FLBear5630 said:
whiterock said:
Redbrickbear said:
4th and Inches said:
Redbrickbear said:
I got at least one maybe two in my family, they voted for Biden in 2020. Solid never Trumper's.
I know several Haley supporters (who've donated to her), and they are conservative/libertarian types who did not vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020. The appeal seems to be less that she's more moderate than other front-runners. It has more to do with style - tough but not Trumpy, with perhaps greater appeal in the middle.
Objective analysis is pretty clear: No other candidate on the stage, or in view, will do more to unite the party as VP than Haley. A meaningful percentage of neverTrumpers will justify voting for him, if she is on the ticket (and by extension is his likely successor).
Personally, I'm not an opponent, but neither a terribly big fan. I respect her toughness and her experience as Gov and UN-Ambo, but she's the least likely of anyone on the stage to attempt serious reforms in Washington, particularly on the social issues. She's a "fix it & get it back on the road" candidate, not a "drain the swamp" type.
But we have to deal with that problem if/when it arises in 2028 and beyond. Urgencies exist. Other problems need fixing first. Gotta win in 2028. I'll risk letting Oso have a seat at the table & deal with his BS later, because that's what it takes to win.
Alot more than just Oso... More than you seem to give credit.
You guys keep talking about Drain the Swamp. At what cost? The Nation? Who in the Drain the Swamp crowd can actually Govern? Gaetz? Marjorie-Greene? Or the "shut down the Govt" coalition? There is a great underestimation on how easy it will be and the ramifications...
LOL so we NEED a swamp? yes, we will always have one, but does it not benefit us to clean it out from time to time? Surely you're not suggesting there is any benefit to culturing it and learning to appreciate its many gifts? Barns always have rats. Never, ever will you get rid of all of them once & for all. Reality is, farmers from time to time have to have to grab a hoe and conduct a rat-killing. Often, we bring the kids along and make a sport of it. You never kill all the rats, but do reduce the damage to inventory and the odor is much improved.....(rat killings are usually riotous fun. kids swinging hoes, rats running up pants legs, squeals of panic mixed in with squeals of joy.....) When you suppress the rat population, you inherently suppress the snake problem, too.....
yeah, the neverTrumpers are a mid-range single-digit numbers. Moderates about 20-25%. Trump supporters consistently posting numbers in the 56-65% range. This is what a normally functioning party looks like - a smaller establishment with a larger base. More often, the smaller number of establishment types by virtue of experience and money control things, and the big number grouses about not enough getting done. (when in fact what does get done or not is generally a reasonable balance of practicality and the Overton Window. ) But every so often, the establishment loses touch with its base. The base gets restive and takes over by force of numbers. Which is where we are now. And when that happens, the establishment often gets the vapors about all the monkeys driving the bus. The choice they have is whether they will fight for control of the bus (in which case the bus ends up in the ditch), or whether they will help the monkeys drive the bus (knowing that after some success the monkeys will get tired of actually driving bus and get distracted onto other things.....allowing a new establishment/base coalition to emerge.)
The question is, where do you want the bus to be, friend? Do you seriously intend to force the bus into the ditch just so you can have a better chance to get back your rightful place in the drivers seat? This is the moderates' dilemma. Are they willing to play nice with people they mostly agree with but are not always well dressed or well-behaved? Or are they going to get all principled (for a change) over the question of who is in control of the party? (keeping in mind that the people on the other side of the aisle are wild-eyed ideologues intent on burning down the whole damned barn).