RedState 2013 Rocked! Part Three: Nikki Haley at RedState 2013

Erick Erickson’s RedState gathering for 2013, held in New Orleans over the first weekend in August, featured so many great speakers that it is not possible or reasonable to write about all of them. Governors, senators, members of Congress, and candidates for all of those positions, spoke, and all were confident, articulate and passionate.

Working for years now with so many Republican women’s organizations in Texas and nationally, I am very aware that many brilliant and thoughtful women are active in Republican politics. While that is great news, it is also true that not enough of them choose to run for public office.

That reality was reflected in the fact that of the 20 or so speakers at RedState, only two were women. One was the dynamic head of the Tea Party Patriots, Jenny Beth Martin, whose organization was the main sponsor, and the other was the incredibly impressive Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina.

Because it is one of my passions to encourage and support conservative women to run for office, this Part Three of the RedState report is dedicated to her speech and her accomplishments.

Highlights of Nikki Haley’s RedState speech:

Governor Haley’s record of conservative leadership in South Carolina is impressive. Her administration focuses on job growth, and as governor she stood up to the NLRB in April 2011 when that federal agency attempted to prevent Boeing from building its 787 Dreamliner in South Carolina, which has right to work laws. The NLRB filed a flimsy complaint against Boeing, but as Governor Haley said at RedState, South Carolina (and Boeing) fought that and they won.

Governor Haley also spoke about her state’s emphasis on helping its citizens move from welfare to work. She reported that each person who applies for welfare is treated as an individual with purpose and potential, and that during her tenure as Governor, the state has moved 18,000 people from welfare to work. To top that off, those who find employment instead of welfare have a 94% retention rate.

South Carolina requires voter ID, and the state won its litigation when the Department of Justice sued. Turns out standing up for basic commonsense things like requiring an ID to vote are worth fighting for!

She said that among her biggest fears as governor going forward is for the wellbeing of the citizens of South Carolina as they face likely health insurance premium rate increases of 50 to 70%, due to Obamacare. She has urged her state’s representatives in Washington to fight for repeal or defunding.

Governor Haley was warmly received, as she has been at each of the previous RedState gatherings. (She has spoken at all of them.) She got a standing ovation at the end, and many lined up for a picture with her, including this author.

Contrasting Governor Haley’s priorities and accomplishments against the priorities and goals of liberal women and politicians in America is very revealing, and belongs in another posting on the subject of whether conservatives or liberals actually help women. Suffice it to say here that South Carolina under Governor Haley’s leadership is heading in a great direction, and the conservative RedState audience raved about her speech and accomplishments.