Patterico's Pontifications

2/12/2021

Nikki Haley: A Portrait of Ambition

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 8:27 am



There’s a long, long, fascinating portrait of Nikki Haley by Tim Alberta in Politico. It’s getting some press because Haley made some mildly critical comments about Trump, but Allahpundit notes that those comments were made when Liz Cheney denounced Trump and it looked like the dam might break against him. Now Haley is back in defense mode.

The clear picture that emerges is of someone with very few principles, if any. Her defining characteristic is ambition.

That was already my view of her, but the piece confirmed it in spades.

Mark Sanford:

“I agreed to spend about $400,000 on her behalf, and she only had raised $400,000 in her whole campaign,” Sanford recalls. “I didn’t feel good about giving her that much. But my world was shattered at that point. They talked me into it.” (Sanford adds: “And then she cut me off. This is systematic with Nikki: She cuts off people who have contributed to her success. It’s almost like there’s some weird psychological thing where she needs to pretend it’s self-made.”)

There are quotes like that throughout. Interestingly, after denouncing Trump throughout the 2016 primaries, she got the UN ambassador position because a South Carolina politician to whom Trump was indebted wanted Haley out of the way. That may have saved her career.

Set aside a few minutes and read it all.

115 Responses to “Nikki Haley: A Portrait of Ambition”

  1. Her defining characteristic is ambition.

    You could say that about most politicians. What makes that noteworthy for her, other than her gender?

    But my world was shattered at that point.

    Huh. I thought his world was shattered when he skipped out for a week to bang his mistress. Heckuva a job, gov. You sure you should be commenting on her psychology? Besides, why would she want to be affiliated with you after what you did in Argentina?

    Haley is viewed by many political insiders as someone willing to do whatever necessary to advance.

    Seriously? This is news? Every politician – male or female – is like this.

    Haley faced considerable backlash for sponsoring a 2007 bill mandating HPV vaccines for minors without any provision for parental opt-out, the sort of big-government program no conservative politician would support unless her political antennae was broken.

    Impressive. The author contradicted himself in the very next sentence. When will he accuse her of being an anti-vaxxer? Stay tuned!

    She tried to bully the statehouse

    How dare she? Doesn’t she know her place?

    Consumed with retribution, she set about destroying the lobbying practice of the man who’d alleged the one-night stand.

    Consumed, he tells us! What’s the old adage about a woman scorned?

    Sounds like Tim Alberta hates brown women who are Republican. He seems intent on seeding her downfall so she doesn’t stand a chance against a brown woman who is a Democrat and will most likely run for president in 2024. I’m sure VP Harris appreciates your work, Mr. Alberta.

    Hoi Polloi (093fb9)

  2. I doubt there has ever been a presidential candidate without overriding ambition. I don’t see that as a real objection. I do think that she is attempting to play both sides wrt Trump, but it is quite clear she sees Trump for what he is. Unlike many her statements for or against him have been tempered.

    Is that enough? For some purists, who want to see the party purged of anyone who ever supported Donald Trump, no it isn’t. I’m sure there are Trump partisans who feel the same about her lack of full-throated enthusiasm. Me, I tend to be less judgemental that most, at least on things that don’t hit my gotta-haves.

    In any event, I would like to hear from those who think that Haley is “just another Trumpie” like Hawley or Cruz, or those that think that she’s a “traitor” like Romney, Ryan or Pence.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  3. I don’t view Sanford as a great judge of character. He was censured by his state because he lied about things of importance, he betrayed his wife, ending in divorce, but he refused to resign as governor, further disgracing his office.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  4. Also you misspelled “hatchet-job”

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  5. But what about the president broadcasting a loop of lies that had been thoroughly debunked? Isn’t that being deceptive?

    This is, of course, the heart of the matter. Does Trump actually believe that he won? Doe he believe that, in the dead of night, a cabal of unscrupulous Democrats falsified enough ballots to overcome his “win” in PA, AZ and GA (which would be more than enough to win).

    His detractors, not to mention the House managers, assert that it is all a calculated lie; that Trump is trying to steal the election with the lie that he really won.

    People who have talked to Trump, like Haley, are convinced that Trump isn’t acting. The fact that you REALLY have to want to believe isn’t the issue. Lots of people believe in less likely things, like Marxism or UFO abductions.

    In any event, an article that complains that Haley is quick to throw people under the bus is being a little disingenuous when it complains that she is slow at throwing Trump under the bus.

    She is not attacking him, certainly, but she is not supporting him publicly either. It’s almost like she intends to be the one to heal the GOP after. The nerve!

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  6. Credit where credit is due for Fascism Barbie: being able to compete at the highest levels of the world’s oldest AND second-oldest professions is a remarkable accomplishment.

    Dave (1bb933)

  7. Unlike Dave and others, I do not view the political world in black and white, Truth vs Despotism, Trump vs #NeverTrump. But I guess that makes judgements easier.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  8. Dave, you call her a fascist. Please show your work.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  9. News item (today): Nikki Haley criticizes Trump and says he has no future in the GOP

    Former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley directly criticized former President Donald Trump for his involvement stoking the US Capitol riot in a new interview, a notable condemnation from someone who is widely viewed as harboring presidential hopes in a party that is still in thrall to Trump.

    “We need to acknowledge he let us down,” she told Politico magazine in an interview published Friday. “He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. And we can’t let that ever happen again.”

    Haley has often attempted to walk a fine line between allying herself with Trump — who remains a hugely popular figure within the party — while distancing herself enough to appeal to his Republican and moderate critics. She notably left his administration in 2018 on good terms with Trump, a contrast to many other officials who have publicly fallen out with their former boss.

    https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/12/politics/nikki-haley-donald-trump-gop/index.html

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  10. Credit where credit is due for Fascism Barbie: being able to compete at the highest levels of the world’s oldest AND second-oldest professions is a remarkable accomplishment.

    Dave (1bb933) — 2/12/2021 @ 9:36 am

    This thread is about Nikki Haley, not Kamala Harris.

    Hoi Polloi (093fb9)

  11. That is a news item on this interview, Kevin M.

    Patterico (a06e6d)

  12. They come and they go, the rising stars. “And all the stars that never were are on boards and commissions.” It’s a long time to 2024.

    As for all that other stuff, like whatever. Somebody has to be Governor of South Carolina, somebody has to be UN Ambassador, and Boeing-level companies must have directors with resumes. Good for her who (like Liz Cheney, BTW) eschewed braces as a teenager.

    nk (1d9030)

  13. That is a news item on this interview, Kevin M.

    Yeah, paragraph 150 or so.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  14. Dave, you call her a fascist. Please show your work.

    Gladly.

    INGRAHAM: Where do you see the Republican Party going as the months and years move forward? And do you see yourself having a part in it?

    HALEY: Yes, January 6th, was it tough. And honestly the actions that President had since Election Day were not his finest. And for me it troubles me greatly, because I’m really proud of the successes of the Trump administration. Whether it was foreign policy or domestic policy, we should embrace those. Those were the right policies. That’s what our party cares about. That’s what we were looking to do.

    I mean, just if you look at the foreign policy side, the strength that we were able to show as America was something that’s really important. The actions of the president post January 6th weren’t them. Post-election day were not great. What happened on January 6th was not great. Does he deserve to be impeached? Absolutely not.

    INGRAHAM: So you would vote against impeachment?

    HALEY: So it’s a political game that they’re–

    INGRAHAM: Yes, you’d vote against impeachment?

    HALEY: Absolutely. Absolutely.

    INGRAHAM: So that’s where you would part ways–

    (CROSSTALK)

    HALEY: The Trump is just kick him out the door–

    INGRAHAM: You would part ways with, for instance, Mitt Romney, who will be voting, it sounds like, for impeachment, for – to convict, at least it sounds that way.

    HALEY: I don’t even think there is a basis for impeachment. The idea that they’re even bringing this up, they didn’t even have a hearing in the House. Now, they’re going to turn around and bring about impeachment, yet they say they are for unity. They beat him up before he got into office. They are beating him up after he leaves office. At some point, give the man a break. Move on. If you truly are about moving on, move on. The idea that they’re going to do impeachment, that’s not going to bring our country together. That’s only dividing our country.

    Got that? The real victim of January 6 was poor, mistreated President Snowflake!

    Dave (1bb933)

  15. Fine comments today on this post. Great post, Patterrico! I have nothing to add to the conversation, so I will just sit, out of the way, and eat my popcorn.

    felipe (630e0b)

  16. Personally, I don’t consider any politician indispensable, and if hosing off every trace of Trump from this square of the American sidewalk requires cancelling everybody who propped him up, so be it.

    nk (1d9030)

  17. Nikki Haley is a political opportunist, but I don’t think that makes her any better or any worse than most politicians. She doesn’t seem to be an ideologue, which is probably a mark against her in some circles but isn’t a deal breaker with me. She doesn’t seem to be into insane conspiracy theories, which is a positive in my book. My only significant issue with her is that I can’t tell what she believes in, basically at all. If it’s even just pragmatism, that’s fine, I’d just like to know.

    Nic (896fdf)

  18. So, Dave, having concern for Trump, or opposing his impeachment makes one a fascist? Amazing.

    Or, if it is supporting (many of) his policies makes one a fascist, then I guess I’m a fascist too, along with the majority of the population.

    74 million voted for him, and none of them did so because they hated his policies. Some of thse who voted for Biden thought Trump’s many failings outweighed any agreement they might have. And then there are people like me who voted “other” trying to balance the two.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  19. Personally, I don’t consider any politician indispensable, and if hosing off every trace of Trump from this square of the American sidewalk requires cancelling everybody who propped him up, so be it.

    Even if doing so leads the country into 30 years of hard left rule? Baby, bathwater.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  20. She doesn’t seem to be into insane conspiracy theories, which is a positive in my book.

    In a world where most everyone seems to line up on some hard line, or believe crazy things (QAnon, truthers, birthers, Marx, etc) this is a VERY good thing. If she is able to meld a sane coalition, even with crazies inside, all the better. She is very smart and may appeal to the center, which is something both parties need to do. Biden ran as such, but it turns out he didn’t mean it.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  21. I don’t see any hard left in the Inner Democratic Party. It’s just as full of rich jerkoffs who love capitalism as the Republican Party is. On the contrary, what I see is a policy of soft leftism as the preventative to hard leftism since Woodrow Wilson enunciated it.

    I could be wrong.

    nk (1d9030)

  22. “Appalachian Trail Boss” Mark Sandford??? THAT Mark Sandford????

    ROFLMAOPIP

    Nikki Haley. =mike-drop=

    “Meet the future.” – Butch Cassidy [Paul Newman] ‘Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid” 1969

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  23. This thread is about Nikki Haley, not Kamala Harris.

    Hoi Polloi (093fb9) — 2/12/2021 @ 9:48 am

    I can’t tell if you’re joking or if I missed a comment, but you’re the one who made the thread about Kamala because, apparently it is relevant that Nikki be compared to other “brown women” and those criticizing Nikki must be racist (because ironic college republican whatabout).

    Nikki’s just like the rest of Trump’s cowardly fans. Not as dumb as Cruz or Rubio to be sure. But same character. Trump couldn’t have succeded without all the cowards. And Nikki can’t succeed without partisans who only care about the bad on the other side.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  24. opposing his impeachment makes one a fascist?

    Bingo.

    Dave (1bb933)

  25. I don’t see how a new policy-shifting aka “pragmatic” populist is the answer to the GOP’s current problems arising from an earlier policy-shifting aka “pragmatic” populist.

    DRJ (aede82)

  26. 17.Nikki Haley is a political opportunist

    Reaganoptics: name one who isn’t.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  27. What’s telling to me is that when her leadership could make a difference she withholds it. Someone of her stature coming out and making clear she doesn’t believe the election was stolen might have had some impact. But, that’s the kind of things she’ll do after the wind is blowing more strongly in that directing, not before.

    Time123 (53ef45)

  28. Extra credit for expressing solicitude for the Great Leader’s horribly unfair treatment.

    Dave (1bb933)

  29. But what about the president broadcasting a loop of lies that had been thoroughly debunked? Isn’t that being deceptive?

