In this video [see below], presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is essentially describing the “splitter strategy” CTH has discussed and outlined in granular detail for years. Essentially, a process where the billionaire donors, hedge fund managers, corporations and multinationals – what we define as the Sea Island group (SIG), control the private corporation known as the RNC.
On this facet of his commentary, Ramaswamy is correct. However, from there he gets things wrong.
Yes, as we have said, the Chris Christie exit is part of the continuum. Remember, within mutually aligned motives the candidate doesn’t need specifically to be an active participant; they only need to be looking out for their individual interests, usually financial.
When the ‘time to exit’ tap on the shoulder is received, it comes via a key backer saying, “there’s no longer a path.” The money stops, and the candidate suspends their campaign. That’s how the process works.
Did Christie get that tap on the shoulder, at the specific time needed to retain the “never Trump” effort, thereby creating further support for Nikki Haley? Yes, absolutely – again, that’s how it works.
The SIG moved all their poker chips to Nikki after they realized the weird behavior of DeSantis meant he was no longer a viable option. When Brian Kemp began creating distance with DeSantis, that’s when the shift to Haley began.
Immediately preceding the shift to Nikki Haley, and specifically because DeSantis was not gaining traction, the evangelical brothers Mike Pence and Asa Hutchinson also received their tap on the shoulder and withdrew from their Iowa effort.
Within the plan of the SIG, Pence/Hutchinson were only camped in Iowa to pull a coalition of evangelicals together to hand them to DeSantis. But that part of the effort never gained traction. As a consequence, the SIG shifted to New Hampshire, where their allied Democrats could assist.
Ramaswamy is correct in the statement that the billionaire donors within the SIG want a head-to-head between President Trump and Nikki Haley, but only because that’s all that remains of the collapsing roadmap. Where Ramaswamy is wrong is that when Haley loses, the SIG/Never Trump group will shift to supporting Biden (Newsom). That’s the UniParty. Ultimately, in the big picture, the foundational effort is not about supporting DeSantis or Haley, it’s about stopping Trump.