Nikki Haley sweeps Dixville Notch's primary, winning all 6 votes https://t.co/Xp8g4H7ZBC
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 23, 2024
Per the Associated Press:
The six registered voters of tiny Dixville Notch in New Hampshire all cast their ballots for Nikki Haley at midnight on Tuesday, giving her a clean sweep over former President Donald Trump and all the other candidates.
The resort town was the first place in the nation to vote in the 2024 primaries. The voters were outnumbered more than 10-to-1 by reporters from every corner of the globe — not to mention by a pile of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
Dixville Notch has a tradition of first-in-the-nation voting that dates back to 1960, with the results announced just a few minutes after midnight…
Les Otten, the principal owner and developer of the Balsams Resort, said he was excited to cast his ballot.
“It’s special. It really is,” Otten said. “It’s what ought to happen in every community in the United States, where there is 100% participation, everybody votes. None of the six of us can complain about the outcome of the election, because we’ve participated.”
Otten said he didn’t agree with those saying the New Hampshire primary had fallen flat this year, with President Joe Biden not on the ballot and Republican contender Ron DeSantis withdrawing at the last minute.
“It always does boil down to just a couple of people at the end of the day,” Otten said. “We’ve got two viable candidates on the Republican side.”
Dixville Notch caters to snowmobilers and Nordic skiers in the winter, and golfers and hikers in the summer. For the primary, it had four registered Republicans and two undeclared voters.
PREDICTION:
After all the votes in New Hampshire are counted Dean Phillips will be tied with Joe Biden in the delegate count.
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) January 20, 2024
The DNC didn’t try to strip the NH primary. Quit saying it like it happened. The DNC just told NH they couldn’t go first. They decided to flout the rules bc they think going first belongs to them.
This is an entitled rich kid trying to bond with an entitled NH Dem Party. https://t.co/JGIZ8UpiHq
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) January 21, 2024
Dear lord. https://t.co/U3Qvi9GM99
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) January 21, 2024
I think the most important group is once again the Proudly Ex-GOP (as they are in all NH elections now).
Don't underestimate the anti-Everything To Do With The GOP movement there.
40% still voted for an uncontested Maggie Hassan in this area in 2022. Haley needs those people. https://t.co/RLTIC5VWRP
— Sam (@norwood270) January 20, 2024
Probably news to a majority of Republicans https://t.co/EW2PsDJaY0
— Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) January 21, 2024
The ?@UnionLeader? closes w this microtargeting of a certain NH voter >
“New Hampshire can prove that the independent-minded voters of the Granite State will not be told the election is a done deal. New Hampshire can prove that nothing is inevitable https://t.co/YYnhH0pM4p
— Jonathan Martin (@jmart) January 21, 2024
Not sure the notoriously cranky Union Leader moves votes any more, but — “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire: Nikki Haley is our choice for the 2024 First in the Nation Primary”:
A hot mic moment from a candidate’s withdrawal speech made headlines recently. His assessment of Nikki Haley: “She’s going to get smoked.” The candidate was close in his assessment, but missed the mark. As the saying goes, where there’s smoke there’s fire. There is plenty of smoke around Nikki Haley because she is catching fire here in the Granite State.
She is catching fire for good reason. She is a smart, thoughtful, experienced candidate who is ready to be the next president of these great United States. She is easily the most qualified candidate on either ballot.
Nikki Haley is an accountant by career and training. Nikki Haley is a mother. Nikki Haley is a military spouse. Nikki Haley is the child of immigrants. Nikki Haley has experience as a successful governor and a diplomat.
It would be challenging to dream up a more solid resume for a candidate to guide our country through the troubled world which we face. Nikki Haley has the deft touch and nuance necessary of a leader on the world stage. This nuance has resulted in some unfriendly soundbites for Haley but we would encourage anyone given pause by a soundbite to do some research and dig into the details; you might be surprised. We can’t say that she is perfect on every issue. No candidate can be. She ticks more boxes than any of the others and does so with enthusiasm and an infectious optimism…
If you can select a Republican ballot on Tuesday, we urge you to select Nikki Haley as your next president. New Hampshire is ready for a change. America is ready for a change. The world is ready for a change. We want a better option than we have had for the past eight years, and Nikki Haley is that option.
