Make America Normal Again
Sometimes the country needs a unifier-in-chief. Haley offers an opportunity for primary voters to find a nominee who can do exactly that. By staying in the race, Haley has a chance to build her own MANA movement to make America normal again.
(Photo: Matt Johnson / Right Cheer via Wikimedia Commons)
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Republicans in Washington have falling over themselves to endorse Trump and bring about a coronation. In the latest gaff from the RNC, there was a botched attempt to declare Trump the “presumptive 2024 nominee.” Trump won Iowa and New Hampshire but the race is far from over. Over two thousand delegates are still up for grabs, and voters in South Carolina and on Super Tuesday will have the opportunity to cast their votes in a genuinely two-person race between Haley and Trump.
The former President certainly has a large and loyal base in the Republican Party but that does not make him the best person to be the Republican nominee. A surprise win in 2016, which still lost the popular vote, was followed by major GOP losses in the House, the Senate, and the White House. Trump provided a vehicle for concerns around trade, immigration, and foreign policy to be heard, but he did not offer real or lasting solutions. Instead, from Charlottesville to January 6, Trump polarised the nation and eroded democratic norms.
Voters clearly do not want a Trump-Biden rematch. A second Trump term would bring about another four years of chaotic government at a time when the world has become dangerously unstable. But Trump probably wouldn’t even win in November given his poor standing with independents and moderates. Just look at New Hampshire where Haley won “undeclared voters” by 65 percent. Polls show that Haley can beat Biden in states like Virginia. A Haley nomination would allow suburban moderates to return to the party fold and deliver Republican majorities in the electoral college and the popular vote for the first time in twenty years.
“Another Trump nomination will keep the toxic political-media circus going, holding back the country’s potential and dividing Americans against each other. A Haley nomination would turn down the political temperature and help America regain its national confidence.”
There is definitely demand for a new generation to take over. Biden, aged 81, and Trump, aged 77, are both displaying signs of cognitive decline. In recent days, Trump managed to confuse Haley with Nancy Pelosi when talking about the January 6 riots. Combined with his 91 felony charges and legal battles, Trump is unfit to be the Republican Party standard bearer. Trump has also used his influence to try blocking a bipartisan compromise on border security just so he can own the issue rather than let Republican legislators get a much needed win.
Haley does not come with any of this baggage or ego. An accomplished public servant with a record of conservative achievements and plenty of integrity, she has the qualities that Trump completely lacks. Haley has also defied the pundits and climbed from the single digits to being Trump’s only remaining rival for the nomination. For the next few weeks, Haley has the time to send her message to primary voters across the country and give them a real choice. This is an opportunity that did not happen in 2016 when Trump ran against a fragmented field of candidates.
Since launching her campaign, Haley has promised to reform the economy, control the border, give parents more choice, and get tough with China and Russia, among other traditional conservative priorities. There are certainly big debates around family policy and industrial policy that deserve more attention, but they will not benefit from an undisciplined and policy-averse figure like Trump. Competency is the only path to real change.
But the choice between Haley and Trump goes beyond issuing executive orders and passing laws. It is about returning America to normalcy. Another Trump nomination will keep the toxic political-media circus going, holding back the country’s potential and dividing Americans against each other. A Haley nomination would turn down the political temperature and help America regain its national confidence.
Sometimes the country needs a unifier-in-chief. Haley offers an opportunity for primary voters to find a nominee who can do exactly that. Already, Trump has “barred” anyone who has supported Haley from his MAGA movement (helping Haley to raise $2.6 million in 48 hours!). That might work for keeping his base happy but it will not win the independents and moderates who decide elections. By staying in the race, Haley has a chance to build her own MANA movement to make America normal again.
This article was originally published at Progressive Conservatism. It is reproduced here with kind permission from the author.