    This is, of course, the heart of the matter. Does Trump actually believe that he won? Doe he believe that, in the dead of night, a cabal of unscrupulous Democrats falsified enough ballots to overcome his “win” in PA, AZ and GA (which would be more than enough to win).

    His detractors, not to mention the House managers, assert that it is all a calculated lie; that Trump is trying to steal the election with the lie that he really won.

    People who have talked to Trump, like Haley, are convinced that Trump isn’t acting. The fact that you REALLY have to want to believe isn’t the issue. Lots of people believe in less likely things, like Marxism or UFO abductions.

    In any event, an article that complains that Haley is quick to throw people under the bus is being a little disingenuous when it complains that she is slow at throwing Trump under the bus.

    She is not attacking him, certainly, but she is not supporting him publicly either. It’s almost like she intends to be the one to heal the GOP after. The nerve!

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/12/2021 @ 9:35 am

    In the article she says that he’s not getting good advice and he deserves to be told the truth and he’s not. But she also makes it clear that she’s not telling him the truth either.

    she’s not the worst of Team Trump but I can’t see myself ever voting for her.

    Time123 (53ef45)

  30. Hi, DRJ!

    Nice to see you.

    Dave (1bb933)

  31. “I didn’t feel good about giving her that much. But my world was shattered at that point. They talked me into it.” (Sanford adds: “And then she cut me off…”

    The wife or the mistress, Mark? This faux conservative jerkoff’s unprincipled antics are exactly what fueled the decline and fall of the ol’GOP Empire.

    Glorious.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  32. Some people have more future than others.

    Orson Welles: You’ve been reading the cards, haven’t you?
    Marlene Dietrich: I’ve been doing the accounts.
    Orson Welles: Come on, read my future for me!
    Marlene Dietrich: You haven’t got any.
    Orson Welles: What do you mean?
    Marlene Dietrich: Your future is all used up. Why don’t you go home?

    nk (1d9030)

  33. She doesn’t seem to be an ideologue, which is probably a mark against her in some circles but isn’t a deal breaker with me.

    Bingo.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  34. @12. Grab the brass ring when it’s there; miscalculate– and you’re a has-been-loser. See Chris Christie for details.

    “Lt. General Frederick “Boy” Browning: Well, as you know, I always felt we tried to go a bridge too far.” Lt. Gen., Frederick Browning [Birk Bogarde]’A Bridge Too Far’ 1977

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  35. She doesn’t seem to be into insane conspiracy theories, which is a positive in my book.

    In a world where most everyone seems to line up on some hard line, or believe crazy things (QAnon, truthers, birthers, Marx, etc) this is a VERY good thing. If she is able to meld a sane coalition, even with crazies inside, all the better. She is very smart and may appeal to the center, which is something both parties need to do. Biden ran as such, but it turns out he didn’t mean it.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/12/2021 @ 10:30 am

    This is what I don’t get.

    Biden ran as a centrist democrat. He’s still left of center. Haley will likely run as a centrist republican. She’ll run as a centrist but if elected she’ll oppose gun control and support pro-life policies. This won’t mean she’s lied about being a centrist. Being a centrist doesn’t mean you don’t support policies the other side opposes.

    Time123 (7cca75)

  36. @35. She’ll make an exceptionally fine president for the emerging era.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  37. >>>opposing his impeachment makes one a fascist?

    Bingo.

    Dave, it must be a trial for you living in a world where you are smarter and gooder than 99% of everyone.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  38. It’s just as full of rich jerkoffs who love capitalism as the Republican Party is.

    That was true in 2016. Trump based his campaign on it. Not so sure it is now, except for a few people who will be on top no matter what.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  39. I don’t see how a new policy-shifting aka “pragmatic” populist is the answer to the GOP’s current problems arising from an earlier policy-shifting aka “pragmatic” populist.

    Because one was a narcissistic self-centered lazy incurious ignorant racist moron, and the other is none of those? My objections to Trump are based on his behavior, his “character” and his inattention to detail facts. I agreed with more of his policies (e.g. fracking, immigration control, supporting US industry, opposing China) than I opposed (Covidiotry). I suspect I will disagree with Biden far more than I agree, but he is at least not an idiot.

    But why would I not support someone who I generally agree with who is capable of altering a position given new facts? Think of all the first-rate people Trump discarded, and imagine them working for Haley instead.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  40. Dave, it must be a trial for you living in a world where you are smarter and gooder than 99% of everyone.

    Dude, you have no idea!

    But seriously, this isn’t complicated. You either demand accountability for the people who tried to steal an election, terrorize (or worse) the legislature and Vice President, and replace democracy with a dictatorship, or you make excuses for them.

    When Haley had to choose between America and Trump, she chose Trump and his fascist mob who erected a gallows on the steps of the Capitol.

    Dave (1bb933)

  41. Biden ran as a centrist democrat. He’s still left of center

    But he’s nowhere near the center. Watch and learn.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  42. @40. A woman who wears a dress and likes well hung Republicans.

    Hire her.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  43. @41. He does wander. Old people do that.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  44. I can’t tell if you’re joking or if I missed a comment, but you’re the one who made the thread about Kamala because, apparently it is relevant that Nikki be compared to other “brown women” and those criticizing Nikki must be racist (because ironic college republican whatabout).

    Nikki’s just like the rest of Trump’s cowardly fans. Not as dumb as Cruz or Rubio to be sure. But same character. Trump couldn’t have succeded without all the cowards. And Nikki can’t succeed without partisans who only care about the bad on the other side.

    Dustin (4237e0) — 2/12/2021 @ 10:49 am

    You are the one alluding Haley is a prostitute, but remember – Harris did the same thing. So why is Haley a prostitute but Harris is not?

    Hoi Polloi (093fb9)

  45. But why would I not support someone who I generally agree with who is capable of altering a position given new facts?

    “New facts” like … which direction is the wind blowing today?

    Dave (1bb933)

  46. When Haley had to choose between America and Trump, she chose Trump and his fascist mob who erected a gallows on the steps of the Capitol.

    Except that she didn’t. The only thing she didn’t do was call him up and scream at him. Instead she spoke to him as one would a friend who has lost the plot, trying to talk about anything else.

