The Potential and the Problem

 Nikki Haley announced that she is running for President.

I really like Nikki Haley- more than any candidate since at least Mitt Romney, and possibly longer than that.

(Note:  The fact that I liked Mitt Romney tells you that (a)  I am Conservative by nature and (b) I am a political dork.  I plead guilty to both charges)

On paper, I think Nikki Haley could make a great President, for the following reasons:

1)  She was a popular two term governor in South Carolina.  As a general rule, governors make for a better training for the Presidency than time in Congress.  Governors have to actually manage the state, and have to deal with the state legislature that often is working against their goals.  

2)  She took the position of UN Ambassador in 2017, and held the position for two years.  So she has both governing experience and foreign policy experience.

3)  In 2015, she signed a bill to remove the Confederate flag from the Capitol grounds.  Which shows she is willing to take on her own party.

4)  She is a woman and a person of color (her parents are Sikh immigrants).  It would be good for both the GOP if she was the nominee- and it would be good for the country if, in a 2 party system, both parties showed they were open to being led by anyone, regardless of gender or background

In addition, people who have worked with her vouch that she is very smart and very hardworking.  Add everything up, and she can potentially be the next President- and that would be a good thing.

Here's my concern:  I fear she is running to win the 2004 Presidential election instead of the 2024 Presidential election.  Her first campaign events were highlighted by her supporting term limits, support from the Freedom Caucus, and wanting  "mandatory mental competency tests", for politicians over the age of 75.  While I understand the appeal (attacks both Biden and Trump), is a little too cute.

One of the biggest problems the GOP has is that they no longer know what they stand for.  In 1980, Reagan ran on a few core principles (low taxes, a stronger military to stand up to the Soviet Union, a smaller government footprint), won, and those principles drove the country.  But that was over 40 years ago.  Trump's appeal to the GOP was, in part, because he wasn't trying to be warmed-over Reagan.  Unfortuantely, Trump's appeal was a combination of a cult of personality and a constant barrage of attacks on the other party.  There was no principle except for "I should win, and they should lose".  That's not healthy.

If I can offer Nikki Haley some advice, it would be this; pick the principles and main ideas that will guide your policies because you believe it is best for the country to deal with the issues of 2024.  Don't worry about 'winning', either in the GOP Primary or the election. Because right now, I have no idea what those core principles are- so it's a blank canvass for someone to fill in.  

It might as well be you.

Various thoughts - 2023/02/14

A collection of random thoughts this week:

* Happy Valentine's Day.  If you are in a happy romantic relationship, give your partner a hug.  If not, find a friend and give them a hug.  To be fair...

* Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs for winning the Super Bowl.  They weren't my favorite team, but I have friends from Kansas City who are thrilled.

* Speaking of Kansas City, Feb 7th was the anniversay of the day I lost one of my closest friends.  Barbara Jo, I still miss you, your energy, your intelligence, your attitude towards life.

* Condolences to the Eagles, who lost a close game.  In the past 100 days, Philadelphia was runner-up in the finals of three different sports.  That's brutal- and I say this as a fan of the Cubs, Cavaliers, Guardians, and Buffalo Bills.

* I think we need clearer defintions of "Left", "Liberal", "Right", and "Conservative".  We tend us the first pair and second pair interchangably, and I think that is misleading.  In baseball, it's hard to tell the players without a scorecard.  In politics, it's hard to use labels without understanding what they mean.

* Fun link of the week:  Roll for Sandwich.  A man uses dice rolls to create his lunch.  Given my history with dice rolls, I would be terrified to try this for myself.  He makes some fascinating combinations.  

* Thank you all for reading.

The State of the Blog

I'm trying to write weekly on this blog- partly to keep writing, partly because it was a New Year's Resolution, partly because a friend and I both agreed to encourage each other to write more, partly... well, I've had this blog for over a dozen years.  I should use it.

But I'm not sure what this blog is about, exactly.  I don't write much about myself.  My philosophy is that anything I post should be expected to go out to the entire world- and I don't want or desire my entire life to be an open book.  

So I usually post about lighter things- music, sports, etc.  I used to post about politics, but I don't anymore.  Politics used to be about two differing philosophies about how to balance between the good of the individual and the good of the larger group.  Now it's more like a sports rivalry- I want my team to win but it's imperative that the other team loses.  

The quality of our lives has vastly increased over the past 200, 100, 25 years.  The quality of our politicians have gone downhill, and I've grown to cynical and apathetic to change them.  Or even argue about them anymore.

I'd rather find out about the technologies and advancements that will affect all of us.  Or learn a new skill.  Or hear a great puzzle that makes you think.  Or get a recommendation for something to watch, read, or listen.

Speaking of which- I've fallen in love with a comedic game show from the UK called Taskmaster.  It's fits my sense of humor exactly, and I highly recommend it.  I'm putting the first episode of series 5 on, but really- any of the seasons are fantastic, and just about everything is on Youtube.  Give it a shot if you have time: