Or at least, that’s what I hope, being a hopeful kind of guy. Eight days ago, I tweeted this:
Just a few more hours, and then it will be over, and no one — no human, no headline, no tweet, no podcast — will ever again mention the accursed Iowa caucuses! Right? I say, RIGHT? Please assure me this is so…
— Brad Warthen (@BradWarthen) January 15, 2024
Yeah, I was sounding a bit desperate there, wasn’t I? Well, I was, after suffering through all that hyperventilation over a meaningless contest. But so much for that. After today, it will be over, right? Wrong. After today, I will be tormented by the hellishly long general election campaign, which journalists everywhere will write about as though a normal election was going on, and a serious decision to be made.
When there won’t be. The only “decision” will be whether to turn out and vote for Joe, or vote for (and not voting would be a vote for this) the utter destruction of the country, an outcome that will make the disgrace of America in the four years after 2016 look like a picnic.
So, no decision to be made, not for anyone who cares at all about the country. You either step up and vote for Joe, or become part of the problem. You know what I will do… enthusiastically.
Of course, there’s another way to look at New Hampshire today — as the last chance for Nikki Haley to save the Republican Party from itself. It’s a longshot, but it would be nice to see her win there. Of course, it remains to be seen whether that would give her enough of a boost to win here at home. But it would be nice to see such an expression of sanity happen up north today — and it remains remotely possible, since N.H. has an open primary. (Of course, so do we, but that hasn’t done much good on the GOP side lately, has it?)
Notice I said this was Nikki’s last chance to save her party. I did not say “to save the country.” That was for a couple of reasons. One, the country doesn’t need saving, since we’ve got Joe, and as expected, he has done a fine job. Of course, there’s always the horrible chance that — since doing a fine job doesn’t get you much in our recent social-media elections in Rabbit Hole, post-reality America — Joe could lose to whoever the GOP nominee is.
And as I’ve said in the past Nikki would be exponentially better — or rather, exponentially less bad — than you-know-who by almost any measure you choose. But… she’s not qualified to be president of the United States. Not by a very long shot.
I say that for a lot of reasons, which you’ve seen me state over the years. Frankly, I’ve forgotten some of them — things that offered ample proof of her unreadiness over the years, and fed into my overall impression. The Boston Globe reminded me of this the other day when they ran this item from The New York Times about things we all knew here in South Carolina back in the day:
But that old news is far from being a significant reason to see her as unqualified. Those of us who have known her for what — 20 years now — have a sackful of reasons, from her immature craziness on Facebook while governor, to her failure to denounce Trump and run squarely against him, for which Chris Christie criticized her so aptly before he bowed out. (And yes, we all know why she didn’t. But what good to the country is a presidential nominee who won’t do that?)
So, despite the ongoing breathlessness from national media, I’m not in any kind of great suspense today.
How about you?
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Oh, and as for that “primary” the Democrats of New Hampshire are pretending to hold, here’s all I have to say about that:
And to make this all SO much worse, MTG from GA is in N.H. campaigning for the orange man! It is all just so horrible!!
Yes, now it’s over. And I mean, REALLY over.
Haley may as well drop out now and spare herself the embarrassment of the trumping she’s going to get here in the Gret Stet a Sow Caliner.
Then again, maybe she believes in the magical power of high heels – and other delusions.
No matter. She’ll soon join the line behind DeSantis, Mace etc. etc., bowing the knee to all that chaos she only just finished criticizing, proving yet again her absolute lack of substance and integrity.
Your comment about high heels reminded me of this picture from awhile back.
I think maybe Sarah believes in them, too…
They just looked like such a matched pair, standing there. This was 2010, when Nikki was all about Tea Party craziness…
The political landscape of the United States has been marked by deep divisions, and the presidency of Donald Trump exemplified the intensification of biases, fueled by a dysfunctional political identity. Trump’s polarizing leadership style often played into existing biases, both in his favor and against him. Supporters hailed his unorthodox approach, while critics decried his rhetoric and policies, creating a schism that further entrenched partisan divides.
One figure who has navigated this turbulent political terrain is former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. While she may present herself as a more moderate voice within the Republican Party, some argue that she, too, embodies the same wolf in sheep’s clothing phenomenon. Haley’s political maneuvers and calculated statements often leave observers questioning her true allegiances. This reinforces the notion that in a politically charged environment, personal biases and party loyalties can cloud the perception of leaders, making it challenging to discern genuine intentions from political posturing.
Amidst this turbulence, there is a yearning for a unifying force, for leaders who transcend divisive politics. The metaphorical sheepdogs in this scenario represent those who, despite their political affiliations, prioritize the greater good and seek to bridge gaps rather than exploit divisions. The hope lies in the emergence of leaders who can rise above the political noise, fostering a sense of unity and cooperation. It is a call for a new era where leaders prioritize the nation’s well-being over partisan interests, ushering in an era where the sheepdogs can triumph over the wolves, bringing about a more harmonious and collaborative political landscape.
The needed transformational leader has yet to emerge. I pray for that courageous soul to step out and step up.
Much like Bernie And Kamala bent their knees to get on Biden’s bandwagon… they all put party and politics over principles every single time… except for people like Tulsi who hasn’t wavered in her principles. Even the “squad” phonies like AOC changed their tunes as soon as they got elected.
Perhaps AOC is growing up. That would be nice.
