Two takes on the Iowa caucus: Mine and Tucker Carlson’s

By Andrea Widburg

Yesterday was an illuminating day. Trump walked away with the Iowa caucuses; in the far distant second tier, Ron DeSantis eked out a narrow win over Nikki Haley (who still claims victory); and Vivek Ramaswamy, by far the most interesting candidate in the election, bowed out. This post will offer my take on Trump’s triumph and Tucker Carlson’s take on the danger that Nikki Haley represents.

As far as I’m concerned, Trump’s huge victory means one thing and one thing only: Conservatives understand that the war against Trump—which began with the Russia Hoax and then continued with two impeachments, the COVID lockdown hoax, and a remarkably suspicious election, before culminating with the January 6 entrapment-Reichstag event and the subsequent flood of criminal and civil litigation—has absolutely nothing to do with Donald Trump. Instead, this war has everything to do with the voters and their values.

Or, as Joe Biden said in a normal-for-him but deeply un-American attack on the American people, the fault lies with “extreme MAGA Republicans”:

Looks like Donald Trump just won Iowa. He’s the clear front runner on the other side at this point.

But here’s the thing: this election was always going to be you and me vs. extreme MAGA Republicans. It was true yesterday and it’ll be true tomorrow.

So if you’re with us, chip…
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 16, 2024

Just as a reality check, here are what “extreme MAGA Republicans” espouse:

The Constitution is our guiding document that should be understood as written, not as a constantly changing “living” thing that stretches endlessly to accommodate economic and cultural Marxism. (Per Article V, only the People, not the Supreme Court, can change it.)
A nation ceases to exist when the government will not enforce its borders.
People should be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.
Male and female are binary biological realities that cannot be artificially and unnaturally changed.
Children should not be sexualized.
Fetuses are human beings.
Capitalism tempered by Judeo-Christian morality is the greatest force in the history of the world when it comes to lifting humankind from darkness, disease, and famine.
Energy independence makes for a safer, stronger America.
The climate has always changed, and Climate Change alarmism is a vehicle for expanding government control and transferring wealth.
China is not our friend, although it doesn’t have to be our enemy.
Israel, a Jewish nation, has a right to exist free from endless genocidal attacks.
Radical Islam, which at least 10% of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims espouse, is antithetical to American values.

There’s your extremism. That’s what Trump represents, and that’s why the left will do anything to destroy him.

Voters who stand behind Trump aren’t necessarily saying they like Trump. What they’re saying is that they understand that a vote for Trump is their only way of pushing back against Deep State hoaxes, gamed elections, and civil and criminal lawfare. Supporting Trump is a stick in the eye of the Uniparty establishment that hates American values and voters.

So, that’s my take.

Tucker Carlson, in addition to his more general comments about the Iowa caucuses, zeroes in on what Nikki Haley’s candidacy means. I’ve made no secret about my dislike for Nikki, whom I consider to be a Manchurian candidate. Tucker drills into the Nikki phenomenon much more deeply, and I urge you to pay attention. Then, send his video to friends who you know are conservatives but who are being swayed by the GOP’s pressure to back Nikki: