Have the Never Trumpers found their man in Vivek Ramaswamy? Elon Musk seems to be considering the possibility after the young tech bro emerged from the debacle Wednesday night as the last man standing. However, Vivek still finds himself far behind the OG in the polls and at best seems to be gunning for number two on the ticket with Trump next November. Of course, he would have to get past Empty G for that spot as she considers herself the frontrunner.
I didn't watch the debacle. I cringed when I saw the video clip of all but one of the eight candidates raise their hand when asked if they would support Trump if nominated. Christie later claimed he didn't raise his hand but I consider that wagging finger a strike.
The biggest surprise was Nikki Haley, who seemed none too happy to be sharing the stage with the others, much less Vivek impersonating Nixon's 1972 victory pose. She gainsaid Trump and fellow Republicans on raising the national debt $8 trillion under his term and felt they were all too soft on Russia, although Pence was in Kjiv earlier this summer to show his support for Zelenskyy. So Nikki, why raise your hand in support of Trump?
That is one of the many mysteries that arose Wednesday night. It's pretty clear the Republicans have no one to challenge Trump at this point. Tim Scott was emerging as a dark horse but he didn't do himself any favors by staying out of the fray. You have to get a strong word in from time to time and Tim looked like Marco Rubio on stage. It is doubtful that the "billionaire boys club" will put any money behind him.
While I don't think anyone seriously considers Vivek, he is having his 15 minutes of fame moment and making the most of it. He trashed Kaitlan Collins on CNN, leading one to wonder why she exposes herself to this misogyny on air. She was completely overwhelmed by Trump earlier this summer at an ill-advised CNN Town Hall. Vivek has been on Tucker and got his own New Nation Town Hall, making him the current darling of conservatives with all his red baiting.
No one is exactly sure who he is appealing to with his blend of Ayn Rand Objectivism, conspiracy theories and boyish charm. Certainly not Gen-Z, which he would ban from voting if given the authority. He's not in step with his fellow Millennials on a wide variety of issues. Yet, he may very well eclipse Governor Ron in the next Republican presidential poll. The Florida governor is fading fast. Earlier in the year, Never Trumpers were flocking to him like flies to sticky paper given his landslide re-election victory last fall. Now, Governor Ron looks like damaged goods after raising a white flag to Mickey Mouse.
Christie was also a huge disappointment. Many thought he would take out Vivek like he did Marco Rubio in 2020 but the tech bro was ready for Chris and parried his jabs with ease. In the end, the former New Jersey governor turned CNN political analyst looked like a disgruntled old-school Republican, the very face of the Never Trumpers, who now seem to be actively pursuing a third party route, having conceded the nomination to Trump.
The others aren't even worth mentioning as they simply filled out the stage. Although, I feel sorry for Asa Hutchinson, the only adult in the room unwilling to accept that a four-time indicted man could ever be POTUS. It just shows how out of step these elder Republicans are with the current party. It is one led by fire-eaters like Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz and Vivek Ramaswamy whether the old guard likes it or not. These are the miscreants that fire up the base, leaving Nikki Haley utterly disgusted on stage. It wasn't that long ago that she was considered a rising star.
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