Posted on 04/16/2023 6:22:49 PM PDT by libh8er
NORTH CONWAY. N.H.—Vivek Ramaswamy isn’t making much of a dent in the polls yet, but judging from the audience reaction at a packed Masonic lodge in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, it won’t be long.
Everyone was paying close attention. There was no sense in the room of skepticism over why this 37-year-old guy—out of nowhere and standing there with his doctor wife—had the temerity to run for president. They got it. He had done his homework and then some.
Several people during the lengthy question session prefaced theirs with “I voted for Trump but I’m going to vote for you.” Others nodded in agreement.
This was an audience of what might be called the political version of tech’s “early adopters,” the kind of folks that turn out for candidates 18 months before an election when others are watching sports or the latest reality show. They tend to be well-informed and are the ones who tell their friends what to think when the time comes.
A number of such people live in the early caucus and primary states—Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina—where they have seen this before and often have a “show me” attitude. Of these, the New Hampshirites seem to have the strongest libertarian streak endemic to Northern New England.
Some demonstrated this on that Friday night, including a woman who queried the candidate about why we shouldn’t, after all, just get things over with and finally have a national divorce from the liberals and progressives with their stultified views and go our own way, à la John Galt?
This drew an impassioned response from Ramaswamy who, although he understood the woman’s frustration, sees the basis of his candidacy as the opposite of that, kind of a moral crusade for the preservation of our embattled republic and its constitution, something beyond political party. He also sees us as a necessary example of democracy in a world increasingly led by totalitarian China and its allies. The answer could have been mawkish but it was heartfelt and impressive.
After having been with his campaign only a few weeks ago in South Carolina, it was interesting to see Ramaswamy in action. He has already upped his game, speaking with a more polished cadence, less staccato.
As a spontaneous, notes-free speaker about politics, I have rarely seen anyone as fluent (perhaps Bill Clinton, but with less actual content). While some are as, if not more, charismatic, his grasp of the issues and his ability to articulate them fully, which he often does in novel ways, is rather extraordinary.
He doesn’t insult our intelligence, nor engage very heavily in partisan politics, which he almost disdains. As he put it on Twitter: “It’s not R vs. D. It’s not black vs. white. It’s the Great Reset vs. the Great Uprising.”
Whether he or anybody else can defeat this “Reset” that is already all around us and growing every day remains to be seen. Ramaswamy makes no claim he can do it alone. In fact, he said repeatedly at the gathering this could only succeed as a group project for the return to the American values of our Founders. We were all involved in this battle against “woke” corporations who, in collusion with our government, are leading us inevitably to globalist socialism/communism.
That night, he had just returned from delivering an apparently well-received speech in defense of the Second Amendment at an NRA meeting in Indiana, and spoke of it in New Hampshire as well.
An avid tennis player—he was once No. 1 junior in Ohio—who infrequently goes to firing ranges, he doesn’t use sports or hunting as his primary reasons for his staunch support of the amendment. He insists the Second Amendment is the absolutely necessary component to defend the First Amendment, freedom of speech, without which America wouldn’t be America.
He also made a Second Amendment recommendation regarding Taiwan that might at first seem rash, but even on short reflection makes considerable sense. Ramaswamy thinks we should give AR-15s to every citizen of that island nation and teach them how to use them to deter the aggression of the communist Chinese.
Vivek thinks that America is in the midst of an identity crisis, but, as a young civilization in historical terms, has the resilience of a teenager who can work through it. In that sense, his message is optimistic.
The main theme of his campaign has been since its inception the overall necessity of defining America for and to ourselves—who we are and what we want to be—that he feels has been lost in our “woke” culture with its faux religions of climate and transgenderism.
He believes if we solve this basic problem, if we find ourselves again in the tradition of the Founders, the solution to others—the economy, our place in the world, and so forth—will suddenly be a lot simpler and gain a national consensus.
He articulates this in a manner that is similar to Donald Trump’s, but is more precise and detailed, one might even say writerly.
The elephant in the room that night was, of course, Trump, currently battling legal accusations, dubious though they may be, on several fronts. The 45th president tends to take oxygen from rooms even when he is not there.
The question naturally arises where does Ramaswamy fit in this equation? Is he more Trump than Trump? Is he then Trump 2.0, willing, as he says, to take things further and actually emptying the Deep State? He advocates term limits for virtually everyone in Washington.
