Bob Dole‚ after losing New Hampshire in 1988‚ bitterly admonished George H. W. Bush: “Stop lying about my record.” Donald Trump won the Granite State last night but strangely adopted the caustic tone of the loser 36 years ago. He implied that something hidden in Nikki Haley’s background might elicit law enforcement interest and that New Hampshire’s Republican governor might be “on something.” He used profanity. Like Miss Havisham and her fixation on her ill-fated wedding‚ Trump could not resist talking about how Democrats stole the presidency from him despite this grating people who do not wear red hats. He said that his opponents on the other side of the aisle hate America. Losers paint in dark hues. Trump won but spoke like he did not. People who act like losers do not ultimately win. This reality presents an existential problem for Donald Trump’s ambition. Trump saw reason to celebrate. He won in a moderate northeastern state best-suited for a Haley victory. She won the endorsement of the state’s largest newspaper and its governor. Beyond this‚ an extraordinarily high number of Democrats and independents voted in the open Republican primary. Yet‚ he still won. On the other hand‚ Haley received a much higher percentage of the vote than Trump did in winning New Hampshire in 2016. Moral victories do not exist in elections. But it’s worth noting that Haley exceeded the portion of the vote won by Eugene McCarthy in 1968 against Lyndon Johnson and Pat Buchanan in 1992 against George H.W. Bush. The press and the public reacted as though those two men who lost really won because they performed strongly and above expectations against a sitting president. Trump‚ of course‚ does not run as an incumbent. But‚ for all intents and purposes‚ he does. New Hampshire underwhelmed for him to the same degree that Iowa overwhelmed. The exit polls surely showed him to be the president of rural Republicans‚ Republicans lacking college diplomas‚ and poorer Republicans. One does not win the presidency with such a coalition alone. This is why last night was a missed opportunity to extend an olive branch rather than wield a brickbat against Haley‚ to stop harping on old grievances that alienate the voters he needs‚ and to exude a sunny optimism appealing to independents. By not doing this‚ Trump appears preoccupied with being the president of the Republican Party rather than the president of the United States. He always plays to the room and never to the larger audience outside of it. This serves as his Achilles’ heel. He doesn’t know his audience. The current president of the United States‚ despite not appearing on the ballot‚ won by a wider margin than Trump did. However much polling showed Democrats less united behind Biden‚ they proved a loyal and disciplined bunch on election day. Republicans‚ in New Hampshire at least‚ demonstrated a skittishness about Trump. Tuesday showed that the Republican nomination belongs to Donald Trump. It also demonstrated that he runs as his own worst enemy for the general election. Adapt and overcome. Stay unmoved in the same place at the risk of the coroner confusing the inability to change with rigor mortis. New Hampshire sounded an alarm. Donald Trump can ill-afford to hit snooze. The post Trump’s Primary Win Exposes General Election Vulnerability appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Reno 911! actress Niecy Nash made all the headlines for her impassioned speech after winning an Emmy for her supporting role as Glenda Cleveland in Netflix’s Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story last week. The award was well-deserved‚ in my opinion. Nash portrayed the serial killer’s next-door-neighbor phenomenally.  Nonetheless‚ the media’s celebration of her speech as “powerful” and “inspiring” was overly gracious — if not plainly ridiculous. READ MORE: GLAAD’s Push for More Transgender Characters Takes Center Stage at Lowest-Rated Emmy Awards “I’m a winner‚ baby!” Nash exclaimed. “Thank you to the most high for this divine moment. Thank you‚ Ryan Murphy‚ for seeing me. Evan Peters‚ I love you. Netflix‚ every single person who voted for me — thank you. And my better half‚ who picked me up when I was gutted from this work‚ thank you.” That was not bad: a classic acceptance speech‚ a display of gratitude to those who aided in your success. What followed‚ though‚ was what the media found empowering and memorable: the not-so-original and quite narcissistic “thank me” shtick. “And you know who I wanna thank?” she asked. “I wanna thank me — for believing in me and doing what they said I could not do. And I wanna say to myself in front of all you beautiful people: ‘Go on‚ girl‚ with your bad self. You did that.’” Lastly‚ of course‚ if the #self-love wasn’t inspiring enough‚ some BLM-like tirade made it even better: And finally‚ I accept this award on behalf of every Black and brown woman who has gone unheard yet over-policed. Like Glenda Cleveland. Like Sandra Bland. Like Breonna Taylor. As an