This is my first campaign notes post of the 2024 cycle. Writing about campaigns used to be my jam but I’m a bit burnt out. Why? I’m tired of writing about the Indicted Impeached Insult Comedian BUT he’s not going anywhere, so neither am I.

I cannot overstate how important Trump’s defeat is to decent people everywhere. We’ve had bad presidents before but none that was willing to burn down the country or abandon our European allies for his own selfish purposes.

Politics isn’t as much fun as it was before 2015 but the stakes are higher. Democracy is on the ballot this year. Simplistic but true.

I’m making one change this cycle. I’ve been using Harold Lloyd hanging from the clock in Safety Last as the primary featured image for these posts since 2018.

I’m flying something different up the flagpole to see who salutes. It features another brilliant silent movie comedian, Buster Keaton, as a projectionist in Sherlock Jr. It’s a play on the notion that the GOP is the party of projection. It’s a more subtle metaphor than Harold hanging on for dear life but it’s also more confident.

I even have an alternate Buster as projectionist image.

Now that I’ve shown you my memes, let’s get on with it.

There’s been a recent flurry of “Nikki Haley has a chance” stories. I’m not buying it:

How can you defeat an opponent by being nice to them?

How can you defeat an opponent you’re afraid of?

I’m among those who believes Haley is running for second place in the suddenly empty GOP field. Chris Christie dropped out yesterday. I’m disappointed that Gov. Asshole pulled his punches on the Kaiser of Chaos. I thought he had the right stuff to damage Trump. Instead, he came off as a low energy version of his former self.

Back to Nikki Haley and the post title:

“Donald Trump, the chief propagator of false “birther” claims first against then-President Barack Obama and later against Sen. Ted Cruz, has a new target: Nikki Haley.

As Haley surges in New Hampshire polling, Trump posted an article on his Truth Social account from a right-wing outlet that claimed Haley, his GOP rival, is ineligible to be president because her parents were not U.S. citizens when she was born. 

Haley was born in South Carolina and has lived in the U.S. her entire life. Her parents were immigrants, who became citizens after her birth in 1972. “

Former President* Pennywise sent a bat signal to his most virulent and gullible supporters that it’s open season on Haley. It’s a passive-aggressive attack that leaves open the possibility of Haley winning the GOP silver medal.

This born again birtherism also serves as a reminder that the Indicted Impeached Insult Comedian is opposed to birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in the 14th Amendment. MAGA maggots hate the 14th Amendment, which also contains the Disqualification Clause. Trump’s apologists are calling it an “obscure amendment,” which is as crazy as their candidate. Oy, just oy.

Team Haley hasn’t responded as of this writing. It wouldn’t surprise me if they don’t unless the attacks ramp up. Haley is every inch an assimilationist whose life has been devoted to fitting in and being an honorary white person. That’s why she’s a Republican, if she had been born in Massachusetts, she’d be a Democrat.

Candidates who aren’t willing to rock the boat lose elections. Haley’s reaction to previous Trump attacks has been to duck and cover. This is not a drill, Nikki. It’s real life.

For those who think Nikki Haley is a palatable alternative to the frontrunner, think again. If she can’t stand up to Donald Trump, how can we expect her to stand up to Putin and other dictators? Her timidity and cowardice are disqualifying.

Here’s my forecast for 2024: Trump will be the Republican nominee and will lose the general election to President Biden. I guess I’ll have to get a new crystal ball.

That concludes my first full foray into campaign 2024.

The last word goes to Ray Charles: