GOP Presidential candidate Nikki Haley made a huge political mistake on Wednesday. She told a group of voters during a campaign stop that the Civil War was about keeping the government out of our lives and having the freedom to do whatever we want to do. Her comments were made during a campaign event in Berlin, New Hampshire, in response to a question from an audience member. The man asked her what the Civil War was all about. Since Haley is from South Carolina, a major site of Civil War battles, it’s a fair question.
But her response was a mess. Instead of being honest about it, Haley made up some word salad about the Civil War being about the freedom individuals have to keep government out of our lives. Her answer made it sound like a positive thing. And then she added that “we need capitalism. … we need economic freedom.” It just got worse the more she talked. At the end she asked the questioner, “What do you want me to say about slavery.” when he expressed his astonishment that she hadn’t even mentioned it. Listen below.
If this is Haley’s version of “leadership” then Republican voters need to look elsewhere if they don’t want to appear racist, which is kind of a sad irony.
