NY Times: Why Haley Voters Should Support Biden

[brooklynite]

Last Wednesday, a day before he delivered a rousing State of the Union address, Joe Biden issued an invitation to the roughly 30 percent of Republican primary voters who had voted for Nikki Haley in the G.O.P. presidential primaries before she dropped out. The message was simple: Donald Trump doesn’t want you, but we do. After all, Trump said on Truth Social that anyone who made a “contribution” to Haley would be “permanently barred from the MAGA camp.” Biden, by contrast, acknowledged differences of opinion with Haley voters but argued that agreement on democracy, decency, the rule of law and support for NATO should unite Haley voters against Trump.

Is Biden correct? Is there an argument that could persuade a meaningful number of Haley conservatives to vote for Biden? In ordinary times the answer would be no. It still may be no. Negative polarization is the dominant fact of American political life. Asking a person to change political teams is like asking him or her to disrupt friendships and family relationships, to move from the beloved “us” to the hated “them.” They’re going to do it only as a last resort, when they truly understand and feel the same way about the Republican Party that Ronald Reagan felt when he departed the Democratic Party: He didn’t leave the party. The party left him.

Now, however, it’s the G.O.P. that is sprinting away from Reagan — and from Haley Republicans — as fast as MAGA can carry it. The right is not just mad at Republican dissenters for defying Trump; it has such profound policy disagreements with Reagan and Haley Republicans that it’s hard to imagine the two factions coexisting for much longer. Given the power imbalance in a Trump G.O.P., that means that for the foreseeable future traditional conservatives will face a choice: conform or leave.

It’s likely that most people will conform. But they ought to leave. If a political party is a shared enterprise for advancing policies and ideas with the hope of achieving concrete outcomes, then there are key ways in which a second Biden term would be a better fit for Reagan Republicans than Round 2 of Trump.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/10/opinion/haley-voters-support-biden.html

[bucolic_frolic]

1. "permanently barred from the MAGA camp"

Trump is using the word "camp". Pay attention. He's telling you what's going to happen if he grabs power.

[stopdiggin]

2. Umm. that's probably not a great analogy

the kind of 'camp' referenced here is quite a different animal ...

[stopdiggin]

3. interesting. and a good piece.

I would agree that every effort should be made to lure (any) persuadable votes. Reagan Republicans (whom the party has 'left' as described) are a good target. Having said that - I think it needs pointing out that Nikki Haley is profoundly more radical in her positions and beliefs than Ronald Reagan - and that too is a story of the Republican party. Point two - I think it is a mistake to accord a 'belief in democracy' - to individuals and groups that refuse to honor the results of elections. And I don't think Democrats can find coalition and/or common ground - with people that only believe in democracy part time.

[spanone]

4. They probably will when Haley endorses him.

[TwilightZone]

5. There is zero chance of her endorsing Biden.

She wants to be the candidate in 2028. Endorsing Biden would sabotage that, and probably her political career on the right.

[spanone]

6. I was referring to her endorsing trmp.

I wasn't clear.

[TwilightZone]

7. Ah, got it.

I should have realized that. Apologies. She may not endorse him, but everyone seems to break down in the end.