Vivek Ramaswamy - pit bull incoming

Another of Trump's nominees, Vivek Ramaswamy as part of DOGE? Awesome.

RNC speeches, for the record

Or, for the win... Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, and my personal favorite, Vivek Ramaswamy:

If Vivek is saying it...

Let's Go Brandon isn't going to be the Democrat nominee for president:

Great speech from Vivek Ramaswamy, but the take-away here is that Let's Go Brandon is probably going to be replaced because he keeps losing ground against Trump. It's not winnable.  I don't think if they replace him it will matter, but it could make a difference. That's a concern.

I've been saying this since they agreed to debates

I didn't think they will replace Let's Go Brandon back during the early primaries. I think they wanted to do so, but couldn't.  But as soon as he agreed to debate Trump, I immediately 'wondered' why they would agree to let everyone watch Let's Go Brandon get his butt kicked on the debate stage, more than once.  To me it's deliberate bad advice in order to torpedo Let's Go Brandon's candidacy.  They know he's an absolute dud as a candidate. We know he's a dud as president.

I don't think he has a shot at looking good here. He's toast.  Vivek Ramaswamy makes a good point about these debates being awfully early in the election season, which lends a lot of credence to the notion that they are deliberately setting Let's Go Brandon up for failure with enough time to replace him.

Vivek is on SiriusXM?

In my opinion there's no better spokesperson for president Trump right now than Vivek Ramaswamy (other than Trump himself). He seems to be off the VP list now, and there are no doubt Trumpian considerations that are behind that. I think he needs to be in a Trump administration in a vital role.  Given the state of the nation, Trump needs a dream team of high performing, skilled people in key roles.

But Vivek almost seemed to be out of the inner circle, with his show on SiriusXM. Maybe not; it seems he's still close to Trump in a visible way:

Letitia James' unjust "justice"

It's not democracy, it's dictatorial fascism.

Vivek Ramaswamy vs. Google AI

It's a matter of truth, not AI's creators' supposed truths. Google's AI Gemini is clearly flawed.  The warning is not about the AI, it's about the garbage-in-garbage-out process that has been warped to beyond stupid.

Vivek slam dunks 7-11

Vivek Ramaswamy has a sense of humor, and nails his response to this post. Wait for it:

Vivek for VP

Is this the Dream Team? It could be. The endorsement speech for Trump from Vivek is great and highly aligned with the MAGA messaging. I believe that Vivek is in no small part, setting himself up for a run in 2028.  But I don't believe he has nefarious motivations behind his words; he seems to be authentic in his love for America and in his endorsement of president Trump.

Digesting Iowa Republican caucus results

The big surprise of the 2024 Republican Iowa caucuses was not the margin of Trump's victory or that he won massively, it was that Ron DeSantis came in second.  Pollsters were pointing to a Nikki Haley second place finish. She came third, despite the polls indicating she would run second, and despite the establishment push for her. Vivek Ramaswamy ran fourth as expected, but he did so in a classy way, and bowed out afterward the results were clear, quickly throwing his endorsement behind president Trump.

Most of Vivek's support will likely flow to Trump, though truthfully he really needs no help. It should allow him to run up the score, and it's smart that it comes pre New Hampshire. Trump is leading Nikki Haley there by roughly 14 points according RCP. Vivek's 5 points in that state could allow Trump some additional buffer.

President Trump was uncharacteristically magnanimous in victory, complimenting his primary rivals.  It's of course much easier to be gracious when you have an almost certain lock on the nomination. But that probably helps his candidacy.  His post caucus speech sounded very much like someone wanting the country to come together. It certainly will help him when he wraps up the nomination, to bring the Republican party together. And it will definitely help him in the general election, since the Democrats and media are prepared only for the belligerent version of Trump. It will make Let's Go Brandon look all the more bitter by comparison. At least it will help until the left catches on.  Luckily they don't tend to catch on quickly. It's a smart strategy for Trump.

Ron DeSantis, by coming second, will remain in the race. Even if he knows he cannot win (which may or may not be the actual case), he cannot drop out after a surprise second place finish when he was expected to come third.  It looks bad for his 2028 run if he folds so quickly. DeSantis staying in the race hurts Haley more than Trump. The anti-Trump vote split into two candidates helps Trump possibly even more than a Trump blowout in Iowa. If Trump gets a double digit lead in New Hampshire, going into South Carolina he is expected to blow out everyone again, it could be over that early. That's optimistic but the longer DeSantis stays in the race, the worse the chance become for Nikki Haley, the establishment uni-party darling. 

