Commentary | Billionaires bet big on Nikki Haley: The stunning motive behind her sudden surge in wealthy donors – By Heather Digby Parton (Salon) / Dec 6, 2023
Haley’s eagerness to cut entitlement programs is winning over the richest Republicans
Get ready for another magical night in American politics. Yes, the fourth Republican Presidential Second Place Debate is tonight, broadcast by an obscure cable channel called News Nation. The whole country is crackling with excitement at the prospect of watching the last four standing, Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, going mano-a-mano once again.
I’m kidding of course. Actually, these debates have become the most boring political ritual in American history. The presidential race may be heating up and the stakes could not be higher but these events cannot wind down too soon. Their only purpose is to help the GOP base figure out who might be an adequate replacement if Donald Trump keels over at the Mar-a-Lago omelet bar one Sunday and I’m not sure most Republican voters really care who that might be.
DeSantis’ previous position as first runner-up has been usurped by Haley, who is still riding the little boomlet that has pundits declaring that she is “surging” in Iowa and New Hampshire. The truth is that she’s pulled even with DeSantis for second place in the first and overtaken him for second in New Hampshire. That might mean something if it weren’t for the fact that Trump is leading both of them by nearly 30 points in Iowa and is leading Haley by 26 points in New Hampshire. (DeSantis has dropped to fourth there.) Nationally, Trump leads by nearly 50 points. So this Haley surge is reminiscent of past forgettable moments like when Newt Gingrich briefly took the lead in the GOP primary in 2012.
