Nikki Haley

The “Lost Cause” After Civil War Again Rears Its Ugly Head In 2024!

Hard to believe, but the American Civil War (1861-1865) continues to divide America more than a century and a half after its impact on America!

Nikki Haley has trouble realizing that slavery was the major cause of the Civil War.

Ron DeSantis, when a high school teacher two decades ago, told his students that slavery was NOT the major cause of the Civil War.

Donald Trump tells us that Abraham Lincoln should have negotiated with slave owners, as it might have prevented the Civil War, and that Lincoln would not be remembered if it was not for the bloodshed of that war.

The “Lost Cause”, that of “states rights”, was used in the South to propagandize for generations the fact that the South had lost the war, and only was finally overcome in most circles since the 1960s, but now the new MAGA Republican propaganda is reviving the old myth, which justified Jim Crow segregration, lynching, and denial of basic civil rights to African Americans for a century after the Civil War.

Leave it to those who attack DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion), and the nation will be going backwards in understanding of our history, and promoting racial reconciliation, so the battle against the “Lost Cause” must be waged!

Top Five Political Villains Of The Year 2023

As we look back at the year 2023, it was a very tumultuous year in so many ways.

The five most negative political factors in 2023 would include the following:

The disgraceful Republican controlled House of Representatives under Kevin McCarthy, and then, Mike Johnson, and including former Congressman George Santos, who represents the true nature of the Republican Party in the lower chamber.

The weak, spineless Republican contenders for the Presidency, including Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, unwilling to condemn Donald Trump and take him on in a full throated campaign to remove this cancer on the party and the nation.

The corrupt, evil Fox News Channel, which lost a major defamation suit, but continues to spew forth poison, venom, and lies incessantly.

Billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of what used to be called Twitter, who showed how hateful, unstable, and dangerous unchecked wealth accumulation can be for society at large.

And finally, the continuing cancer and destruction of the Republican Party at large, provoked by Donald Trump, but with willing suicide victims who are willing to promote racism, nativism, and misogyny as a new norm for American politics.

Third Republican Presidential Debate Eliminates Three Candidates As Horrendous!

Watching the third Republican Presidential debate in Miami, Florida on NBC last evening makes clear that three of the five candidates on the stage are horrendous and disgraceful!

Particularly so is Vivek Ramaswamy, but not far behind is Ron DeSantis and Tim Scott.

The first two have such nastiness and arrogance, that it makes one want to vomit, while Tim Scott comes across as truly a pathetically weak candidate!

Chris Christie and Nikki Haley are the clearcut “winners” of this debate, although the Republican Party clearly is captive to Donald Trump!

It is an embarrassment how far the Republican Party has fallen from its past periods of glorious history under such Presidents as Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and even Ronald Reagan, all of whom would be appalled at what has happened to the GOP (Grand Old Party)!

Israel-Hamas Crisis The Most Significant News Event Of 2023!

The shocking invasion by Hamas of Israel by air, land, and sea on October 7 will go down in history as the most significant news event of 2023!

The danger to world peace is massive, as it is becoming clear that Iran’s extremist government is behind the planning and operation of this terrorist action.

There will be a massive ground operation into Gaza City in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Defense Forces that will make civilians living in that location feel they are in a living hell, where many will lose their lives.

Already, there are reports of at least 700 Israelis killed, 400-500 Palestinians killed, and thousands of wounded on both sides, as well as an estimate of at least one hundred Israelis kidnapped and held hostage in the Gaza Strip.

The United States and the civilized world have condemned this horrendous set of circumstances, but antisemites across the globe are hailing the surprise invasion, catching the Israeli Defense forces off guard, and demonstrating that the Iron Dome defense system has flaws that allowed for blunders in intelligence gathering.

This is a exisential crisis for the survival of Israel, a nation which just celebrated its 75th anniversary, and with the prospect of a long, drawn out war without any certainty of its long range outcome.

It is known that some Americans and other foreign nationals were killed, wounded, or captured by Hamas, and the question of how to secure the release of all hostages is a nightmarish situation.

There is no doubt that this international crisis will have an effect on American politics in the coming year, with only 13 months until the Presidential Election Of 2024.

It also brings to mind the danger of Donald Trump, who has been loose and easy in sharing intelligence information since leaving office, and is reckless in a way that undermines American national security short term and long term.

As things now stand, it seems clear that the best alternative for the Republican Party is Nikki Haley, with her prior experience as United Nations Ambassador, and her comparatively moderate rhetoric.

But to believe that the MAGA Republican cancer will be able to be overwhelmed is an issue one has to have major doubts can occur!

So the strong leadership of Joe Biden is to be supported in all ways possible in a crisis that can be perceived as one of the greatest in recent history!

Pitiful Second Republican Presidential Debate

Watching last night’s second Republican Presidential debate on the Fox Business Channel was a pure exercise in futility, as it clearly was a pitiful scene of candidates talking over each other and ignoring the moderators.

Chris Christie called Donald Trump “Donald Duck”, for refusing to participate, one of the rare funny moments.

Watching Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis was difficult, as both continued to come across as arrogant, nasty, unpleasant personalities, and both oriented toward Fascism, with DeSantis claiming he would do so much on “Day One”! 🙁

Tim Scott was really weak and ineffective, and Mike Pence’s highlight moment was stating he has slept with the same woman, his wife, for 38 years, a cringy moment from a candidate who is truly someone who showed no courage or principle under Donald Trump, except after former Vice President Dan Quayle, of all people, told Pence that all he had to do was count the electoral votes on January 6, 2021! 🙁

Doug Burgum was more aggressive, but has zero chance of moving forward, while Nikki Haley stood out mostly for showing more intelligence and personality than any of the men, but to believe she will be the Republican Presidential nominee requires a sense of delusion!