Iowa caucuses tomorrow - my take

If you are in Iowa and are unsure about caucusing, please do.  This election is one of the most important in our lifetime.  I know everyone keeps saying that, but it's very often true.  To paraphrase what Ronald Reagan pointed out, America is always just one generation away from ruination.  The Left is ever-present in trying to do just that, and have ever pushed America closer to that point.  So yes, this election is important; very, very important.  Here's what is expected.

Most pundits and pollsters have president Trump well ahead of likely second place finisher Nikki Haley who is a few points ahead of likely third place finisher Ron DeSantis. Vivek Ramaswamy is expected to finish fourth in single digits, which is unfortunate.

I support president Trump, and I expect him to win by a wide margin.  Nikki Haley is not only the establishment elite's preferred candidate, but she has been highly inconsistent and ill-spoken in her positions on issues. She will likely come in second, but what matters is how far in second.  Trump needs to mop the floor with her in terms of caucus support. 

Ron DeSantis, no matter how well he does, is likely finished either after Iowa or after New Hampshire.  The one caveat I'd say is that if he can manage second place, he might hang around for a while. His smartest move possible, he missed; that would have been to bow out of 2024 and defer to president Trump. Instead he ran an ill-formed campaign, he made both strategic and tactical gaffes that could conceivably cost him the 2028 nomination too.  He should be in damage control mode at this point but he is not, which is making things worse.

Vivek Ramaswamy who clearly has Trump's back, despite trying to mount his own campaign,  has recently come under fire from Trump himself. I understand that it's politics, but it's optically punching way down for Trump, and does not suit Trump's campaign strategy.  Vivek is the most Trump-like candidate outside of Trump. Unless Trump is angling for Don Jr. 2028, co-opting Vivek's candidacy would be a wise move.  Vivek is well spoken, and agrees with Trump on most every issue and might make a great spokesperson for Trump at every opportunity.

Of course it could be a misdirection play; leading the media to think Vivek won't be the VP nominee when in reality he would be a great pick.  I don't think that's the case though. I think Trump sees Vivek as a fellow outsider billionaire who is a competitor in terms of prestige and he doesn't want to lend the platform to someone outside his family who might shine as much as a Trump. I don't know that, but I sense it.  It doesn't change Trump's politics one iota.  His positions are clear, and intelligent and that's why he needs to be the nominee.  But of all of the candidates, at this point, Ramaswamy is the only other candidate of presidential timbre. Maybe that's why the 'late hit' came from Trump. It doesn't matter. Ramaswamy did not engage and it was a smart move. At some level, he is probably angling for the VP slot and engaging Trump doesn't help that. And in the grander scheme of things, it's likely to be forgotten by both sides. That's for the best.

All that remains to be seen out of Iowa tomorrow is the final numbers. Trump will win (probably handily), Haley will likely finish second, DeSantis third and Ramaswamy fourth.  What matters is less the positions than the margins ahead or behind for each candidate. That will determine who stays in, and if anyone drops out. My guess is the numbers will bear out enough support for everyone that no one drops out before New Hampshire.

Vivek calls out media in spectacular fashion

This needs no introduction:

Vivek needs to be in the mix for the future of America

VP, Secretary of State, just something:

Some reactions to Colorado trying to disqualify president Trump

Dave Rubin shares president Trump's reaction, Robert F. Kennedy's reaction and a bit of his own. I already shared Vivek Ramaswamy's great reaction, as well as my own thoughts that go into the why and the eventual consequences for Democrats.

Every GOP candidate must do this TODAY.

Vivek Ramaswamy being a standup guy, doing the right thing in response to the absurd Colorado court ruling regarding president Trump's ballot eligibility.  Any GOP candidate who does not, has put their own political career ahead of what's right. We will notice it.  

My analysis on the political impact, the Democrat motivation and the unintended consequences, here.

Van Jones shaking in his boots

Van Jones IS a demagogue. He accused Vivek Ramaswamy of being one.  Here's the lowdown in case you missed it:

"Nazi propaganda." Van Jones

Vivek is speaking facts. Van Jones doesn't like it and is posturing his feelings for effect. Period.

Nikki Haley looked like a deer in the headlights

Vivek Ramaswamy went after his opponents in the last Republican debate and Nikki Haley looked like a deer in the headlights.

GOP debate fallout for Vivek Ramaswamy

RNC chair goes after Vivek Ramaswamy for his honest appraisal of GOP leadership during the last GOP debate.

Vivek Ramaswamy slays at the GOP debate

Vivek Ramaswamy took it to every at the GOP debate last night, brilliant. He tore into the media, the GOP, and did not hold back. He was the clear winner.  He may end up as VP and that would not be bad.

Vivek Ramaswamy - good for the GOP, bad for CNN

Look, it's not Vivek Ramaswamy's time (yet) to be the GOP nominee for president, but damn he's good for the GOP.  Having him out there doing interviews will only help Republicans. He has a Republican future if he wants.