artist‚ my job is to speak truth to power‚ and baby‚ Imma do it til the day I die. Mama‚ I won! Reporters’ amazement at her “tribute to black and brown women” was to be expected. What I found disconcerting was the hyperfixation on the “thank me” portion of the speech. First and foremost‚ it is simply not original. In fact‚ Snoop Dog essentially said the same thing and got the same praise after receiving his Walk of Fame star: I want to thank me for believing in me. I want to thank me for doing all this hard work. I wanna thank me for having no days off. I wanna thank me for never quitting. I wanna thank me for always being a giver… Originality aside‚ I can’t be alone in feeling icky when hearing such speeches. After being applauded by thousands‚ you’re seriously going to pat yourself on the back? I grew up being told that pride is a sin and gratitude a virtue. Thus‚ when someone says‚ “Thank me‚” it sounds weird and phony. Self-appreciation isn’t a bad thing‚ but telling the world how grateful you are about yourself makes you sound egotistical. In The Innocence of Father Brown‚ G.K. Chesterton said: “Humility is the mother of giants. One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.” In reviewing these “thank me” speeches‚ I can’t help but think that someone residing in the valley would never deliver one of those. There are so many people to thank. If‚ in your moments of glory‚ your own name is what reverberates through your brain‚ you are no hero. Despite what People magazine says‚ you are likely just self-obsessed. That’s no bueno. The post ‘Thank Me’: Actress Niecy Nash Exposes Our Culture’s Self-Obsession at the Emmys appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Beer and popcorn. As I write this‚ the New Hampshire primary is underway. Between the state’s peculiar primary rules‚ and the odd circumstance that Democratic votes won’t count‚ some are dreaming of Democratic-leaning independent voters trying to kick Donald Trump’s ass by embracing Nikki Haley — which would‚ in any case‚ result in a bitter victory for Haley‚ a mirage. Of course‚ all the leftist media fantasize about a Trump defeat‚ not because they love Haley but because they hate the former president. I have listened to the last two speeches from both candidates‚ and I can tell you one thing: I still have no idea what Nikki Haley wants to do‚ and I know exactly what Donald Trump does. READ MORE from Itxu Díaz: The Left’s Stages of Grief Over the Iowa Caucuses Haley’s pro-renewal reasoning might sound good if it were to guarantee winning the presidential election. But no one has won the White House by simply saying‚ “Hey‚ guys‚ here you go: new faces!” It takes a little more than that‚ and she doesn’t seem to have it — a real chance of winning. Haley reminds me a bit of myself when I play darts: I put a lot of enthusiasm into it‚ but I always end up hitting a barman in the ass. Donald Trump‚ on the other hand‚ delivered a brilliant and compelling speech in New Hampshire and portrayed an undeniable reality: “We are a nation that has quite simply lost its way.” No one really knows where America is headed. And it makes sense because at the helm of the nation sits someone who doesn’t even know where he himself is headed. The only thing for sure is that the nation is more divided‚ weaker‚ less reliable‚ and poorer than when Trump was in the White House. At the rally‚ the former president promised things that matter to ordinary citizens: stopping crime by force‚ using the U.S. Navy to curb the drug epidemic‚ closing the “open wound” at the border‚ and consigning Joe Biden’s lost years to the hell of oblivion. Trump has one great advantage over all his rivals when he promises something: You know that‚ for better or worse‚ he will do it.  For a time during Trump’s presidency‚ there were those who blamed him for neglecting the outside world and being too concerned with what happens within his borders. That was exactly the right prescription. Because the truth is that‚ under Trump‚ the United States was stronger‚ more stable‚ and more prosperous‚ and‚ therefore‚ its role abroad was much more relevant and powerful than it is now.  Buy Itxu Díaz’s new book‚ I Will Not Eat Crickets‚ today! The Democrats’ favorite way to manage foreign diplomacy is to bomb random places every few years. Now they are bombing the Houthis‚ for example‚ after having excluded them from the list of terrorist organizations that Trump had put them on. In other words‚ first they bolstered their self-esteem‚ and now that they are raising hell sponsored by Iran‚ along comes Biden with some firecrackers to send them to bed without dinner. You know what the problem with that errant policy is? It endangers the Navy Seals‚ as we unfortunately learned a few days ago. Actually‚ it endangers the entire West. Beyond bombing‚ the White House’s only foreign contribution these days is sending Antony Blinken around the world’s conflicts‚ often to be laughed at to his face by America’s enemies‚ paler and more haggard than ever. In fact‚ one can measure the success of the government by the physical appearance of its leaders. More gray hair usually means economic hardship or sex scandal. More weight usually means corruption. Less weight usually means corruption that has already hit the press. And yellowish color‚ like how Blinken’s face is getting‚ means: “I’m surrounded by idiots‚ led by a zombie president‚ and I keep getting thrown punches that are meant for him.” America needs to get back on track‚ but Biden is not working on that. According to Politico‚ he’s too busy paying TikTok influencers to support him in the presidential elections. I guess it’s like the OnlyFans of politics: For 1‚000 bucks‚ I’ll give you Biden’s cleavage and his claptrap 24 hours a day for a month. There are 150 influencers recruited and paid to say that Trump is the devil and Biden an angel. And you can be sure that TikTok‚ i.e. the CCP‚ will give them all the airtime in the world and more. For some incomprehensible reason‚ Chinese Communists are more sympathetic to Biden than to Trump. If Donald Trump wants to return to the White House‚ he will not only have to defeat Haley first and then Biden. In fact‚ he will have to defeat an entire global media war. If anyone is capable of pulling something like that off‚ it’s him. If they let him.  Translated by Joel Dalmau. Buy Itxu Díaz’s new book‚ I Will Not Eat Crickets: An Angry Satirist Declares War on the Globalist Elite‚ here today! The post A Nation Adrift Must Become Great Again appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Spiritual guru and author Marianne Williamson had a banner night in the New Hampshire primary‚ as she captured 5 percent of the vote. While she only won 198 votes in New Hampshire in 2020‚ this year she won thousands. That’s an awfully impressive showing for a woman who gained fame by peddling New Age spirituality on Oprah in the ‘90s. Williamson has sought to gain the support of former Bernie Sanders supporters‚ as she has run a very progressive campaign in which she has called for at least $1 trillion in reparations for slavery‚ a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war‚ free tuition at all public colleges‚ “100 percent renewable energy” by 2035‚ and universal free healthcare. She also has a bevy of simply wacky campaign promises related to her focus on improving health‚ such as providing tax credits for gym memberships‚ giving out free N-95 masks at pharmacies‚ reducing toxins in food‚ mandating greater air filtration in public transportation‚ and offering mindfulness training in schools. Williamson likens her campaign to Trump’s insofar as she claims to have the same kind of populist connection with her supporters as he does. “I’ve got the same kind of energy going on that he does‚” she recently said. “That’s why I’m the one to take him on.” In that same interview‚ she deemed herself to be a “homeopathic remedy.” She explained‚ “If we want to beat Donald Trump‚ I would argue that the last thing we need is a status quo politician. I’m a kind of homeopathic remedy.” Williamson’s strategy to be unabashedly herself and unapologetically progressive has evidently drawn attention and support from a significant number of progressives. William’s campaign has received increased attention from progressives in recent months because of her decision to immediately call for a ceasefire against Hamas following Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. On Tuesday‚ for example‚ she was featured in a lengthy interview on the progressive news program Democracy Now!‚ which gave a heavy focus to her stance on the Israel–Hamas war. For instance‚ the host began the interview by asking‚ “Can you talk about the fact that you are the only person on the Democratic ticket right now‚ of the major Democratic candidates‚ who is supporting a Gaza ceasefire?” Given that the war is a major driver of discontent with President Joe Biden‚ it is likely that this stance contributed to her strong showing on Tuesday. For all Marianne Williamson’s pleasantries about being an empathetic spiritual leader‚ the rumor is that she’s actually a toxic jerk. At least that’s what Politico reported last year after interviewing a dozen of her former staffers. One staffer described her as showing “foaming‚ spitting‚ uncontrollable rage” during her many tantrums. Another said that her treatment of staff was “belittling‚ abusive‚ dehumanizing and unacceptable.” (READ MORE: Marianne Williamson Makes Complete Sense Now) With a woman this whacky and allegedly toxic winning 5 percent of the vote in New Hampshire‚ Biden had better be worried about his ability to win progressives’ support in the general. RELATED: Trump’s Primary Win Exposes General Election Vulnerability The post Marianne Williamson‚ Self-Proclaimed ‘Homeopathic Remedy‚’ Wins 5 Percent of the Vote in New Hampshire appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

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