New Hampshire can prove that the independent-minded voters of the Granite State will not be told the election is a done deal. New Hampshire can prove that nothing is inevitable and send Nikki Haley home to South Carolina with a head of steam and nothing weighing her down as she sets her sights on defeating the “inevitable,” but very vulnerable, Democratic nominee.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
Union Leader:
She said the US was never a racist country. There are people still alive who remember Jim Crow. Give me a fucking break, UL
Baud
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
This may be true, since Biden isn’t on the ballot.
Geminid
Israelis got a shock this morning. The IDF reports that 21 of its soldiers were killed in the central Gaza city of Khan Younis. Evidently they were rigging two buildings for demolition when a Hamas anti-tank rocket detonated the explosives.
I think this pushes the IDF’s KIA in the Gaza offensive well past 200. This might seem a risable number compared to the toll of this war on Gazans, but it’s a lot in a nation of 9.5 million.
Baud
@Geminid:
Sadly, it’ll be another excuse for Netanyahu to double down.
David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
If we could somehow convince the deplorables that passing these bills would “own the libs” they would go all in.
Baud
@David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch:
We’d have an easier time convincing Williamson to give up whatever she’s smoking.
ETA
In fairness, Republicans would accept a lot of things if
A Republican president got credit, and
The universe of beneficiaries were not so … universal.
David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
I remember they did a full throated endorsement of Christie in 2016 and the idiots in the Village kept saying “Christie is surging” – he ended up with a measly 7% of the vote.
Baud
I’ll give a shout out to the 6 voters of Dixville Notch. Haley is awful, but far and away the more moral choice in that primary.
Dangerman
The sad thing is that nothing will stop Trump from the nomination. Not dementia. Not conviction. I don’t think death will do it.
Anything in the rules that says the Reich can’t nominate a dead person? Or a toaster oven picked up at a flea market? Sure, not eligible to be President but so what? Deal with that when they count EV’s.
Lightly Used Toaster Oven 2024
Brachiator
@Geminid:
I hate this terrible war.
I am sorry that the soldiers were killed.
I wonder why they were rigging the building for demolition.
David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
Today’s vote is important. It makes a big impact. I’m of course talking about the Oscar nominations that are announced at 8:30 AM Eastern.
Hoping girl comedies “Bottoms” and “No Hard Feelings” sweep the nominations
Geminid
@Baud: Netanyahu can’t really double down in this case. For one thing, he shares decision making power with fellow War Cabinet members Gantz and Gallant. For another, the IDF already has 7 brigades fighting hard in the Khan Younis area. They can’t speed things up without taking more casualties. I guess they could go back to using the Air Force to destroy buildings instead of using combat engineers.
Short term this event will change nothing. Hamas’s resolve will stiffen since one of their hopes is to inflict so heavy a toll on its troops that Israel gives up. They have not succeeded in this. Their other hope was that Israel would impose such a heavy toll on Gaza’s civilians that Israel’s allies in the US, Europe and among the Gulf Arab countries would break with Israel, and that hasn’t happened either.
On the other hand, reports are that the IDF hoped to control Khan Younis weeks ago and they are still fighting for it. The Chief of Staff warned that this war could on all year. General Halevi might have added, “…if the government doesn’t come up with a better plan for this war,” but the implication is pretty obvious.
I suspect this will be one more straw on Netanyahu’s back. Back in October, Israelis deferred the question of political change because they were in an acute crisis, an emergency. It’s still a crisis, but it’s now a slow, grinding crisis with no clear end in sight So the question is becoming, “how [Israel] continues from here with a leadership that has failed so completely,” as War Cabinet 0bserver Gadi Eisenkot put it in an interview aired last Thusday on national TV.
Betty Cracker
The How to Win 2024 podcast (Claire McCaskill and Jen Palmieri) had the former NH GOP chair
SusanJennifer Horn on as a guest the other day to try to explain NH primary politics. Horn seems smart and capable, and she loathes Trump, which is the mark of a reasonable Republican. But I had to laugh at her defense of NH’s insistence on holding the nation’s first primary.Horn said it’s not that they feel entitled over other states — it’s that the state constitution requires them to hold the first primary, so they can’t help it. Okay, but who put that in the state constitution? It’s not holy writ from God!
