South Carolina Rep. Nikki Haley achieved a convincing victory in the gubernatorial runoff, but not without having to endure the all-too-common slur campaign and personal attacks. She will now face Democrat Vincent Sheheen in November. What makes the story so sickening is the fact that some of the character assassinations were from Republicans. A conservative blogger, Will Folks, made allegations of a most extreme nature, the details of which I will not recount here as I find them deeply offensive. Perhaps he thought it would give him the fifteen minutes of fame that he craves, something becoming ever more elusive to bloggers given the rapidly increasing numbers of political commentators on the internet. Whatever the reason, the possible damage caused to the Haley family and the Republican Party’s chances are inexcusable.
I asked Skip recently how he can laugh off some of the biting personal remarks that he receives from ‘liberal’ readers – an amazing feat of psychology on their part, as they don’t know the first thing about him, other than his political views. Of course, they are always way off the mark… the usual references to ‘racist’, ‘KKK’, along with the obligatory comparisons of the present situation to the Bush era (will they still be doing that in the 22nd century?) and demonization of the Tea Party. Possibly, Skip’s Marine training taught him to ignore the petty verbal attacks and concentrate on the real battle.
I tend to take things more personally, which also includes derogatory remarks aimed at others who do not deserve such treatment. Which leads me to Jake Knotts. Said as a joke, Mr. Knotts? While I seriously question the predilections of the President, Nikki Haley does not deserve this sort of bigotry from a member of her own party. Perhaps a touch of jealousy of a lady who is talented and could well go on to greater things. Do us all a favor, Mr. Knotts… leave the name-calling and personal attacks to the Democrats, you shame the Republican Party.
Earlier today, I read an article about the USA soccer team. It listed the players, along with their ethnic origin. To me, it encapsulated the spirit of the United States. Eleven players with different ancestral nationalities, two of which are naturalized citizens themselves. When they come together, they do so under one flag – the flag of the United States of America. That is the basis of American exceptionalism. The desire of people of all ethnic backgrounds to succeed, to help the country succeed by their efforts and, most importantly, to uphold the principles laid down in the Constitution.
We would like to wish Nikki Haley all the best for November, and good luck to Team USA later today. To both, ‘Go get ‘em!’
(Editor Dee is in for Skip today)
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