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.