Opinion: Haley nomination would lower the political temperature

For years, I’ve been calling Donald Trump a snake-oil salesman, but that’s such an antiquated term. Then I heard about the line of shoes and cologne he’s now promoting, and now I’m thinking he’s a telemarketer.

And, I must say, he’s good at it. I heard on NPR that his red, white, blue and gold sneakers are selling out. Like the Trump brand itself, they’re getting terrible reviews, but he manages to sell them to his salivating suckers anyway.

Trump may be bringing down our democracy, but hey, he’s one of the best pitchmen out there.

He also conducts sales calls by tapping into my Inbox, using fake sincerity (“I wanted to send you a personal note”) along with a shameless sales pitch in an effort to hook me in. Clearly, it’s a phishing expedition — which, if I’m not mistaken, makes him a spammer too.

But of course, it must be legal, since he’s never been charged with illegal spamming, or phishing without a license, or anything like that. And any truth-in-advertising standards went out the window with the advent of internet advertising, so he doesn’t have to worry about actually telling the truth.

Still, in Trump World, spamming is small potatoes. The real money is in the Art of the Lie, which Pitchman Trump has perfected. He might even make a good tele-evangelist, if he could just convince us that he places God over himself. Yeah, like that will happen.

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Meanwhile, Nikki Haley says she’s staying in the race for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, which I think is a good idea. She’s carving out an intra-party niche for herself and is serving as Trump’s backup in the event he goes totally off the rails between now and the party convention in July.

So how long can she stay in? The pundits say it all comes down to money, but I think they’re overstating it. Hanging in as the contender, no matter how distant, isn’t such a bad place to be even if the money gets scarce. Especially when the frontrunner is a full-blown loose cannon.

It seems to me a presidential candidate with a dedicated staff and volunteers can downsize a campaign to coffee shops and media interviews instead of big venues and ad buys, all the while clinging to the delegates they win — for, at the very least, a stronger presence at the party convention.

It’s been done before. Remember Rev. Jesse Jackson’s run, back in 1984?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Nikki Haley is the Republican Party’s best chance to beat President Biden. And, I’ll add, it would be good for America.

Her nomination would lower the political temperature and give voters a reasonable alternative to Biden. It’s not likely to happen, but never say never, at least not until the fat man sings.

Tom McDonald is editor of the New Mexico Community News Exchange. Contact him at:

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