Proudly proclaiming her Indian-American heritage, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley presented to the nation a kinder, gentler face of the Republican Party as she responded to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Jan. 12.
“A star was born tonight,” said Van Jones, an African American commentator on CNN and a former official of the Obama administration, after Haley’s speech which seemed to repudiate the harsh, divisive rhetoric that has been the hallmark of the GOP presidential primary campaign so far.
The party’s choice of Haley for the rebuttal was linked to the national attention she received for her response to the massacre of 9 people in an African American church in South Carolina, and for leading the successful effort to remove the confederate flag from State House grounds.
A Star is Born
Indian-American Republicans also see Haley as their rising star in the political firmament.
“She’s got nowhere to go but up,” said Rina Shah Bharara, a Republican strategist and spokesperson for NextgenGOP, a group that works with young Republicans.
Eight or even four years from now one could see her running for the U.S. Senate or even for President, said Niraj Antani, the 24-year-old Ohio state Representative, a GOP wunderkind himself.
“I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants who reminded my brothers, my sister and me every day how blessed we were to live in this country,” Haley said. She talked about growing up in the South, in a family of limited means, and of being “different.” Yet, she said, her story was not so different from that of millions of other Americans.
“I appreciate that she included references to her Indian parents and values they instilled in her. It goes a long way for a Republican Party that wants to be inclusive,” Antani said echoing the views of many who welcomed her image of a big-tent, issued-based GOP. “She embraced her culture and showed her loyalty to the party,” Antani added. He describes himself as a “very conservative” Republican, and said, “Nikki Haley has very strong convictions. This (response) will help her be a vice presidential candidate.”
Trump’s Trash
The temptation at this time when terrorist threats loom large was “to follow the siren call of the angriest voices,” said Haley making a not-so-veiled reference to the Trump’s harsh declarations about Muslims and other immigrants. “We must resist that temptation,” Haley intoned.
It is not as if Haley is a liberal on immigration issue. Even as she criticized the tenor of some GOP presidential candidates on the subject, she also said, “We cannot continue to allow immigrants to come here illegally. And in this age of terrorism, we must not let in refugees whose intentions cannot be determined.” But that also means, she clarified, “welcoming properly vetted legal immigrants, regardless of their race or religion. Just like we have for centuries.”
Haley’s performance won praise from the White House. Rep. Brad Ashford, D-Nebraska, told the media in a briefing on Air Force One traveling with President Obama to Nebraska, that the White House saw Haley as “willing to do something that a lot of other Republicans, leading Republicans, have been unwilling to do, which is to actually articulate a commitment to some core American values that some leading Republican presidential candidates are speaking out against.” That took courage Ashford said.
Republicans Split
The Republican response to Haley was split. Florida Senator and presidential aspirant Marco Rubio, who incidentally made a mess of his own SOTU rebuttal in 2013, told Megyn Kelly of Fox News, that Haley did a “fantastic” job and was the “perfect” person to deliver the rebuttal. Rumor has it Haley may be on the cusp of endorsing Rubio.
Former Florida governor Jeb Bush called Haley’s remarks “spectacular” on the “Fox and Friends.” “It’s difficult to do that, but embracing diversity, talking about conservative principles in an embracing way, hopeful, optimistic way, is the way to go,” Bush said.
Understandably in a Fox News interview Jan. 13 morning, Republican presidential frontrunner Trump blasted Haley for being “very weak on illegal immigration,” and dismissed her chances of getting the vice presidential ticket. He also indicated he had helped Haley in the past. “Over the years she’s asked me for a hell of a lot of money in campaign contributions. So, you know, it’s sort of interesting to hear her,” Trump said.
Haley’s speech caused considerable consternation among Trump supporters and some conservative pundits. Columnist Ann Coulter went as far as to call on Trump to deport Haley.
Establishment Response
An Indian American Republican, Hari Eppanapally, from Livingstone, N.J., praised Haley’s speech as “excellent” but said it could have been stronger. “I expected her to be more aggressive,” he said. “But she delivered the message of the party mainstream I suppose.” He said he wanted Haley to expand on her views on healthcare, education, the economy, the environment. “She missed an opportunity to address issues and give her views on how the future should be,” Eppanapally said.
In fact, Haley had a litany of criticism for Obama. In what was the toughest statement about Obama, she said he was “unwilling or unable” to deal with the terrorist threat. She spoke of the”squeeze” of the economy, a “crushing” national debt, Obamacare and “chaotic unrest” in cities.
But Haley’s rebuttal was anything but combative when she made her point. “Barack Obama’s election as president seven years ago broke historic barriers and inspired millions of Americans,” she said, and the President spoke eloquently of “grand” things. “Unfortunately, the President’s record has often fallen far short of his soaring words.”
“A positive thing was she kept her tone level where she was not bashing anybody, and particularly not the President,” said Bharara. “It shows Republicans don’t have to be a ‘Party of No.'”
Former Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod speaking on CNN said he found Haley’s speech moving and that she was speaking for the Republican establishment.
Moving to the Middle?
Haley’s tone and moderation appealed to Indian-American Republicans disillusioned by the party’s rush to the extremes. Saima Durrani, a U.S. Army officer, said she is a registered Republican but will probably vote Democratic as she does not like any of the candidates running for President. “But if Nikki Haley was running, she would get my vote,” Durrani said, because of Haley’s strong personality and the success she achieved in a southern state despite the obstacles of race and history.
Antani disagreed that Haley is moving to the middle. Having the support of the right wing Tea Party (which endorsed Haley in her 2010 gubernatorial race) he indicated, was not a negative. “I am very conservative. I agree with the Tea Party on many issues. But it isn’t an organization you belong to. Anyone can be a Tea Party-er.”
Haley’s SOTU response however, was very different from the speeches she usually delivers in South Carolina, Durrani said. “She was very neutral in this national speech. But she is very conservative when she speaks back home. The South is all about God, country, family, and that has had a heavy influence on her. I admire her for what she has achieved as a first generation American like I am.”
In her speech Haley acknowledged some of that. “Growing up in the rural south, my family didn’t look like our neighbors, and we didn’t have much. There were times that were tough, but we had each other, and we had the opportunity to do anything, to be anything, as long as we were willing to work for it,” she said.
Bharara urged Indian-Americans, 70 percent of whom lean Democratic, and a majority of whom are Hindus, not to hold Haley’s conversion to Christianity against her. “I know lot of Indians who converted to their husband’s religion,” she said, adding, “she’s not another Bobby Jindal.” Former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal who recently dropped out of the presidential primaries, had actively sought the support of evangelical Christians and also called for an end to hyphenated American identities like ‘Indian-American,’ much to the community’s chagrin.
Bharara cautioned that Haley’s reference to her Indian background may attract factions that want to play on her Sikh heritage, or that her father wears a turban. “But people can also end up saying, ‘Wow, she really loves America. She’s worked hard in a place like South Carolina to bring people together’,” Bharara said.
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