South Carolina Primary

Nikki Haley Emerges As Final Challenger To Donald Trump

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It seems clear that former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is the sole final challenger to Donald Trump for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2024.

She has moved up in polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is faltering.

If former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie were to drop out in New Hampshire, it would give Haley a fighting chance, in theory, to catch up to Trump.

The problem, however, is that Haley has been unwilling to directly challenge Trump, and some observers think she is angling for the Vice Presidential nomination with Trump.

Ultimately, the primary in South Carolina, Haley’s home state, will be the crucial factor in Haley’s candidacy, as if she cannot win there, then the nomination clearly is in the hands of Donald Trump.

New Hampshire And South Carolina Republican 2024 Presidential Primaries Could Be Very Interesting!

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With two and possibly three Republican Presidential contenders being residents of two of the three earliest states to conduct primaries in 2024, the situation presents the possibility of a unusual set of circumstances.

At the moment, Donald Trump is far ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and leagues ahead of everyone else who has entered the competition, or plans to do so.

But if New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu enters the competition, the possibility exists that he could surprise the field, and win his state’s Republican primary.

And two South Carolinians, former Governor and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Senator Tim Scott, have entered the Presidential race, and one or the other could surprise and defeat both Trump and DeSantis.

However, the complication in South Carolina is that Senator Lindsey Graham and Governor Henry McMaster both have endorsed Trump.

The involvement of DeSantis in this situation is hard to conceptualize, as he would seem to have little chance to win either New Hampshire or South Carolina.

At this point, all that can be said is that the early primaries will be very interesting and significant to watch!

The Democratic Primary Calendar Change For 2024 Makes Sense!

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The Democratic Party has made an important decision regarding the Presidential primary calendar for the Presidential Election of 2024.

The system of the last half century has been that Iowa holds its caucus first, followed by New Hampshire then having its primary.

Both Iowa and New Hampshire are overwhelmingly white and rural, in a nation that is more diverse than ever, so it is, rightfully, time for change!

So the decision has been made to put South Carolina first on Saturday, February 3, followed by joint primaries in New Hampshire and Nevada on Tuesday, February 6; then by Georgia on Tuesday February 13, and then, Michigan on Tuesday February 27.

If Iowa and New Hampshire refuse to change their dates, then the delegates from those two states may not be seated at the Democratic National Convention, and the Republican Party is highly unlikely to cooperate with Democrats, so it will created a confused situation.

This could include some wayward Democrat choosing to run in the Democratic primary to challenge Joe Biden, and creating confusion and disarray.

The new situation downgrades the idea of the Presidential Caucus system, which has deteriorated from a point of about 15 states holding them instead of primaries, now down to just 3 or 4, and likely to die on the vine, with maybe only Iowa fighting the tide and doing its own thing, but with the state unable to participate in the Democratic National Convention, a situation that could also affect New Hampshire!

No system is perfect, but President Biden pushed the change, due to the fact that it was South Carolina that put him on the road to the White House, after Iowa and New Hampshire both rejected his candidacy earlier!

The Magnificent Joe Biden Revival The Greatest In American History

Ronald 10 Comments

Former Vice President Joe Biden completed the greatest turnaround of political fortunes in American history in the last four days.

Thought to be a “lost cause”, he accomplished the winning of 10 of 14 primaries on Super Tuesday, after winning South Carolina last Saturday, and left Bernie Sanders in the distance.

He also caused Michael Bloomberg to withdraw today, but pledge all financial help to the Biden and Democratic Party campaign to retire Donald Trump from the Oval Office.

What Biden did is in many ways a miracle, but it could not happen to a nicer, more decent, more compassionate, more empathetic, and more genuine man than Joe Biden.

Biden has dedicated the past half century to public service, serving 36 years in the US Senate, and 8 years as the most active and engaged Vice President in American history!

His persona looks even better when compared to the Vice Presidents before and after him–Dick Cheney and Mike Pence!

Joe Biden is not perfect, and has votes and statements and silly flubs as part of his record that can be used against him.

But he KNOWS domestic and foreign policy, and would be the most experienced public official in total years ever to be President.

The man knows how to lead, as he did as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

And he knows the importance of “crossing the aisle” when possible. which is essential for any progress on any public issue.

