CNN: Newsnight With Abby Phillip: 'A Look at Nikki Haley’s History of Comments About The Civil War'

Source:CNN- former U.N. Ambassador, as well as Governor of South Carolina, and 2023 Republican presidential candidate, Nikki Haley.

"CNN’s Abby Phillip looks back at former South Carolina governor and GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s past comments about the Civil War. Former George W. Bush advisor Mark McKinnon and Republican strategist Shermichael Singleton discuss." 

From CNN

Nikki Haley: “What was the cause of the United States Civil War,” an audience member asked. Haley took a few deep breaths before responding, “Well, don’t come with an easy question.” South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union and the place where the first shots were fired in the Civil War. Given that she was born there and later served six years as the state’s governor, the question actually should’ve been easy to answer." 

From Forbes Magazine

Nikki Haley: “Of course the Civil War was about slavery,” something she called “a stain on America.” She went on to reiterate that “freedom matters. And individual rights and liberties matter for all people.”

From the Associated Press

Shermichael Singleton: "As an African-American who happens to be a Conservative, I thought her answer was quote despicable and embarrassing 

Whatever bump that she could've received from John Sununu, whatever bump that she could've received from the last several weeks now, I think that's all gone, I think it's over for her. You have a presidential candidate whose unable to answer a complicated question because they're trying to placate to a base who in my opinion wouldn't vote for her anyway. So why be so uncomfortable telling the truth? The Civil War about slavery and any comparisons that one would like to make about tradition, is odious to me. If you can't be factual about history, I question your judgment to make decisions about the present that would ultimately make the future."

From what I wrote about Nikki Haley back in October: “Also, between Joe Biden and Nikki Haley, would Trump voters turn out and vote for her? They tend not to turn out and vote in big numbers, when they’re cult leader (sometimes you have to be frank) isn’t on the ballot. And would they vote for someone whose not just a woman, but a Never-Trumper, whose also not from their race, ethnicity, generation, culture, etc?

And if she goes out-of-her-way for their vote and just tries to appeal to those voters, would that turn Independents off for her and also turn out more Democrats against her?”

From The New Democrat

There are times in every successful leader's career where they are tested and you know right there how strong of a person and leader that they are and how good their character is. The old expression you: "You never have a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression", is how I look at Nikki Haley right now. 

I wasn't going to vote for her anyway, if it was a choice between her and Joe Biden. But she just reenforced not just to Democrats, but Independents, as well as Conservative Republicans, (you know, normal Republicans) who are suffocating in Trumpland right now, hoping for hope that there's any shot in hell, that they'll be able to vote for anyone other than Donald Trump or Joe Biden for President in 2024, that she's still a late night TV host, looking for a prime time spot, but simply isn't ready big leagues yet.

Republican strategist Shermichael Singleton had the perfect comment here about Nikki Haley:  "You have a presidential candidate whose unable to answer a complicated question because they're trying to placate to a base who in my opinion wouldn't vote for her anyway. So why be so uncomfortable telling the truth? 

Does Nikki Haley really think that even in her home state of South Carolina, that that the far-right, is going to vote for a South Asian, as well as East Indian-American woman, a gen-xer, a daughter of immigrants, for President of the United States? Of course not. So why does she feel the need to try to get those folks who live in Fantasy Land ideologically and culturally? 

I agree with Shermichael Singleton that this disqualifies her as a serious presidential candidate now. Maybe Nikki and Ron DeSantis can run for President together as a duo now. 

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