Don’t Mess with Nikki Haley!
May 19, 2009
by Garnet Spy
|This item is cross-posted from The Garnet Spy. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
State Rep. Nikki Haley
State Rep. Nikki Haley has announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination for Governor of South Carolina. No news there.
As soon as she announced, the knives came out. No news there, either. Sad, but not news.
Rep. Haley is tough enough and smart enough to handle herself, but I take personally one of the “put downs” to her political efforts. She’s a woman and, according to some:
To become governor, Haley will have to overcome questions about her Indian heritage and whether S.C. voters will accept a woman chief executive.
The strongest people I’ve known or worked with are women. From my mother, maternal grandmother, aunt, wife, mother-in-law, daughters-in-law and professional acquaintances, I have been blessed by the presence of brilliant, tough and dedicated women.
It belittles the women of South Carolina and the voters of the Palmetto State to question if they “will accept a woman chief executive.”
Yeah. They will in droves! Some may not agree with her politics or have other favorites in the race — that’s fair. But in the 21st Century, Nikki Haley will neither win nor lose the Governor’s office because of her gender.
Any “controversy” or questions about her electability on that will be as inaccurate as they will be disgusting. Yeah, I know, politics is about inaccurate and disgusting – Nancy Pelosi is certainly evidence of that — as is Barney Frank, Harry Reid, Bill Clinton and Keith Olbermann.
But let’s stomp on this insect now. Nikki Haley is a woman — and a helluva woman at that. The only people who will have problems accepting her as the chief executive are those she crosses.
And may God have mercy on them, ’cause I know what it was like to cross my mother, my grandmother, my aunt, my wife, my mother-in-law, my daughters-in-law and my female professional acquaintances.
SHUDDER
-questions about her Indian heritage, eh? I wonder what those might be? Talk about legitimizing racism – she might not be competent due to Indian DNA. This is really disgusting. Imagine the outrage and punitive measures taken if the statement read, “…overcome questions about her Black heritage.”
One glimpse at her picture and you see focus, vibrancy, health, energy, determination – sort of reminds me of Sarah Palin in a way.
“To become governor, Haley will have to overcome questions about her Indian heritage and whether S.C. voters will accept a woman chief executive.”
Actually, that statement to me seems to be wondering if the voters will overcome sexist viewpoints to judge her on her own personal qualities or if sexism will prevent her from becoming governor. I like that statement better than the 2008 “OMG, let’s make history!” I think it’s a fair question to wonder about… unless South Carolina has a strong history of voting for women and has already displayed an absence of sexism. In that case, I can see how it would be offensive.
Goesh – your comment is exactly what came to my mind regarding the comment on her heritage. TNA has come across so much sexism, the issue of a female executive does not phase me as much anymore (even though it is so wrong). The comment regarding her heritage is quite eye opening…
Karen, South Carolina has a terrible record on electing women to office (and running women for office.) But to me, it looks like the reporter from The State is placing the focus on Nikki Haley’s gender and ethnicity in order to intentionally seed suspicion about her ability to win.
If SC voters are unsure they “will accept a woman chief executive,” the reporter ought to offer some proof – at least a quote or two from concerned citizens – but this is speculation designed to raise doubt about her electability. Nikki Haley has two obstacles right now: name recognition beyond her district and bankroll. This reporter from The State knows perfectly well that gender won’t stand in Nikki’s way.
Karen, if that was the intent of the author, there should have been a qualifier attached otherwise it remains a tacit and passive endorsement of racism, resignation to the status quo. The author has a political slant or simply lacks professionalism.
goesh, are you kidding me? You look at a (probably staged) photograph and deduce all of that???
I don’t know, didn’t the press say basically say the same things about Obama and whether the country was ready for a black president. I think the press projects what it wants on to people and tries to make a story out of it.
No, as a matter of fact, the press DIDN’T.
Haley, to win, will have to overcome overwhelming ignorance, sexism and racism. Luckily, she is a smart strong woman and if they let her in she will win that fight….
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