Nikki Haley • American Civil War • Slavery • Republican Party

ESPECIALLY AS VOTER — VOTERS ASK HIM THIS QUESTION, WILL BE SOMETHING FOLKS NEED TO WATCH. >> GOVERNOR Des antis HAS PUT MOST OF HIS EGGS IN THAT IOWA BASKET. HE’S GOT TO DO SOMETHING RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE HERE ON THE 15th OF JANUARY. >>> MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE NIKKI HALEY WAS ASKED THIS QUESTION BY AN AUDIENCE MEMBER.

QUOTE, WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE CIVIL WAR? THIS IS HOW GOVERNOR HALEY RESPONDED. >> WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE UNITED STATES CIVIL WAR? >> WELL, DON’T COME WITH AN EASY QUESTION, OR ANYTHING. I THINK THE CAUSE OF THE CIVIL WAR WAS BASELY HOW GOVERNMENT WAS GOING TO RUN. THE FREEDOMS OF WHAT PEOPLE COULD AND COULDN’T DO.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CAUSE OF WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CAUSE OF THE CIVIL WAR WAS? I’M SORRY? >> I’M NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. I WANTED TO KNOW — >> THAT’S A GOOD THING. >> I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK IS THE CAUSE OF THE CIVIL WAR. >> I THINK IT ALWAYS COMES DOWN TO THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT AND WHAT THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE ARE, AND WE — I WILL ALWAYS STAND BY THE FACT THAT I THINK GOVERNMENT WAS INTENDED TO SECURE THE RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS OF THE PEOPLE.

IT WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE. GOVERNMENT DOESN’T NEED TO TELL YOU HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIFE. THEY DON’T NEED TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN’T DO. THEY DON’T NEED TO BE A PART OF YOUR LIFE. THEY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE FREEDOM. WE NEED TO HAVE CAPITALISM. WE NEED TO HAVE ECONOMIC FREEDOM. Republican Party;

WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO ALL THINGS SO THAT INDIVIDUALS HAVE THE LIBERTIES SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF RELIGION, FREEDOM TO DO OR BE ANYTHING THEY WANT TO BE WITHOUT GOVERNMENT GETTING IN THE WAY. >> THANK YOU, AND IN THE YEAR 2023, IT’S A astonishing TO ME THAT YOU ANSWERED THAT QUESTION WITHOUT MENTIONING THE WORD SLAVERY.

>> WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY ABOUT SLAVERY? >> YOU’VE ANSWERED MY QUESTION, THANK YOU. >> NEXT QUESTION. >> SO EUGENE, WE CAN PICK THROUGH THAT A MILLION DIFFERENT WAYS. PERHAPS THE FOLLOW-UP QUESTION WHERE SHE SAYS, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY ABOUT SLAVERY IS WHAT STUCK WITH MOST PEOPLE AS THEY WATCHED THAT COMMENTARY ON GOVERNOR HALEY PERHAPS, BUT ALSO ABOUT THE STATE OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND AS YOU WATCHED THE GEARS TURNING THERE, WHAT SHE SHOULD AND SHE SHOULD NOT SAY IN ORDER TO KEEP HER

SUPPORT. >> YEAH. THAT’S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, AND IF YOU WATCHED THE CROWD AS THINGS WERE GOING DOWNHILL, YOU COULD START TO SEE PEOPLE KIND OF GET A LITTLE SQUEAMISH AS SHE WAS ANSWERING THOSE QUESTIONS. MY FAMILY’S ALWAYS BEEN FROM SOUTH CAROLINA. SO I AM VERY, VERY WELL-VERSED ON THE CONVERSATION THAT HAPPENS.

I WAS JUST THERE EARLIER THIS WEEK FOR CHRISTMAS. I’M VERY WELL-VERSED IN THE CONVERSATION THAT HAPPENS VERSUS, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT WAS STATES’ RIGHTS OR SLAVERY. WHAT WAS THE REAL CONVERSATION? SHE’S SHOWING THAT, RIGHT? THAT SHE’S A PRODUCT OF THAT CONVERSATION. THIS IS ALSO SOMETHING IN LINE WITH WHAT SHE SAID BEFORE WHEN ASKED WHEN RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR IN 2010 ABOUT SLAVERY OR ABOUT THE — ABOUT THE CAUSE OF THE CIVIL WAR.

