State of the Union Frames State of the Campaign – “The Sunday Political Brunch”

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Mark Curtis, MINDSETTER™

 

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President Joe Biden, State of the Union PHOTO: White House

There were few surprises on the biggest political date next to Election Day. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump were the big winners on Super Tuesday, each on a glide path to the 2024 nomination of his party. But there were some nuances and other developments to talk about. And certainly, by Thursday, the State of the Union framed the “road to November.”  Let’s “brunch” on that this week.

 

“State of the Union Impact” – Going into the State of the Union, I think a lot of people were more worried about President Biden’s mental health versus his physical health. Critics expected him to slur and drool. He did neither, and was sharper compared to other recent appearances. But I worry about how much he coughed, and how that slowed him at times. (Truth be told, I am having severe lung issues, and it sounded familiar), so maybe I’m reading more into it, but I find it concerning. He certainly went on the attack, referencing the policies of, “my predecessor” at least 16 times. His direct poke at the Supreme Court sitting right in front of him over its abortion decision was shockingly provocative, aimed to spur voters in U.S. Senate races. His defense of his own immigration policies was weak and ran contrary to what people see on the nightly news. His immigration policies are Achilles Heel as we head to the fall showdown with Trump.

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“By the Numbers for Each” – Of the sixteen contested races this week, Trump took 76 percent of the popular vote, to 24 percent for Haley. Trump now has 1,031 delegates out of the 1,215 needed for the nomination. Haley, for the entire race, won a grand total of 89 convention delegates, hardly enough to mount any challenge. Wednesday morning, she suspended her campaign. It is not within her grasp, but she could still be an influencer. Biden won by a landslide everywhere and has 1,527 of the 1,968 delegates needed for the nomination. Both have a dark cloud to worry about as several polls indicate that 20 to 30 percent of people in their own parties want another choice.

 

“Hold on…  Strength in Numbers to Address” – Yes, 76 to 24 percent constitutes a landslide in politics. But when Haley folded without endorsing Trump, she said it is now up to him to, "earn the votes of those in our party and beyond who did not support him.”  But where can Haley help Trump? Well, she won the moderate-to-liberal Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC. Virginia is still a swing state, even though Democrats have won the past four contests. Prior to that it was in GOP hands for decades.

 

“Purple State Blues” – Trump won big in red Texas and Oklahoma, so that’s no big deal. But Haley performed well in “purple” swing states such as North Carolina and Virginia. In North Carolina, she took 23 percent of the vote. In Virginia, she took 35 percent of the vote. Trump needs to win at least one of these states to become president again. If Haley voters sit on their hands, he’s toast. But if she can deliver her voters, he may be back in the White House.

 

“Leverage: Haley for Secretary of State?” – Politics is a business of strange bedfellows, so hear me out on my crazy theory. Nikki Haley served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Trump when he was first elected. She often was much harsher and tougher in her public statements against Iran, than was Trump. She scored him points for that. Haley would not be the first U.N. Ambassador elevated to Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright blazed that trail. Former U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice became National Security Advisor. And of course, former U.S. President George H.W. Bush was the only U.N. Ambassador to win the White House. Trump and Haley might make a peace offering, and this could be a huge win for both. What’s the saying, “The enemy of my enemy (Iran), is my friend.” She is not a long shot for this!

 

“Supreme Court Ruling and Colorado” – As I correctly predicted in this column several weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 9-0 to restore Donald Trump’s name to the Colorado ballot, and in any other state that disqualified him, or was thinking of doing so. I consider myself a pretty tough-on-crime kind of guy, but I balance that with being a firm believer in due process, the presumption of innocence, and the right to a fair trial. To disqualify any candidate from the ballot for charges that have never been formally filed, nor a conviction obtained is a violation of due process. Yes, those charges and convictions may come, but for now, a mixture of six conservative and three liberal justices said, “No deal!”

 

“The Primary Road Ahead?” – Trump is within arm’s reach of sewing up the GOP nomination. There are four primaries this coming Tuesday, March 12, in Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, and Washington State. There are 161 delegates at stake, which is more than enough to push him across the finish line. I call it a “done deal.”

 

“Border Crisis in the Heartland” – On Tuesday night’s Super Tuesday Coverage, MSNBC co-host Jenn Psaki said, “If you look at some of these exit polls, I mean I live in Virginia. Immigration was the number one issue” (and the panel laughs). To which co-host Rachel Maddow responded, "Well Virginia does have a border with West Virginia. A very contested area,” (more laughter), and someone else says, "Build a wall!" to even more laughter." Folks, I’ve worked at ground zero of the opioid epidemic for a decade in Appalachia. West Virginia still has the highest opioid overdose death rate in the nation. One of the main reasons? Chinese-made fentanyl is being smuggled across the Mexican border into the U.S. and then scattered in every state. It’s not funny. I invite Psaki and Maddow to come here and see and report on the carnage firsthand and end their insensitive journalistic malpractice.

 

“State Leaders Weigh In” - "Their eliteness looking down on us is just unacceptable to me in any way… With all the bad stuff coming across and everything, it affects us all,” said an outraged Gov. Jim Justice (R) West Virginia. The state’s junior U.S. Senator, Shelley Moore Capito (R) West Virginia said, “Because of the Biden administration’s failure to secure our Southern Border, states across the country—not just traditional “border states”—are experiencing record levels of fentanyl deaths and out-of-control crime. West Virginia is one of those states.” Amen.

Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is Chief Political Reporter for the seven Nexstar Media TV stations serving West Virginia, its five neighboring states and the entire Washington, DC media market. He is also a MINDSETTER™ contributing political writer and analyst for www.GoLocalProv.com and its affiliates.


 

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