Anyway, it’s silly, and, as in Iowa, the more I hear about New Hampshire residents’ desire to hear directly from candidates and fixation on “correcting” Iowa’s outcome and obsession with “mavericks” and expectations about being personally served a short stack by candidates at Betsy’s Diner, the more I appreciate the DNC’s decision to shitcan the stupid early state tradition.
Also, Gov. Sununu is a weaselly, vapid jagoff with a massive ego that can be seen from space. I have no idea why he’s so popular. I almost wish he would run for president just so we could watch the MAGA chuds devour him.
lowtechcyclist
@Brachiator:
It is time for us to insist that Israel come to a full halt on this war. Withdraw all troops, fire no more rockets into Gaza, let the Arab countries come in, provide relief, and rebuild.
However many people were killed on October 7, Israel has killed several multiples of that number in their invasion of Gaza. They’ve gotten their revenge many times over. If that didn’t result in disabling Hamas, well, tough luck. One shouldn’t be killing a ton of innocent bystanders for any reason. They’re just using Hamas as an excuse to raze Gaza and drive its surviving people elsewhere. We should not be countenancing this in any way, shape, or form.
Rusty
@Betty Cracker: It’s state law, not in the state constitution, although there is a proposal to add it to the constitution. As a state we do feel entitled, and it extends to figuring out how to get someone else to pay for things we won’t pay for ourselves because we there might be a tax. If we weren’t next to wealthy Massachusetts and all the money Massholes spend here, we would be screwed (we are dependent on them and that dependence makes us despise them even more.)
Geminid
Adam Kinsinger this weekend:
A pundit might say this is hyperbole, that it will take more than a defeat in New Hampshire to derail the Trump train. But Kinzinger is a politician, and I think this comes across well as political rhetoric.
Manyakitty
@lowtechcyclist: show me which magic wand makes that happen. Reductive proclamations like this solve nothing.
Geminid
@Rusty: And now a lot of Massholes have moved to New Hampshire. My friend Debbie’s brother and sister live there. Her sister Sheila lived there until last year when she and her husband moved to Columbus, Georgia.
They all grew up in a Democratic household in Medford, Mass. and Debbie says they still vote Democratic.
lowtechcyclist
@Manyakitty: You’re right, there’s no point in our President condemning this slaughter. What was I thinking?
Geminid
@lowtechcyclist: You are putting words in the commenter’s mouth. They were talking about the immediate ceasefire you called for, not whether the President should condemn the slaughter.
Manyakitty
@Geminid: thanks for noticing and pointing it out.
It’s a terrible situation, made worse by Bibi’s greed, selfishness, and fear. I worry that nothing will improve until he’s gone, but other than strongly encouraging an outcome, via diplomatic and/or other available methods, we cannot control the decisions made by a sovereign state.
We should all be glad the other guys are holding Bibi back from his worst intentions, and do everything in our power to make sure Biden wins again, as trump will be glad to see Gaza and the West Bank turned to glass.
Betty Cracker
If I were POTUS (and y’all should thank merciful dog I am not), I’d publicly break with Netanyahu, not Israel. I’d express the opinion that no progress toward peace can be made with Netanyahu running things and that while the U.S. stands with Israel, it does not stand with Netanyahu.
Biden is popular in Israel and Netanyahu is not. Also, Netanyahu is a snake who is putting his own political and personal interests before Israel’s, and from reading their press, I get the impression Israelis understand and resent that deeply.
Maybe highlighting Netanyahu as an obstacle could move Israelis off the idea that they have to wait for the war to end to deal with Netanyahu’s failures.
Geminid
Ahh. My porch thermometer says it’s 24° outside. It was 10° this time yesterday. The cold spell has finally broken here, and we should see temperatures hit 60° later this week. Almost time to plant peas!
Kathleen
@David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch: I wonder why she doesn’t leach off of – er- run in the Republican primary?
Kathleen
@David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch: I saw American Fiction this weekend and I hope it’s nominated in several categories.