    “We need to acknowledge he let us down,” she told Politico magazine in an interview published Friday. “He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. And we can’t let that ever happen again.”

    In the Politico piece, Haley expressed anger over Trump’s treatment of former Vice President Mike Pence on January 6 and said she hasn’t spoken with Trump since then. Trump attacked Pence on Twitter that day for doing his duty of presiding over Congress’ counting of the Electoral College votes, as the mob of supporters broke into the Capitol hoping to stop the certification, some of whom chanted death threats against Pence.

    “When I tell you I’m angry, it’s an understatement,” Haley told Politico. “Mike has been nothing but loyal to that man. He’s been nothing but a good friend of that man. … I am so disappointed in the fact that [despite] the loyalty and friendship he had with Mike Pence, that he would do that to him. Like, I’m disgusted by it.”

    She did, however, say that she believes “impeachment is a waste of time.” A majority of Senate Republicans have signaled that they will vote to acquit Trump, and removal from office requires a two-thirds vote in the chamber.

    Asked how Trump should then be held accountable, Haley replied, “I think he’s going to find himself further and further isolated.”

    “I think his business is suffering at this point. I think he’s lost any sort of political viability he was going to have. I think he’s lost his social media, which meant the world to him,” she continued. “I mean, I think he’s lost the things that really could have kept him moving.”

    The Senate could also consider a vote of whether to bar Trump from serving in public office, preventing him from running for reelection in 2024. Haley, however, predicted that Trump won’t run for federal office again and that the former President will not have a future in the Republican Party.

    “I don’t think he’s going to be in the picture,” she said. “I don’t think he can. He’s fallen so far.”

    She continued, “Nor do I think the Republican Party is going to go back to the way it was before Donald Trump. I don’t think it should. I think what we need to do is take the good that he built, leave the bad that he did, and get back to a place where we can be a good, valuable, effective party.”

    In the Politico piece published Friday, Haley said in January she’s “deeply disturbed” by what’s happened to Trump since the election, arguing “the person that I worked with is not the person that I have watched since the election.”

    “Never did I think he would spiral out like this. … I don’t feel like I know who he is anymore.”

    https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/12/politics/nikki-haley-donald-trump-gop/index.html

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  47. Sorry that last was supposed to have quote indents throughout.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  48. Biden ran as a centrist democrat. He’s still left of center

    But he’s nowhere near the center. Watch and learn.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/12/2021 @ 11:40 am

    As we discussed in the previous thread about trans people in the military, the center is further left then you think it is.

    Time123 (53ef45)

  49. Darling Nikki lost when she pulled down the South Carolina state flag. She just doesn’t know it yet.

    Rip Murdock (80e6b4)

  50. My wife sponsors some people in a 12-step program. One of her sponsees is a Trumpist partisan who is SURE the vote was rigged. My wife voted for Biden and is happy he won, as she despised Trump about as much as Dave does.

    But when she talks to that sponsee, she does not get in her face about Trump, the election, or whatever. Instead she focuses on helping her deal with her recovery in more general terms.

    This is what people do with friends who are hurting, even though they have some very odd beliefs. It might be satisfying to given them the old whats-so, but that is a selfish desire and does not help them in the least.

    So, when I see these pieces about how Haley tried to listen to Trump, who was down, as a friend, I can understand that completely. It does not mean she agreed with his anger, it means it wasn’t why she was there.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  51. Darling Nikki lost when she pulled down the South Carolina state flag. She just doesn’t know it yet.

    What are you talking about?

    South Carolinians haven’t had an official flag since 1940, when the state repealed a code that required an official design. Most versions currently flown at state government buildings are cast in a deep indigo blue and feature a white crescent in the upper left corner and a white palmetto tree in the center.

    https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/31/us/south-carolina-new-flag-backlash-trnd/index.html

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  52. Of course, I write my comment about Haley in the wrong thread.
    A word about Tim Alberta, who wrote the article. He’s a solid journalist and good writer. Kevin said “hatchet job”, but I call it tough but fair. Since she’s been so afraid to criticize this president when it counted, she’ll be among the 80+% of elected Republicans I’ll probably never vote for.

    Paul Montagu (77c694)

  53. So, when I see these pieces about how Haley tried to listen to Trump, who was down, as a friend, I can understand that completely. It does not mean she agreed with his anger, it means it wasn’t why she was there.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/12/2021 @ 11:56 am

    True. Writers of hit pieces like this expect everyone to react to a certain situation like they would react. Democrats like Alberta hate Trump and can’t understand why anyone would not scream and rant and rave at Trump if given the chance.

    Of course, most people know that approaching a problem with someone else through screaming and ranting and raving won’t work. You try to use things like rapport.

    But that was never the point of this article. It was to scuttle Haley’s ambitions for the presidency as early as possible.

    Hoi Polloi (093fb9)

  54. Since she’s been so afraid to criticize this president when it counted, she’ll be among the 80+% of elected Republicans I’ll probably never vote for.

    Paul Montagu (77c694) — 2/12/2021 @ 12:01 pm

    Purity tests are hard for any politician to pass. There are so many of them and often times, they are in conflict.

    Hoi Polloi (093fb9)

  55. My wife sponsors some people in a 12-step program. One of her sponsees is a Trumpist partisan who is SURE the vote was rigged. My wife voted for Biden and is happy he won, as she despised Trump about as much as Dave does.

    But when she talks to that sponsee, she does not get in her face about Trump, the election, or whatever. Instead she focuses on helping her deal with her recovery in more general terms.

    This is what people do with friends who are hurting, even though they have some very odd beliefs. It might be satisfying to given them the old whats-so, but that is a selfish desire and does not help them in the least.

    So, when I see these pieces about how Haley tried to listen to Trump, who was down, as a friend, I can understand that completely. It does not mean she agreed with his anger, it means it wasn’t why she was there.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/12/2021 @ 11:56 am

    1. Your wife is a generous person. That’s hard and valuable work she’s doing.
    2. Nikki made it clear in the article that Trump was getting bad information from his advisors. She also made it clear that she didn’t give him better information. When pressed on that she said she spoke with him as a fried. We’re supposed to cut her some slack because their deep personal relationship is so tender that she couldn’t bring herself to confront him with the facts of his loss? It’s not believable. What is believable is that she declined to speak the truth about what’s happening because she didn’t want to upset Trump and harm her chances with his base.