There are some worried about his mental lapses, but my thought is that if it ever was clear that he needed to step aside and resign, he would do so, and that makes the Vice Presidential nomination more important than ever before.

He would not stay on in poor condition as Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan did, and as Donald Trump would do.

Biden needs to select a much younger person, who could be his successor, and this blogger suggests Julian Castro, Pete Buttigieg, and Kamala Harris as his top three choices.

We need to pray for him, that he can meet the challenge of retiring Donald Trump, and restoring faith in American government.

Stunning Action Of Pete Buttigieg, But He Saw Handwriting On The Wall!

Ronald 2 Comments

This author and blogger was truly stunned by the sudden decision of Pete Buttigieg, after a fourth place showing in South Carolina’s Presidential Primary on Saturday, to announce his withdrawal from the Presidential race.

After recovering from the shock, however, it makes total sense, as it is clear after the massive victory of Joe Biden, that the only legitimate alternatives left are Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Michael Bloomberg.

And even Bloomberg, if he does not perform well on Super Tuesday, should withdraw, and give his financial support to Biden, to stop Bernie Sanders.

One would think that Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar will withdraw after Tuesday, but hoping they win their home states’ primaries in Massachusetts and Minnesota, and deny support to Bernie. But even if they do win, they have no realistic chance of being nominated, and as moderates, should join Pete Buttigieg in support of Joe Biden as the best hope for the party.

Having stated the above, it is still disturbing that the final three choices are all to be octogenarians in the next Presidential term, so the importance of who is Vice President under any of the three is extremely crucial.

And also, the Zero Election Year Syndrome, which led to seven Presidential deaths, one President shot, and one President seriously threatened on September 11, will rear its ugly head again in 2020. With three candidates, all being far older than Ronald Reagan or Donald Trump, this is a worrisome matter. So we must have the best possible VP choice, because the odds grow that such person might very well end up in the Oval Office at some point!

Overwhelming Biden Victory In South Carolina Makes Super Tuesday Even More Significant

Ronald 4 Comments

After Joe Biden’s resounding, convincing victory by more than two to one over Bernie Sanders, and winning nearly 50 percent of the total South Carolina Primary vote yesterday, the race has led to a true showdown on Super Tuesday!

The question is whether South Carolina can have a dramatic effect on the 14 states that vote on Tuesday, as Bernie Sanders seems to have the edge in most of that group of states.

Meanwhile, Tom Steyer has dropped out, and likely the same will happen with Amy Klobuchar after Tuesday, particularly if she does not win her home state of Minnesota.

And Elizabeth Warren is fighting hard but performing poorly, and if she cannot win her home state of Massachusetts over Bernie Sanders, who already defeated her in neighboring New Hampshire, then it is likely her candidacy is over!

Pete Buttigieg also faces a potential turning point, and everyone will be watching to see if Michael Bloomberg’s spending of more than $400 million in advertising does anything to promote his candidacy.

For anyone who is a political junkie, Super Tuesday will be a very exciting day, with the likelihood of possibly as few as three candidates left standing–Sanders, Biden, Bloomberg—all three reaching 80 in the next Presidential term, and two of the three being Jewish.

Somehow, the feeling is present that Pete Buttigieg will continue to contest, but right now, the future is not bright.

The Number Of Democratic Contenders Will Drop After Super Tuesday

Ronald 4 Comments

Once the South Carolina Primary today, and the 14 Super Tuesday Primaries on Tuesday have taken place, the number of Democratic contenders will drop dramatically.

Without knowing the results at this writing of what will happen between today and Tuesday, the expectations are that the following candidates will drop out:

Elizabeth Warren

Amy Klobuchar

Tom Steyer

Tulsi Gabbard

The four finalists seem likely to be:

Bernie Sanders

Joe Biden

Pete Buttigieg

Michael Bloomberg

It is likely that Warren and Klobuchar will win no primaries nor end up at least third in any of them, other than their home states of Massachusetts and Minnesota, with doubts they will even win their states.

Steyer has spent a lot of funds in South Carolina, but seems unlikely to do well, and while he has the financial means to stay on, it seems likely he will give up.

