When you consider the fact that she was hand-selected by Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, it really shouldn’t come as a big surprise that Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina used her opportunity to give the Republican response to Obama’s State of the Union address as a chance, not to attack Obama’s transforming America agenda, but to attack fellow Republicans.
While she took a few shots at Obama, her speech was sprinkled with plenty of hits on GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. While cleverly avoiding mentioning him by name, she had this to say about Trump and his anti illegal-immigration positions:
“Today, we live in a time of threats like few others in recent memory. During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. … We must resist that temptation. No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country.”
But attacking the Republican party front-runner for president wasn’t enough for Haley. She also made sure to call out the conservatives in the party, essentially telling them to shut up:
“There’s a tendency to falsely equate noise with results. Some people think that you have to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference. That is just not true. Often, the best thing we can do is turn down the volume.”
While Haley has confirmed that Ryan and McConnell reviewed and approved the text of Haley’s speech before she delivered it, their aides claim they had nothing to do with the content. “Governor Haley did a great job with the speech. She had the pen and didn’t need much input from anyone,” Ryan spokesman Brendan Buck said.
However, those who don’t work for the GOP power brokers disagreed. “Many conservatives feel that even though she’s a good governor, she probably got some of her talking points from the establishment,” said Kellyanne Conway, an adviser to a Cruz-allied super PAC. “It was an attempt to undercut Ted Cruz and Donald Trump.”
On this last point, Haley openly confirmed that this was her objective when she appeared on NBC and CNN yesterday morning.
Praise for Nikki Haley’s speech wasn’t limited to establishment Republicans. Her soft on Obama but tough on Republicans approach earned her accolades from the mainstream media and the White House.
According to those singing her praises, Haley is now a prime candidate for the VP slot. And the good news for Nikki Haley is she can do it for either party.
David Leach is the owner and publisher of The Strident Conservative, where you will find news and opinion that’s politically-incorrect and always “right.” He is also a frequent contributor at RedState.com.
His political commentaries can be heard daily on KLZ560 AM at 5pm MST and on other Crawford Broadcasting stations throughout the day.
