Former Republican Governor of South Carolina and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is in the hot seat for comments she made while at a campaign event on Saturday with Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Dr. Oz is the son of Turkish immigrants and Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants. Both were born in the U.S.
While apparently trying to make a point about immigrants’ love for America she said this, “My parents came here because they wanted a better life for their family…they came here legally…legal immigrants are more patriotic than most Americans these days. Because they appreciate how wonderful this country is.”
Is she right?
SPRINGFIELD, PA— Nikki Haley, warming up crowd for Dr. Oz event in Delaware County; “Legal immigrants are more patriotic than most Americans these days.”
— Josh Kraushaar (@JoshKraushaar) September 8, 2022
Fair Statement?
While Haley may have gotten a bit of pushback for her comments, she also appeared on the Dom Giordano radio program to clarify her comments – arguing that she meant immigrants are more patriotic than progressives.
Legal immigrants are often more patriotic than the Left these days. Instead of bashing America, they know that in this country, you can work hard and be anything you want to be. pic.twitter.com/soyciVjgzr
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) September 8, 2022
But is it fair to say that a big chunk of native born Americans feel no sense of patriotism for their country? A quick perusal of social media does not say if the author of any post is a natural born citizen, however, there is plenty of anti-American sentiment to go around.
Nikki Haley may have a very good point.
The human condition living in the US at this time is comical. In what universe are we “the freest nation”? This place fucking sucks and drags the rest of the world down with it. America’s only redeeming feature is it’s natural beauty and geography. It’s a cultural black hole.
— Jenny (@Jenny12gauge) September 10, 2022
There is no shortage of people willing to say it out loud. This is one of many.
lol everyone in america knows america sucks, this isn’t a competition
— CHIKA (@oranicuhh) September 8, 2022
But in most cases, there really just aren’t any words.
I enjoy 9/11 so much more than July 4th tbh. I spend both thinking abt how america sucks but the jokes are funnier and there are no fireworks keeping me awake all night
— alex (@alexarrbee) September 11, 2022
And of course, at the end of the day, it’s Donald Trump and MAGA followers’ fault.
I’m a legal immigrant. I’m not sure if I’m more patriotic than most Americans but I do believe I’m more patriotic than Trump and his MAGA followers because I believe in the Constitution and the rule of law.
— Ian Cameron (@easyout) September 8, 2022
The Cato Institute looked at numbers in the General Social Survey in 2019 and found that, in many instances, immigrants do perceive America more positively than native citizens. However, respondents weren’t split up by ideology or political party.
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Sobering Observation
Haley also gave a speech at the National Honor Society on Saturday, where she sounded a warning about patriotism and love of country fading among America’s young people. She stated about young people in the U.S., “You, above all others, remind us that America is worth fighting for.”
Haley also spoke of her time as U.N. Ambassador, and the anti-American sentiment abroad:
“It pains me to say that we live in a time when national pride is fading fast. Now, I’m no stranger to people hating on the United States. I saw it every day at the U.N. Dictators and thugs loved to get in front of the camera and tell the world how bad America is. It’s their favorite pastime, and as far as I can tell, it’s now the main purpose of the United Nations. Proving the haters wrong and defending our country was the best part of the job. But I never expected to hear those same lies from my fellow Americans.”
In her speech, Haley also mentioned ongoing atrocities in other nations, and added, “America is the best nation in human history — and she deserves all of our love. We have to get our patriotism back. We have to raise up the next generation to love our country, not hate it.”
Together, let’s do everything in our power to renew that national pride, and bring about a new birth of patriotism.
This may be one of our hardest fights yet. But we all know America is worth fighting for.
And I have faith we will win.
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) September 11, 2022
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Checking Which Way The Winds Are Blowing
Since the end of the Trump administration, Nikki Haley has been something of a question mark. Immediately following the Jan. 6 riot, as Democrats were preparing a second impeachment of former President Donald Trump, Haley appeared to turn on her former boss.
Weeks after the riot, in an interview with Politico, Haley stated, “We need to acknowledge he let us down. He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. And we can’t ever let that happen again.”
Almost immediately following that statement, Haley requested a meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, and was turned down. Even with the appearance of a snub from Trump, Nikki Haley continues to be on the list of possible 2024 GOP presidential hopefuls, along with names like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Talking about a return to patriotism during an administration that sees half of Americans as enemies of the state could be something that gets Nikki Haley a bit of traction.
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