A week ago‚ it was a dream that Nikki Haley could pierce the bubble of inevitability that Donald J. Trump is the next nominee of the Republican Party. Now it would now take a miracle‚ and the Haley campaign’s think tank is fresh out of them. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ kneeling before the Orange Zod before New Hampshire voters got to hand him his walking papers must have been one of the countless scenarios Haley’s brain trust gamed out. I would think the combination of literally everyone else exiting the race and not a single one endorsing their candidate (Haley said she “didn’t want” Christie’s endorsement)‚ plus Tim Scott and DeSantis both yielding to Trump in the final days‚ was in the “Hiroshima” column. So it’s a two-person race. Last week when I made a wishcast for Haley‚ the CNN/UNH poll showed Trump with 58% to Haley’s 21% among Granite State registered Republicans. The latest January 19th poll‚ including only DeSantis‚ Trump and Haley shows Trump at 67% to Haley’s 39%. Haley has narrowed the gap by 9 points‚ but the cold math reveals there’s just not enough Republican or independent votes out there to push her over the top. If there is to be a miracle‚ it would be in the form of two scenarios. One: a massive crossover vote by Democrats. Most independents and Democrat-identifying voters have already decided who they are voting for‚ leaving just 11% “leaning” and 3% “still trying to decide.” Among Republicans and undeclared‚ between 17-25% say they’re either “leaning” or “still trying to decide.” These voters would have to actually show up to the polls‚ overcome their “who cares?” ennui‚ and vote against Donald Trump. But that’s really unlikely because among those who have already decided and don’t support Haley‚ just 7% pick her as their second choice. And there’s nobody else in the race. Even worse‚ the biggest second choice‚ DeSantis‚ at 34% for undeclared and 50% for Republicans (i.e. second choice to Trump)‚ endorsed Trump‚ not Haley. Those votes just aren’t there. The second scenario is that New Hampshirites buy Haley’s last ditch message‚ delivered to a fawning crowd in the Exeter High School auditorium Sunday night. NEW HAMPSHIRE IS FIRED UP FOR @NikkiHaley!1‚000+ Granite Staters flooded into the auditorium at Exeter High School tonight to hear Nikki deliver her vision for our country’s future — and they loved what they heard GET OUT AND VOTE ON TUESDAY! pic.twitter.com/d4gx6njxOC— Chris Sununu (@ChrisSununu) January 22‚ 2024 “So far‚ only one state has voted. Half of its votes went to Donald Trump‚ and half did not. We’re not a country of coronations. Voters deserve a say in whether we go down the road of Trump and Biden again‚ or we go down a new conservative road.” I know Haley said this—or at least planned to say it—because she emailed it to me at 8:30pm tonight in a desperate campaign email. Sure‚ Haley supporters don’t want a Trump coronation. It would take a miracle to change the hearts of voters who feel that not only do they want a coronation‚ they also want to be at the head of the royal parade. The favorability numbers are grim. Among registered Republican voters in the latest UNH poll‚ 31% find Haley “favorable” in their opinion. But 47% find her “unfavorable.” Among registered undeclared voters (which is nearly half)‚ 32% view Haley as “unfavorable.” In that same group‚ 59% find Donald Trump “unfavorable.” There’s a glimmer of hope among Democrats and independents. In that group‚ 28% find Haley “unfavorable‚” with 62% either “favorable” or “neutral.” Here’s the problem: among those who don’t like Trump‚ there are two opportunities to vote against him. Either take a Republican ballot Tuesday and vote for Haley‚ or wait until November and vote for President Joe Biden. I think most voters motivated by “defeating Trump” are happier letting Trump become the nominee then defeating him in November. The numbers in the poll support that. For all voters‚ “defeating Trump” is the first issue for just 1%. The biggest issues by far are “protecting democracy or the Constitution‚” the “border/immigration‚” “cost of living‚” and “winning the 2024 presidential election.” These issues hold true for undeclared voters and independent/Democrat voters. Republicans are less interested in “protecting democracy” and more interested in “winning.” Only extreme liberals‚ progressives and socialists value issues like abortion and don’t care about the border. Those whose political taste runs to libertarian (about 15% of the voters)‚ care about the issues Trump harps on every day. A miracle would be that these voters all rise up together for Haley on Tuesday. In general‚ voters aren’t talking about foreign policy or education in New Hampshire. They care about issues related to meat and potatoes economic reality and liberty. Haley only shines when she can correct someone like Vivek Ramaswamy (who supports Trump)‚ and now there’s nobody to correct‚ except Trump.  Trump spouts a lot of nonsense‚ but his voters hear silver-tongued clarion calls to a better America with borders‚ security‚ and liberty. Of course‚ he had four years to deliver something and other than a Supreme Court majority‚ he followed through with nothing. We still have Obamacare‚ no border wall‚ wars to fight or avoid‚ and excessive spending. Haley’s got multiple problems that she cannot overcome in two days. Her campaign tries to cover all bets and avoid all risks‚ frequently ending up looking too clever by half‚ or just a bad look‚ like when she avoids answering questions by teenager Quinn Mitchell‚ who only wanted to ask “was the U.S. a racist country from inception?” She waited a long time to turn on Donald Trump. My brother Jay and I had long discussions about this‚ never really reaching agreement. I thought Haley should have turned long ago‚ before Iowa‚ but with Christie in the race‚ they calculated there’s too much “me too” overlap with him (probably—I have no insight into their calculations). Jay thought she appropriately sought not to alienate Trump voters. But now‚ Trump turned on Nikki before Nikki turned on Trump. He played a strong hand and Haley has no cards to call him. Haley has two cards left to play: a very motivated Gov. Chris Sununu‚ and a Hail Mary to ask NH voters not to coronate Donald Trump. It’s clear that nationally‚ voters detest the thought of choosing between another four years of Joe Biden‚ or another four years of Donald Trump. But this is not about the national mood‚ it’s about a small state that will either pierce the bubble of inevitability of Trump on the ballot‚ or will coronate Trump as the GOP’s nominee before two primaries are done (I don’t count the Iowa caucus as a primary). In my life‚ I’ve only witnessed a few bona fide Hail Mary miracles. One was the “Miracle on Ice‚” the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team victory over the Soviet Union. One was the Miami miracle with Doug Flutie’s pass to Gerard Phelan to give Boston College a victory. One was Larry Bird’s steal of Isaiah Thomas’ inbound pass to win game 5 of the NBA conference finals on May 26‚ 1987. I am not sure if the Patriots victories over Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX in 2015‚ and two years later with the biggest comeback in NFL history in Super Bowl LI over the Falcons qualify as miracles per-se. Either could be seen as simple collapses of coaching and the tragic end of a normal season for the Dirty Birds. It will take a miracle for Haley’s Hail Mary to connect and for her to win in New Hampshire. It will take repeated miracles for Haley to defeat Trump voters again and again‚ as it seems clear they have answered her campaign statement “we’re not a country of coronations.” Yes‚ the voters are saying‚ we are. Follow Steve on Twitter @stevengberman. The First TV contributor network is a place for vibrant thought and ideas. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of The First or The First TV. We want to foster dialogue‚ create conversation‚ and debate ideas. See something you like or don’t like? Reach out to the author or to us at ideas@thefirsttv.com. 

