As we all know, the best way to knock down a false rumor is to tweet it to your 450,000 followers, 95% of whom hadn't heard anything about said rumor. Because you definitely don't want anybody talking about you replacing Pence on the ticket, no sirree. https://t.co/h3udwbbhMn
— Greg Pinelo (@gregpinelo) August 21, 2019
"Pence chief of staff Marc Short said, 'The Vice President has enormous respect for Nikki Haley, and she was an excellent ambassador for the Trump-Pence agenda during her one year at the UN.' (Haley served as UN ambassador for just under two years.)" https://t.co/m3UIPSBOc1
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) August 24, 2019
A point & mock diversion from all the potentially deadly battles. If fighting amongst themselves wasn’t absolutely a feature of every mad autocrat’s court, I’d blame this minor fooferaw on would-be macher Nick Ayers. Politico:
… While the two could hardly be more different — Pence is a 60-year-old social conservative, she is a 47-year-old daughter of Indian immigrants — those close to them say they have long had a warm relationship. Haley traveled to Indiana in 2012 to help Pence with his gubernatorial campaign, then returned three years later to headline a state GOP dinner while he was embroiled in a competitive reelection race.
The two also shared an adviser in Nick Ayers, a prominent consultant who spent four years as executive director of the Republican Governors Association. And their offices gave them access to the same pool of powerful donors who fund races for governor.
The recent divisions have been fueled partly by the rumors that Haley could replace Pence on the ticket and the fact she took so long to address them. Some top Pence aides said they think Haley or an ally was behind the Wall Street Journal op-ed, which a representative for the former ambassador denied…
Further complicating the dynamic between Pence and Haley is the role of Ayers, who remains close to both. Senior Republicans want to see whether the 37-year-old operative, who stepped down as Pence’s chief of staff at the end of last year to return to his native Georgia, picks one over the other.
Former colleagues of Ayers, who has deep ties to the donor class, say he hasn’t chosen sides. He speaks with Pence and Haley regularly and was seen with both at the Aspen retreat, which was hosted by the RGA. A few weeks later, Ayers and Pence appeared together onstage before a national group of young conservative leaders.
The skirmish offers a potential preview of what’s in store for the GOP after 2020 — a fight over the direction of the party. Pence has been the president’s most unwavering ally since he joined the ticket in 2016, even when Trump’s policies and personal conduct veered far from the principles Pence had long been known for. Haley, who endorsed Marco Rubio in 2016 and was critical of Trump during the campaign, has shown a willingness to break from the administration. She has urged the GOP to be more inclusive, representing potentially a new direction for the party…
TL, DR — In their hearts, none of these people expect Trump to win reelection, even assuming he makes it to 2020, so they’re already prepping to carve up the remnants of the GOP for their own profit. Good news for us Democrats, as far as I’m concerned.
It is extremely funny that Pence smirks and stoically mugs through all of Trump's vapid blaspheme bulls*** but is absolutely seething about being snubbed by a fellow opportunist. They all hate themselves. https://t.co/1Ammbr4Jk3
— Zeddy (@Zeddary) August 24, 2019
GOP Clown Car Open Thread: The Pence v. Haley UndercardPost + Comments (110)