Washington Merry-Go-Round

IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sep 29, 2023
WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND
Today’s Events in Historical Perspective
America’s Longest-Running Column Founded 1932
She is running for VP
By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift         
 
          WASHINGTON — The second Republican debate, held at the Reagan Library, featured seven candidates chasing an absentee frontrunner. All the chatter ahead of time was about which of them would come out strongest against Donald Trump.
          The more relevant question is which of them might join Trump as his running mate on the GOP ticket in 2024.
          It is time to stop pretending that the Republican Party has a credible alternative to Trump. The former president’s closest competitor in national polls is 40 points behind among Republicans. The GOP debate did nothing to close that gap.
          Except for former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, every candidate on stage at the Reagan Library has raised their hand to say they will support the nominee of their party, even if that person has been indicted and potentially convicted of a felony.
          With Trump so far ahead and running like an incumbent who has the nomination in hand, most of these candidates are auditioning for vice president, which means most of them want to go easy on Trump.
          Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has tried to have it both ways, criticizing Trump for exploding the nation’s debt during the Covid pandemic, and gently criticizing his bullying behavior while praising his policies.
          She was Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, a post that allowed her to burnish her foreign policy credentials.
          She emphasizes that she is all about common sense and finding consensus, especially on the contentious issue of abortion. More mainstream voters will find comfort in her words. She has a gift for diplomacy. Will she answer his call if Trump is the nominee?
          The lone woman in the lineup, she has shown admirable poise along with a willingness to enter the fray when needed. “Bring it, Tim,” she told her fellow South Carolinian, Tim Scott, when he unloaded on her about the $50,000 cost of curtains in her official ambassadorial residence in New York.
          People watching at home no doubt cheered when she squelched outbursts from tech entrepreneur, Vivek Ramaswamy. “Honestly every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say,” she said.
          It was noticeable that she directed all her fire at her fellow competitors, choosing to leave Trump alone and not get into any more hot water with her party’s frontrunner.
          Her strategy so far has put her in contention in Iowa for second or third place. And in a recent poll in New Hampshire, she registered at 15 percent, overtaking Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was at 11 percent.
          This is progress but with Trump at 45 percent in New Hampshire, nobody is within striking distance of an upset. Even so, the Trump campaign is taking notice of Haley’s rise, sending out an email to the media titled, “The Real Nikki Haley,” which cites her past complimentary remarks about Hillary Clinton, her support of Ukraine and opposition to Trump’s border wall.
          Haley has not toed the line with Trump on every issue, but she has been careful about distinguishing their differences. When both sides of the ledger are toted up, she emerges as the most credible running mate for Trump, as measured by several criteria.
          Age – she is 56, he is 77, and as a woman of Indian descent, she would bring much needed diversity to the GOP. She is proving herself on the debate stage as a knowledgeable contender with the temperament to engage when needed, and to know when to lift herself above petty fights.
          Trump wants to win the presidency again no matter what it takes. And it takes winning Independents. He needs more than his MAGA stalwarts, and that’s where Haley can help him. 
 
          Eleanor Clift’s latest book Selecting a President, and Douglas Cohn’s latest books The President’s First Year: The Only School for Presidents Is the Presidency and World War 4: Nine Scenarios (endorsed by seven flag officers).
          Twitter:  @douglas_cohn
          © 2023 U.S. News Syndicate, Inc.
          Distributed by U.S. News Syndicate, Inc.
END WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND