Wow. After having won the nomination on a wave of Tea Party extremism, the Nikki Haley campaign is trying rather desperately — and transparently — to portray her as “conservative” in the actual, traditional, conservative sense of the word.
So it is that I got this release from Nikki a few minutes ago:
I wanted to write you a quick note about National Review’s latest article on Nikki’s incredible primary victory and message of conservative reform focused on creating a pro-business, accountable government that’s truly working for the people of this state. Take a moment to read a few excerpts below…
National Review: She Means Business
South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley is a chamber of commerce conservative…
And so forth and so on…
Hmmm. Nikki “is a chamber of commerce conservative”? Really?
No, not really. Because the SC Chamber of Commerce is backing Vincent Sheheen.
Perhaps the National Review meant that she was “Chamber of Commerce-ish,” or “Chamber of Commerce-like,” or “Chamber of Commercesque.”
But you know what? Not even that would wash. Here’s what Nikki’s campaign had to say about the actual, real-world Chamber of Commerce in reaction to its endorsement of Vincent:
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina business leaders are sticking with a decision not to endorse state GOP gubernatorial nominee Rep. Nikki Haley as her campaign Wednesday called the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce “a big fan of bailouts and corporate welfare.”
In case you don’t keep up with these things, that’s not the way “a chamber of commerce conservative” talks. That’s the way you talk when you’re the darling of the anti-establishment Tea Party.
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So the National Review is calling Haley a provincial ‘conservative’ who is incapable of working or has no knowledge of the market “really works”? She’d rather beat the local, hick rug rather than (or simply doesn’t possess the skills or have the influence to) work with the world’s corporate citizens.
I’m guessing at all of this and pulling it out of the air, but it sounds delicious.
How come so few, except for the “far left” like MSNBC talk about these realities? They don’t mention Ms. Palin’s glaring contradictions, and they don’t mention Ms. Haley’s glaring contradictions, much less her courting of those who remain convinced that slavery had nothing to do with Southern secession? It isn’t far left or far right to do good political reporting.
Brad, Nikki has clearly and repetitively come out for business, but not the largely corporate big businesses supported by our very own SC Chamber of Commerce — instead, Nikki is for small businesses that employ most of the country’s workforce and who are very rarely represented by the Chamber of stars.
I find it very odd that so many Vince Sheheen supporters have historically decried sins of big business as a permanent plank of party policy; now big business will be their ally? Very doubtful, in my opinion.
Sheheen’s liberal position on immigration is decidely more favorable to large businesses who can afford compliance audits and legal counsel:
“The Democrats’ nominee, state Sen. Vincent Sheheen, said the solution to illegal immigration issues goes hand-in-hand with enforcing the law that bars employers from using illegal labor, said Trav Robertson, Sheheen’s campaign spokesman.
“When companies and businesses really understand that there are penalties for hiring illegal immigrants, then we can help eliminate that problem,” Robertson said.”
Could Sheheen’s achilles heel be grounded in his campaign stance on immigration? Or will his non-Protestant religion (like mine) be his downfall?
Obviously, Haley’s immigration stance is popular and her Protestantism favorably received.
Two things, Juan: First, would that not be wonderfully ironic if Nikki Haley, celebrated by the shallow national media for all the lovely things her nomination says about us enlightened voters in the South, won because her opponent is a Lebanese-American Catholic, and SC voters ain’t goin’ for none of THAT…
As for small-business vs. large, here’s what Frank Knapp, head of the SC Small Business Chamber, had to say (after explaining his group doesn’t DO endorsements):
“We absolutely have to have a governor who can get along and work with the South Carolina General Assembly,” Knapp said. “We’ve had eight years of the opposite and we continue to fall further and further behind on thing we need to get ahead on.”
Of course, I’d be kinda shocked to hear Frank endorse a Republican, anyway…
But that “she’s for SMALL business, not those awful BIG businesses” angle doesn’t work. The fact is, having the SC Chamber of Commerce back the Democrat right off the bat in the general election is remarkable, and worth taking note of. Folks, these are the real conservatives, if the word means anything at all.
And real conservatives, particularly of the business type, aren’t going to consider anyone as Out There as Nikki. They look at Vincent, and he inspires confidence. They look at Nikki, and think, “What the…”
“… nomination says about us enlightened voters in the South…”
Easy to remember:
SC’s Alvin Greene (US Senate candidate)
and
SC Green Party’s Morgan Bruce Reeves (candidate for SC Gov)
The Island Packet & The Beaufort Gazette:
“State Law Enforcement Division records provided Tuesday show Morgan Bruce Reeves was charged twice in the 1990s with passing fraudulent checks. A 1994 assault and battery charge was dismissed, and Reeves paid $500 in fines for driving-related offenses.”
Perhaps SC is just a “wonderfully ironic” state.
Too many people believe whatever label a politician chooses to slap on herself or himself–was GW Bush ever a “compassionate conservative”?
Saying you’re for “small business” and actually being for small business are two different things. For one thing, small business depends of the employees of big businesses and, especially here in Cola., of the government [hiss] to buy its products and services…
KF, Haley can boast a personal history of participation in her family’s smallish business, no?
Nikki also promises to run “government like a business”.
Only problem is that government is not a business. Government doesn’t produce any product for some one to buy. It does provide services, law enforcement, education, etc. One doesn’t have a choice of governments to do business with; it’s more like a monopoly.
If one doesn’t like doing business with South Carolina state government, they have one choice! Move to another state!
Ralph–Alas, too many of the really good people are taking their “business” elsewhere.
Juan–She can boast of being a size 00, too, but what that has to do with her fitness to govern….having an ultra-luxury clothing store and running the state of South Carolina–let’s see…
Juan Caruso says: July 13, 2010 at 3:28 pm
“KF, Haley can boast a personal history of participation in her family’s smallish business, no?”
Haley does indeed boast of such participation, but I remain curious about that since her income seems to have been quite low until she took on “consulting” for Wilbur Smith and Lexington Hospital. There was surely no need to give up employment in a family business with no conflicts of interest (even if she was concerned about conflicts of interest, apparently not a big issue for her) so the math simply seems odd on this.
KF
“too many of the really good people are taking their “business” elsewhere.”
You mean many of the really good people are moving to other states?
I applaud this wholeheartedly! States should laways be in intense competition. The sooner the slags of S.C. realize this fact, the better.
Disclosure: the preceeding paragraph is of zero importance to socialists, communists and one-world government anti-sovereignty types, I do realize.
Lynn T
“her income seems to have been quite low until she took on “consulting” for Wilbur Smith and Lexington Hospital.”
Either you know what Haley’s income from her “quite low” family business income actually was, in which case perhaps you will share, or you do not know at all. Nice smear tactic if the latter, Lynn.
Just going by her reported family income of $60,000 one year, the next year up to about $197,000. Not a smear, Juan, just taking her word for it. This reminds me of complaints that The State article on “40 things you should know about Haley,” and ” . . . about Sheheen” sounded more favorable for Sheheen, when the difference was simply in their actual records.
@Juan–States, other than this one for the most part, ARE in intense competition, and alas, SC has been falling further and further behind on most measures of good things…
I realized after my last post that there are two ways to read the published report that I read, to the effect that Haley reported income of $60,000 before receiving the Lexington Hospital and Wilbur Smith money, which brought her income to over $197,000 last year. I read that as chronologically the year “before.” It is conceivable that what was meant was income in the same reporting year, without the addition of the consulting/marketing money. So, just to make it absolutely clear that I don’t intend a smear — the report that I read could be read two ways. However, neither reading bolsters her small business credentials very much.