CNN: 'Analysts Break Down Ron DeSantis' & Nikki Haley's Debate Performances"

Source:CNN- left to right: Governor Ron DeSantis (Republican, Florida) & former U.N. Ambassador & Governor Nikki Haley (Republican, South Carolina)

"CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Abby Phillip, John King, and CNN political commentators David Axelrod and Scott Jennings discuss the debate performances of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis." 

From CNN

"GOP presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis joins CNN's Anderson Cooper after the CNN debate to discuss the criticism of not taking on former President Donald Trump enough." 

Source:CNN- Governor Ron DeSantis (Republican, Florida)

From CNN

Governor Ron DeSantis on Nikki Haley: "We don't need another mealy-mouthed politician who just tells you what she thinks you want to hear just to try to get your vote, then to get an office and to do her donors' bidding," he said." 

From WION

Going into this debate, Nikki Haley had a great opportunity, especially with Chris Christie dropping out on that very day of the race, to lock up what's left of the center-right of the Republican Party (who now are like goldfish swimming for their lives in a shark tank, politically) and lock down what's left of the Conservative Republican vote behind her and combine those voters with New Hampshire Independents and perhaps center-right Democrats in that state (the live free or die state) and knock Ron DeSantis out of the race or at least in Iowa. 

Going into the debate Ron DeSantis I believe was fighting for the rest of his 2024 presidential campaign. We're talking about a guy (again, to go back to football ) who was down 21 points going into the 4th quarter, with the ball and with the last opportunity of the game, just to get back into the game and tell voters that he's not just still in the race and but there's reason for not just Iowa voters, but perhaps with the center-right of the New Hampshire Republican Party, to look at his campaign and. make him the clear alternative to Donald Trump.

To go back to the WION quote of Governor DeSantis, he just didn't win the debate last night, but you could argue that he won the debate with that one line right there. If there in one weakness with the Haley presidential campaign, is that Nikki Haley has this habit of trying to speak to very different political factions of the modern Republican Party (Conservatives and Nationalists) at the same time, without trying to offend either. 

As I mentioned about Nikki Haley back in October, this has always been the main problem with her presidential campaign: 

"Nikki Haley goes out-of-her-way for the MAGA vote and just tries to appeal to those voters, would that turn Independents off for her and also turn out more Democrats against her?" She tries to appeal to both wings of the Republican Party at the sane time. There are times in political careers where you have to decide where you get your bread politically and when you can't be everything to everyone. 

From The New Democrat 

This is what I said about Nikki Haley a couple weeks ago: 

"There are times in every successful leader's career where they are tested and you know right there how strong of a person and leader that they are and how good their character is. The old expression you: "You never have a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression", is how I look at Nikki Haley right now." 

From The New Democrat 

This is what I said about Nikki Haley last week about her colossal screw up dealing with the Civil War: 

"A strong, honest, and, moral, political leader, who wants to be President of the United States, doesn't shoot her foot off, when asked a basic question like what was the American Civil War about."

From The New Democrat

This all goes to Ron DeSantis's quote about Nikki Haley trying to be everything to everyone and saying one thing and doing another. It's not just that DeSantis presented himself as the only Conservative Republican in the race, but he even went after Donald Trump not just on the racial riots in the summer of 2020, where then President Trump did almost nothing about them, he even predicted that Trump would not just lose his presidential immunity appeal, but will be tried and convicted in Washington this year before the presidential election, while he's still running for President. 

What you got with Ron DeSantis, is him saying that he was a Conservative with results. Just look at his record in Florida and the economic success that his state has had since he's been Governor. While at the same time arguing why he's more Conservative than Donald Trump as it relates to both fiscal responsibility, economic and job growth, fiscal responsibility, and even things like the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution. 

Ron DeSantis presented himself as the real Conservative Republican in the race. While Nikki Haley spent most of the debate just trying to defend herself and getting flustered and instead of responding to DeSantis's attack against her, she promoted some website about his supposed lies about her. 

If there's any surprise whatsoever in Iowa on Monday night, it's that Ron DeSantis has a strong showing in Iowa and becomes the only alternative to Donald Trump going forward. He's had two excellent weeks back-to-back now. The question is it enough for him to even get back in the race now. We'll see next week.

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