Nikki Haley gets stiff GOP blowback. Why are some in her own party upset?
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley鈥檚 response to President Obama鈥檚 State of the Union address has generated lots of negative reaction within her own Republican Party. Why is that?
The short answer is that it was insufficiently hard-line on the issue of illegal immigration for some, as well as insufficiently angry. The larger question is whether that presages a breakup of some sort within the GOP.
鈥淭rump should deport Nikki Haley,鈥� Ann Coulter during the middle of Governor Haley鈥檚 speech Tuesday night.
Let鈥檚 back up and start with the details, shall we?
As the choice to counter the president鈥檚 appearance, Haley seemed something of an anti-Donald Trump from the get-go. She鈥檚 had lots of governing experience, for one. She gets along well with top party figures. She鈥檚 not belligerent. She played a key role in removing the Confederate battle flag from South Carolina's State House grounds.
And Haley鈥檚 speech Tuesday night was pretty much a direct Trump rebuke 鈥� even though she didn鈥檛 mention the billionaire by name.
As the Monitor鈥檚 Linda Feldmann noted Wednesday morning, Haley鈥檚 message shared quite a bit with Mr. Obama鈥檚. On the broad issues of the state of America鈥檚 public discourse and the nation鈥檚 increasingly diverse identity, 鈥渢hey could have finished each other鈥檚 sentences,鈥� according to Ms. Feldmann.
Haley seemed to allude to Mr. Trump when she said, 鈥淪ome people think that you have to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference.鈥�
On Trump鈥檚 signature issue of opposition to illegal immigration, Haley said, 鈥淣o one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country.鈥� The United States should allow in 鈥減roperly vetted legal immigrants, regardless of religion,鈥� she added.
Ms. Coulter did not like these comments, tweeting that the first means 鈥渙pen borders鈥� and that the second translates to 鈥渓et in all the Muslims.鈥� Nor was she alone among conservatives with her negative reaction.
鈥淣ikki Haley鈥檚 speech would鈥檝e been good except for the GOP self-loathing,鈥� and former Ted Cruz staffer Amanda Carpenter.
As for the 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie issued words of support for the South Carolina governor. But Carly Fiorina said the speech hit the 鈥渨rong note,鈥� and Trump himself pretty much would have fired Haley if possible.
Haley is 鈥渨eak on illegal immigration鈥� and 鈥渂ig on amnesty,鈥� on MSNBC.
One thing is clear from this contretemps: Immigration is fast on its way to becoming a litmus test for the conservative wing of the Republican Party.
That wasn鈥檛 always so. President Reagan signed legislation granting amnesty to many of the illegal immigrants then living in the shadows in the US. And in 2013, Sen. Marco Rubio (R) of Florida worked with other lawmakers in the 鈥淕ang of Eight鈥� to produce an immigration reform bill, which later stalled in the House.
Senator Rubio would not engage in that same process today.
鈥淎 hard line on immigration, however it is defined, is now part of the conservative creed,鈥� Ramesh Ponnuru in Bloomberg View.
But from the reaction to Haley鈥檚 speech, it is clear that this is a conservative and/or populist litmus test, and not yet a Republican-wide one, as is opposition to abortion and higher taxes. Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus praised Haley. So did House Speaker Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin.
Does this presage a split in the party, as a Trump-Cruz conservative wing peels off from a Ryan-led pragmatic establishment faction? With such a direct rebuke in the State of the Union response, Republican leaders have given Trump an excuse to say the party is against him, so it鈥檚 OK to run as a third-party candidate. Or vice versa: If Trump wins the nomination, it鈥檚 not inconceivable that the establishment itself mounts a third-party effort. Romney-Haley 2016, anyone?
鈥淍nikkihaley response illustrates the drift toward three parties in America. Hard to overstate how much is at stake in GOP race,鈥� , a national political correspondent for The New York Times.