Geminid
@Betty Cracker: When I look at what Israelis who oppose Netanyahu say, I don’t see them calling for Biden to give Netanyahu the push. They think it’s better that they get rid of him themselves. They seem pretty sure they can, and sooner rather than later.
Princess
@Geminid: Yes. It’s a small enough country that everyone knows someone who has been killed. Often many someones. The people killed in that operation were likely older soldiers with families because they’re the ones with the experience for an operation like this.
RevRick
@Dangerman: Yes, Trump will be the GOP nominee. But I doubt that the party would be so suicidal as to nominate him post mortem. Of course, the result would be absolute chaos, and, in some ways, so much fun to contemplate.
We must, however, operate on the assumption that he will be functioning enough to conduct his campaign and make it to the election. So our task is to shout it to the world what a danger he poses to the republic. And shout it again until our throats are hoarse.
Geminid
@Geminid: Iseaeli media keeps publishing polls that ask, who would you vote for if there was an election? There is no immediate prospect of an election but pollsters ask this anyway, probably because they have so many parties it’s a good way to estimate public opinion.
The latest poll I saw shows Netanyahu’s 4-party coalition winning 46 MKs, down from its current 64. Likud would drop from 32 to 16. The big gainer is Benny Gantz’s National Unity party, which rises from 12 MKs to 37.
Interestingly, when another Likud politcian, MK Navon(?), is listed at the top of their slate instead of Netanyahu, Likud rises from 16 to 21 projected MKs– an indication of how unpopular the PM has become.
Edited for prolific typos.
prostratedragon
So, Vl-adimir🎶 has finally got around to us.
Betty Cracker
@Geminid: I’m sure that’s true — most people don’t want foreigners meddling in their politics. I know I resent Netanyahu’s brazen efforts to boost Repubs in the U.S., which I expect to intensify over the coming months.
Still, when you’re the leader of a hegemonic country that has very publicly given unqualified support to an ally, you do kind of own that ally’s action, so i’d love to see Biden weigh in. He has no illusions about who Netanyahu is.
ETA: I suspect Biden is choosing his battles in hopes of getting a package thru Congress that delivers aid to Ukraine. Once that’s resolved one way or another, maybe he’ll let loose.
lowtechcyclist
@Geminid:
I called for the U.S. to call for an immediate, complete, and permanent cease-fire. I don’t think it takes some sort of magic wand for the U.S. to completely oppose any further action by Israel in Gaza.
ETA: Manyakitty is welcome to argue that that would be a wasted gesture by the U.S. But I was not claiming that we could make it happen.
Geminid
Racy Mace, is a craven case.
“I’m endorsing Trump,” says Racy Mace.
OzarkHillbilly
I wish they’d hurry it up and get it done.
Matt McIrvin
@Geminid: While there’s some of that, there are also a lot of people who move from Massachusetts to New Hampshire because they are right-wingers who don’t want to live in liberal “Taxachusetts”.
The funny thing is that they often end up with a bigger tax burden as a result–they still work in Massachusetts so they still have to pay MA income tax, but then they have to pay NH’s high property taxes on top of that.
Patricia Kayden
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Haley has also promised to pardon Trump and sign a national abortion ban. She’s as dangerous as Trump. She’s no moderate.
Matt McIrvin
@Betty Cracker: If another state put the same thing in their state constitution, it might destroy the space-time continuum.
Betty Cracker
@Patricia Kayden: I agree Haley is no moderate, but I do not believe she’s as dangerous as Trump. She’s a garden variety terrible Repub who wants to enact terrible policies through regular political order. She doesn’t seem to want to overturn democracy and rule as an authoritarian strongwoman.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Betty Cracker:
My take is that he’s smart enough to realize saying the quiet parts out loud only takes you so far. Of course *not* saying the quiet parts out loud, in today’s GOP, only takes you so far.
But yeah, it would be great to see the MAGAts tear him up in a presidential run. OTOH, the thought of the fawning press coverage already has me silently screaming.
NotMax
@Patricia Kayden
Have opined before the only positive thing I can come up with about her is she was a better U.N. ambassador than john Bolton.
