I haven't watched any of the debates but from clips he seems very looney to put it nicely. Iowa should be a tough state for him too, I think, so hopefully a distant fourth/fifth place result there pushes him out. Christie will likely drop soon after Iowa and endorse Haley. Vivek won't though, and likely just support Trump. Only chance I see of Trump facing a challenge is if DeSantis would surprisingly drop out early after some poor showings and also endorse Haley, but seems a reach and he'd go back to supporting his orange buddy.

And if DeSantis and Haley are serious about wanting to be President, they're running out of time to take it to Trump. These little shade-like comments once in a while on the campaign trail or on the news isn't going to cut it. And largely ignoring his existence in the debates shows they have little confidence in taking him on, and thus not too serious about being President.

It's obvious that a vast majority of non-Trumpers in the GOP will support him once he's the nominee, the hardest among them probably taking the "Well, let's give him a second chance" nonsense approach. This includes DeSantis and Haley.

Trump picking DeSantis as VP feels unlikely. But DeSantis kinda needs it because his political career is in danger of being over after his term as Governor is up. It's why he's backed off and is just there to come in second by going after Haley. And Haley is possible as VP, and is probably the best choice, and I can see it happening given she has a long history of criticizing Trump only to praise him the next week.

Apparently there’s an archaic rule about a state not counting if both pres and vp are from there which Bush and Cheney got around in 2000 by making Cheney fake move, but in this era in a post losing to Trump the world is ending meltdown environment the Democrats would probably be looking for any legal way to disqualify him, so not sure I’d test it.

With Trump declaring he wants to increase the power of the president, is the GOP the party of state’s rights or just a line of people who want to suck Trump’s cock?

Honestly, he probably will do that. I mean he now wants to move his trials to 2029. Anyone not under his spell can see what he is doing.

Megan Kelly was fantastic, actually. Trump no doubt had that statement written well before the debate took place.

Basically, yeah, they want his load. There is no way a rational or sane person could watch a Nikki Haley or even DeSantis interview, and then follow up with a modern Trump interview, and think Trump is a better fit. Haley and DeSantis are digging their own graves by not going after Trump harder. DeSantis especially just looks so, so weak not going after him harder, it is what the base wants.

Colorado bans Trump, but have to think Supreme Court overturns it.

Why would SC overturn an individual state ruling which is, frankly, clearly in line with the law as written?

Because verbally calling the election rigged isn’t the same thing engaging in “insurrection” and unlike Democrat judges who’s decisions going forward seem like they will all be based on whether they think the end result of it will be a net positive or negative for people making them essentially like a congressperson except appointed, with lifetime terms and with way more voting power, the Republican judges appear to approach their job as a straight forward one of interpreting what the words mean. Which is why the Roe decision makes sense because there is nothing about abortion in the US constitution and pro choicers using the the right to privacy part as justification isn’t any more convincing than pro lifers saying the murder parts means you can’t kill fetuses.

I think he needs to be ruled in a court of law of engaging in an insurrection before this ruling can take effect.

Was Nikki Haley refusing to acknowledge slavery as a cause of the civil war a major blunder? Or was it a positive, considering the type of people she is trying to win over?

How about the establishment Republicans find a candidate in 2028 that's not someone who panders to civil war denying southerners, is pro censorship and has a Bush/Cheney war boner

I still much prefer her and her adherence to democratic standards than a populist clown

Haley seems to be making a blunder every day now, but once again, maybe the things we normies think are blunders are appealing to MAGA nation.

Meanwhile, Trump on the Iowa shootings: its horrible but we have to get over it.

I have a feeling Get Over It is gonna be said alot during his second presidency.

Trump, DeSantis and Vivek supporters are all in agreement that Haley sucks. So the scenario where it comes down to Trump and Haley like everyone dropping out and supporting Biden against Bernie in 2020, works out perfectly for Trump cause instead of everyone getting behind the anti-Trump candidate, they'd get behind the anti-Haley candidate.

I think traditional Republicans would rather vote for Haley. It is the newbie GOP supporters that don’t like her that probably would have voted Democrat in the 2000s and 90s

Trump crushes Iowa with 51% of the vote to no surprise. DeSantis beating Haley is a huge blow to her campaign.