    Time123 (7cca75)

  56. If you read her interview with Politico, and the FoxNews segment I quoted above, you could never imagine they were the words of the same person, three weeks apart.

    There were no “new facts” bearing on Trump’s fitness for office, character, or culpability for the attempted election theft and treason, in the interim. She’s just triangulating.

    Dave (1bb933)

  57. So, when I see these pieces about how Haley tried to listen to Trump, who was down, as a friend, I can understand that completely. It does not mean she agreed with his anger, it means it wasn’t why she was there.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/12/2021 @ 11:56 am

    True. Writers of hit pieces like this expect everyone to react to a certain situation like they would react. Democrats like Alberta hate Trump and can’t understand why anyone would not scream and rant and rave at Trump if given the chance.

    Of course, most people know that approaching a problem with someone else through screaming and ranting and raving won’t work. You try to use things like rapport.

    But that was never the point of this article. It was to scuttle Haley’s ambitions for the presidency as early as possible.

    Hoi Polloi (093fb9) — 2/12/2021 @ 12:02 pm

    She had the chance to say clearly, with love and tenderness if she wanted, that Trump lost and needed to move on. She didn’t. That counts against her.

    Time123 (7cca75)

  58. Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/12/2021 @ 12:00 pm:

    I stand corrected. However, she did sign legislation, and spoke out against, the Confederate battle flag that flew over their Capitol. More cancel culture.

    Rip Murdock (cc5a6a)

  59. Rip, it’s only cancel culture if it comes from the cancel region of France. Otherwise it’s sparkling choice.

    Time123 (53ef45)

  60. Time123 (53ef45) — 2/12/2021 @ 12:14 pm:

    It’s only cancel culture if the left does it. Otherwise it’s an enlightened decision.

    Rip Murdock (cc5a6a)

  61. Purity tests are hard for any politician to pass.

    I agree, Hoi, but a purity test would imply there was any semblance of political or ideological or character purity in Trump, when there’s actually none. I know I’m taking a hard line on this, but I can’t support a person who excused Trump’s un-conservative bad decisions and bad behavior on so many occasions, not without a fair measure of recanting, apologizing, and maybe even some groveling from the worst offenders. Also, I fully accept that I’ll stay in the Remnant Wing of the GOP for taking that position.

    Paul Montagu (77c694)

  62. she’ll be among the 80+% of elected Republicans I’ll probably never vote for.

    And this is how the Left wins, by convincing you that minor differences with mostly like-minded people are far more important than their wholesale opposition to your basic beliefs.

    It’s like watching different flavors of Baptists argue.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  63. However, she did sign legislation, and spoke out against, the Confederate battle flag that flew over their Capitol. More cancel culture.

    Another reason for me to support her, although Trump’s legions may have a problem.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  64. she’ll be among the 80+% of elected Republicans I’ll probably never vote for.

    And this is how the Left wins, by convincing you that minor differences with mostly like-minded people are far more important than their wholesale opposition to your basic beliefs.

    It’s like watching different flavors of Baptists argue.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/12/2021 @ 12:20 pm

    Trump tried to steal the election. While doing so he did massive damage to faith in democracy by convincing his supporters that our elections were full of fraud. Her lack of courage and leadership is, to me, a major failing.

    Time123 (53ef45)

  65. She’s just triangulating.

    Yes. She’s trying to form a new coalition — and you should be overjoyed that someone is.

    It’s really easy to cast all who disagree with you into the Outer Darkness. What is hard, and what takes a politician instead of, say, a physicist is to find people’s common ground and build upon it.

    Trump destroyed the old GOP and the old party system that started circa 1980. The Democrats are trying to find their center, and they have put Biden up as a front man while they do that. Trump, of course, was incapable of building a thing and very good at wrecking. It will take some extra-heavy lifting to get the Right past this nuclear train-wreck that still isn’t done crashing. Nikki is at least trying.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  66. Time, do you believe that the Democrats’ opposition to what Trump was doing was based on principle? That they would have put Hillary down had she tried that in 2016?

    Trump crossed the Rubicon on Jan 6th. And on Jan 6th she broke with him. Others have carried election disputes to that point before, at least by proxy, but Trump is the first person to bring troops to the event.

    Personally, I think Trump is guilty of treason and I hope he is charged with that should he “win” here. But the treason occurred on Jan 6th, not in mid-November.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  67. ……..Trump’s legions may have a problem.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/12/2021 @ 12:21 pm

    That is why she is a dead candidate walking. Also being two-faced. She only supported removing the Confederate battle flag after the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church shootings. She was fine with flying the flag before that, for her the flag was a PR problem.

    Rip Murdock (cc5a6a)

  68. But OK. Fine. Name someone better who is actually trying to win instead of just posturing for applause.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  69. And this is how the Left wins, by convincing you that minor differences with mostly like-minded people are far more important than their wholesale opposition to your basic beliefs.

    The near-complete in-the-bag support for arguably the worst president in history is why the Left will win, Kevin, at least until Biden & Co. overreach and the pendulum swings the other way.
    I’ll put it this way. I’m not going to support Republicans who voted “no” on impeachment or conviction, I’m not going to vote for the fascists who supported objections on 1/6, I’ll not support the signatories on AG Paxton’s fascist lawsuit to throw out popular votes in specified states, and I’ll not support Republicans who continue to claim that the election was “stolen”, and the differences aren’t like a fight between American and Southern Baptists.
    But like I said, the remnant is where I’ll be (because I still agree with Republicans a lot more than Democrats on policy) and will probably stay for years to come. IMO, Trump and Trumpism are cancers on my party.

    Paul Montagu (77c694)

  70. @DCSCA@26 I mean, I said that in the second half of the sentence you quoted?

    Nic (896fdf)

  71. Rip–

    Do you actually want inflexible presidents? We had one just recently. I thought you didn’t like that.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  72. Time, do you believe that the Democrats’ opposition to what Trump was doing was based on principle? That they would have put Hillary down had she tried that in 2016?

