In a hypothetical 2024 election, 42% of Georgia respondents said they would support Trump, and 41.4% said they would back Biden. However, a generic Republican candidate polled 10 points ahead of Biden; 48% to 38%.
The Hill (June 9)
America can do better than Trump or Biden. Old, corrupt, and self-serving is no way to lead a government for the people, so it’s not wonder a majority of Americans don’t want Trump (60%) or Biden (70%) to even run for president (source: NBC News). And, after Trump’s latest indictment, I’m taking the GOP field. This includes Nikki Haley, whose CNN town hall performance looked and sounded (drum roll, please) presidential.
If that last sentence doesn’t square with your view, it’s probably because big media want a Biden-Trump rematch. Most of the press lean so left, it took the UK and US citizens to embarrass them into criticizing Biden’s Afghanistan and China-spy-balloon fiascos. That’s true, and the AP reports bot farms have been carpet-bombing the web with deepfake news of Trump’s GOP invincibility. If you thought the 2020 election was fixed, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Haley is part of a “new generation” of Republicans that wants to “save America” from Biden and Trump. Smart, after last summer’s CNN poll found 55% of Republicans didn’t want Trump to run and 75% of Democrats didn’t want Biden to run. Biden has stumbled his way into the “worst ever” club and only wins, if voters who don’t like him like Trump even less (source: Cook Political Report). He’s pitiful, but what’s Trump done to earn your respect?
Comport himself into legal limbo and belittle fellow Republicans. Dumb, because no GOP rival is under indictment, and 64% of the GOP has Ron DeSantis 1st or 2nd, only two points behind Trump (source: Gallup). Early leaders lost nominations in 1976 and 2008 – and Trump surprised in 2016. DeSantis has raised more cash than Trump. Haley was more conservative than Trump in her CNN town hall. Sure, Trump’s ahead, but all favor is fleeting.
MAGA voters like Trump because of his thundering will: saying the quiet part out loud about Democrats (Hillary was “crooked” and Obama “spied” on him). In contrast, Haley has the “will” to say the truth out loud about Biden (Russia’s war in Ukraine “never would have happened” under Trump) and Trump (Jan 6th was not a “beautiful” day). Liberal pundits proclaim Republicans adore Trump more than they abhor Biden. Wrong – most will support another nominee.
A recent CNN poll found a super-majority of likely GOP voters say they are open to considering someone other than Trump; DeSantis (85%), Haley (61%), Scott (60%) and Pence (54%). And, since 2016, Trump’s slipped 10 points with independent voters, who are now 49% of the electorate (source: Gallup). If MAGA voters want to oust Biden – and they do – they’ll accept that Republicans alone cannot re-elect Trump.
Republicans like DeSantis for his skill: keeping Florida open during COVID, turning school boards conservative, out-electioneering Democrats in 2022, and passing oodles of conservative laws. Haley was an equally “skilled” governor (SC). She too has never lost an election, and she has national-security know-how. Yes, DeSantis runs red-hot Florida, but neither will wilt on a debate stage with Biden; especially Haley, who’s immune to identity politics.
When black Democrats call Haley the “brown face of white supremacy” on TV, Asians and Hispanics will cringe. Girl-snuggling Biden can’t call her “sexist” for being pro-life, and native-born Biden can’t call her “anti-immigrant” for supporting the Remain in Mexico policy. Seriously, if you want voters to shrug off Democrat talking points, nominate the brown daughter of Sikh immigrants. But wait, there’s more.
Haley’s emotional patience was front and center in CNN’s town hall. A frustrated woman: “Because of Trump and Biden since 2020, I’m tired of the division in our country.” A grateful man: “Thank you for your positivity, thank you for all that you represent – that you are a breath of fresh air.” That’s Haley’s path to the White House; toss a “positivity” pebble, create early ripples of support, and persuade primary voters in the debates (it worked for Carter in 1976).
I gave Haley an A+ for her CNN town hall. She balanced anti-woke theories (linking transgender girls in sports to suicidal ideation) with centrist pragmatism (“there aren’t 60 Senate votes to pass a pro-life bill”), and pivoted easily from humor (a quick “bless you” to a sneeze) to the gravity of the church massacre in Charleston. In front of Republicans, Haley disagreed with DeSantis and Trump without being disagreeable.
Even if you don’t agree with Haley’s every view, acknowledge the breadth and depth of her intelligence. On live TV, with new issues coming at her fast, she never misunderstood a question, always had a viable answer, and quickly called up facts and data. She was so sharp Jake Tapper apologized for fumbling his question and had to laud Haley (“but you knew what I was saying”) after she answered it. You want mental acuity? She was on TV last Sunday night.
Haley would be a good GOP nominee. She’s America First on international matters and Families First on national issues. A right-thinking conservative can rest assured that “Save America” means first and foremost undo the harm of every bad executive order Biden wrote. She’ll restore energy independence, cancel dumb regulations, and stop the war on cultural majorities. Of course, we’d be better with President Haley.