Sharon Osbourne explains why Birmingham means so much to Ozzy‚ and reveals that a special new project involving the Prince Of Darkness is underway

Here’s the Speaker of the Maryland House Adrienne A. Jones. She is the first female and the first Black Speaker. She’s a DEI Speaker. Jones doesn’t seem to know the bills she’s backing. In the clip below‚ she doesn’t stop for a second even though she has to walk backward. Perhaps she was running because […] The post Clown World! Maryland Speaker Can’t Name the Bill She Backs appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

British commentator Piers Morgan ripped CNN‚ MSNBC‚ and Rachel Maddow for not showing former President Trump’s victory speech after he won the Iowa caucuses. CNN showed a part of Trump’s speech but it was buried under host Jake Tapper’s voice as Tapper intoned‚ “Here he is now‚ under my voice‚ you hear him repeating his anti-immigrant rhetoric …” while Maddow claimed they had would not show the speech because Trump would be saying “untrue” things. “There is a cost to us as a news organization of knowingly broadcasting untrue things. That is a fundamental truth of our business and who we are. And so his remarks tonight will not air here live …” Maddow had stated. “I’m sorry‚ Rachel Maddow banging on about disinformation and how damaging it would be to MSNBC‚ didn’t she lead the charge on Russian collusion for two years? Right?” Morgan snapped as he appeared on Fox News’ “One Nation” with host Brian Kilmeade. “I watched that night after night‚” Morgan continued. “I would tune in‚ not for very long‚ and hear‚ ‘Russia collusion‚ Russia collusion’ on MSNBC‚ my former bosses at CNN. And It turned out to be complete nonsense‚ a massive nothing burger.” “No apology‚ no acknowledgment‚” Kilmeade interjected. “Nothing‚” Morgan agreed. “But now they have the brass neck to say‚ ‘We can’t possibly show Trump’s victory speech because he might spew disinformation.’ Well‚ what about your own backyard?” Kilmeade pointed out that foreign leaders were also targeting Trump‚ with the former head of Great Britain’s MI6‚ Sir Richard Dearlove‚ saying‚ “For the UK’s national security‚ is problematic‚” and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declaring‚ “If there is a second time‚ it won’t be easy either.” “If you take Trudeau‚ for example‚ he banged on about Trump being a fascist‚ when he is the number one woke fascist in the world. The most woke human being alive‚” Morgan commented. “He destroyed that country‚” Kilmeade echoed. “I saw a poll last week that said more young Canadians would vote Trump than vote Trudeau‚” Morgan laughed. “They would if they could.”

This French bulldog got the ride of their life and wanted to make sure everyone knew about it. It’s not every day that you get to see a loud French bulldog speaking their mind… but today? Today’s one of those days. Check out this hilarious clip. @sunny_emilio I think is the last time I will use a bus #frenchbulldog #frenchie #pets #dog #funny #viral #bus ♬ original sound – Sunny The loud French bulldog quickly attracted some attention from other busgoers‚ including an elderly woman who seemed totally amused by the silly sounds. The busgoers weren’t the only fans‚ though. This clip has gone totally viral‚ wracking up over 6 million likes on TikTok. People took to the comment section to express their obsession with this noisy pup. This image is from TikTok. “I love that he is not screaming like in the streets. He is a good boy who knows to use an inside voice‚” commented one fan about this loud French bulldog’s etiquette. “See he’s bringing up important issues. Let him speak‚” said another fan‚ advocating for this dog’s empowerment. This loud French bulldog is seriously amusing. They’re not the only funny Frenchie on TikTok though. This guy doesn’t sing but he does dance! @dexterdog1 #fyp #foryou #foryourpage #dogtiktok #dogsoftiktok #dogdance #dogdancing #dogdancingchallenge #frenchie #frenchbulldog #funny ♬ original sound – Dexter the dog These dogs are seriously silly. What’s the funniest thing your pet has ever done? The featured image for this post is from TikTok. The post French Bulldog Goes For A Bus Ride And Just Won’t Stop Gabbing About It. appeared first on InspireMore.

'Missing you every second of every day forever there will never be another'

‘Mindy‚ thank you for making me the luckiest man in the world'

Our Complete List Of Pure Prairie League Albums And Discography looks at one of our favorite country rock bands originating in Waverly‚ Ohio‚ in 1965. Pure Prairie League‚ ‚ has seen a diverse array of talented musicians over the years. Craig Fuller‚ a key founding member‚ contributed his vocals‚ lead guitar‚ and bass skills intermittently from 1970 until 2012‚ with some breaks for touring. George Ed Powell‚ another original member‚ was known for his vocals and guitar work from 1970 to 1978 and has made guest appearances at Ohio shows since 1998. The band’s early rhythm section featured Phill Stokes The post Complete List Of Pure Prairie League Albums And Discography appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

If you’ve ever felt that planning permission is hard to get in an American city because of zoning regs‚ imagine the difficulty in a country that’s both orders of magnitude smaller‚ and ground zero for the archaeological remains of one of the world’s most sophisticated classical civilizations. The Commune of Bacoli outside Naples was trying […] The post 2‚000-Year-Old Home Found Under a Seaside Playground May Be Pliny the Elder’s Villa appeared first on Good News Network.