just enough to vote. We need more good people to run for office and we all need to participate in building (or breaking) an infrastructure from the ground up to give people choices in one-party rule states (which have been engineered to keep them that way. The biggest disappointment for me was the Dems in NY rejecting the maps drawn by a nonpartisan group). It’s not ok no matter who is doing it.
That’s a fair criticism but politics is about power, after all. Primarily, though, I think it stems from we — all of us — treating politics as somehow outside of moral and ethical considerations during campaigns. We think everyone is a liar because we vote based on what we want to hear rather than what is possible, and then are irrationally disappointed when all our wishes and dreams don’t come true. We want to be lied to, which is different than having aspirational ideals to work towards. I’m exhausted by all of the emoting going on out there - left and right. Everything is a conspiracy or a plot — especially when it’s about something we don’t want to hear.
Agree. But I also tend to think that's been happening primarily in the past generation or two, thanks to social media and news that's not news, but gossip. And dearth of critical thinking even by people who should know how to do it.
It really depends on whether Nikki wants to have a future in the Republican Party. Obviously in the short term probably not--- If Biden wins or if Trump is elected and he is as big a disaster as he promises to be, and assuming we still have real elections, she may be positioned to revive her "common sense" campaign in 2028 and probably as the front runner. BUT only if she behaves as a Republican is expected to behave now. Which will include an endorsement from the podium of the Convention and the public humiliation to which Ted Cruz subjected himself in 2016.
Bill, you are correct that Nikki, much to my surprise "has a chance to try to play a historic role as well, to help chart a new path and explore a new continent in American politics." But Nikki's history and more recent language suggests that Nikki will do what she is best at: disappointing anyone who ever thought she will speak and/or act based upon principle instead of raw ambition. Nikki will endorse Trump at the end of the day so that she can say with a semi-straight face that she's still a Republican to keep her 2028 options open.
I stand corrected. In ending her campaign, Nikki was Nikki and tried yet again to walk an invisible line: “It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party who did not support him, and I hope he does." I HOPE HE DOES! She threw in the last 4 words to make sure it was a "non-endorsement" endorsement. She was consistently spineless right up to the end.
"Cortés made history"
That's for sure. Dude is so hated in Mexico that his body was moved and hidden into the wall of a random church in the historic part of downtown Mexico City.
The red plaque, which was added after 100 years+ of hiding the body.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tomb-of-hernan-cortes
99% of Mexicans have no idea where the tomb is located, the Church certainly makes it a point not to advertise the fact: result in my three visits I've never seen anyone pay the red plaque any mind.
Also, Cortés was a wimp. He did in fact burn 10 of his ships, but kept one for himself unharmed.
I too, was amazed the UN has concluded that HAMAS maybe did some bad things. And one or two news organizations actually provided a paragraph or two of coverage.
After this election cycle hopefully a well funded, third party movement of center right and center left, can be born. Seems to dangerous to do so until post trump. Although, he would only be 80 something in 2028 and I'm sure raising money selling shoes or hats.
Nikki sounds like what Sarah Longwell is calling a "double hater" - people who don't like Biden or Trump. Sarah thinks most will settle on Biden, who is less authoritarian aspirational and less crazy.
This will probably never happen, but I love the idea of Biden reaching out to Haley and promising her Secretary of State or National Security Adviser in a second Biden term (NSA might be better as it doesn't require Senate Confirmation). Let Haley say she's still she's a Republican if she wants-makes Biden sound more reasonable and bipartisan anyway. She can tell the double haters and her supporters that might otherwise suck it up and vote Trump that "It's safe to re-elect Biden, I'll be in the room with Biden on all important foreign policy decisions-there won't be anyone but sycophants advising Trump. He will be unchallenged in following his worst and most dangerous impulses."
MAGA won't forgive her, but she's already beyond forgiveness for her traitorous temerity in challenging daddy. She could run for POTUS as a Dem in 4 years as "I was part of the unity ticket. We saved the country from authoritarianism." I suppose she can stay in the race a little longer in the hope something incapacitating happens to Trump, but Biden's people should be having back channel negotiations now.
