DES MOINES – Tonight is the hallowed Iowa caucuses and one candidate most people are overlooking, Vivek Ramaswamy, can’t fathom how it all went wrong just before the votes are tallied.
Vivek Ramaswamy talks fast. He talks loud. He loves Donald Trump and refuses to criticize him in any way. He’s a hedge fund millionaire. He’s been spouting conspiracy theories and incendiary rhetoric non-stop in bombastic tones in Iowa since early 2023. He wants Iowans to think he will represent their interests as President of the United States.
The Harvard graduate is sitting at 8 percentage points in the latest poll in Iowa. Ouch. He seems to have been working hard, but apparently his Ivy League degree hasn’t gifted him with the magic touch with rural Iowans. His countless text messages promising free lunch and drinks at tiny venues in frozen hamlets has not been a return on investment, unless there is a major surprise after Monday’s caucus.
As the people of Iowa prepare to embark into the sub-zero temps tonight to support their candidate, Vivek seems shell-shocked that no one really likes him. (A few Vivek yard signs is not indicative of a successful campaign, by the way.) This morning Vivek complained on his Twitter account that “I was in the Fox News studio in Des Moines this morning and noticed something interesting: they forgot one candidate tonight. I’ll trust them to fix it.” They only included Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, and Ron DeSantis in their TV graphic as they discussed the Iowa caucuses.
A now very sensitive Vivek, wounded by the release of the poll mentioned above showing him at 8, noticed the slight. But this backhand from Fox “News” is not the worst thing that happened to his floundering campaign. He was left off the recent debate stage at Drake University where Haley and DeSantis sparred like amateurs. This made him look further irrelevant to voters. The New York Times also left him out of a recent graphic, and a smarting Vivek re-tweeted several complaints about it. “The complete erasure of @VivekGRamaswamy is starting to get old pretty fast,” one tweet read.
In recent days, a clearly-reeling and possibly desperate Vivek has trotted out relics like Steve King to appeal to the white nationalists amongst us in an attempt to gain any traction. He knows ole Steve, a radical bigot who was ousted from Congress years ago, still resonates with the angry, disillusioned rural bumpkins whose support he craves.
And now, just as the critical moment of election time draws near, when fledging campaigns are made or broken, Donald Trump completely blindsided the vulnerable, shrinking Vivek. The defeated ex-President told his Truth Social audience not to vote for Vivek, that he is not MAGA (code for White Power, some say) and they are wasting their effort if they cast a vote for him. (Trump also said it’s ok if Iowans literally die from the dangerous temps tonight after they vote for HIM.) Trump laid waste to Vivek, and his weak response showed just how hurt he is from the onslaught:
“I’ve defended Trump at every step & respect him immensely. You won’t hear me attacking him. I’m asking for your vote tonight because I believe it’s the right thing for our country. We cannot walk into the other side’s trap & watch the puppet masters quietly trot Nikki into power.”
Not exactly the kind of talk worthy of a Commander-in-Chief.
The Iowa caucuses tonight will mercifully put an end to Vivek’s time in Iowa. No more free sandwiches on his dime at the Blue Heron. From here, he will limp into New Hampshire and possibly South Carolina, if he makes it that long. Then, his campaign will go bust and he will drop out. This boy-genius will have to find a new way to stay relevant. Rest-assured, his tireless mug will not likely stay silent long.
🙂