Editor’s Note: I understand that not all of our readers are supporters of President Trump. Following the Iowa Caucuses, it’s understandable that many will not be happy to hear my personal support for him nor the call for New Hampshire to be his definitive victory, but know that I hold no ill-will toward those who supported Vivek Ramaswamy, Ron DeSantis, or Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Nikki Haley, on the other hand, is an existential threat and must be stopped. Trump is the person who can do that. I have been critical of Trump in the past and will continue to be critical of him when he does wrong, but Haley has no business in the White House. If that statement offends some, well, it is what it is. Haley’s supporters probably won’t want to read today’s column…
(Conservative Playbook)—The Iowa Caucuses ended exactly how most predicted: With a resounding win for Donald Trump. The gap was so wide with wins in 98 out of 99 counties that corporate media abandoned their planned narrative that the weather pushed him over the top.
Now, the powers-that-be who are trying to stop him are deciding how to proceed. Vivek Ramaswamy dropping out will almost certainly help Trump going into next week’s New Hampshire primary. Nikki Haley, who is polling in second place in the state, could only manage a third place finish in Iowa. Had she outperformed Ron DeSantis, the path forward for NeverTrumpers would be more clear since she’s projected to beat him next week. Losing to him in Iowa was a blow.
Corporate media is doing their part despite claims by the DeSantis team that they favor Trump. This notion is ludicrous considering how much they attack Trump, but it’s the storyline Team DeSantis has chosen so they’re sticking with it.
Of course, there’s this note from Michael Shellenberger that debunks those claims by Team DeSantis:
Both CNN and MSNBC carried the entirety of the speech by DeSantis, after openly refusing to carry the speech by Trump, even though Trump won a landslide with 51% against DeSantis’ 21%.
It’s madness. CNN and MSNBC are flagrantly embracing their role as propagandists.
Both CNN and MSNBC carried the entirety of the speech by DeSantis, after openly refusing to carry the speech by Trump, even though Trump won a landslide with 51% against DeSantis’ 21%.
It’s madness. CNN and MSNBC are flagrantly embracing their role as propagandists. https://t.co/SzZOz0huY8 pic.twitter.com/FE2EYAe6fo
— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) January 16, 2024
Between the blowout in Iowa and the likelihood that neither DeSantis nor Haley will drop out before New Hampshire, it seems the best bad choice for NeverTrumpers is to try to manufacture a win for Haley. In other words, they’re going to cheat.
By the technical sense of the word, they don’t necessarily have to “cheat” by breaking the law (though that’s not out of the question). New Hampshire has an open primary which means Democrats can vote in it… and they will. Efforts have already been underway to get out the Democrat vote for Haley.
That’s how much they fear Trump. RINOs and Democrats are working together to generate a massive upset. But will it be enough? That depends on MAGA.
If Trump supporters come out like they did in Iowa, there aren’t enough Democrats who would be willing to counter the vote. Most recent polls show Trump up by double-digits over Haley, and that’s before his huge Iowa victory as well as her third place finish. It’s incumbent on MAGA to not only get the vote out to counter Haley’s Democrats but also to get the word out about Haley herself. She is a NeoCon to the highest degree. One can argue based on her actions and promises that she puts the Cheneys and Bushes to shame.
The only other play the NeverTrumpers can make is to get DeSantis to drop out. Don’t count that possibility out despite his promise to remain in the race even if he finished third in Iowa. Remember back to 2020 when both Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar were pressured into dropping out ahead of Super Tuesday. Had they stayed in the race, Bernie Sanders would have almost certainly won the Democrat nomination. Neither Buttigieg nor Klobuchar had a reason to drop out other than the pressure they received. That’s the influence of the powers-that-be and DeSantis is not immune to it.
If DeSantis stays in the race as he has promised, then Haley’s only hope is to cheat. This is why it’s imperative that Trump supporters remain diligent and push for the kill. A double-digit victory in New Hampshire could effectively end the nomination process. Haley would likely drop out rather than risk a career-ending loss in her home state the following week. DeSantis would likely stay in for South Carolina and Nevada but would likely call it quits after that. Then, it’s off to the general election for Trump.
Don’t get complacent. The powers-that-be want to extend the GOP primary season for as long as possible to drain Trump’s resources ahead of the general election. Haley is their best bet to do that. They’ll do anything they can to prop her up while they still can.
Sound off about this article on my Substack.
Independent Journalism Is Dying
Ever since President Trump’s miraculous victory, we’ve heard an incessant drumbeat about how legacy media is dying. This is true. The people have awakened to the reality that they’re being lied to by the self-proclaimed “Arbiters of Truth” for the sake of political expediency, corporate self-protection, and globalist ambitions.
But even as independent journalism rises to fill the void left by legacy media, there is still a huge challenge. Those at the top of independent media like Joe Rogan, Dan Bongino, and Tucker Carlson are thriving and rightly so. They have earned their audience and the financial rewards that come from it. They’ve taken risks and worked hard to get to where they are.
For “the rest of us,” legacy media and their proxies are making it exceptionally difficult to survive, let alone thrive. They still have a stranglehold over the “fact checkers” who have a dramatic impact on readership and viewership. YouTube, Facebook, and Google still stifle us. The freer speech platforms like Rumble and 𝕏 can only reward so many of their popular content creators. For independent journalists on the outside looking in, our only recourse is to rely on affiliates and sponsors.
But even as it seems nearly impossible to make a living, there are blessings that should not be disregarded. By highlighting strong sponsors who share our America First worldview, we have been able to make lifelong connections and even a bit of revenue to help us along. This is why we enjoy symbiotic relationships with companies like MyPillow, Jase Medical, and Promised Grounds. We help them with our recommendations and they reward us with money when our audience buys from them.
The same can be said about our preparedness sponsor, Prepper All-Naturals. Their long-term storage beef has a 25-year shelf life and is made with one ingredient: All-American Beef.
Even our faith-driven precious metals sponsor helps us tremendously while also helping Americans protect their life’s savings. We are blessed to work with them.
Independent media is the future. In many ways, that future is already here. While the phrase, “the more the merrier,” does not apply to this business because there are still some bad actors in the independent media field, there are many great ones that do not get nearly enough attention. We hope to change that one content creator at a time.
Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker
