Memo: If you’re tired of losing, don’t be a loser.
But she’s not off to a good start. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a gathering that has a reputation for foaming-at-the-mouth extremism, Haley started off by reminding a small crowd that, “We’ve lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections.” They didn’t want to be reminded.
She seems to be basing her campaign on the “tired of losing” theme, implying she’ll do better because she’s different. But is she? To win the White House, she has to give Americans something to vote for, but her campaign to date has been criticized for lack of substance.
“Our cause is right,” she said. If it is, why is her party so unpopular? “But we have failed to win the confidence of a majority of Americans.” She’s right about that. “That ends now.” Brave, but empty, rah-rah talk.
She said if she’s elected president, she’ll “renew an America that’s strong and proud – not weak and woke”. But our country is much stronger now on the world stage, under Biden’s skillful foreign policy leadership, than it was under Trump. And “woke” is dog-whistle language that may appeal to hardcore conservatives, but turns off the majority of Americans.
The Guardian says Haley spent much of her time on the CPAC stage “condemning the subjects that dominate outrage on the right: Joe Biden, socialism and the media.” That’s not how you win over independents and moderates.
“In case you didn’t notice, the liberal media’s heads are exploding about my run for president,” she ranted. “We all know why. The media can’t stand that I’m a conservative. Think about it.” I’ve thought about it, and concluded the media is reporting what she’s saying, and it’s not different from what other Republicans are saying, except maybe she isn’t quite as explicit about what has obviously become a racist, bigoted, intolerant party.
“I’m a woman – a minority – and the daughter of immigrants. I am proof that liberals are wrong about everything they say about America,” she said. America has never elected a woman president, and only one minority person, which tends to indicate that what she claims liberals are saying about our country is, in fact, true. The Democrats did try to elect a woman to the White House, and if Republicans wanted a woman president, they had their chance; but they inflicted Trump on us instead. As for our one-and-only minority president, they insisted he wasn’t even an American.
The Guardian says, “One of her loudest applause lines was when Haley, after describing herself as the ‘first minority female governor in history’, declared, as she has in the past: ‘America is not a racist country!’” The problem is no one else believes that … because of them.
“She also doubled down on her call for every politician over the age of 75 take a mental competency test,” which is not how you win the senior citizen vote. (It doesn’t help, either, that her party is floating schemes to cut or cancel Social Security and Medicare, which they’ve always opposed. And everyone knows they’re against those programs.)
“After finishing her speech, Haley waded into the crowd in the main hall of the venue. As she posed for photos with supporters, some attendees heckled her, shouting, ‘We love Trump’ and ‘Rino’, a derogatory label for conservatives viewed as insufficiently loyal. It stands for ‘Republican in name only’.”
This woman is not going to be president. She’s an empty suit. Even her own party is against her. Given what the GOP is now, that’s actually probably her best asset.