My politically conservative, life-long Republican mom and I had a conversation last night that I thought I’d share.

Craig:  If you could receive a Christmas present in the form of a breakthrough in U.S. politics, what would that be?

Mom: Trump would announce that he’s not running, though I know this is impossible.

Craig: So whom would that leave?

Mom: DeSantis and Haley.

Craig:  Well, DeSantis is trailing badly, and one has to assume that his right-wing policies don’t appeal even to the GOP,  and would certainly not play well in the context of a general election.

Mom: What about Haley?

Craig: I have to admit that I admired her when she was a Democrat U.S. rep in Hawaii, but then she, perhaps along with her advisors, figured out that she could go further as a Republican.  In the blink of an eye, she went from, to take an example, claiming that that abortion was a woman’s right to demanding that it be banned.  Maybe she had a personal epiphany on this and a dozen other hot-button subjects, but it seems more likely that she saw this as politically expedient.

I regard this is the same way as I would someone who told me that I could attain enormous power and wealth if were to write a book whose premise is that climate change is a hoax and that fossil fuels are the way of the future.  Not going to happen.

The Greatest Political Gift