I'd like to address a number of justifications that Ms. Haley has suggested, or that others have suggested on her behalf, for her continued presence in the Republican primaries:
- She's impressive because she's the Last One Standing
That's complete nonsense. She's the Last One Standing because she hasn't dropped out. It's a totally self-fulfilling prophecy and self-effectuating result. Anyone could do it. Is there some type of impressiveness to the fact that Dean Phillips is the Last One Standing in the Democratic primaries? Haley and Phillips can go all the way to their respective conventions if they want. Just where is the accomplishment in that. It's more like a little child stamping the child's feet and screaming, "No!"
- It's somehow a prideful thing to remain committed
Or maybe it's just silliness to keep banging one's head up against the wall when it's so obviously over. Sticktoitiveness is one thing; childlike stubbornness quite another/
But she could've done that by dropping out after New Hampshire and then coming back in. Too late now, I'd suggest; as others have said, at this point the nomination would go to someone else.
- She wants to be there to pick up the pieces in 2028
See immediately above.
- We need to give the voters a chance to vote
This one's hilarious. We're told that the Party Elite and the polls shouldn't decide the candidate. But, hey, now the voters have indeed spoken. And the front-runner is winning not only every state but virtually every county. It's like the statement, "we have to let the voters vote," is some strange kind of Orwellian gaslighting suggestion that's designed to establish the false premise that the voters haven't voted.
- It's her duty to stay in to give the voters an alternative
Really? She was appointed by whom for this sacred duty? Why wasn't it the duty of the others who dropped out? Freudians may need to redefine what is meant by the "ego".
- She said she'd stay in so she's staying in
Sheesh.
- She wants to run as the No Labels candidate
Honestly, this one in some ways makes the most sense. However, she's clearly said that there's no way she'd run as a third-party candidate. But - who knows? Frighteningly, this is the one thing that really does scare me in terms of Trump's prospects for being returned to the Presidency.
- 40% is pretty good
Is it? What about 30%? 20%? 10%? Here again we seem to have an Orwellian effort to use the art of rhetorically setting low expectations in order to advance the notion that complete (and even record-setting) failure is somehow impressive success.
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Many have tried to figure out what she really wants here. Is she so angry with Trump that she wants to help Joe, in almost a NeverTrumper sort of way? Let's hope not. Unfortunately, though, if her message is that Trump can't win then she must be saying that Biden will. But the notion that Trump "can't" win - putting aside the imponderable question of whether he will in fact win - is just patently absurd at this point. We're well past there being any legitimacy to the assertion that he's literally unelectable.
Anyway, with all that said, here's my draft of her Super Tuesday speech: "I said that I would stay in at least through Super Tuesday. I'm a woman of my word. I said I wanted to give the voters a chance to speak. And now they have. At this point, it is clear to me that there is no path to the nomination for me. What's of the utmost important is that we not have four more years of Joe Biden. And, while I'm deeply concerned about Donald Trump's ability to win in November, he is now our best and only chance to stop this country from spiraling further. So, with that, I am suspending my campaign, and am urging my supporters to vote for Donald Trump in November. Let's save America." Something like that seems inevitable. So why not go ahead and do it now? It would've been nice if she gave us that after South Carolina. Maybe she'll find a way after all to (wo)man up and give that to us before Super Tuesday.
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