OBVIOUSLY IT WAS ABOUT SLAVERY. IF IT WAS ABOUT STATES’ RIGHTS, IT WAS THE STATES’ ABILITY TO HOLD SLAVES. IF IT WAS ABOUT FREEDOMS AND THE GOVERNOR WOULD TELL WHAT YOU TO DO, IT WAS ABOUT IF YOU COULD OWN OR BEAT PEOPLE AND KEEP THEM AS PROPERTY AND RAPE THEM. THAT IS IN THE HISTORY BOOKS, BUT WHAT SHE IS SHOWING IS THE FACT THAT IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY RIGHT NOW, THERE IS NOT A LOT OF ROOM FOR FOLKS WHO WOULD SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WHO WOULD BE HONEST ABOUT SLAVERY AS THE CAUSE AND THE MAIN CAUSE OF

THE CIVIL WAR. YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD THINK ABOUT THE LAST FEW YEARS AND WHAT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS FOCUSED ON. THE CONVERSATION ABOUT RACE IN THIS COUNTRY, THE ATTACKING OF CRITICAL RACE THEORY. THERE’S ALMOST NO OTHER ANSWER THAT SHE COULD GIVE IN THIS REPUBLICAN PRIMARY THAT WOULDN’T, YOU KNOW, TAKE SOME VOTES AWAY FROM HER AS SHE IS MOVING FORWARD.

I WILL SAY I GOT SOME TEXTS FROM SOME OF THE STAFFERS ON THE OTHER CAMPAIGNS OF THIS EXACT MESSAGE WHEN IT HAPPENED, BUT WHEN I ASKED THEM HOW THEIR CANDIDATE WOULD ANSWER, THEY GOT A LITTLE PISSED OFF AT ME AND SAID, YOU WOULD NEVER ASK THEM THAT QUESTION. SOIT SO IT TELLS YOU THAT THEY DON’T WANT TO ANSWER THE QUESTION EITHER.

>> JEN, THIS SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN HARD. SLAVERY IS THE ANSWER HERE, BUT TO EUGENE’S POINT, IT IS REFLECTIVE OF WHERE THE REPUBLICAN BASE IS RIGHT NOW, THAT YOU CAN’T TELL A SIMPLE TRUTH FOR FEAR OF LOSING VOTERS AND WHAT HAS BECOME SUCH A RADICALIZED REPUBLICAN PARTY. LET’S TAKE A STEP BACK AND PUT THIS IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS PRIMARY SEASON.

>> YEP. >> I MEAN, WE DIDN’T QUITE HAVE A RON DeSANTIS WELCOME TO THE RESISTANCE MOMENT THERE, BUT AT LEAST HE’S TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT TRUMP IS TRYING TO DO. >> YOU FEEL LIKE DeSANTIS IS ACTUALLY SAYING WHAT HE HAS ALWAYS THOUGHT. >> HE’S GOT NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE I SUPPOSE.

I WONDER IF IT GOES TO THIS MOMENT HERE LAST NIGHT, HALEY AND THE CIVIL WAR WHICH IS REALLY EXPLODING ON SOCIAL MEDIA. WE HAD THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN WEIGH IN ALREADY, ALSO MAKING CLEAR IT WAS ABOUT SLAVERY. >> YEP. >> THIS COULD BLUNT SOME OF HER MOMENTUM. IOWA’S BEEN HARD FOR HER, BUT GOING INTO NEW HAMPSHIRE, SHE DID HAVE THE WIND AT HER BACK.

MAYBE THIS COSTS HER. >> IT’S BREATHTAKING. I HAD READ THE TRANSCRIPT, BUT I HAD NOT ACTUALLY SEEN IT, AND IT’S JUST BREATHTAKING WHEN SHE SAYS, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY ABOUT SLAVERY? THAT IS HER CAMPAIGN IN ONE QUESTION, RIGHT? IT IS, LIKE, WHO DO YOU WANT ME TO BE RIGHT NOW? WHO DO I NEED TO MORPH INTO IN ORDER TO NEVER TAKE TRUMP ON, BUT BE ACCEPTABLE ENOUGH TO SORT OF THE MAGA MAJORITY? THAT SHOULD SOMETHING HAPPEN OUTSIDE OF MY CONTROL BECAUSE SHE’S NOT DOING ANYTHING TO ACTUALLY BEAT TRUMP, I CAN BE

THE PERSON THAT INHERITS EVERYONE ELSE’S VOTES. SO THIS COULD BE — THIS IS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, RIGHT? THAT — NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTERS, THEY DON’T — THEY WANT YOU TO BE COURAGEOUS. THEY LIKE INDEPENDENT THINKERS. THEY WANT YOU TO SPEAK FRANKLY. THIS COULD, YOU KNOW, SO I THINK THAT IT COULD HURT HER, AND, YOU KNOW, IF DeSANTIS’ OPERATION IS EFFECTIVE, THEY SHOULD BE DOING MORE TO LIFT IT UP AND MAKE ATE THING — YOU IT A THING, BUT SHE CAME THE NATIONAL SCENE BY BEING THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR WHO TOOK DOWN OR WAS PART OF THE TAKING

• DOWN THE CONFEDERATE FLAG OVER THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE LEGISLATURE AFTER THE TERRIBLE SHOOTING — RACE-BASED SHOOTING IN CHARLESTON AT THE CHURCH THERE IN 2015, AND THAT IS WHEN WE FIRST LEARNED OF NIKKI HALEY. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT MOMENT THAT SAID, I COME FROM THE SOUTH. THIS IS WHAT WE’VE LEARNED, AND

• Nikki Haley • American Civil War • Slavery • Republican Party