I’m still in shock that it’s a given now that America’s choice come November will be between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Again.
For months, a majority of the country has said that it doesn’t want this rematch. Yet, here we are.
This suggests that either people lie when contacted by pollsters. Or there is a huge disconnect between hard-core Republican and Democratic primary voters and everyone else.
I’m going with the theory that it's the latter.
I don’t want to vote for the lesser of two evils this presidential election. I want to vote for someone who I believe has the country’s best interests at heart – and has the capacity to navigate through serious problems here at home and abroad. And that’s neither Biden nor Trump.
So here’s my proposal: The No Labels group that has contemplated backing a third-party ticket for president should recruit Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Haley is likely to stick it out in the Republican nominating contest at least through her home state, which holds its primary Feb. 24. It’s hard to see how she keeps going after that, if she loses big in South Carolina, where she was a popular governor.
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GOP voters had several excellent candidates from which to choose this primary season, but have systematically eschewed all of them except Trump.
It’s like the dog who has chased the car and finally catches it. Republicans have caught their candidate. Now that they have him, good luck.
Trump is a wild card with all his criminal indictments. Some of Trump's legal problems are politically motivated, but it’s the former president's erratic behavior and cavalier attitude to the rule of law that have gotten him in the most trouble.
Trump also lacks the self-discipline we should expect in a commander-in-chief. For instance, at Saturday's campaign rally, he encouraged Russia to attack NATO allies that haven’t paid their fair share toward defense.
Trump will never change for the better.
Biden has his own serious flaws. A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll found a whopping 86% of Americans think Biden, 81, is too old to serve a second term. And the special counsel’s report into Biden’s mishandling of classified documents released last week all but said the president is on the edge of senility.
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The White House and Vice President Kamala Harris have slammed the report as politically motivated. Unfortunately for Biden and his administration, the American people have eyes and ears and aren’t going to buy the spin.
The same ABC News poll showed that 62% of the country believes Trump, 77, is too old to serve again.
Guess what? We don’t have to vote for two old men who are dangerous in different ways.
No Labels is a bipartisan effort to offer candidates who would appeal to a broader swath of voters, including moderates and independents. Haley has designed her campaign around being that kind of candidate, which has turned off the far right of the GOP – the ones who traditionally show up for primaries.
It will be a different story in the general election.
Haley would pair well with Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, a businessman who is challenging Biden in the Democratic primary. Much like Haley, he has struck a tone and platform that could appeal to voters on the right and left.
Another upside? Haley is 52 and Phillips is 55. They have both stressed the need for a new generation of leadership, and they would offer it.
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As Phillips said in a recent interview with Chris Cuomo: “You got Nikki Haley on one side. You got me on the other. You know, we’re in our 50s. We’re ready, we’re prepared, we’re competent. We’ve got options. We’ve got choices.”
No Labels has reportedly approached Haley and Phillips about joining forces with the movement. Since they are both still actively running in their respective primaries, they have demurred.
Barring any unforeseen developments, I could see that changing in the weeks ahead.
At least, I’m holding out hope that it does.
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques
Trump vs. Biden vs. ... Haley? She's the third-party choice we need.
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14.02.2024
I’m still in shock that it’s a given now that America’s choice come November will be between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Again.
For months, a majority of the country has said that it doesn’t want this rematch. Yet, here we are.
This suggests that either people lie when contacted by pollsters. Or there is a huge disconnect between hard-core Republican and Democratic primary voters and everyone else.
I’m going with the theory that it's the latter.
I don’t want to vote for the lesser of two evils this presidential election. I want to vote for someone who I believe has the country’s best interests at heart – and has the capacity to navigate through serious problems here at home and abroad. And that’s neither Biden nor Trump.
So here’s my proposal: The No Labels group that has contemplated backing a third-party ticket for president should recruit Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Haley is likely to stick it out in the Republican nominating contest at least through her home state, which holds its primary Feb. 24. It’s hard to see how she keeps going after that, if she loses big in South Carolina,........
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