As former President Donald Trump convincingly beat well-funded and organized Nikki Haley by nearly 12 points with 91% of the New Hampshire vote results declared, we thought we’d turn to Bobby Bare’s cult classic for what Haley’s supporters may have been thinking.
The hulk of a man with a beer in his hand, he looked like a drunk old fool
And I knew if I hit him right why, I could knock him off of that stool
But everybody they said, watch out, hey, that’s the Tiger Man McCool
He’s had a whole lotta fights, and he’s always come out a winner
Yeah, he’s a winner.
For all the vices Trump is supposed to have, drinking is not one of them, so the comparison to Tiger Man McCool may not make sense. But by trouncing Haley, Trump became the only Republican in history (since the first-in-the-nation open primary became New Hampshire’s signature brand in 1976, the same year Bare released his classic) to win back-to-back contests in Iowa and the Granite State.
There wasn’t a single thing that Nikki Haley did not do. Backed by the deep pockets of a never-ending stream of Never Trumpers, media titans, and TDS enthusiasts, she outspent Trump by orders of magnitude. She traversed the state, holding town halls and public events. At nearly every appearance, the state’s governor, Chris Sununu, introduced her. In so doing, Sununu liked to say he was a Sherpa, ridiculing a whole tribe of talented mountaineers in the hopes that the spotlight shone on Haley. Powerful governors control every lever of a state’s party machine, and Sununu sought to go all in on Haley.
The former South Carolina governor was so arrogant with all the support that she had enlisted that the moment the race shifted from Iowa, where Haley came in a disappointing third, she declared that she would only walk on New Hampshire’s prestigious WMUR-ABC debate stage if Trump or Biden were also to appear. And the media was so behind Haley that WMUR extended a deadline for Trump to accept the station’s offer. [They spared Biden the invitation, given that Biden conceitedly eschewed the Granite State altogether in favor of South Carolina as the Democratic Party’s first-in-the-nation primary, as punishment to the state’s voters giving him a terrible 5th-place finish in 2020].
Trump has not participated in a single Republican debate thus far, which was a point of contention for his 14 opponents, a dozen of whom have dropped out. He held parallel media events to coincide with those debates and found that ratings for his appearances were far higher. His strategy worked brilliantly when he notched up victories in a record 98 of 99 Iowa counties, with the lone county that went for Haley by one vote energized by Democrat party switchers. Why in the world would Trump debate Haley in New Hampshire? The debate was canceled altogether.
Haley campaigned mainly on appealing to New Hampshire Independents and Democrats. On illegal immigration, she had said at an Aspen Institute conference in 2015:
Let’s keep in mind. These people that are wanting to come here, they want to come for a better life too. They have kids, too. They have a heart, too. We don’t need to be disrespectful. We don’t need to talk about them as criminals. They’re not. They are families that want a better life, and they’re desperate to get here.
With immigration completely changing America’s fabric in the last three years, as seven million migrants have dispersed all over the country, Haley never walked back her 2015 comments.
Haley’s soundbite seemed surreal when paired with news from the United States Supreme Court. By a 5-4 margin, the Court ruled that federal immigration agents could remove the razor wire that Texas state officials had set up along some sections of the U.S.-Mexico border to discourage migrants from entering the country unlawfully. The Biden administration had fought Texas all the way to the Supreme Court to elicit this victory when all the state was doing was protecting its sovereign space from being inundated by migrants. To millions of Republicans who shook their heads in profound disbelief at the decision, their suspicion that Haley is more like a Joe Biden Democrat was now sealed.
If Haley’s loss made her think about dropping out, she told her supporters she would do the opposite:
This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go. And the next one is my sweet state of South Carolina.
There are several problems with Haley’s egotistic stance. The latest RealClearPolitics average has Trump leading Haley by 30 points in her home state, with DeSantis in the race. A CNN poll in New Hampshire showed that after DeSantis dropped out, his supporters were breaking 60-40 to Trump. If the same ratio holds, Trump could top 60% of the vote in the Palmetto State, delivering a 20-point victory.
Haley had always counted on the contest being reduced to a two-person choice, hoping to win 30-40% in each state and relying on the media to write puff pieces showing that she continues to be competitive with Trump. With a stacked primary calendar following South Carolina, culminating in 16 states voting on Super Tuesday (half of them deep-red), Haley could even win a couple of blue-leaning states (California, Colorado, Michigan, and Maine).
