Nikki Haley and her voters still have a chance to be heroes. They need to vote for Biden.
Super Tuesday was not good for Nikki Haley, but it loudly confirmed a trend we’ve seen in the early primary states: There’s a solid chunk of Republicans who care enough about America to not want anything to do with Donald Trump.
The former president and current criminal defendant is going to win the GOP presidential nomination, a fact that has been clear from the jump. It became clearer as the Super Tuesday results began coming in. Haley fought admirably, but she saw the writing on the wall and ended her campaign Wednesday morning, saying "It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him."
We all know this cultish figure who has consumed the Republican Party and is bleeding it dry to help pay the legal costs that come with his multiple criminal indictments will not earn anyone's vote. Trump expects loyalty, he doesn't work for it.
So that leaves Haley and her voters adrift, but with a chance to be heroes. They need to vote, hard as it may be, for Joe Biden.
Haley and supporters agree Trump is unhinged, unfit
Though it came far too late, Haley told her voters exactly why they should reject Trump.
She has called him “completely unhinged.”
She has said of Trump that “he is now saying things that don't make sense.”
She said of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in 2021: “I think what happened on Jan. 6 was a terrible day, and I think President Trump will have to answer for it.”
'Donald Trump cannot win a general election'
Haley painted the former president, accurately and indisputably, as an agent of chaos.
Following recent comments by Trump suggesting that Black voters like him because he has been indicted so many times, Haley said in a statement: “That's the chaos that comes with Donald Trump. That's the offensiveness that will come every day until the general election. That's why I continue to say that Donald Trump cannot win a general election.”
It’s clear from the substantial support she has received – upwards of 40% of the primary vote in some states – that Haley voters agree with her. So even when Trump wins the nomination, these voters have a chance to stand by their convictions and do their part to make sure he doesn’t win in the general election.
Trump isn't in the clear: Sure, Nikki Haley lost big on Super Tuesday. But warning signs for Trump are flashing.
That means swinging their support to the current Democratic president, something I realize is a big ask.
That’s where the heroic part comes in.
There are three ways this ends, and only one of them is OK
I see three ways a Biden vs. Trump general election plays out:
Trump wins and America suffers the chaos and consequences of being led by a wannabe strongman who has already eroded our democracy, demolished politic norms and decency, and made cruelty a political asset.
Biden wins by a narrow margin and Trump, again, disputes the results and sows chaos, division and violence against the government.
Biden wins by a sizable margin. Trump still disputes the results and attempts to sow chaos and division – but is hamstrung by the decisiveness of the results.
For anyone who believes Trump is unhinged, anyone sickened by his narcissism and his lies and his thirst for vengeance, option No. 3 is far and away the best outcome.
Defeating Trump gives GOP chance to reset, cast MAGA aside
That’s also the best outcome for any conservative who’d like a post-MAGA rebirth of the Republican Party. To kill the snake, you cut off the head, and the GOP is going to remain in thrall to the twisted, burn-it-all-down MAGA ideology until Trump is politically severed from the party.
Another presidential loss will do the trick. He has already led Republicans to a string of losses. One more will be a bridge too far, even for those who bent the knee to him in fear of his base.
Anyone with sense enough to back Haley has to have the vision to see the threat Trump poses, and not just to liberals. Madness at the top trickles down. It harms us all.
Haley supporters know Trump is a threat – they need to act
Haley supporters have managed to avoid the MAGA brainwashing. They clearly want a normal politician. And while Biden’s age and policies may be a bridge too far for a lifelong Republican voter, I’d ask them to go back and look at options 1 and 2 above. In terms of what’s best for the country – what’s best for all of us – there’s one clear choice.
Conservative voters can and should work and fight and vote to make sure Republicans control one or both houses of Congress, the best way to keep a check on a Democratic president.
Trump's free insurrection: Supreme Court sides with Trump, affirming each president gets one free insurrection
But for Haley and the people who’ve backed her, to vote for Trump or not cast a vote for president would be to abandon the views and principles they espoused.
It would be caving to the unhinged man they know full well is dangerous.
There's a clear sign pointing to the right side of history
Voting to protect America from another Trump term, even if that means voting for the other party’s candidate, is a selfless act, one that puts you squarely on the right side of history.
Republicans needed someone like Haley to win the presidential primary and knock Trump out for good. That’s not happening.
So now Republicans need Haley and some heroes to kick Trump to the curb for good, end MAGA and remake the party into something that makes them proud. Biden may not lead the country where you want it to go. But Trump will lead it straight into a ditch.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Haley drops out after Super Tuesday. Her voters can still defeat Trump
