Libertarians and Conservatives should rally around Nikki Haley

Red State ^ | August 2, 2009 | Erick Erickson

[Bratch]

I’ve meant, for a while, to comment on Stephen Gordon’s post from back in May about the GOP needing libertarians more than libertarians needs the GOP.

I think he has some merit to his argument, but I would say that libertarians and conservatives both need the GOP and need each other. They are not always going to agree. There will be fights over the drug war, marriage, etc. But at the end of the day, both conservatives and libertarians are, or at least must be, committed to smaller government.

I bring this up to point out Nikki Haley. She’s unapologetically pro-life, but she is first and foremost known as a fiscal conservative. She is the type of candidate conservatives claim they want. She is also the type of candidate libertarians claim to want.

While she won’t please everyone — the only candidate who ever tried is now in the White House making everyone mad — she gets checks in all the major boxes: life, tax cutting, government cutting, honesty, and uncompromising on the need to reform.

She has said about her own candidacy,

I am going to stand as an example of a minority female who understands what it means to be pro-business, who understands that government should be small, who understands we don’t need government intrusion, that you need to be able to make strong, smart decisions for yourself

All the candidates at the RedState Gathering talked about the need for the GOP to re-embrace fiscal conservatism as a path back to the majority. Nikki Haley went so far as to say that without losing, the GOP would have never learned. The GOP needs to “learn through the burn” of defeat what it takes to govern, she told us.

She is not afraid, even as an elected official, to criticize her own party for losing its way. That’s the type of candidate the Republicans need.

And Nikki Haley puts her votes where her mouth is. Republicans in South Carolina punished her for daring to push for fiscal restraint and transparency in the state legislature by yanking a prime committee position in the State House, but she kept on pushing till she won. She got her start in state politics by challenging and beating the longest serving state representative in South Carolina — and she did it in a Republican primary.

Nikki Haley is not afraid to challenge the establishment Republican Party. She is not afraid to set standards for the party and expect those around her, and herself, to live up to them.

Let me be blunt: if conservatives and libertarians cannot unite behind Nikki Haley and get her onto the national stage as a fresh face for both Republicans and small government, we might as well call it day.

The GOP needs Nikki Haley in the South Carolina Governor’s Mansion. The grand coalition that last put the GOP in power needs someone of Nikki Haley’s integrity and spine to get us back both on the path of small government and back into a position to lead the nation.Nikki Haley

Join me in supporting Nikki Haley for South Carolina Governor. Besides, unlike some of her GOP primary opponents, Nikki Haley has never supported nor would she ever support reckless fiscal legislation that would cause her to be deservedly booed at tea party.

[Bratch]

And Nikki Haley puts her votes where her mouth is.

Republicans in South Carolina punished her for daring to push for fiscal restraint and transparency in the state legislature by yanking a prime committee position in the State House, but she kept on pushing till she won. She got her start in state politics by challenging and beating the longest serving state representative in South Carolina — and she did it in a Republican primary.

Nikki Haley is not afraid to challenge the establishment Republican Party. She is not afraid to set standards for the party and expect those around her, and herself, to live up to them.

Hmmm. Sounds familiar.

[allmost]

She speaks her mind.

[HerrBlucher]

What is going on, are the only conservatives with nads these days women? Look out over the politicscape, shrinkage everywhere.

Allright then, dig it Mommyo.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Erick, go pound sand. You had the greatest fiscal conservative in Congress (Ron Paul) but you trashed him and banned his supporters. Now you want to come crawling back like an abusive husband and acknowledge the obvious.

[sourcery]

Count me as one libertarian who thinks the fight against socialism must take precedence over drug policy, abortion policy, gay/lesbian policy or any other purely cultural matter.

[SoConPubbie]

Count me as one libertarian who thinks the fight against socialism must take precedence over drug policy, abortion policy, gay/lesbian policy or any other purely cultural matter.

Good for you!

Now let's get down to being mature.

You are not going to get your way.

You are going to have to compromise with the other conservative groups out their to get what is most important to you, and judging by your post, it would be something along the lines of limited government.

To get that, you are going to have to give the Social Conservatives what is most important to them, fighting for the unborn and stopping the gay agenda, especially when it comes to marriage.

Futhermore you will have to work with the NEO-cons and other types of like-minded conservatives and work towards a strong military.

All three groups will have to learn to give the other groups the most important issues they desire while letting go of less important issues.

This is how Reagan was so successful, and this is the only way we, the conservatives of 2009 will be successful.

[GOP Poet]

wish we could do this.

[SoConPubbie]

wish we could do this.

We can, but it will have to be driven by the Grassroots since the people who are supposedly our leaders don't have a clue and apparently don't believe it is in their best interests to implement this strategy.

Much as the grassroots is taking over the health-care debate, we can do the same on this if we focus on it.

[RebelYell1990]

Yea, purely cultural. It isn’t like cultural and social issues matter, it is only the basis for a civil society. The fact is, Libertarians will never get anywhere with that kind of moral relativism. Americans don’t want their communities contaminated by gay marriage, drugs, and are becoming increasingly pro life. The fight against socialism must be a economic, social, and cultural battle. We can’t become like them or they win.

[dajeeps]

“...But at the end of the day, both conservatives and libertarians are, or at least must be, committed to smaller government...”

Why can’t the GOP get the clue?

I vote to keep as much of my money as I can every chance I get. I voted for Steve Forbes in the 1996 primaries, and Giuliani in 2008 even though both men had already dropped out by the time it got to be my turn to vote.

There’s something wrong with how we get our candidates that we keep ending up with the GOP brand of big government, with the exception of Ronald Reagan.

I am very pro-life, but I feel the best way to address the abortion issue is through outreach and persuasion — changing the culture to follow the truth. Just like the faliure of the drug war, making a laws against abortions won’t stop them and I fail to see why we keep getting elected officials from the GOP who are conservative in only that way. Then we sit back and wonder how we get into these huge debt, inflation and cronie capitalisim messes, with corruption as far as the eye can see. It’s because these guys legislated limits on abortions and cut taxes; and then there wasn’t anything left to do but spend spend spend.

When the GOP decides it wants to start running candidates whoes primary function is to shrink and place limits on the reach of government in every aspect of life, like taking us back as close to constitutional limits as we can get and return power to the states, then I’ll start paying attention.