Politics is full of indignities and embarrassments, many of them self-inflicted. Remember Michael Dukakis in the tank? Dan Quayle's “potato incident?” George H.W. Bush's run-in with a checkout scanner? John Kerry's long running water sport issues? The list of gaffes, bugles, and flubs is nearly endless.
But there can be upsides to slip-ups. Everyone makes mistakes, so an error here or there can humanize a candidate, right?
Not really. And that goes double for the one embarrassment that trumps them all because in electoral politics, it cannot be avoided: losing.
There can be few more painful or embarrassing losses than the one former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley endured following the Nevada presidential primary. In that contest, in which Donald Trump did not participate and no convention delegates were at stake, Haley finished second to “none of these candidates.”
From Politico:
…for Haley, the last major contender running against Trump in the GOP primary, it was a significant blow — and a quick source of ridicule. Haley trailed by nearly 30 percentage points with just more than half of the estimated votes in.
Trump's campaign brass immediately seized on Haley's poor showing in the Silver State, contending that her soldiering on in the primary was part of what Chris LaCivita, a top Trump adviser, called Haley's “ delusional tour.” Democrats, too, were quick to mock Haley, with David Axelrod, the former Barack Obama adviser, asking if Haley “ regrets not debating ‘None of these Candidates.'” Haley has sought to play up Trump's refusal to debate her.
Let's be clear: Haley isn't going to win the GOP nomination. She is all but certain to lose the South Carolina primary later this month. But it's still useful to have her run, both as both a check on the frontrunner and as a way for Republicans who cannot stomach Trump to register their displeasure.
And she can keep running so long as the will is there – and the cash. Once the money runs out, that's when Haley is done. The South Carolina results will affect the money flow a lot more than the Nevada flop.
But that Nevada loss – to no one — is an embarrassment that will stalk Haley for the rest of her time in politics.
Though it might set her up for a post-election star turn in a remake of Brewster's Millions,“ which included a plot point about getting people to vote for “none of the above.”
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