As far as Tulsi Gabbard, a truly weird candidate, if she had any sense, she would get out as she has zero credibility, but even if she stays in the race, she is a pure joke!

It seems likely that Joe Biden will win South Carolina and some other primaries, and that Pete Buttigieg will do well enough to stay in the race. And Bloomberg, with his financial assets, has pledged to remain in the race until the bitter end.

And finally, Sanders, with his lead, is not going anywhere!

So the four likely finalists are three old men nearing 80; a fourth candidate half their age and gay and has a husband; and two Jewish finalists.

Who could have predicted this? No one!

Will South Carolina Be Joe Biden’s Last Hurrah?

Ronald 2 Comments

Indications are, based on recent public opinion polls, that former Vice President Joe Biden is likely to win the South Carolina Presidential Primary this Saturday, by a substantial margin.

The endorsement by African American Congressman and House Majority Whip James Clyburn of Biden is a real boost to Biden’s candidacy.

But the question is whether the upcoming vote is the last Hurrah for Biden, as he lacks adequate financial resources, and is not showing up well in Super Tuesday primaries next Tuesday, when 14 states, including California, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Colorado as the most significant states, conduct their elections. Senator Bernie Sanders is favored to win most of those primaries.

Winning South Carolina might help, but it is only three days to those Super Tuesday primaries, so if Biden does poorly on Tuesday, March 3, it likely will be the end of his dream of becoming the 46th President of the United States!

Pete Buttigieg Winner Of Debate, A Voice Of Reason And Common Sense

Ronald 12 Comments

Last night’s South Carolina CBS Democratic Presidential debate was often a shouting match more than a debate, as Bernie Sanders demonstrated his grouchy disposition and inflexibility.

Coming out of the debate experience, the steadiness of Pete Buttigieg showed through, as he was more the adult in the room at age 38 than all of his rivals much older than himself.

Pete was a voice of reason and common sense, and I renew my endorsement of the former South Bend, Indiana Mayor as the best choice for the Democratic Party to challenge Donald Trump.

The fact that he accepts the help of some billionaires is not a big deal, and the concept that Bernie Sanders would refuse the help of Michael Bloomberg, when all financial help is needed to have a shot at defeating Donald Trump, is a stunning sign of his inability to see reality through his ideological lens.

Sadly, Super Tuesday might be the end of many candidacies, if Sanders does well, but with such a result, we will likely see the demise of any chance of a Democratic takeover of the White House and the US Senate, barring a miracle. And even control of the House of Representatives is likely to be lost if Sanders is the nominee!

Tonight’s South Carolina Democratic Presidential Debate A Turning Point

Ronald 26 Comments

It is clear that Tuesday night’s CBS South Carolina Democratic Presidential debate is a turning point, as Senator Bernie Sanders will have the tremendous advantage if he wins the South Carolina Primary this Saturday.

Sanders is self destructing, however, with his inability to stop praising Cuba under Fidel Castro, and the Chinese government of President Xi Jinping, ignoring their violations of human rights, while improving education and health care.

Sanders seems totally deaf to warnings that he must repudiate his past extreme leftist views on Nicaragua and the Soviet Union in the 1980s, as that is a guarantee to cause the loss of Florida at the least, and likely cause the industrial Midwest and the Southwest to run away from his candidacy, if he is the Democratic nominee for President.

How Sanders could win states that Hillary Clinton lost by small margins, such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, is impossible to conceive.

Also, any hope of winning Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, and come within striking distance of Texas, would be totally gone with a Sanders Presidential candidacy.

And Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada could be in danger, as well as New Hampshire and Virginia, all won by Hillary Clinton in 2016.

And this is without addressing the “democratic Socialism” label that Sanders embraces, and his unwillingness to fully explain how all of his ambitious programs, which sound great on paper, could possibly be achieved through Congressional action.

The importance of the federal judiciary and the Supreme Court is at stake, and the nation cannot afford more right wing judges and Justices if Donald Trump is reelected.

Hopefully, we will see moderates unite around one candidate to oppose Sanders after Super Tuesday next week, with the best bet now seeming to be Pete Buttigieg, unless Joe Biden has a major rehabilitation by voters in South Carolina and the 14 states of Super Tuesday.