Or could he end up running with Trump? Anything’s possible.
It’s unlikely that Gov. Ron DeSantis will—there’s already so much bad blood between the two poll leaders.
As for the Republican field in general, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, despite extensive early soundings, has declined to run. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley isn’t generating much interest. Sen. Tim Scott doesn’t appear to have much of a chance, even in his native South Carolina, according to polls. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he’s running, but no one can explain why. And former Vice President Mike Pence still hasn’t jumped in, with a fair number of people urging him not to for his own sake.
As of this writing, I would have to say it’s between Trump (the heavy favorite), DeSantis, and now, coming up on the outside but still with a long way to go, Ramaswamy.
This could make for an interesting discussion on the Republican side as could, all of a sudden and shockingly, the Democratic side with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. throwing his hat in the ring with a formal announcement next week.
I’ll be along for the ride. Next stop with Vivek: Berlin, New Hampshire. More to come.
Trump blew it by hiring swamp dwellers to fill too many government positions.
It’s still amazing to me, that people still talk about this.
Who was he going to hire? You?
He hired folks that were able to get through a confirmation process controlled by McConnell and Schumer. One gave him tax cuts early on. Two that did everything they could to obstruct him right after that.
So, you might counter...what about the budget/deficit/etc? Let’s see. There hasn’t been an actual budget since 2008, I think. That was when Congress realized all they had to do was delay the whole budget process, wait til the last minute, everyone pile in whatever they want and then paint whatever President was in office to sign their CR or shutdown the government.
Obama didn’t care because they were funding all the Left’s dreams. Republican’s couldn’t care less, regardless and the CRs allowed money to the defense contractors and their donors.
Pres Trump asked for budgets and negotiations, Congress never gave him one. All they did was CRs with all the money he wanted for the military and he was forced to sign them.
Trump blew it by hiring swamp dwellers to fill too many government positions. If we’re going to vote in a non-politician as president, they need to fill all the top positions with non-swamp dwellers.>>> I think so as well. He didn’t have a team of top people like Reagan, who bought his california cabinet with him.. And trump to this day has no team (other than his family)
they need to fill all the top positions with non-swamp dwellers.
Given the indisputable fact that the UNIPARTY/ESTABLISHMENT controls the confirmation process, how would you two get around that? Please, spread your wisdom as to how anyone gets past a Senate that despises you, the people, everything you stand for and want to do, and will do anything to keep you from doing it?
He's a Hindu. But I would still take him over the current president, a Latin Rite Christian, or the previous Democrat president, a Congregationalist Christian.
Kathy Barnette, who are also black conservatives, support him.
>>>>>
that’s good, i love kathy.
You know what WEF is?
? World Economic Forum?
? Klaus Schwab, founder ?????
That’s too bad he hasn’t converted.
Oh well.
I like him, regardless. He’s not a globalist, actually he’s exactly the opposite. Perhaps he learned what they are all about up front while studying there. He’s not a fool.
Is he pro-life?
Listen to his interview with Candice Owen. He’s pretty awesome. He’s very wealthy. He doesn’t need connections for $.
If President Trump will listen to Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon’s advice on cabinet appointments everything will be fine.
Where does it say that he’s a Hindu
He IS a globalist, actually he's among the most dangerous.
One doesn't just apply, get accepted to be a WEF young leader, one is plucked, chosen, for a reason. To be stealthy, part of the Deep State globalist elites.
I highly suggest doing more homework on Klaus Schwab and his WEF.
Your collective comments demonstrate a lack of reality based analysis.
Complete gaslighting - ignoring the process, the need to get confirmations from McConnell, the need to take the least objectionable person that McConnell would have confirmed, the people who feigned alignment with Trump but were plants created to impede Trump’s policy goals, the infiltrators and the Deep State operatives.
Another plant, IOW.
As long as he remains on the ballot, I will be voting for Trump.
This guy, however, says all the right things. He talks a good talk. That’s step 1 (and 1 step more than about 80% of the republican field).
But we still need to see if he can walk the walk. And how he does under fire.
He is worth watching, and could possibly turn into the up and comer.
https://www.cfr.org/blog/meet-vivek-ramaswamy-republican-presidential-candidate
One way to getting very wealthy is being a good WEF Young Leader.
Comes with the territory.
Not voting for him.
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