Nikki Haley Fails a Political and Moral Test
Instead of shunning and shaming certain elements of the Republican Party, the former South Carolina governor chose to pander to them.
Not a tough question.
Photographer: Sophie Park/Getty Images
What was Nikki Haley thinking? Asked a simple question about the cause of the Civil War at a campaign event in New Hampshire, the Republican presidential candidate bobbed and weaved and essentially landed on some states’ rights gibberish. About 12 hours later, the former South Carolina governor finally offered a clearer answer. “Of course the Civil War was about slavery. We know that. That’s the easy part of it.”
But evidently it wasn’t so easy for Haley, who is experiencing a mini-surge in New Hampshire less than four weeks before the state’s primary. She failed a simple test, both politically and morally. Rather than speaking with clarity and authority on a topic she should know well, Haley stumbled badly. Instead of shunning and shaming certain elements of her party, she chose to pander to them. As a result, she has tarnished her brand among potential general election voters as a more modern face of the GOP.