But Bobby Bare’s hypnotic lyrics to close out his song come to mind:
So I stumbled from that barroom not so tall and not so proud
And behind me, I still hear the hoots of laughter of the crowd
But my eyes still see, and my nose still works, and my teeth’re still in my mouth
And you know, I guess that makes me the winner
The 2024 GOP race, barring a miracle, is over. Get ready for a Biden-Trump rematch in the general.
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1. Blinken Says U.S. Opposes Territorial Change In Gaza – AFP
Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewed opposition to territorial changes in the Gaza Strip as Israel pounds the territory following a Hamas attack.
Blinken, on a visit to Nigeria, was responding to repeated suggestions that Israel would create a buffer zone inside the Gaza Strip, a prospect that has stirred anger in the Arab world.
Blinken voiced understanding for temporary measures, saying that Israel had the right to prevent a repeat of the Hamas attack on October 7 and to reassure people in border areas.
2. Israel Faces Rising Pressure To End Gaza War On Deadliest Day For Troops – AFP
Israel said 24 soldiers died in the biggest single-day losses since the start of its ground war in Gaza amid growing pressure on the government to end the conflict.
Israel’s army said 21 of the 24 troops killed on Monday were reservists slain when rocket-propelled grenade fire hit a tank and two buildings they were trying to blow up. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an investigation was launched into the “disaster” and that Israel “must learn the necessary lessons.”
3. One-Month Gaza Ceasefire Focus Of Mediation Talks: Sources – Reuters
Israel and Hamas broadly agree in principle that an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners could take place during a month-long ceasefire.
But the framework plan is being held up by the two sides’ differences over how to permanently end the Gaza war, three sources said.
Mediation efforts led by Qatar, Washington, and Egypt in recent weeks have focused on a phased approach to release different categories of Israeli hostages – starting with civilians and ending with soldiers – in return for a break in hostilities, the release of Palestinian prisoners, and more aid to Gaza.
4. Russia Denies Deporting Ukrainian Children But Admits Hundreds Of Thousands Are On Its Territory – RFE/RL
Russia has flatly rejected allegations that it has deported Ukrainian children since its invasion but said that more than 700,000 have moved into its territory.
Russian representatives claimed the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which questioned Russia as part of a regular review. Ukraine has said that 20,000 children have been forced to move to Russia since the start of the war.
5. CIA Tries To Recruit Double Agents In Russia With New Video – RFE/RL
The Central Intelligence Agency has released a Russian-language video to try to persuade Russian intelligence employees to switch sides and work as double agents for Washington.
The video, released on the CIA’s social media channels, tries to appeal to Russians working in intelligence agencies who may feel betrayed by what it called corruption in elite circles and the poor way the Russian armed forces are equipped and supplied.
“Those around you may not want to hear the truth. But we do. You are not powerless,” says the video before detailing ways to contact the CIA.
6. China Tried, But Failed, To Prevent UN Scrutiny Of Its Human Rights Violations – RFA
This year’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of China at the United Nations was a chance for Hong Kong and other regions of China, including Xinjiang and Tibet, to expose China’s worsening human rights record on the international stage.
Ahead of the UPR, Reuters reported that China lobbied non-Western member states to praise its human rights record at the UPR by sending memos around the U.N. in Geneva. China also attempted to limit civil society input, submitted fabricated information regarding its human rights record, and blocked the live stream of the UPR in mainland China.
7. Taiwan On Talk It May Lose Tuvalu: Not True – AFP
Taiwanese diplomats said they were confident of retaining “a strong bond” with key partner Tuvalu as speculation mounted that the Pacific micronation could soon switch its allegiance to China.
The dwindling list of countries officially recognizing Taiwan shrunk earlier this month when Nauru abruptly severed diplomatic ties in favor of Beijing. With Tuvalu heading to the polls on Friday, some Pacific watchers have questioned whether China could look to force a similar switch.
8. Maldives’ Chinese Ship Move Could Anger India – D.W
The Maldives granted permission to dock a Chinese research vessel. The move could further strain tense relations with India, which sees China as a regional threat.
