Nikki Haley, a leading Republican figure and former presidential candidate, has dismissed personal attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris and called for her critics to focus instead on policy failures. In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Haley said that Harris’ race or gender should not be the yardstick by which she is measured but rather her actions and policy decisions.
“It’s not helpful. It isn’t creating any help at all,” Haley stated firmly. “I mean, we’re talking about an avowedly liberal senator who hasn’t achieved much and doesn’t do much with what she gets. You don’t need to talk about what she looks like or what gender she is to talk about that. The American people are smarter than that.”
Haley’s remarks were in response to criticisms directed at Harris based on her race and gender. She argued that they divert attention from substantive critiques of Kamala’s policies “Talk about the fact that she doesn’t believe in fracking. Tell that to the voters in Pennsylvania,” Haley suggested. “Talk about the fact that she doesn’t want to talk about paying down debt. She wants to increase taxes. Tell that to the American people.Talk about the fact that consumer prices have gone up 19.5% since Joe and Kamala were in office,” she added.
The former South Carolina Governor spoke out on numerous policy areas where she believed Harris fell short of expectations.“Talk about the fact that she’s always sided with the Palestinian protests instead of our friend Israel. There are so many issues we can talk about when it comes to Kamala Harris. What does it matter what she looks like? It matters what she said, what she’s fought for, and how there have been no results because of it,” Said Haley.
Besides, Haley said something concerning current political developments inside Democratic Party.She noted that incumbent president Joe Biden quitting his bid for re-election did not take her by surprise resulting in Kamala being the nominee. “I was not surprised and I did not find any joy in it. The whole campaign, I fought for mental competency tests. It wasn’t with disrespect; it wasn’t to be mean, I was like this is not just Joe Biden there’s an issue we have in DC where people go into office and they never leave. And then their staffers and their family keep propping them up and its a problem for the American people.” She said.
Haley also expressed concerns over Harris’ handling of illegal immigration and the US-Mexico border. She said she never thought he would make it to the election, I always said a vote for Joe Biden is a vote for Kamala Harris, and I think that’s what’s playing out.” Haley said.
Democrats have made a brilliant move by going for a younger candidate, but according to Haley they chose the “weakest” one. “You think of Kamala… she had one job which was to deal with illegal immigration and the border. Not done.” She was the most progressive senator we had except Bernie Sanders. It’s happening whether it’s her absence during Bibi’s speech yesterday, encouraging spending on everything or proposing taxes while in California where there is no tax she did not suggest. This was noted by Haley.
However, from Haley’s critique, Harris’ progressive position puts her much further left than Biden. “Everything she does from no fracking to no oil drilling whatsoever, all that stuff is extremely liberal stuff. And she is more progressive than Joe Biden has ever been,” so having Kamala Harris instead of him is good because he is younger. The problem is that you have put in one of the most liberal politicians you probably could have put in.”