Two months ago, I wrote a column for Campaign Stop 2016 about my vision and hope for what good Republican leadership would look like: facing the issues head on, applying traditional Republican values instead of religious conservatism and showing a willingness to engage in bipartisan conversation.
Last month for Campaign Stop I wrote about what I see as a new sectional crisis. Of course it is accentuated by the election cycle, but recently it’s been hard to look around and see anything but Americans moving apart rather than together, looking for division and difference rather than common ground or compromise.
With these pieces in mind, I was so heartened to watch the Republican response to the State of the Union Address last night. Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina offered a balanced, moderate, level headed, eager rebuttal to President Obama’s speech that called on her party to tackle the tough issues of the day with compassion, intellect and open-mindedness.
More specifically, there were a number of things I liked about Governor Haley’s speech.
First was her frame of moving forward rather than moving back. Too often in the last few years, Republican standard bearers have focused their efforts and their rhetoric on what they are going to get rid of rather than what they are going to do. “The Party of No” became a single-minded seeker of obstruction rather than America’s best hope for moving forward. In contrast to that counterproductive mantra, Governor Haley spoke of America’s “chance to turn in a new direction” and laid out plans—although high level—for what that direction would look like.
Second was her emphasis on shared responsibility. She was quick to acknowledge that “Democrats…bear much responsibility for the problems facing America today, [but] they do not bear it alone…. We as Republicans…need to recognize our contributions to the erosion of the public trust….” What a refreshing comment. It’s about time we move away from finger pointing and infantile accusations and begin to accept shared responsibility for problems, as well as successes.
Next was immigration reform. Perhaps one of the few things Democrats and Republicans can agree on is that our immigration system is broken. In fact, we have an immigration problem. And while there are polarizing and extremist views both sides of the aisle (read: carte blanche acceptance of all immigrants or categorical rejection based on religious identity), Governor Haley presented what I think is the reasonable compromise: “stopping illegal immigration…and…welcoming properly vetted legal immigrants, regardless of their race or religion.” There must be a way to protect our national security and maintain our history as a land of opportunity.
Perhaps the most encouraging part of her speech was the critique of the state of political discourse in our country. “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.” In contrast with the 24-hour cable news cycle, partisan gridlock and populist protests on both sides of the divide, it is nice to hear someone saying that the answer lies in pausing to listen instead of always talking, in civility rather than temper tantrums. As she said, “there’s a tendency to falsely equate noise with results.”
The underlying themes running through her speech were centrism and vision—the desire to work toward solutions instead of obstructions.
In case you, like me, are worried that you too optimistically interpreted her speech, it’s encouraging to read the criticism she’s drawn from the Right since last night. Laura Ingraham tweeted that Governor Haley was “NOT SMART” by “digging in, criticizing the GOP candidates.” Ann Coulter tweeted that “Trump should deport Nikki Haley.”
In contrast, Governor Jeb Bush, who has also drawn criticism for being too moderate, called her remarks “spectacular” and said that “she’d done an extraordinary job” as Governor of South Carolina.
Perhaps we are on the eve of a new era of Republicanism. Hearing Governor Haley’s speech last night, my faith is renewed that when the dust of primary season settles, we will be presented with moderate Republicans who can lead this country forward into the next term.
Max Stayman is a Trinity senior. His column runs on alternate Fridays.
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