LOS ANGELES.–Keeping himself in the news, 56-year-old California Gov. Gavin Newsom tried to stay relevant speaking to MSNBC’s Alex Wager, giving gratuitous advice to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis dropped out of the GOP race Jan. 21, only two days before the New Hampshire primary. Newsom, who debated DeSantis of Fox News “Sean Hannity Show,” said dropping out would help his political career, saving himself what looked like a humiliating defeat to 77-year-old former President Donald Trump and 51-year-old former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley. Newsom explained that dropping out served DeSantis’ long-term political ambitions, waiting for a more propitious time to run again. Newsom cleverly meant his remarks for Haley as well who faces an almost certain embarrassment in her home state of South Carolina when voters go to the polls Feb. 24.
Haley is backed much like former NJ Gov. Chris Christie, by never-Trump PACs, looking to do everything possible to stop Trump’s 2024 campaign. All efforts so far have failed with Trump pulling off two impressive victories in Iowa and New Hampshire. Things don’t get any easier for Haley with South Carolina coming up in less than a month. Haley has been encouraged to keep her long-shot campaign going, hoping that something catastrophic would happen to Trump between now and the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee July 15-18. Haley has been looking to stay in to see how she fairs in GOP primaries that permit Democrats to vote. Trump beat Haley in New Hampshire by about 12%, despite allowing Democrats and independents to vote in the GOP primary. Without Democrat votes, Haley would have lost by 25%.
All of Haley’s talk about staying in the race is pure posturing to negotiate with the Trump campaign to receive the VP pick. Open primary states won’t save Haley, any more than it did in New Hampshire. “You alone now carry the banner. Speak up for all the Republicans who have been demeaned, diminished, and threatened by Trump. He can no longer hurt you,” said fomr Ronald Reagan speechwriter Landon Parvin. Parvin calls Trump “The Great Pumpkin far away in Mara-a-Lago.” Parvin speaks for the vocal never-Trump minority in the Republican Party, like 60-year-old George Conway, formerly married to Trump strategist Kellyanne Conway. CNN, MSNBC and other liberal broadcast and print outlets like to quote from anti-Trump Republicans like Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Ut.) who’s despised Trump from his 2016 campaign and his four years in office.
Halley has followed Parvin’s advice of going after Trump in a cheerful manner, a favorite message from communication experts. “Do it with humor, or you’ll look like you want to stand on his ventilator tube,” Parvin told the Wall Street Journal [WSJ]. If there were ever a GOP anti-Trump publication, it would be the WSJ, whose columnists, including 72-year-old Maureen Dowd, routinely disparage Trump. Trump calls the WSJ fake news largely because they published numerous stories about Trump’s allege ties to the Kremlin, all of which were made up by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in her fake Steele Dossier. Haley has been given plenty of advice from the anti-Trump mob but she’s never ruled out serving as his 2024 running mate. Trump said the Haley lacked “presidential timber,” but would be forced to reconsider his pick for VP.
Trump might prefer someone other than Haley, including 52-yuear-old South Dakota Gov. Christie Noam, 39-year-old Rep. Elise Stefanik or 58-year-old Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). Only Haley, according to Harvard pollster Mark Penn, who says Haley offers Trump the best shot at capturing suburban soccer moms, a necessary demographic in the general election. Trump has a loyal base but he needs to expand the base in order to prevail on Biden in the fall. Democrats hope what happened in 2020 can be duplicated again in 2024. But things are different now with voters seeing for themselves Biden’s performance over the last four years. Joe dismisses all the polls that show him with a 39% aggregate approval ratings, way below any candidate that wished to run for reelection. Making matter worse, Biden’s 58-year-old Vice President Kamala Harris has 36% approval rating.
In 2024, voters no longer blame Trump for the Covid-19 crisis and racism in American, following the George Floyd Minneapolis police murder May 25, 2020. Without voters fearing Covid or race riots, the White House has resorted to saying Trump would destroy democracy, serve as a dictator. But most voters know that Biden funds a proxy war in Ukraine against the Russian Federation, turning decades of diplomacy, détente and arms control into bitter enemies. Haley called Trump “totally unhinged” yesterday, knowing that she’s using the same words as 83-year-old former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). “America can do better that Donald Trump and Joe Biden,” Haley said, trying to push back to justify her continued campaign but hesitant to burn all her bridges. As pollster Mark Penn says, Trump and Haley make strange bedfellows but it may just work.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
