GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley is enjoying a bit of a boomlet these days, as the field narrows and the donor class looks for a non-Ron DeSantis alternative to Donald Trump.
Whatever the outcome of that saga may be, there is one thing that comes along with campaign trail boomlets: the press pays more attention to what the candidate says about almost everything. And that can lead the unwary candidate into the last place they want to be: the land of gaffes.
Haley recently discovered gaffe land with her remarks that the real names of every user of social media should be verified. Bad enough if one is concerned about small things like privacy or free speech. It was made worse when Haley said: “I want everybody’s name.”
As one might expect, Haley’s remarks got well-deserved rebukes from just about all sides. And as a result, Haley is now “walking back” her demand for your papers….er…name:
On Wednesday, Haley dialed back her remarks, telling CNBC she thinks that “life would be more civil” if people were prohibited from posting anonymously but that anonymous accounts would still be allowed for American citizens. “I don’t mind anonymous American people having free speech,” Haley told the network. “What I don’t like is anonymous Russians and Chinese and Iranians having free speech.” A representative for Haley’s campaign reiterated Wednesday that Americans have a right to free speech.
That’s super. We can only hope Haley is also a believer in the other guaranteed rights we have – and that includes the unenumerated ones in the Ninth and Tenth Amendments that irritate statists and would-be strong men everywhere.
We might also hope that after her brief, painful visit to gaffe-land, candidate Haley will refocus on the anti-democratic fantasies of other members of the GOP presidential field.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Republican Standard. It first appeared in American Liberty News.