Clearly, the Republican Party of Lincoln, TR, Ike, and Reagan is dead!

Vivek Ramaswamy Is Trump 2.0! Highly Dangerous Candidacy!

Vivek Ramaswamy, the 38 year old biotech billionaire entrepreneur candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination, has become the big star of the first Republican Presidential debate, despite having zero qualifications for the Presidency.

He is a young, brash, cocky, arrogant Donald Trump 2.0, who is clearly vying to be Donald Trump’s Vice Presidential running mate, if Trump is, as seems likely, the Republican candidate for President for a third time, despite his four indictments and a total of 91 counts against him.

Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, and Chris Christie made him subject to their attacks, and rightfully so, as he has no background in foreign policy, and promotes an extremist right wing agenda that would be a disaster if he was to end up in the Oval Office in the future!

And his statement that Donald Trump was the greatest President of the 21st century, over Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and George W. Bush, is a clear sign of his lunatic nature, and the danger of his candidacy for the Trump cult, which lives in an alternate universe!

Milwaukee Republican Presidential Debate: Conclusions!

This author and blogger stayed up to watch the Fox News Republican Presidential debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, quite a sacrifice, but seen as essential to understand the Republican Party mind!

Conclusions:

So called “winners”—Chris Christie, Nikki Haley

Holding their own–Mike Pence, Tim Scott

Horrifying and crashing—Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy

Having no impact—Asa Hutchinson, Doug Burgum

Two main thoughts:

Vivek Ramaswamy was attacked and vilified by Chris Christie, Mike Pence, and Nikki Haley, rightfully!

There is a major split on the issue of Ukraine—with Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, and Mike Pence speaking up for support, and Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy calling for an end of aid to Ukraine.

There is a clearcut refusal to attack Donald Trump, except by Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson.

Further discussion will follow when there is time to analyze the effects of this debate.

All one can say for now is: thank goodness that Joe Biden is in the White House!

The Republican Party’s Pitiful Upcoming Debate In Milwaukee, Wisconsin!

The upcoming Republican Presidential debate on Wednesday evening, without Donald Trump’s participation, seems certain to be pitiful in nature.

Most of the candidates are unwilling to alienate MAGA supporters of Donald Trump, so it is expected they will not be critical of the frontrunner, who is so far ahead, that one wonders what is the point of debates as things stand for now!

Only Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson seem willing to utter any criticism of Trump, although if Will Hurd makes the debate, he might also do so to some extent.

But Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, and Doug Burgum clearly have no guts or courage to denounce Trump, so the debate is a waste of time!

Kamala Harris At 59, And Her Future Role In American Government!

Vice President Kamala Harris celebrated her 59th birthday yesterday, and she is seen as a strong partner of President Joe Biden.

Constantly under attack by conservatives and Republicans, she has played the proper role of remaining in the background, not trying to take attention away from the President, which is the proper role for a Vice President.

But she has become more visible on the issues of abortion rights, civil rights, voting rights, gun safety reform, and the promotion of truth in education, including denouncing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis promoting a distorted view of African American history and slavery, and also, his attack on the field of psychology and the teaching of gender and sexuality.

Harris speaks for those who are being attacked and abused, as the Supreme Court moves the nation backward on issues that were thought to be settled decades ago, but clearly are not resolved.

Harris is a very intelligent woman, with a career of being a prosecutor in San Francisco; Attorney General of California; and four years as a United States Senator!

She is superbly qualified to be President, if tragically, in the next five years, she was called upon to take the Presidential oath.

Hopefully, President Biden will win reelection and served capably, as he has so far, but the nation can be comfortable with the possibility of a succession, knowing this is a woman of compassion, decency, empathy, and sincerity.

Republican Presidential contender Nikki Haley has disgraced herself since she had courage as South Carolina Governor in 2015 to take down the Confederate flag after nine black churchgoers were slaughtered. She has lost all credibility, when she suggests that Joe Biden will die and Kamala Harris will be President in the next term, as if that would be the most horrendous thing possible, and it disqualifies Haley’s own Presidential ambitions.

One woman of Asian Indian ancestry feels a need to attack a woman of similar Asian Indian and Jamaican ancestry as unqualified, when clearly, Harris has far better credentials than Nikki Haley has ever demonstrated, particularly Haley’s bending to Donald Trump, and agreeing that if he is the nominee of the Republican Party in 2024, that she would support him!

Horrifying Potential VP Choices For Donald Trump In 2024!

The thought that Donald Trump might be the Republican Presidential nominee in 2024 is horrifying, but even worse is the thought of potential VP running mates for him, who would be a heartbeat from the Presidency if he won the election!

Many of the potential candidates are women, and many of them are ill qualified to be President in any form or fashion.

Among them are in no special order:

Failed Arizona gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake
Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds
New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik
Former Congresswoman and former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard

Also, the following male contenders:

Missouri Senator Josh Hawley
Florida Congresswoman Byron Donalds
Former Fox News Host Tucker Carlson
Democrat Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Any of the above 12 would be outrageous!

Of course, contenders against Trump could be on the short list

Former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy

Also, at the moment, non candidate Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin might be on the list!