Nikki Haley starts bus tour in Newberry

NEWBERRY — Former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley began her “Beastof the Southeast” bus tour in Newberry on Saturday, February 10, hosting a rally in front of the Opera House.

“I mean, Newberry, I had my first debate here. It’s a place I stopped in both governor races. It’s been a town that’s been very good to me, so it just felt right to start here in Newberry. So we’re happy to start here and good people, hardworking. And look, they’re part of what made South Carolina great and we wanted to remind them that we’ve got to make America better,” Haley told the Newberry Observer.

She began her rally by thanking both Chief Kevin Goodman and Mayor Foster Senn for what they do in keeping Newberry the beautiful and friendly place it’s known as. She then asked the crowd to go back a few years, focusing on accomplishments and strides forward the state made when she was governor, including the rise of businesses such as Mercedes Benz, Volvo and international tire companies.

“Think about what we did together,” Haley said. “Go back to 2010. We had 11% unemployment, we had thousands of people on welfare, South Carolina was the butt of the jokes…By the time I left, we were building planes with Boeing and more BMWs than any place in the world.”

As governor, the state also passed the need for photo ID when voting, as well as tort and pension reform. She then praised S.C. for passing an immigration bill so tough, that then-President Barack Obama sued the state.

“We passed the toughest illegal immigration law in the country,” said Haley. “President Obama sued us over it and we won!”

The law she referred to was Act 69, which both former President Obama and civil rights groups sued the state over because of provisions that pertained to racial profiling. The law would have criminalized daily interactions with illegal immigrants, such as giving someone illegally in the country a ride to church. It also imposed criminal penalties on immigrants who failed to produce “papers” when asked, whether they were here legally or not.

Where those two provisions were blocked, the law had other provisions that would allow for law enforcement to ask for proof of immigration status from those who “appear foreign,” although they are not allowed to detain anyone for any amount of time or prolong stops to determine their immigration status. The case was settled and the law changed to ensure that no constitutional rights were violated. Nikki Haley has stressed the importance of talking about and treating immigrants, regardless of immigration status, as people and not criminals. She has repeatedly said that they come here for a better life and are desperate to do so.

Haley criticized Republicans and Trump for their failure to secure the border and put Americans first, focusing on New Hampshire, where Trump “talked about himself.” In New Hampshire, Haley won 43% of the votes, just behind Trump’s 54%.

“At no point did he talk about the American people. At no point did he talk about the $34 trillion in debt…the fact that only 31% of eighth graders are proficient in reading… an open border where it only takes one person to cause a 9/11 moment…about the lawlessness in our streets…about the wars happening around the world. All he did was talk about himself,” Haley said.

She mentioned that Trump lost his case on immunity and that, like President Biden, should be subjected to a mental aptitude test after Trump confused her with Nancy Pelosi. Biden’s mental aptitude has been under question throughout his presidency, but more recently as he confuses European leaders, like when said that he had met with François Mitterrand, a former president of France who died 28 years ago, during an event in Nevada.

“Do we really want to have the two candidates that are running for president to be men in their 80s? We need someone who can put in eight years, go in, clean out D.C. and get the job done,” Haley said. “This comes down to the fact that you deserve better. Why can’t they let go of power and let a new generational leader come in? Because they’re all grumpy old men!”

The age of retirement in the United States is 65. The average age for House Representatives is 60, while Senators average 65 years old. Ages tend to be on the higher side, with the oldest being 90 and the youngest being 25 (House) and 36 (Senate). Some lawmakers have talked about raising the age of retirement despite the problems it raises for America’s elderly, whereas politicians, like Haley, have called for term limits.

“They’re never going to want me because I think we should have term limits in Washington D.C. They don’t want me because I have said we need to have mental aptitude tests for anyone of the age of 75,” Haley said.

Haley explained that the test would be administered to all of Congress and told the press that she would be happy to take it, stressing the importance of having a president who is at “the top of their game.”

“These are people making decisions on our national security, these are the people making decisions on the future of our country,” Haley told the press.

She ended the rally talking about where America should be, rather than where it is, according to the former governor.

“Just imagine a country where they no longer waste your dollars and it’s back in your pocket. Just imagine a country where we go back to the basics and education and have full transparency for parents to know what’s being taught to their children. Just imagine a country where we secure our borders once and for all and become a country of laws again. Just imagine a country where we respect our men and women in law enforcement and the military and we are proud again. And imagine a world where we prevent wars and prevent our men and women in the military from going to war. But also imagine a country where we don’t have anger anymore. Imagine a country where we can actually talk to each other again. Imagine a country where you’re not scared to turn on the TV and be told what to think what to feel and all of that. We can do this,” said Haley.

“Sometimes America has to hit rock bottom to know where up it. We’re there. Now it’s time for us to get to work.”