/left-handed compliment
Geminid
@lowtechcyclist: Yes, that is what you called for, and that is what the commenter responded to. But Hamas can have a ceasefire any time if it surrenders. The Saudis have even proposed evacuating Hamas’s leaders and fighters to Algeria, much like Arafat and the PLO sailed from Beirut to Tunis in the 1980s (the Saudis brokered that deal too.)
More immediately, Barak Ravid reports in Axios that Israel has put a ceasefire proposal on the table, presumably through Qatari interlocutors. This offer is described as a 2-month ceasefire accompanied by a release of hostages (or at least the civilians) by Hamas and the release of “security prisoners” by Israel.
Hamas continues to demand that the IDF evacuate Gaza entirely before they release their prisoners, but that could change under pressure from both the IDF and from Arab leaders.
Anne Laurie
He’s a (by Repub standards) smart jagoff, descent of a ‘powerful’ NH Republican dynasty, who looked at his father‘s rise in GOP office to WH Chief of Staff and decided that now is not his time. If Murphy forbid TFG retakes the Oval Office, it’ll be a sh*tshow that will permanently damage anyone associated with it (apart from the whole ‘possibly destroying the country’, which is not a deterrent under Repub rules). There’s speculation he’s looking to be rested & ready in 2028, assuming there’s still a GOP party capable of a presidential campaign then, quite possibly as Haley’s VP pick.
(There’s *also* cynical speculation, assuming the GOP is a dead parrot in the Northeast, that he’ll be stricken with a road-to-Damascus moment and decide he’s really meant to be a Democrat… or at least a Libertarian, which in NH is still a workable second choice.)
Or he could stay on his current career course, making a nice living serving as a Director on various boards looking for ‘conservative’ political influence. People who hand out such sinecures LOVE guys like Chris!
lowtechcyclist
@Geminid:
OK, now that it’s been clear since my comment @19 that that’s not what I meant, why the fuck are we still arguing about it?
Baud
@Betty Cracker:
She also probably wouldn’t command the cult following needed to make it happen.
Geminid
@Betty Cracker: The problem for Biden is he doesn’t want to own the next Israeli government. It’s best that the Israelis own it, having formed it themseves. He doesn’t want Netanyahu, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir telling Israelis that their new government is Joe Biden’s, not theirs.
And hard as it is to accept, the US doesn’t want to own this war either. This Israel government got their nation into this mess and another Israeli government will have to get them out of it. We and the more responsible Arab mations are offering a diplomatic solution, but the Israelis have to choose it themselves.
Quinerly
Betty Cracker may have or probably will post this. Love the idea of the processing fee.
https://popular.info/p/the-tide-turns-on-florida-book-bans
NotMax
@Geminid
This. This. This.
satby
Agree, but a lot of the members of her party do.
Betty Cracker
@Geminid: I don’t disagree with any of that, but I also don’t think it’s inappropriate for Biden to weigh in, bluntly, about how Netanyahu is damaging Israel at home and abroad and undermining the country’s relationship with its chief ally. IMO, it’s the right thing to do because friends tell each other the truth, and Biden’s reluctance to publicly repudiate Netanyahu seems to be hurting him. It may be one of those instances where telling the truth is politically helpful.
lowtechcyclist
@Geminid:
But Hamas can have a ceasefire any time if it surrenders.
That’s nice. AFAIAC, Hamas doesn’t even matter anymore: the devastation that Israel has wreaked on Gaza is well beyond what was justified by the need to go after Hamas. If turning most of the Gaza strip into rubble and killing thousands of Palestinians has failed to accomplish the goal of defeating Hamas, well too bad: Israel needs to be told by the world to GTFO of Gaza, take their ball and go home.
As I said earlier, they’ve exacted their revenge many times over, mostly against innocent bystanders. Enough. It is time for the U.S. to say we can’t support this murderous and arguably genocidal excursion for a minute longer. If there’s nothing practical we can do to oppose it, then we can at least express our moral opposition.
Geminid
@lowtechcyclist: Well, I made my point at #20 because I thought you had been unfair to the other commenter.
As for arguing at #41, I was putting out some background and information about different ceasefire proposals that I wasn’t sure you and others had seen.
