If I had written Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech, it would have been much shorter and to the point. He could have delivered it in about thirty seconds. He would have said, “Unfortunately, my presidency has been a failure. Everything that I have done, and that includes the economy and healthcare, has made matters worse. I apologize to the American people and to the generations that will follow. I hope that the next president will set a course to correct all of the damage I have done to this country and to our citizens. Thank you, and may God bless all of you.”
Obama is a lame duck. He can still do damage to this country, but hopefully, everything he does in the way of executive orders can be rolled back by a conservative president.
The speech that set me back was the one given by Nikki Haley, the sitting governor of the great state of South Carolina. I have worked in South Carolina, and I love the people. The fact is that they are very much like Mississippians. They are gracious, well-mannered, energetic, God-fearing people who don’t shy away from hard work.
I had heard that Governor Haley was going to give the response to Obama’s speech, so to tell the truth, I was excited. Haley is a governor of an important state, she is articulate, and she is the daughter of immigrants from India. In some quarters, she has been mentioned as a possible vice-presidential candidate. Every Indian immigrant I have met is not only smart, but very hard working. They believe in the same values that I do. They believe in the opportunities that America has to offer, and most of all, they take responsibility for their own support. Many work long hours to support themselves and their families, and to build a business or career that will add value to our society.
So, I leaned back in my recliner ready for a “stem winder” from the Governor. Imagine my surprise when she started lambasting the Republican Party and its presidential candidates. Her focus was on Donald Trump, and she later admitted this on NBC. If you had just landed from Venus, you may have thought, listening to her, that there was no difference between Republicans and Democrats, and Obama was not even the president. Her criticism of Trump was pointed and ugly. She said, “Some people think that you have to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference. That is just not true. Often, the best thing we can do is turn down the volume. When the sound is quieter, you can actually hear what someone else is saying. And that can make a world of difference.”
Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House, and Mitch McConnell, the leader in the Senate, approved this speech. They are “establishment Republicans.” Of course, they want one of their buddies to become president because then, nothing has to change. They can tax and spend to their hearts content, and fight over committee chairmanships.
Whether or not you support Trump, he has done something to invigorate the Republican Party, and believe me, this is important.
People are not interested in what the establishment Republicans have to offer. They see the country on a course of self-destruction, and they are turning to someone who is passionate about changing America’s course.
Nikki Haley was recruited by the “establishment” to do a hit piece on Trump and Cruz, men that the Paul Ryan’s and Mitch McConnell’s hate. For the life of me, I don’t understand why they turned to Haley. When I checked her out on the internet, the very first thing I saw was a headline that read, “Nikki Haley Affair Rumors Resurface as Blogger Alleges Steamy Encounter in New “Tome of Love.” Haley, of course, has denied such an allegation, but the word is still out there for everyone to read.
If Haley did have an affair, that is her business, not mine. But it does take away in my mind her credibility to lecture us on turning down our “loud voices.”
Americans by the droves are turning away from political parties and political hacks, and this is a good thing. Desperate politicians in their quest to hang on to power will do anything to keep it. Our politicians must be held to a higher standard. Haley should have been vetted by the Republican Party. Otherwise, they could have hired the likes of James Carville to deliver the State of the Union response.