    Trump crossed the Rubicon on Jan 6th. And on Jan 6th she broke with him. Others have carried election disputes to that point before, at least by proxy, but Trump is the first person to bring troops to the event.

    Personally, I think Trump is guilty of treason and I hope he is charged with that should he “win” here. But the treason occurred on Jan 6th, not in mid-November.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/12/2021 @ 12:34 pm

    1. We don’t know what the Dem’s would have done had Hillary and Obama tried what Trump did because they didn’t try it. No presidential candidate has previously tried to steal the office before. Trump’s a first. Dumb stunts by back benchers aren’t the same thing.

    2. Pre Jan 6 She had the chance to speak up and use her credibility to help tell the truth and she didn’t.

    3. Since January 6 has she made clear statements that the election wasn’t stolen?

    She’s a lot better then Cruz or Hawley or Greene. There’s not doubt about that. But when her words might have made a difference she was silent.

    Time123 (7cca75)

  73. I’m not going to support Republicans who voted “no” on impeachment or conviction — it depends
    I’m not going to vote for the fascists who supported objections on 1/6 — agreed
    I’ll not support the signatories on AG Paxton’s fascist lawsuit to throw out popular votes in specified states — agreed
    I’ll not support Republicans who continue to claim that the election was “stolen” — agreed

    Haley thinks the impeachment cannot succeed and is therefore a waste of time. I think I disagree on both parts, but she’s on the right side of the rest of these objections .

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  74. Crazy Nikki wants to win the next election, and won’t put 74mil voters on trial. You’d have to be batsh*t QAnon to think like that.

    HN (b97a2b)

  75. Since January 6 has she made clear statements that the election wasn’t stolen?

    Yes, at least that the party was mistaken to allow Trump to go on so long. There is some clear self-criticism in that. She was quite clear in denouncing the Jan 6th events.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  76. I get your “it depends”, Kevin, and I can modify that based on their actual reasoning, but it has to be damn good reasoning.

    Paul Montagu (77c694)

  77. Can someone explain #74 for me?

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  78. @76:

    Not sure how I’d vote since I’d prefer Trump was tried and convicted for treason and an impeachment conviction would probably dispel the need for that.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  79. Since January 6 has she made clear statements that the election wasn’t stolen?

    Yes, at least that the party was mistaken to allow Trump to go on so long. There is some clear self-criticism in that. She was quite clear in denouncing the Jan 6th events.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/12/2021 @ 12:43 pm

    That’s not the same thing.

    Time123 (53ef45)

  80. Haley thinks the impeachment cannot succeed and is therefore a waste of time.

    That’s what she’s saying this week.

    A couple weeks ago, she was telling Trump’s cultists on FoxNews that there was no basis for impeachment, Trump “absolutely” did not deserve to be impeached, and she was “absolutely” a hard no vote.

    Dave (1bb933)

  81. … before launching into a nauseating display of sycophancy about how Trump was the real victim.

    Dave (1bb933)

  82. But that was never the point of this article. It was to scuttle Haley’s ambitions for the presidency as early as possible.

    Of course. But that ship has sailed.

    “Torpedo Los!” – ‘Action In The North Atlantic’, 1943

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  83. Kinzinger and Cheney, and the five or six usual suspects in the Senate, are the only rays of hope at the moment.

    The rest of the QOP – including Haley – can go pound sand.

    Dave (1bb933)

  84. Dave, There are others

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Meijer

    Meijer was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the oldest son of Hank Meijer and the grandson of supermarket chain founder Frederik Meijer, whose parents emigrated to the U.S.A. from the Netherlands.[5][8] His family has been recognized as one of the wealthiest in the state of Michigan by Forbes, with a net worth above $6 billion.[8] His financial disclosures list in excess of $50 million in assets, primarily from a Meijer family trust.[9]

    Meijer graduated from East Grand Rapids High School in 2006.[10] He initially studied for one year at the United States Military Academy at West Point before transferring to Columbia University in 2008, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology in 2012.[8][11] At Columbia, he was an advocate for reinstating the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps on campus.[12] From 2008 to 2016, Meijer served in the United States Army Reserve and was deployed to Iraq from 2010 into 2011, serving as an intelligence advisor.[8][11][13]

    In 2017, Meijer graduated from the New York University Stern School of Business with a Master of Business Administration.[8]

    Career
    Analyst career
    From 2013 to 2015, Meijer worked as a conflict analyst for an international NGO.[8] He was later employed by Olympia Development of Michigan of Ilitch Holdings as an analyst from April 2018 to January 2019.[8] During this time, Meijer also worked on veterans projects such as Project Rubicon, was on the advisory board of the With Honor super political action committee, and assisted with urban renewal projects throughout Michigan.[11]

    ArtPrize drag show dispute
    During the ArtPrize’s Project 1 dynamic art festival in 2019, Meijer refused to host Drag Syndrome, a London-based group that hosted drag performers with Down syndrome, at the Tanglefoot art venue, a property he owned.[5] Meijer said he had consulted various groups and that he believed that the performers were being exploited, stating to ArtPrize organizers that “[t]he involvement of individuals whose ability to act of their own volition is unclear raises serious ethical concerns that I cannot reconcile” and that the performances were to “further an activist message.”[5]

    The American Civil Liberties Union filed a civil rights complaint to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, claiming that Meijer discriminated against the “disability of the performer and the nature of their performance due to stereotypes regarding gender expression.”[14] Meijer said he would not “stop or apologize for doing what is right.”[14]

    Time123 (7cca75)

  85. At this point in time…emotions are charged….and I’d imagine it’s pretty tough to go on Ingraham calling for Trump’s scalp. That’s not who is watching Ingraham and FNC right now. Is that slitherly? Probably, but she is playing the long game of trying to unify everyone on the Right….and the calculation is that going “full French” (or maybe full Dave?)…could scuttle her chances before she even gets out of the gate. Let’s face it, she still remains the best of those who are not unambiguously against Trump (Romney etc.). At some point…if Trump survives banning…which he likely will….Haley will need to make the case as to why she should be President and not Trump….while not deeply offending NJRob, Whembly, and Hoi. Hopefully we can judge the quality of her ideas and her skill at messaging….and not simply make this about her feelings about Trump.

