Victory At Last

And What a Sweep it Was!

On Tuesday, June 22nd, the Palmetto State once again went to the polls with the mission to finally nominate the Republican gubernatorial candidate. In a decisive victory, state Representative Nikki Haley (R-SC) swept opponent U.S. Rep Gresham Barrett by winning 65% of the vote compared to his 35%. In her acceptance speech, Haley claimed the landslide victory was an affirmation of her small government message and across the board fiscal conservatism.

The Journey Before it...

In an epic, Obama-Clinton style, campaign battle, state Rep Nikki Haley finally overcame the established Republicans. Running a Republican banner of small government and little spending that even I could flock to, it seems that despite every hurtle she faced, Nikki Haley would not back down. For a while it seemed the Haley, the dark horse candidate, would fade into obscurity at the back of the pack, but surprise endorsements from the all-star cast of Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, and Jenny Sanford, Haley's surge knew no bounds, until the first scandal hit.

During the last week in May as the political ball game seemed to wind down, no one knew it was really just the top of the seventh inning. A political blogger, Will Folks, posted on his website that he allegedly had an extramarital affair with the then State Rep. Nikki Haley. Immediately the Haley campaign slammed back, denouncing the blogger as a muckraker and for pushing fabrications into the media maelstrom. After affirming that the claims were baseless and asking for any proof to be given, the blogger backed off and faded into obscurity, but not before the story exploded into a controversy that would even make Kenneth Starr squirm.

On June 2nd, a top Gresham Barrett campaign aide resigned in order to clear his conscience of a matter most near and dear to the media's heart. He told a story of another extramarital affair involving Nikki Haley and himself. He even offered, what he called privately done liar detector test results, to vindicate his story. The media carnage that followed was only beaten back by a show of force unprecedented in two days age of political grandstanding. Haley, backed by written affidavits of continued support from Palin and Sanford, stood calm and cool in the mists of the storm while the powers that be ranted and raved about her character flaws on the opposing side. The comments got so fictitious and revolting that even Haley's top opponent, at the time, even released a statement claiming that those who furthered these stories were pushing fallacies and attempting to debase the credit of a wonderful lady. The Haley camp respond kindly, by thanking the opponent, Henry McMasters, but also calling it a little too little a little too late.

Then after surviving all the sexist attacks, a new salvo of attacks began to rain down. Religion entered into the race and with a vengeance. South Carolina Senator Jake Knotts referred to Haley as a 'raghead' as a racial and cultural insult. Knotts apologized, sort of, but the question about Nikki Haley's ethnic upbringing was questioned. CNN ran a story about how the Christian Right was beginning to question Haley's devotion to Christianity. Haley, born a practicing Sikh, converted to Christianity in early adulthood but has said that at times she does attend services with her still Sikh family. I called the idea of a person's religion dominating your choice to vote for them or not as being ignorant in the worst way. Yet Pastors and their followers went into the runoff election day still screaming their displeasure. Yet as I pointed out, Haley would be nominated, because most people in the Republican party are not that narrow minded.

The Race Ahead

Now Nikki Haley will face off with Democratic opponent Vincent Sheheen, with recent polls showing Haley leading Sheheen by a 55% to 34% gap. With Haley as the Republican heir apparent to the South Carolina Governor's Mansion, Nikki Haley has reached the upper echelons of the political game and has proven herself in the light of the national media. On both accounts, I say congratulations.

Later,
Cody




(Photo: Courtesy of the Huffington Post)