Dear Friends,

LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S PROGRAM:

One of these is my wife. The other is running for president.

When Kathy’s dental hygienist told her that she looked like Nikki Haley, I knew things were about to get interesting. The former theater major in Kathy gleefully rose to the challenge, and yeah, she pulls off a pretty decent Haley, don’t ya think?

On more serious matters, here’s what Charles and I have in store for you this week:

(00:41) Iowa Caucuses: What the losers have to gain;
(20:23) Here’s where climate denialism comes from;
(38:27) Reynolds refuses food for poor kids;
(52:55) The poverty-obesity paradox, with Kathy Byrnes.

Regarding the Iowa Caucuses’ winners and losers:

TRUMP. Anyone out there still doubt that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee for president? The caucuses are largely a game of beating expectations, and Trump did better than many pundits predicted …

— Despite campaigning in Iowa far less than the other top-three finishers.

— Despite Ron DeSantis’ superior ground game and a slew of top-dog Republican endorsements.

— Despite many Democrats attending Republican caucuses to vote for Nikki Haley. (That’s what I did. Hey, she’s the least objectionable of the bunch. And she looks like my wife, sort of.)

Nonetheless, Trump got over 51% of the vote. But it’s important to put that in perspective, as this meme points out. Bottom line: Trump won the support of a mere 1.76% of Iowa voters.

HALEY. I love that she said, “As we head to New Hampshire I have one more thing to say: underestimate me because that’s always fun.”

Such an utterance from a third-place finisher takes a special kind of delusional confidence.

Sure, some New Hampshire polls show Haley trailing Trump by single digits. But even if Haley wins New Hampshire, so what. She trails Trump by nearly 25 points in South Carolina — her home state, where she was governor for eight years. In other states, her polling numbers are worse. Way worse.

But from a strictly political perspective, Haley’s smart to stay in the race. She sure won’t find a home in the next Trump administration, but she’s positioning herself as the not-so-crazy alternative to MAGA candidates — if and when Republican voters decide to move on from the Party’s flirtation with fascism.

RAMASWAMY. Speaking of fascism, Vivek Ramaswamy is the one Republican candidate who consistently played nice with the former president. If Trump wins, look for Ramaswamy to land a prominent political appointment as the president and his team work to implement Project 2025 — which, if we’re honest and clear-eyed, is a blueprint for the next stage of establishing fascism in America.

Ramaswamy has a other things going for him. He’s never held political office (remarkably, that’s a plus). He’s also got tons of money (a huge plus, according to the corporate media). And he knows how to rap and hand out free beer to attract young supporters — like the guy at my caucus sporting a “Register Communists, Not Firearms” t-shirt.

DESANTIS. I’m happy to say I don’t see how Monday’s caucus results benefit Ron DeSantis, who entered the race early with high expectations that he could beat Trump. Due to term limits, DeSantis can’t run for governor of Florida again. If he wants a seat in the US Senate, he’d have to challenge a sitting Republican senator — either Rick Scott, who’s up this year, or Marco Rubio, who’s up in 2028.

I’m cautiously optimistic that DeSantis’ political career may be over. So, what about …

REYNOLDS. In an unusual move for a sitting Iowa governor, Kim Reynolds endorsed DeSantis and invested all kinds of time campaigning for him. One thing Trump hates even more than democracy is traitors, so Reynolds won’t play a role in another Trump administration.

That’s fine with her as she’s probably content to be governor for life. More likely, she’ll try to advance to the US Senate when Chuck Grassley retires in 2028. Bottom line: Reynolds had nothing to lose by not endorsing Trump, but politically speaking, she would have been better off backing Haley over DeSantis.

Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action. Remember, donate $10 or more to support our program and we’ll include you in a drawing to win a $50 Orchestrate Hospitality gift card.

Ed Fallon

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Ed Fallon