A kid at a Trump rally said that "Fani and Nikki should be arrested." In the MAGA mind, criticizing Trump, or simply failing to step aside and let him claim the crown unchallenged, is a criminal offense -- an act of treason.
What so many MAGA fail to appreciate is how much their rhetoric resembles that of Chinese Communist true believers. As just one example of many, one of them told me a few months ago that criticizing Xi is disloyalty punishable by prison time.
Nikki Haley told Kristen Walker that Biden was worse than Trump. Just once - once!- I would like to hear a follow up question when Republicans say this. What specifically has Joe Biden done that makes him a bigger threat to our country than a guy who refused to leave office after he lost and continues to inflame his base with lies?
Instead, every journalist lets these statements stand.
Trump has cultivated a widespread belief that our institutions are all corrupt and rotten if they do not give him whatever he wants, including unqualified praise.
It's astounding that so many people smart enough to know better have accepted and amplified this doctrine. How can they not realize that they have subordinated their judgment to the whims of a psychopath?
Maybe Kristen Welker could have asked him to comment on the former Prime Minister of Australia's statements last week in an interview with Nicole Wallace. Malcolm Turnbull said that if Trump were elected it would be a threat to the free world. He also said that Trump is not a true conservative, doesn't believe in democracy and has a "creepy" adoration for Putin. And I couldn't find a major newspaper that had a single article on this.
The Guardian did. I think it will be worthwhile to put the BBC app back on my phone to get reporting that's overlooked in US major media.
US news is eternal presidential campaigning - even Ukraine or Israel, when briefly mentioned, it's in context of the race. As for other things going on in the world, like Horn of Africa, they are totally ignored. We have means to know what's going on all over the world (and beyond), but media (and a lot of us) have this narrow focus
I saw the interview on Nicole Wallace and expected that it would generate a flurry of commentary and news articles, but....crickets. They're all too busy reporting on Joe Biden's poll numbers and age.
An early MAGA mantra was: "Conservatism didn't conserve anything." Meaning: "It didn't keep everything exactly as we want" -- or as it's imagined to have been.
Combine "There's nothing left to conserve" with a "Blow the whole thing up!" mentality, and you have a counterrevolutionary movement willing to give fealty to an "I alone can fix it" demagogue who regards his own will as the highest law. And some of those people claim to be defending "American values.'
I wish Bill had used Alexander's burning of the boats as the example instead of Cortez. Much less cultural baggage, and a more noble effort, if vanquishing armies and cultures can be called that. Plus Alexander was cooler and more classical.
I think she has been playing a game to consolidate "swingy" GOP voters and then use an eventual concession + Trump endorsement to win her way back into relevance with Republicans.
Trump's "we don't want Nikki voters" statement means the only path back to the GOP for Nikki is crawling on her belly in abject humiliation, to then be relegated to Trump's trophy case alongside the heads of other (politically) dead RINOs.
The problem is that she's consistently said the only thing worse than Trump is Biden which makes a Biden endorsement problematic. Will her followers turn on her if she suddenly claims Trump is actually worse than Biden?
I think Nikki will do neither. She'll avoid endorsing anyone in the hopes that Trump will lose and / or die and she will be positioned to pick up the pieces. I also think this is a losing strategy as MAGA will never welcome her back, even if/when Trump shuffles of this mortal coil.
IMHO her only path to relevancy again (other than quitting politics for cushy private sector cash) is as part of a big tent Dem coalition where she delivers decisive votes to Biden and parlays that into some kind of appointment in his administration (Ambassador again?) and then plays the voice of conservative reason within the only remaining viable political party until such a time as a replacement for the MAGA GOP rises from the ashes.
I wish I thought she was sophisticated enough to choose that path forward, but I don't.
My opinion - for what its worth - is that she is strong and will stick it out as long as the money holds out. If Trump ends up in prison, and with him facing 91 criminal charges, there is still a chance of this - she may be maneuvering to replace him over time. So the longer she runs the better - it upsets Trump, and helps Biden.
