Trump’s a Sore Winner in New Hampshire
It’s done.
Now the candidates for the November 2024 general election are locked in. Both got what they expected, a rematch of 2020. It’s not the race many voters wanted, but –barring an expected occurrence– it’s what we’re going to have to live with.
So why is President Joe Biden smiling and candidate Donald Trump raging?
Biden’s smiling because the New Hampshire vote strongly indicated that there are enough anti-Trump Republicans and Independents to pave the way for a second term.
An incumbent who couldn’t catch a break with too many opinion writers now has flipped the script: It’s no longer “Biden’s in trouble”, it’s “Trump in the hot seat”.
GOP spinmeisters are going with an inevitability framing, saying that no one can lose Iowa and New Hampshire and win in South Carolina on the way to gaining their party’s nomination. Two hundred and fifty years of U.S. history is proof positive, right? Except there’s the matter of a candidate named Joe Biden, four years ago.
Exceptionally high turnout in the Granite State demonstrated the electrifying effect Trump has on the electorate, driving loyal supporters and determined opposition to the polls thanks to his divisive style of campaigning.
Trump won the state by a decent margin. But…there was bad news embedded in the results, however, namely the lack of support among the swing voters who will decide the general election. According to the exit polls, Trump lost Independent/undeclared voters by 30 points.
Other exit polls revealed the existence of 64% of New Hampshire Republicans who do not consider themselves part of the MAGA movement. Furthermore, 67% said they do not support a national abortion ban. 43% said they would feel dissatisfied if Trump wins the nomination, and 47% of those voters believed Trump would not be fit for the presidency should he be convicted of a crime.
The Republican challenger seriously underperformed compared to pre-election polling. He now has to continue retail campaigning, hoping that his victimhood in the courts will be enough to win over undecided voters.
Trump’s cognitive decline became (finally!) an issue in New Hampshire, especially after confusing Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi while lying about the events of January 6, 2021. A word salad here and a slip of the tongue there even has the national press discussing the issue of his mental health.
Rather than savoring his victory, the winning candidate threatened Nikki Haley, saying if doesn't drop out, she'll end up under investigation for "stuff she doesn't want to talk about.” Trump told his audience that he doesn’t get mad, he gets even. There will be retribution, regardless of any endorsements or apologies, aimed at the former UN Ambassador.
The "enemy” for MAGAs at this moment isn’t the incumbent Democrat. It’s the –Republicans in Name Only RINOS– unable to swallow their pride to bow to fearless leader Trump.
Georgia Rep. and MAGA cheerleader Marjorie Taylor Greene on Monday: “Not only do we support President Trump, we support his policies, and any Republican that isn't willing to adapt … we are completely eradicating from the party.”
It’s ‘bow to the leader’ time for GOP politicians. There is no room for doubt, just as there won’t be in government during a second Trump administration.
Noah Berlasky from Public Notice focused on the inevitability of even Nikki Haley on bended knee to kiss the emperor’s ring.
But when an entire political movement removes its spine and starts oozing about the floor like a giant jellyfish, the issue isn’t just individual cowardice and mendacity. GOP politicians abase themselves not for the fun of it, but because their voters, their colleagues, and the entire partisan infrastructure of the party is telling them to abase themselves.
Trump’s raging because anger is at the core of his campaign.
Let me end this essay with wisdom from Jay Kuo:
As the grim reality dawns across America that we really will see a Biden-Trump rematch in November and have to go through all of this again, Biden will be there to remind us why we voted for him before. He’s the sane, boring, effective leader that got us through Covid, brought us out of recession into a strong economy, and held our alliances strong through war and against other grave threats from our enemies.
Most importantly, Biden isn’t the other guy who, on top of all the things that were very wrong with him last time, has since staged a coup attempt to stay in power, stolen top secret national security documents, been found guilty of sexual assault by a jury, and pledged to be a dictator on Day One, to name just a few.
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I guess I should mention that there was a New Hampshire Democratic primary, one that was unsanctioned by the party and therefore awarded no candidates.
President Biden won that primary, and his name wasn’t even on the ballot.
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Wednesday, From Around the Interwebs
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Picture above taken Tuesday at a gas station on Mission Gorge Road by Doug Porter
As Water Recedes, Damage Remains Via the Morning Report at Voice of San Diego
In San Diego alone, where both Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Todd Gloria declared a state of emergency, city officials estimated the thousand-year storm wreaked anywhere from $6 to $7 million in damages. The rain turned freeways into muddy rapids, sweeping away cars. The water uprooted some trolley tracks and left as many as 100 homes uninhabitable in the neighborhoods of Southcrest and Mountain View. Fire Chief Colin Stowell said his department made more than 100 rescues in Southcrest alone and dozens more citywide
The downtown library, city police headquarters and multiple city-backed homeless service facilities were also initially plagued by flooding. While city buildings have since reopened, residents of two homeless shelters remained elsewhere Tuesday. Volunteers gathered clothing, bedding and other supplies for unhoused people whose belongings were ruined and nonprofit Alpha Project helped some residents of its damaged Barrio Logan shelter retrieve property that could be salvaged.
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Abortion battles and a blooming civil war by Jordan Zakrin at Progress Report
The story that’s caught my eye over the past week concerns the growing tensions between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the federal government.
Abbott, who revels in others’ pain, had the Texas National Guard line 29 miles of the Mexican border with heavy razor wire and block other parts with a border wall. Abbott’s refusal to allow the federal government to access the border or rescue trapped migrants drew a lawsuit from the Biden administration; on Monday, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that Abbott must provide the feds access to the border.
Abbott still refuses to comply, further cranking up the risk of an armed showdown between the federal government and Texas National Guard. He’s also feeding the beast of a violent separatist movement that includes some members of Congress, including Clay Higgins, who wrote “The feds are staging a civil war, and Texas should stand their ground.” on Twitter after the Supreme Court’s decision on Monday.
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Jon Stewart returning as part-time host of "The Daily Show" through the election Via Axios
The show will continue to air Monday through Thursday at 11pm ET. It will continue to rely on a rotating team of correspondents for hosting the other three days of the week, Paramount said.
Stewart will be the executive producer of every episode this year and next, but will only host on Mondays through the election, Paramount said.
Mondays are the most-watched day during the week and will serve as a platform for Stewart to catch audiences up on news that broke between Thursday and Sunday.
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