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Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Nikki Haley gains Koch operatives' endorsement. AP reporting.

In an AP item carried by Seattle Times and one even Breitbart carried intact, the news is announced. Beginning and mid-item paragraphs:

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans for Prosperity, the political arm of the powerful Koch network, formally endorsed Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign on Tuesday, promising to commit its nationwide army of activists — and virtually unlimited funds — to helping Haley defeat former President Donald Trump in the GOP primary contest.

“AFP Action is proud to throw our full support behind Nikki Haley, who offers America the opportunity to turn the page on the current political era, to win the Republican primary and defeat Joe Biden next November,” AFP president and CEO Emily Seidel wrote in a memo announcing the group’s decision.

[...] The endorsement may help Haley address one of her biggest strategic liabilities.

Despite seizing some polling momentum in recent months, especially in early primary states, the former United Nations ambassador’s campaign has been lacking significant manpower on the ground to ensure her supporters turn out to vote. But now, she inherits the organizational heft of what may be the most powerful conservative grassroots organization in the nation. The Koch network, previously referred to as the Koch Brothers, has been building a network of paid conservative activists and volunteers in key states for several years.

Through this summer and fall alone, Americans for Prosperity activists have already communicated with six million primary voters, either in person at their doors or on the phone, Seidel said.

The development marks a particularly painful blow to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had championed conservative priorities in Florida, but struggled to emerge as the clear Trump alternative in the 2024 GOP primary contest. It’s unclear, however, whether the endorsement can help weaken Trump’s grip on the Republican presidential nomination given his commanding lead over DeSantis and Haley in virtually every poll.

[...] News of the endorsement quickly rippled across the political world.

Speaking in Washington, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney predicted it would be a “huge boost” to Haley’s campaign.

Romney, a vocal Trump critic, said Haley has proved naysayers wrong before “and she’s doing it again. So it’s I think it’s a huge boost for her campaign and may create the kind if momentum she needs.”

The DeSantis camp was not pleased.

And then there is Trump. Prior to that announcement DWT posted dirisively, while linking to and quoting a WaPo item (also publisned prior to the Koch operatives' endorsement)

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/85ddae_d0ffe1502e504708b67f60ff2885362f~mv2.png

The Republican Party Primary Battle At The Kiddie Table: Birdbrain vs Meatball

The Crowds Are At Trump Stadium

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DWT, mid-item:

Beyond Haley’s polling gains in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina— gains against DeSantis, not Trump, “built on well-received debate performances, Haley has also drawn fresh attention from some wealthy donors and is getting bigger crowds on the trail with a pitch rooted in general election appeal and reversing the GOP’s losing streak, as well as building consensus on some divisive issues such as abortion,” although she recently admitted she would sign the kind of draconian 6 week ban that the vast majority of normal Americans abhor.

The female candidate, opposed to the majority view on the one issue which most energizes women, so far, this cycle.  You want a chance in the Republican Party, you have to say you've tasted and enjoyed the Koolaid; which Haley does on multiple issues. She has no good news for Palestinian Americans, putting her square with Trump/Biden.

For populist-progressive voters Dean Phillips is a more attractive Trump/Biden alternative than Haley. The Crabgrass guess is that each has about as good a chance of occupying the White House as the other.

This item notes that Marianne Williamson's polling numbers as a primary candidate opposing Biden are equal to Haley's polling against Trump, but media attention to that fact, and to the Williamson campaign, is MIA. Go figure that one out, all dimensions, what's happening?

UPDATE: That last cited item closes:

There’s no doubt that the candidate has been working hard, even if she has not gotten anything akin to the coverage–or the financial support from big donors–that’s enjoyed by Haley and several of the lesser Republican contenders.

But it is also worth noting that Williamson has distinguished herself from Biden by embracing progressive economic and foreign-policy positions that appeal to many grassroots Democrats. She supports a single-payer “Medicare for All” health care system and an ambitious Economic Bill of Rights; and she’s an ardent advocate for bold responses to the climate crisis, saying, “Our continued reliance on fossil fuels – coal, oil and natural gas – is holding back a new, clean energy revolution that will benefit our economy, environment, and collective public health.” Williamson proposes deep cuts in Pentagon spending, and a new approach to international relations that focuses on diplomacy and peacemaking.

No wonder corporate media cold shoulders the candidacy. They dislike true policy alternatives, as much as the Koch money is hostile to Williamson's energy policy.

Medicare for All is still a very viable thing, as is downsizing military spending. Establishment interests are misaligned with what people seem to want. But that misalignment is hardly news. It is Bloomberg poisoning Bernie's well, a time ago.