I hope this challenge has stiffened her. I doubt Trump will be that forgiving and Ambassador Haley has only to look at USS Tim Scott and former governor Chris Christie to see what a humiliating experience it is to reenter Trump's orbit after committing the "heresy" of challenging him in a primary.
Hi Kate and yes all true. I thought Cosby went to prison for a while, but now remember he got out. My daughter Lize managed a joint venture in Moscow called the Beverly Hills. It was half owned by Chuck Norris and the other half by Mayor Lyushkov in Moscow. Trump attended their grand opening and returned often. This JV was known for its corruption, naked women, and famous faces. Trump's lewd and vile behavior was splashed in the Russian news. Everyone in Russia knows that Trump has been compromised by the Russian KGB a long time ago. Only Americans do not get it. Take care, Elizabeth www.democrazy2020.org
Last week I early voted for Nikki in the Arkansas primary. Just doing my part. I didn't vote for any other offices.
I once heard Nikkki saya t hat a frozen embryo is a baby. i have never heard her speak of any other policy position. Does she have any?
Listen to the Meet the Press interview this Sunday. She's modified her position I'd say.
hi steve_lilienthal. i'm new here but i like the zip and the zing i am encountering. this place is more fun than some others. can you tell me how to use a handle instead of a name? I am a little queasy about names.
I'm another ex-Republican who will vote for Nikki in the Arizona primary on March 19th. Then I will go back to being an Independent and vote for Joe Biden in November. I fervently hope that Nikki WILL burn the boats!
A smidge off topic . . . Someone on one of Bulwark's posts said Biden and the Snake should appear in the same place and at same time. My apologies for not remembering who and which article. But your wish has been granted: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/3/5/2227500/-The-next-Biden-Trump-split-screen-is-heading-to-Georgia-Trump-s-nemesis?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_1&pm_medium=web
Sarah Longwell has said Biden should show up wherever Trump is appearing for “split screen” moments. After listening to both their speeches when they went on the same day to the Texas southern border, I couldn’t agree more.
Biden should drop his 'good guy' image and really attack Trump in full Dark Brandon mode. If Biden took some of the shine off his halo he might appear tougher and far more relatable to more people. Thanks for the link.
I'm seeing a few articles that are finally talking about Biden and where he's been/going. Including his Dark Brandon moments.
One should never lose hope that people will do the right thing. That’s how I feel about Nikki. Here’s hoping she feels it’s important enough and aligns with her values to end up doing the right thing.
Trouble is I'm in the group that thinks she doesn't have any real values.
Nikki has only 1 real value: her ambition. She will fold like a cheap suit and endorse Trump.
I think that is a mistake that most people make about establishment politicians, left or right.
I tend to agree when I hear the "all politicians are liars" screed. My comment is "why do you keep voting them in?" I normally take people at face value. Trouble is pols like Nikki, and others make it very easy to doubt they have any values. I have no trouble with people actually changing their minds about issues for real reasons. But to me, attaining power isn't a good enough reason. And that's what Nikki's after.
p.s. people vote for incumbents because, at a local level, their representative is doing a good job or there is no other choices out there. It really isn’t just enough to vote. We need more good people to run for office and we all need to participate in building (or breaking) an infrastructure from the ground up to give people choices in one-party rule states (which have been engineered to keep them that way. The biggest disappointment for me was the Dems in NY rejecting the maps drawn by a nonpartisan group). It’s not ok no matter who is doing it.
That’s a fair criticism but politics is about power, after all. Primarily, though, I think it stems from we — all of us — treating politics as somehow outside of moral and ethical considerations during campaigns. We think everyone is a liar because we vote based on what we want to hear rather than what is possible, and then are irrationally disappointed when all our wishes and dreams don’t come true. We want to be lied to, which is different than having aspirational ideals to work towards. I’m exhausted by all of the emoting going on out there - left and right. Everything is a conspiracy or a plot — especially when it’s about something we don’t want to hear.
Agree. But I also tend to think that's been happening primarily in the past generation or two, thanks to social media and news that's not news, but gossip. And dearth of critical thinking even by people who should know how to do it.
Completely agree.