NOTES FROM THE CHAIR - Nikki Haley supporting Cory Gardner
Just wanted to catch you up on a great event I was invited to.
Nikki Haley was in Denver doing some PR for Cory Gardner and I was invited.
Not sure how I made the cut but all I can say is I’m glad I did!
This is a woman who should serve as an inspiration to us all.
Nikki Haley was born on January 20, 1972, in Bamberg, South Carolina, to Sikh immigrants from Punjab, India.
As a 13-year-old her parents put her to work keeping the books in their family business. It was there that she witnessed how hard it was to make a dollar and how easy it seemed for the government to take it. After graduating from Clemson with a degree in accounting, she expressed this view to her mother who told her to stop complaining and do something about it.
And she did. She ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives, defeating incumbent Republican Larry Koon, the longest-serving member of the House at that time.
As a state rep she encountered opposition when she proposed a bill requiring members to vote on the record. Their practice had been a simple aye or nay. They refused to allow the bill to go forward so she went around the state asking constituents if they knew how their business was being conducted. This created a stir at the state capital. When she returned she found she had been removed from all of her committee positions.
So she ran for Governor, campaigning around the state for transparency in government, women’s rights and abortion reform.
"The fact that I happen to be an Indian female, of course that brings a new dynamic," she said. What I hope it does is cause a conversation in this state where we no longer live by layers, but we live by philosophies."
On November 22, 2016, president-elect Donald Trump picked Haley to become the United States ambassador to the United Nations. She was the first woman to be named as part of his administration. She was confirmed by 96-4. “Governor Haley has a proven track record of bringing people together regardless of background or party affiliation to move critical policies forward for the betterment of her state and our country,” Trump said in a statement. “She will be a great leader representing us on the world stage.”
In accepting the offer, Haley said that she was “honored that the President-elect has asked me to join his team and serve the country we love. She also spoke to members of her own party to reflect on their role in the nation's struggles. "We need to be honest with each other, and with ourselves: while Democrats in Washington bear much responsibility for the problems facing America today, they do not bear it alone. There is more than enough blame to go around,” she said. “We as Republicans need to own that truth. We need to recognize our contributions to the erosion of the public trust in America's leadership. We need to accept that we've played a role in how and why our government is broken.”
“Some people think that you have to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference. That is just not true. Often, the best thing we can do is turn down the volume. When the sound is quieter, you can actually hear what someone else is saying. And that can make a world of difference.”