But Tulsi? I’m not going to say anything bad about Tulsi because I know how much you like her. But I don’t think the “bandwagon” was particularly anxious to get her on board. I figure that by your standards, that’s saying a good thing about her, not a bad thing. If not, I apologize.
Bernie’s chock full o’ “principles.” He rants about them all the time. But Kamala? What “principles” do you think she compromised? I’m not arguing; I’m just curious…
Back to Bernie: Does this look like a guy who’s joined the bandwagon?
Yeah, I don’t think Bernie really bent his knee.
I mean, you can be on suspect cable news shows whining and accomplishing nothing, or you can be in Congress at least fighting and getting the occasional win with some of your ideas put in the law.
That’s the choice. Bernie is in the Senate.
VP Harris is playing the VP role. Actually I see a much better example – Mike Pence is someone who had to bend his knee because his had to compromise so heavily on his “Character in a President matters” entire belief system that he had publicly espoused boldly for 30 years to be on Trump’s ticket.
Tim Scott is also a better example of someone who is bending the knee to bow and sit at Trump’s right hand given what Tim has been slyly saying about Trump for the last 3 years.
I saw on Mediaite where Laura Ingraham on Fox sort of made that point to Tim- with Tim sitting right in front of her- that Trump went off on Haley with Scott standing right behind him- with all Scott being able to say was “I love you” to Trump.
Let me rephrase- Tim doesn’t bend the knee. Tim grovels on the ground anytime Trump is nearby.
I didn’t pay New Hampshire any attention.
Read a bit about the angry speech Trump gave while he attacked Haley’s dress, and saw a short clip of what looked like an uncomfortable Tim Scott standing behind his cult leader. Just confirmed how awful a human Tim Scott is to me. But that’s not new.
No plans to vote, especially in South Carolina where it doesn’t matter at all and is a waste of time. It’s over at this point. Trump is in good position and should be pretty much clear to win the Presidency.
With Trump dropping his usual curse words to cheers from Evangelical Christians, I’ve learned that coarse language is one of Trump’s superpowers. He’s made people that would never use vulgar language around other people defend him for “telling it like it is” and “just being honest.”
I told my wife I’m going to “be honest” from now on and “tell it like it is” and to be prepared for a lack of concern for what sort of language I use. Already started it. It’s sort of fun and since all the Trump folks we know supposedly don’t care, it’s sort of enjoyable not to have to have that sort of self control.
I ran into an old church friend (I really don’t attend anymore) a few weeks ago and I dropped one on him. He had a stunned look on his face at first because that’s not something he’s heard me do. We were talking a bit of politics. He’s a big Trump supporter. I told him if Trump could do it and get nothing but cheers, so could I. I had been waiting for a chance to do that and it felt good to say it.
Unless and until mail-in ballots are eliminated for elections, there is no reason for anyone to believe any outcomes from future elections. Without mail-in ballots, Trump would not have had any claims regarding a rigged election.
For Presidential elections, it is not too much to ask that once every four years voters find a way to make it to a polling place or vote absentee in person within a week prior to the election. Only the homebound should be allowed to vote via mail-in ballot and only then if they vote with a ballot that includes a copy of an id.
Well, as y’all know, I’m not crazy about any form of voting other than showing up on Election Day.
But I’ve eased up on that, after COVID persuaded me to vote early (in person, though) in 2020, and my vote was counted ONLY because of that. My brother-in-law died in Memphis, and his funeral was on Election Day…
Doug wrote “Without mail-in ballots, Trump would not have had any claims regarding a rigged election.”
Donald Trump and his nutty cult accused two election workers in Georgia of doing drugs, and intentionally counting ballots up to 3 times.
Then Donald Trump lied about them and said they were hiding ballots under a table and then removing them to put them through vote counting machines illegally.
He’s made dozens of various complaints about all sorts of made up lies he has in his head about all sorts of ballots, including in-person voting issues.
NO ONE outside of a the diehard Trump believer would ever propose that “Trump would not have any claims- regarding a rigged election without mail-in ballots.”
Trump had so many lies, even his own cult couldn’t keep them straight.
I’ll also add, Donald Trump mailed in his own ballot.
From 2020 – “Trump submitted the Florida primary ballot by giving it to a third party to return, a spokesperson for the Palm Beach elections supervisor confirmed to NPR on Wednesday. Republicans often derisively refer to sending in a ballot this way as “ballot harvesting,” and it’s something Trump has criticized.”
Except when Donald Trump does it- they don’t criticize it. Ahh, hypocrisy.
Let’s just tell it like it is – Trump just didn’t want people that didn’t vote for him to have their votes counted.
The current political landscape often reflects a clear lack of transformative leadership, with divisive rhetoric overshadowing the urgent need for multiculturalism and diversity. Our world calls for a shift towards inclusivity, embracing the richness of diverse perspectives. Personal commitments, like my having a Filipina fiancée, serve as examples of practicing the advocated ideals. Genuine transformational change demands leaders who champion unity, fostering an environment where every voice is heard. It is through such leadership that we can navigate towards a future that celebrates multiculturalism and diversity, creating a harmonious world that reflects the values we aspire to uphold.
I want to continue to live a life of values, many of which are developed from 70 years of surviving. Nietzsche argues that freedom of the will, in the libertarian sense of the idea, is impossible, however, his anti-determinism (totally rejecting free will) is at times useful: “Out of life’s school of war—what doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger.”