Relations between India and the Maldives have soured since Mohamed Muizzu was elected president of the archipelago in November. The pro-Beijing politician ran on the promise to kick “India out” of the country and recently traveled to Beijing for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
9. Houthis Order All U.S. British UN Staff To Leave Yemen – Al Arabiya
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia has ordered all U.S. and British staff of the United Nations and its agencies to leave the country within a month, a UN official said.
The expulsion followed joint strikes by the U.S. and Britain against the Houthis aimed at ending the group’s attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, threatening global trade.
10. U.S. Carries Out Strikes On Facilities In Iraq After Attacks On American Troops – AFP
U.S. forces targeted facilities used by Iran-backed militants in Iraq in response to attacks on American personnel in both that country and Syria, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
The strikes – which will add to already significant pressure for U.S. forces to depart the country – came just days after American troops in western Iraq were targeted with ballistic missiles and rockets, an attack the Pentagon blamed on militants supported by Tehran.
11. Turkish Parliament Approves Sweden’s NATO Bid – Infographics – tippinsights
Turkish MPs have ratified Sweden’s bid to join NATO in a long-delayed vote that represents a big step forward on the Nordic nation’s path to membership.
12. NATO Approves $1.2 Billion For Artillery – UPI
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine raging on in Europe, NATO announced that it had purchased $1.2 billion of artillery in conjunction with the NATO Support and Procurement Agency.
The contracts included about 220,000 155-millimeter artillery shells, NATO said in a statement. NSPA has bought around $10 billion worth of ammunition since NATO signed its Defense Production Action Plan last July.
13. North Korea Fires Cruise Missiles Off West Coast: Seoul – Reuters
North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles towards the sea off its west coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, in the latest sign of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula.
The latest firing of missiles by Pyongyang comes as the South Korean Navy’s special warfare unit was training along the east coast in Gangwon Province bordering the North for ten days.
14. South Korea Ramps Up Pressure On N Korea, China In EU, UN Diplomacy – RFA
South Korea has intensified its diplomatic efforts against North Korea and China, strengthening its alliance with the European Union to counter threats from Pyongyang while confronting Beijing at the United Nations over the repatriation of North Korean defectors.
The South’s Foreign Ministry said that Kim Gunn, South Korea’s Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, visited the E.U. headquarters in Brussels and emphasized the necessity of collaborative responses to Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile threats.
15. Japanese Exports Hit Record In 2023 On Weak Yen – Nikkei Asia
Japan’s exports increased for the third straight year in 2023, hitting a record high, according to preliminary figures released by the Ministry of Finance, reflecting strong automobile shipments and the effects of the weak yen.
Total exports reached 100.88 trillion yen ($680 billion) last year, up 2.8% from 2022. Shipments of cars rose 32.7%, while those of construction and mining machinery grew 16.2%.
16. ‘Don’t Do It’: Somali President Warns Ethiopia Over Somaliland Port Deal – Al Jazeera
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has warned Ethiopia against taking steps to implement a controversial port deal it brokered with the breakaway region of Somaliland.
Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on January 1, Somaliland leased landlocked Ethiopia 12 miles of its coastland around the port of Berbera, on the Gulf of Aden, for 50 years for military and commercial purposes.
Somaliland is a region of Somalia that broke away in 1991 after a bloody war.
17. Doomsday Clock Stays At 90 Seconds To Midnight – BBC
The Doomsday Clock – which shows how symbolically close the world is to nuclear Armageddon – is to remain at 90 seconds to midnight.
Scientists have listed reasons for keeping its hands the closest they have ever been to “Doomsday” – but stopped short of nudging it further.
The threat of a new nuclear arms race, the Ukraine war, and climate change concerns were all factors, they said. The clock is set annually by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
18. Weight Loss Won’t Ensure Diabetes Remission Over Long Term, Study Indicates – UPI Health
People newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes can manage blood glucose levels without medication if they shed pounds and maintain that weight loss. Yet, a new study indicates that few patients stay in remission through weight loss alone over the long term.
Researchers reported these findings in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine.
“Greater weight loss within the first year of diabetes diagnosis was associated with an increased likelihood of achieving diabetes remission,” Dr. Andrea Luk said in a news release.
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