Iowa is a state that has been discussed by my colleagues: this is not the conservative movement of your father, but rather your great-grandfather. Trump will be the nominee, and if extralegal tactics and lawfare do not force him to suspend the campaign, he may even win the general elections. His messages about immigration, law and orders, and foreign policy resonate with the majority. All the focus groups and polls are bureaucratic redundancy. For the average person, the economy is more important than all of that talk about democracy. Competent governance and order are (so-called) more important. Trump is the only candidate who has the charisma required to make a similar comeback. The greatest rift in American political life is not between left and right but between nationalists. The most important thing to note is that a large part of the American electorate prefers a man under siege.
Florida’s Ron DeSantis – perhaps America’s most conservative governor – destroyed his campaign after listening to his offensive online surrogates, and reiterating Covid lockdowns on Trump. This truth and reconciliation, while important, is not what the electorate wants right now. He could have done a better job of consolidating his lane by focusing on everyone below him, but instead he did an Icarus.
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Nimarata Haley has become a bizarre mixture of Hillary Clinton, and the infuriating, always-online “debate-me” bro. It is a sign of the quintessential conservative brain to lose a contest despite spending near records and then spin it into a major win.
Dan McCarthy explained that Haley at least is a neoconservative who loves Netflix, and the female version of John McCain. DeSantis’s position is unclear at this stage. The longer he continues to spout off about Anthony Fauci and ignore Haley as a clear contender, the more his future candidacy will be questioned. Vivek isn’t leaving. He will add his votes to Trump’s tally and be, to use Mark Hemingway’s words, the surrogate of all surrogates. Vivek, who is a natural speaker, wants to solidify his role after Trump. Vivek is better suited to a cabinet position, which will allow him to gain some experience in governing, or a position at a D.C.-based think tank, than running for governor or senator.
[elementor-template id="1446"]Liberals and neoconservatives are primarily concerned with optics. As a result, they base their policy recommendations on the notion that by “explaining” more, results and optics will change. They try to ban the opposition candidate while talking about dangers for democracy. They ignore issues such as foreign policy overstretch that results in open border, mass migration and economic distortions, including inflation. When voters reject this up-market drivel both liberals as well as neoconservatives look for external solutions and explanations, from Russia to Resistance. Iowa shows, yet again, that those who focus on “optics”, rather than message, are shrewd and loser.