    AJ_Liberty (ec7f74)

  86. Rip–

    Do you actually want inflexible presidents? We had one just recently. I thought you didn’t like that.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 2/12/2021 @ 12:37 pm

    It’s not a question of inflexibility-it’s her naked opportunism. If it weren’t for the shootings, she would running on the Confederate battle flag as part of Southern heritage. She was in favor of the flag before she was against it. It’s not that she changed her mind based on the realization the flag was a symbol of racism, she changed her mind because it was politically expedient.

    Rip Murdock (cc5a6a)

  87. At this point in time…emotions are charged….and I’d imagine it’s pretty tough to go on Ingraham calling for Trump’s scalp. That’s not who is watching Ingraham and FNC right now. Is that slitherly? Probably, but she is playing the long game of trying to unify everyone on the Right….and the calculation is that going “full French” (or maybe full Dave?)…could scuttle her chances before she even gets out of the gate. Let’s face it, she still remains the best of those who are not unambiguously against Trump (Romney etc.). At some point…if Trump survives banning…which he likely will….Haley will need to make the case as to why she should be President and not Trump….while not deeply offending NJRob, Whembly, and Hoi. Hopefully we can judge the quality of her ideas and her skill at messaging….and not simply make this about her feelings about Trump.

    AJ_Liberty (ec7f74) — 2/12/2021 @ 1:25 pm

    True, but why would I trust somebody willing to passively support a lie that’s damaging our country?

    Time123 (b4d075)

  88. @84

    Haley will need to make the case as to why she should be President and not Trump….while not deeply offending NJRob, Whembly, and Hoi. Hopefully we can judge the quality of her ideas and her skill at messaging….and not simply make this about her feelings about Trump.

    AJ_Liberty (ec7f74) — 2/12/2021 @ 1:25 pm

    Holy crap I’d take Haley, enthusiastically over Trump.

    However, my pick, if he should do so, is Ron DeSantis. But DeSantis is the spawn of satan according to most media circles.

    whembly (c30c83)

  89. @49

    Darling Nikki lost when she pulled down the South Carolina state flag. She just doesn’t know it yet.

    Rip Murdock (80e6b4) — 2/12/2021 @ 11:55 am

    I think that made her brave. That stars and bars as part of the state’s flag cause enough of her constituents angst that push the initiative to change it. She handled that with grace.

    Remember, this occurred after the horrible black church massacre by a white supremacist.

    The way she handled that day, and approached the various race issues should be applauded.

    whembly (c30c83)

  90. Whembly, he has his flaws but he’s done well managing Covid for Fl.

    Time123 (c9382b)

  91. @90

    Whembly, he has his flaws but he’s done well managing Covid for Fl.

    Time123 (c9382b) — 2/12/2021 @ 1:37 pm

    I agree… and he has that “Trumpian” attitude against the media.

    But, I don’t think that’s enough and he has to swim upstream against the might of the old school media. (in fairness, most GOP candidates has to do that).

    whembly (c30c83)

  92. “True, but why would I trust somebody willing to passively support a lie that’s damaging our country?”

    Her Politico comments are pretty biting. I think this is the first act in this drama. The second act will be crafting a vision for where the GOP needs to go. I’ll still give her a chance to win/wrestle the party away from Trump. My suspicion is now might not be the time to do it….and survive. If you die in Act 1, it’s hard to be relevant later. Let me see where she is at in a year….and whether we see greater distance from Trump. At some point, we have to stop talking about Trump….and talk about a platform and where she wants to lead us. My sense is that she’s smart. Hopefully she’s not a stealth Cruz….too early to say….

    AJ_Liberty (ec7f74)

  93. Down the road, I think Haley can use the Politico piece to play both sides.
    If someone accuses her being in the bag for Trump, she can say, “Look, I criticized Trump for what he did on 1/6. It’s right there in Alberta’s article.” And she can play it the other way, too. It’s a long piece that well documents where she was “pro” and “anti”.
    She probably has as good a chance as any in 2024, maybe frontrunner. Although Trump will get acquitted, I doubt he’ll run because he’ll only be older and nuttier in three years, and she has good charisma.

    Paul Montagu (77c694)

  94. Remember, this occurred after the horrible black church massacre by a white supremacist.

    And only because of that. Not because the flag symbolized racism, but because it was a political problem.

    Haley: Dylann Roof ‘hijacked’ Confederate flag from people who saw it as symbolizing ‘service, and sacrifice and heritage’
    ……..
    Haley, in an interview with conservative radio host Glenn Beck, revisited the conversation around her decision in 2015 to remove the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina statehouse after the shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Haley was widely praised for removing the flag.
    …..
    ….. [H]ere is this guy that comes out with this manifesto, holding the Confederate flag and had just hijacked everything that people thought of (about the flag).”

    “But you know people saw it as service, and sacrifice and heritage – but once he did that, there was no way to overcome it.”
    …….
    The former governor had previously been a supporter of the flag – which was placed at the statehouse in 2000 – as a symbol of Southern heritage honoring residents’ ancestors. But after the funerals of the nine victims of the massacre, she said she decided that the flag had to come down.
    ………

    Rip Murdock (cc5a6a)

  95. @94 Why is that a bad thing?

    whembly (c30c83)

  96. …… That stars and bars as part of the state’s flag cause enough of her constituents angst that push the initiative to change it………

    The South Carolina flag never had the stars and bars. It was a separate flag flying beneath the SC flag.

    Rip Murdock (cc5a6a)

  97. @94 Why is that a bad thing?

    It’s further proof she will say and do anything for her political future. Political opportunism is not a new thing for Darling Nikki. She only objected to the flag after a mass murder, not for its true symbolism. She was fine with that.

    Rip Murdock (cc5a6a)

  98. DeSantis is everything the media promised up Cuomo was. There’s a reason they hate him.

    NJRob (7e3bc6)

  99. Having read past my point of irritation on that article Pat linked, I retract my “hatchet job” characterization. It’s a long article and the good stuff is down a ways.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  100. @84 Yes, Meijer (from my home state, but the other side) is another bright spot, and he talks straight about QOP fascism and moonbattery.

