The Morning Briefing: Nikki Haley — From Juggernaut to Jugger-Naught in Iowa

Top O' the Briefing

Happy Tuesday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. Yarmatagh fancied the occasional tin of premium oysters whenever celebrating another win at Full-Contact Bea Arthur Trivia Night.

Before we get to the other stuff, can I just say that it really seems like this Trump guy is going places?

In the final ten weeks or so leading up to last night's Iowa caucuses, the Trump-haters in the mainstream media and their squish Republican pals were abuzz with praise for former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. The "anti-Trump" mantle that Chris Christie so desperately sought was conferred upon Haley, most likely because her "sell-by" date was more recent than his.

The effort to boost Haley among Republicans still skeptical about Trump and the squishy tender middle of the GOP (not the same things) was a strong and coordinated one. The most inconsequential positive news about Haley was immediately sent to the "Over the Top" file. When former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan endorsed Haley, the Dems' flying monkeys in the mainstream media acted as if Ronald Reagan had reached down from Heaven and blessed her.

It's understandable if you were unclear on who Larry Hogan is. He's one of those Republicans who is known only in his home state and in the MSM.

Because he's barely a Republican.

The prevailing narrative (THEY HAD POLLS, PEOPLE!) the last several days was that Haley had momentum and would finish ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in Iowa. Much to the chagrin of the leftist "Yas Slay Queen!" Haley crowd, that did not happen.

This is from Paula's update on the results last night:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is in second at the time of this writing with 21.3%. Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley is just behind him with 19.1%, with Vivek Ramaswamy, whom Trump savagely attacked just hours before the voting commenced, finished with 7.7%.
While no one expected anyone other than Trump to dominate the caucuses, second and third were up for grabs. Recent polling had Haley with a small lead over DeSantis, but that did not pan out, although it could be said that she overperformed. At the same time, the Florida governor underperformed (based on ground efforts and money spent on the race).

I still look at this as a big failure for Haley. It is rare that a Republican candidate for anything gets an extended run of favorable coverage in the MSM like Haley has enjoyed. Whether we like it or not, Republican voters are still influenced by the more mainstream sources, especially older Republicans. DeSantis hasn't been able to get out of his own way and get any traction, yet Haley still couldn't beat him with all that positive media wind behind her.

Anyone who frequently reads me knows that I have soured a lot on Haley since the summer. DeSantis may not be flourishing on the national stage, but he isn't screwing up under the heat of the spotlight. It's almost as if Haley is seeking out piles of ideological manure to step in.

Last November, Haley proposed an end to anonymous political speech online by saying that people should be verified by their legal names on social media. It was then discovered that she views Hillary Clinton as an inspiration and the reason that she got into politics.

No wonder the lefties like her.

I truly feel that Haley has latent lib tendencies that haven't manifested themselves yet. The last thing this country needs is another Republican in a position of power who's aiding and abetting the Democrats in their destruction of the Republic.

Nikki Haley could still have a strong showing in New Hampshire and her home state, which will send the editorial boards of the lefty rags into a frenzy. There is still a lot of talk about her being Trump's running mate, which may give me heartburn for the first time in my life. I might also literally hold my nose when voting for a ticket with her on it.

Hey, a little dramatic effect can help with the dread.

Let us now move on to pretending that the boutique state of New Hampshire is the be-all and end-all of American politics.

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