Remember when Trump lost the Iowa caucus to Ted Cruz in 2016? Also remember when people were trying to convince us he wouldn't just steamroll his way through the primaries as if Pubs even had the ability to vote for anyone else? Lol.

Vivek drops out. Successful VP audition.

Interesting data from the exit polls shows that half of Haley’s supporters would vote Biden over Trump if that ended up being the match up. Makes sense as Haley supporters are much more level headed than the growing insanity growing within the GOP over the past decade. Trump is such an obviously bad choice

Biden v Trump again just further pushes people to the extremes. Not saying Biden is an extreme candidate by any means, but he's been painted successfully as such and having Trump as his opponent will do it.

It'll come down to turnout again. I mean, it usually does, but it's even more important when there are very few undecided voters. Neither Biden or Trump is really going to be able to convince voters from the other side over to them, so lighting a fire under their voters asses to drive turnout is key. Trump is able to do this effectively, whereas enthusiasm is generally low in rallying behind Biden. However... Trump is such a polarizing figure, those unenthused by Biden and don't want a return of Trump will come out to vote for Biden as a means of preventing that.

At least, that's more or less what happened in 2020. 2024 feels like it'll be that same idea on steroids. I don't think overall turnout will be as high though. There will be those in the middle just sick of this shit who stay home. The extremes sides will just grow and be more annoying at best, dangerous at worst. (Note that what is considered "high" in the US is still pretty crappy turnout overall.)

Neither DeSantis or Haley are going to stop this either. DeSantis may have placed 2nd in Iowa, but it was close and certainly not the numbers he wanted considering how much money and time he spent in Iowa. If he can't even get half of Trump's votes in a state he was fully committed on, he's not going to do it anywhere else really.

Haley has maybe a very slim shot left if she upsets Trump in New Hampshire and goes onto winning in South Carolina as well. (Needs both, not either/or). Both are big asks, even if polling has her competitive in NH, but she at least has more of an opportunity than DeSantis does. If she can manage to win both NH and SC, then perhaps she'll make enough gains among independents and moderates (and get the No Labels members endorsing her and not aiming to run third party) to run competitively on Super Tuesday.

Whatever happens, I hope come 2028 things begin to cool down and get back to boring politics again.

Biden is boring politics though. He is painted as extreme because the GOP’s method of campaigning is on pushing grievance politics. We’re in such a hellscape in terms of political discourse in this country that milk toast Biden who actual has a lot more in common with conservatives that is given credit is somehow extreme.

Biden is boring politics, but the right doesn't think so and the current political climate is pulling everyone into the more extreme. If a moderate D or R takes a view that doesn't align with the more far right/left views of the party, their party labels them an extremist for the opposite party. Anyone who is less likely to take sides end up being called a RINO or DINO.

Everyone wants to make every person and issue a right or wrong, black or white thing. And if you even make the slightest attempt to find a middle ground or compromise, you're seen as the devil working for the "other side." We see this most prominently in the US House right now. It's no surprise a record number of members (mostly in the GOP) are retiring this year.

And not taking a side, or not leaning far enough to either the right or left, sets you up to be targeted. Whether it's to smear your name or to even primary you, trying to stay somewhere in the middle right now is proving very hard to do for your political future.

That's what I mean by 2028 hopefully being the end of this and we can go back to where having a different view on an issue or just not an extreme one doesn't draw so much hostility. Boring politics. Because post Trump and Biden (at no/little fault of his own), I think it'll be a good opportunity for a reset of sorts. It's not clear where either party goes in 2028 or beyond right now, so hopefully some form of sanity comes back to government.

I don't think politics will seem normal until the unwokening happens

"Unwokeness" won't go away until people stop labeling everything they disagree with "woke." There are certain topics that are fair to discuss, sure, but it's moved beyond those to include anything.

Rumors are that DeSantis is expected to drop out either today or tomorrow, ahead of the New Hampshire primary, to avoid an abysmal performance (polls have him in the single-digits) and to endorse Trump ahead of it. Dunno if he's going for the VP position, but he'll want to be kissing Trump's ass for a cabinet position at the very least because his political future after his term as Governor is up in Florida looks dim without it.

His campaign has got to be one of the worst in recent history. Promising name coming out of 2022, large war chest and good polling in early 2023, and then just an utter collapse that began the same day he announced his candidacy on Twitter.

Glad he's (presumably) out of the race though.