    Dave (1bb933)

  101. And, actually I have to eat some crow here. I want to thank Pat for linking this excellent article, although I manifestly disagree with his summary view.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  102. Trump crossed the Rubicon on Jan 6th.

    Nah. The fuse was lit on this round of populism January 20, 1981. Buchanan, Perot, Palin rode the train a few stops– but Trump took the bus instead. Check the schedule; full passenger load awaits a fresh driver.

    Glorious.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  103. And now we hear this story, just minutes after the trial presentations and Q&A are over.

    Washington (CNN) In an expletive-laced phone call with House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy while the Capitol was under attack, then President Donald Trump said the rioters cared more about the election results than McCarthy did.

    “Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are,” Trump said, according to lawmakers who were briefed on the call afterward by McCarthy.

    McCarthy insisted that the rioters were Trump’s supporters and begged Trump to call them off.
    Trump’s comment set off what Republican lawmakers familiar with the call described as a shouting match between the two men.

    A furious McCarthy told the President the rioters were breaking into his office through the windows, and asked Trump, “Who the f–k do you think you are talking to?” according to a Republican lawmaker familiar with the call.

    The newly revealed details of the call, described to CNN by multiple Republicans briefed on it, provide critical insight into the President’s state of mind as rioters were overrunning the Capitol. The existence of the call and some of its details have been previously reported and discussed publicly by McCarthy.

    The Republican members of Congress said the exchange showed Trump had no intention of calling off the rioters even as lawmakers were pleading with him to intervene. Several said it amounted to a dereliction of his presidential duty.
    Trump’s refusal to stop

    It’s hard to think of a more serious shirking of presidential duties, of Trump failing to protect the center of our democracy when it came under domestic attack, to refuse to send forces to the scene to protect our first branch of government. It should’ve come out yesterday, but it’s not too late.

    By the way, this conversation only further reveals how much of a groveling pu$$y McCarthy is because, despite those words exchanged on 1/6, he still made a pilgrimage to Mar A Lago to bend the knee and kiss Trump’s pasty white a$$.

    Paul Montagu (236ff4)

  104. If Trump is convicted (and I think it’s possible) the presumptive 2024 GOP candidate’s public break with him will have been instrumental. By doing it now, and suggesting the GOP had been remiss in not putting an end to this sooner, she gives cover to quite a few people.

    Which way is the wind blowing now, Lindsay?

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  105. By the way, this conversation only further reveals how much of a groveling pu$$y McCarthy is because, despite those words exchanged on 1/6, he still made a pilgrimage to Mar A Lago to bend the knee and kiss Trump’s pasty white a$$.

    It also shows how much work needs to be done ridding those county committees of the yokels who took them over.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  106. Sounds like Tim Alberta hates brown women who are Republican

    Thar reads very much like a baseless accusation of racism and sexism coming completely out of left field. I have been assured such accusations are the exclusive province of the left.

    Have I been misled??

    Patterico (115b1f)

  107. Thar reads very much like a baseless accusation of racism and sexism coming completely out of left field. I have been assured such accusations are the exclusive province of the left.

    Have I been misled??
    Patterico (115b1f) — 2/12/2021 @ 5:48 pm

    I call it the way I see it. It’s a hatchet job. My accusations are not baseless, they are taken straight from Alberta’s piece. All the things Haley does to be a successful politician are things a male does – so why is it a big deal when she does it? Oh, that’s right. She’s a minority woman who would be most immune to Kamala Harris’ platform of racial politics. Therefore, she must go down.

    2024 is just around the corner…

    Hoi Polloi (139bf6)

  108. All the things Haley does to be a successful politician are things a male does –
    Just like Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley. Their naked ambition is what governed their reactions to the election and impeachment. They also bend to whatever will benefit themselves politically and have no core values. And they should be equally criticized.

    Darling Niki shouldn’t get a pass because of her ethnicity or gender.

    Rip Murdock (cc5a6a)

  109. Just like Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley. Their naked ambition is what governed their reactions to the election and impeachment. They also bend to whatever will benefit themselves politically and have no core values. And they should be equally criticized.

    How about Joe Biden’s naked ambition? Or Kamala Harris’ naked ambition?

    What are their core values? Do they not bend to whatever will benefit themselves?

    Hoi Polloi (139bf6)

  110. Fine. Democrats have naked ambition too, but they aren’t running for the Republican presidential nomination. The only reason Darling Niki is mentioned is because of her ethnicity and gender. Otherwise she is no different than the other Republican prospects.

    She has no real chance anyway because the Trump base oppose her-her rejection of the Confederate battle flag (after supporting it), her ethnicity, and her ever changing views on Trump, among other reasons. They consider her a globalist anchor baby, no different than Harris.

    Rip Murdock (cc5a6a)

  111. “Nevertrumpers never criticize anyone but brown women” is not the first take that came to mind.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  112. All the things Haley does to be a successful politician are things a male does –
    Just like Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley…

    One literally can dress for success- and looks good at it, too; the other like the Frito Bandido. She can curry favor better w/a spoonful of honey than a tumbler of Canadian Club and vinegar on the rocks.

    “After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.”- Ann Richards

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  113. I have been assured such accusations are the exclusive province of the left.

    Have I been misled??

    Tim Alberta doesn’t much like Trump. So it all checks out, I guess.

    Radegunda (20775b)

  114. She was a good, tough advocate for the US at the UN.
    As an ambitious (R) politician, she knows that she needs to win the electoral college, hold onto every Conservative voter and conservate leaning (I) voter. The electoral college she needs to flip some Biden voters in states that went for Trump in 2016 but Biden in 2020.
    I don’t know if anyone (R) can bring all those groups together and retain ideological purity

    steveg (43b7a5)

  115. @114. Timing is everything. She’s the right age, the right gender, right color and just ‘right’ enough for all points of the compass to navigate the emerging times ahead — and a female politician confident enough- and unafraid– to wear a dress, not pants suits.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)


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