Manyakitty
@Geminid: that’s what I’m hearing, too.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
@Geminid: Beyond not wanting to own the war, I get the impression that forcing a ceasefire neither Netanyahu nor Hamas seems to want, and forcing negotiations to solve the crisis, will use up a horrific amount of political capital, and the Biden administration just doesn’t have enough political capital in reserve to force the issue.
Manyakitty
@lowtechcyclist: gee thanks.
Ken
I asked last week, and I don’t think anyone answered, but does the New Hampshire Democratic party plan to have another primary so they can have delegates at the convention? Or is the roll call going straight from Nevada to New Jersey?
Come to think of it, the roll-call vote in alphabetical order is something else the party might want to shake up a bit. I did like the video for the 2020 Covid convention.
satby
Went to look at the headlines at Guardian UK and there’s one about Chicago and a suspected murderer of 8 people. Which of course happened not in Chicago but 35 miles away in Joliet.
Manyakitty
@Geminid: every word of this. I appreciate your thoughtful and clear views on this miserable situation.
Bupalos
@Patricia Kayden: “Haley is as dangerous as Trump” is…. I can’t even.
Geminid
@NotMax: That is true for the larger Palestinian conflict, but Its pretty clear from the context that I was speaking about this war and not the larger conflict. This war has to be ended, but it will not end with the larger problem solved. I wish it were otherwise but for now the best I hope for is a limited ceasefire that can be turned into a permanent one.
Manyakitty
@Quinerly: it’s a remarkably smart solution. Won’t slow down the funded fundies, necessarily, but it’s a start. Glad to see the moldy growths at the bottom of the barrel are developing sentience.
Shalimar
@Anne Laurie: There have been several interviews with Sununu on MSNBC the last few days where he is given every opportunity to say he isn’t sure he will support Trump in November and Sununu has doubled down on being a loyal Republican every time. You can’t start on the road-to-Damascus if you refuse to look for the road.
fairdinkum
Having spent a lovely two weeks at The Balsams several years ago, I can attest that it’s a great place to have a large family vacation.
It is a very silly place to start a national election.
gene108
@Patricia Kayden:
No Republican is moderate in terms of whatever passes for policy among Republicans.
Moderate here means has not publicly stated that she has an enemies list she will use the DOJ to go after, be dictator for a day, withdraw from NATO, and other things that are a direct threat to democracy here and abroad.
Another Scott
@lowtechcyclist: I think it’s clear that the Gaza war isn’t going to end by Biden making some grand demand to STOP. There’s going to have to be via some sort of agreement between Hamas (or whatever follows Hamas) and Bibi’s government, pushed by the US and interested parties in the region. Both the US and Bibi have said that Hamas cannot be in a leadership position any more, so getting Hamas to agree is a heavy lift. And the PA is problematic, to say the least. But locking in a cease fire right now, with no conditions on Hamas, and no path forward, would only reward Hamas and leave the people of Gaza suffering in rubble with no future.
I actually expect it to end soon (well before the US election), but much more work needs to be done behind the scenes for that to happen.
We’ll see.
My $0.02.
Cheers,
Scott.
Betty Cracker
@Quinerly: I just read that this morning and agree with the poster’s conclusion that it signals FL Repubs know they’ve overreached and now have a political problem.
The wingnut supermajority FL statehouse comprises the most feral, intractable and unreasonable people in the state. They do not give a shit about the practical problems their decrees cause. So they wouldn’t be proposing this if they didn’t realize they were in trouble politically. I take that as a positive sign.
Warblewarble
Weapons supplied by the United States have been responsible for the death of the greatest number of civilians including children, this is factual.
Another Scott
@Ken: What happened the last time some state party broke the rules? (In 2008?) IIRC, after everyone else voted at the convention, they were given their votes back. IOW, after it didn’t matter. I assume something like that will happen again this time, but I haven’t checked.
Corrections welcome.
Cheers,
Scott.
Betty Cracker
@Shalimar: Yep. I saw an interview with Sununu conducted by Jen Psaki last night on MSNBC. He came across as a simpering jackass with no principles whatsoever.
fairdinkum
@Betty Cracker: I agree that Biden should publicly condemn Bibi and back it with a statement about material support halting.
