I apologize in advance if anyone loses sleep over this but it dawned on me watching the RNC debate coverage that Vivek is making a Faustian bargain or deal with the devil, Donald Trump. He has never picked a fight with Trump and in fact Trump all but endorsed his debate performance for sucking up.
If you look ahead to how this could all play out, if Trump has been convicted by the time of the RNC convention or later primaries and is either in jail or potentially out on bail pending his appeals, he might decide it is better to endorse someone who has promised to pardon him than to run himself.
If he did so, there would be a candidate with the Trump base behind them, and all of the extreme Trump positions, trying to win over independent voters based on the fact he is not actually Trump, taking advantage of Biden’s negatives to get elected without ever even really getting vetted himself.
Politico: Trump crowns Ramaswamy the debate’s winner — for praising him
Former President Donald Trump crowned tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy the winner of the Republican presidential debate Wednesday night — for singing his praises.
“President Trump, I believe, was the best president of the 21st century,” Ramaswamy said in a clip from the debate Trump posted on Truth Social….
“This answer gave Vivek Ramaswamy a big WIN in the debate because of a thing called TRUTH. Thank you Vivek!”
“Join me in making a commitment that one day you would pardon Donald Trump,” Ramaswamy challenged former Vice President Mike Pence, who mostly dodged the question.
I’m not saying it would work, but it’s something to consider and to me it seems worth preparing for a potential Ramaswarmy candidacy next year, since it seems more likely than a DeSantis nomination, and the Trump base will never get behind any of the other candidates who have not backed Trump.
At the same time, I could be wrong and Trump might never give up on his chances to regain the Presidency, in which case Ramaswamy will be auditioning for the unlikely role of Vice President.
In a brief interview with ABC News, Ramaswamy said he would have handled Jan. 6 differently from Trump -- but said he does not blame the former president for the riot.
"It is false and it is a mistake to blame Jan. 6 on Donald Trump," he said.
ABC: ”Vivek Ramaswamy is invoking '1776 ideals' on the campaign trail: What does that really mean?”
Too familiar? Courthouse News: “Days before Capitol riot, head of Proud Boys was focused on 1776”
Denver Post: “Listening to @realDonaldTrump and @MariaBartiromo right now. There is no way that anyone can call the 2020 presidential election fair. We have to make it right.” Boebert tweeted on Nov. 29.
On Jan. 2 she wrote: “Great words with President Trump tonight. Get ready, y’all!”
Two days before the insurrection she wrote: “Remember these next 48 hours. These are some of the most important days in American history.”
On the day of the insurrection, she wrote: “Today is 1776.”