There May Be A Few Fewer People For Vivek To Shout Over Next Month

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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 23: Republican presidential candidates (L-R), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambass... MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 23: Republican presidential candidates (L-R), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) participate in the first debate of the GOP primary season hosted by FOX News at the Fiserv Forum on August 23, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The 8 presidential hopefuls squared off in the first Republican debate as former U.S. President Donald Trump, currently facing indictments in four locations, declined to participate in the event. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) MORE LESS

August 24, 2023 6:24 p.m.

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We’re still going to have to stomach Vivek Ramaswamy’s slickly delivered anti-trans hate, Nikki Haley’s nauseating appeals to her bonafides and Mike Pence’s haircut during the next GOP primary debate in a month, but a couple of the candidates on stage last night may not qualify for the second Fox News ratings boost event of the season.

Trump will remain on stage only as an ominous, disembodied presence — he’s indicated the only person he will be debating this cycle is President Joe Biden — but North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson might be nixed if they don’t meet the Republican National Committee’s requirements for the second debate on Sept. 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.

For the second contest candidates must have at least 50,000 individual donors who have contributed to their campaigns and their polling must be above 3 percent either in two separate national polls or via one national poll and two early-voting state polls.

Burgum reached the donor requirement before Wednesday’s debate, but has not yet hit the polling qualifications. Hutchinson hasn’t yet met either requirement. Both also spent the least amount of time in the spotlight out of all of the candidates Wednesday night, but not making the audience’s ears ring like some on stage could prove to be an effective strategy.

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Nicole Lafond (@Nicole_Lafond) is TPM’s deputy editor, based in New York. She has also worked as the special projects editor and as a senior newswriter for TPM. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and previously covered education in central Illinois.

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includes:

Some choice tidbits from the Salon article:

Trump’s power is entirely due to the vacuum created by the vapidity of Republican leaders.

The GOP exists mainly as a vehicle for the endless parade of unwarranted, incoherent grievances of the Republican base.

The party’s base actively repels any discourse with real meaning. To say a true or important thing about Donald Trump to a Republican audience is to render yourself irrelevant to their political ecosystem.

Needless to say, there’s no such thing as “policy discourse” in a world built entirely around conspiracy theories.

Salon’s answer to the question, “why do Republicans bother with this farce?” It’s a fundraising grift:

But the ugly truth is that running for president is not about trying to actually win an election for most “candidates.” It’s a marketing campaign for their “brand,” using someone else’s ill-advised donations.

My guess is that only DeSantis and former vice president Mike Pence are legitimately delusional enough to think have [sic] a real shot. Everyone else on stage seems more interested in the opportunity to raise their profile, if only to command higher speaking fees at conservative events.

Their diagnosis:

the malignant incentive structures of the modern Republican Party: competence in governance is sneered at, the biggest bully in the room is applauded and it’s lucrative to repackage the hate and resentment of the GOP base and sell it back to them with an inflated price tag

Comments Continue Discussion

Notable Replies

j.dave says:

August 24, 2023

Ramasmarmy isn’t bad but Ramaswamadingdong is better.
mondfledermaus says:

August 24, 2023

Vivek is the living proof that America is fool of assholes and trolls, and they want some representation.
lestatdelc says:

August 24, 2023

They have already been represented by the GOP for decades, and in “spectacular” fashion by Trump for the past 8 years or so.
tpr says:

August 24, 2023

Some choice tidbits from the Salon article:

Trump’s power is entirely due to the vacuum created by the vapidity of Republican leaders.

The GOP exists mainly as a vehicle for the endless parade of unwarranted, incoherent grievances of the Republican base.

The party’s base actively repels any discourse with real meaning. To say a true or important thing about Donald Trump to a Republican audience is to render yourself irrelevant to their political ecosystem.

Needless to say, there’s no such thing as “policy discourse” in a world built entirely around conspiracy theories.

Salon’s answer to the question, “why do Republicans bother with this farce?” It’s a fundraising grift:

But the ugly truth is that running for president is not about trying to actually win an election for most “candidates.” It’s a marketing campaign for their “brand,” using someone else’s ill-advised donations.

My guess is that only DeSantis and former vice president Mike Pence are legitimately delusional enough to think have [sic] a real shot. Everyone else on stage seems more interested in the opportunity to raise their profile, if only to command higher speaking fees at conservative events.

Their diagnosis:

the malignant incentive structures of the modern Republican Party: competence in governance is sneered at, the biggest bully in the room is applauded and it’s lucrative to repackage the hate and resentment of the GOP base and sell it back to them with an inflated price tag
lestatdelc says:

August 24, 2023

tpr:

To say a true or important thing about Donald Trump to a Republican audience is to render yourself irrelevant to their political ecosystem.

I would posit it does more than render yourself “irrelevant”. It makes you an active enemy in their political ecosystem.