Of course I’m sure this is an awful, no good, very bad idea and several here will tell me that.
It may, however, be better than another 25,000 deaths of noncombatants, including 7,000+ children, and loss of Western support for Israel.
OzarkHillbilly
@satby: Was just reading about that. My old man’s old home town on the front page.
opiejeanne
@OzarkHillbilly: My grandparents lived there for a bit, before moving to Downers Grove.
UncleEbeneezer
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Her own family couldn’t let Black colleagues into their house, by law. And her Dad couldn’t teach at certain schools, because of his race.
Geminid
@NotMax: The reason I left out Palestinians when I spoke of a diplomatic resolution to this war is that they are not in a position to a negotiate a ceasefire. They have no voice in Hamas’s decisionmaking, and must rely on Jordan, Egypt and the Arab Gulf States to represent their interests.
Ed. I guess some Gazans still think Hamas represents their interests, but I wonder how many.
The Palestinian Authority has a voice, but they are reluctant to cross Hamas. The PA has expressed a willingness to take back control of Gaza, but they may be the only people who believe they can at this time. The Saudi plan envisions the PA taking control of Gaza but not for four years, after the PA has been restructured and rebuilt.
@Geminid:.
mrmoshpotato
@satby:
Assholes. Yup, thirty-five miles southwest. Maybe The Guardian should interview white people in Naperville about our Black mayor despite them living 20 miles west of the west side of Chicago.
Did I mention that The Guardian are assholes?
wenchacha
IF Nikki Haley were to somehow be the GOP nominee, then what happens?
Does tifg attempt to go 3rd party?
Can Haley beat Biden?
Geminid
@wenchacha: Trump couldn’t win a 3rd Party effort, but he wouldn’t even have to wage one in order to torpedo Haley. He could tell his hard-core supporters not to come out and vote.
I think a lot of them wouldn’t come out even if Trump endorsed Haley. That will make it tougher for Haley to beat Biden.
Citizen Alan
@Bupalos: Beyond a certain point, it is pointless to compare relative dangers and decide which is worst. There are no republicans of any prominence anywhere in this country who would not be disasters for this nation if elected president. There are no Republicans with any redeeming qualities.
kindness
Ya know, all this talk of Republican leaders waiting for 2028 to run for president…. it kind of ignores the 800 lb tiger they rode in on. If he’s still alive Trump will be running again in 2028. Even if that is from a prison cell (FSM willing). Even if Trump won in 2024 (he won’t, don’t worry)
You know what would make a great parody? Creating (fake of course) Trump campaign ads from Trump in prison.
Paul in KY
@Geminid: I’m surprised Hamas actually attacked IDFers. Usually they target ravers and old ladies & the like. Making progress (sarcasm)!
Paul in KY
@Betty Cracker: Honoring our agreement with The Shah and letting him in to get medical treatment helped to get the Iran Hostage Crisis going. sometimes doing the ‘honorable’ thing (in international politics) can bite you in the ass.
Paul in KY
@Shalimar: Unless in his mind, being a ‘loyal Republican’ is making sure TFG does not get the Whitehouse again.
If so, he’s being way too coy. I think he’s signaling that he support TFG.
Paul in KY
@UncleEbeneezer: I still am surprised that her parents got ‘Nikki’ on her birth certificate. About like ‘Vivek Vinnie Ramasmarmy’ or something like that.
Geminid
@Paul in KY: Hamas and its allies have been preparing for this fight for years. They even welcomed it at first, because they believed they could inflict heavy enough losses on the IDF for Israel to give it up.
Paul in KY
@Geminid: They are stupid. They do not understand (or don’t want to) that it really doesn’t matter how many IDFers they kill or not. What matters is that they are seen as honorable freedom fighters attacking (only) the military presence of their occupiers.
They only get their state when world/US/Israel public opinion forces the Israeli government to give them their state. IMO, that’s the only way they get one.
JaneE
IMO Haley is the only qualified Republican left in the race. Just amazing how they dismiss Biden’s qualifications. Disagreeing with him on policy is one thing, but to say he is not qualified? After 4 years of Trump?