Politicians are masters in the art of self-promotion. It’s their forte, after all – and a certain amount of blowing their own horns goes with the territory. When it comes to self-promotion, Nikki Haley has always been first chair of her own brass section.
Accordingly, it was par for the course when Haley’s political organization issued a news release Monday afternoon. Opening the email, Haley’s horn blared at a decibel level rivaling that of the archangel Gabriel heralding the end of times.
“I have exciting news to share with you!” Haley began, indicating something big was afoot.
“As someone who has been a loyal supporter of mine, I want to let you know that I’ll be making a special announcement tomorrow,” she continued.
A special announcement, eh? At a moment of peak chaos in the 2024 presidential race? What could it be, political pundits wondered?
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“Make sure to be on the lookout for my special announcement tomorrow!” Haley reminded everyone for good measure.
Haley’s tease had its desired effect: Politicos started talking about her. Was she to become a new guest commentator on Fox News, they wondered? Did she and former president Donald Trump finally bury the hatchet, paving the way for her to take a role with his 2024 campaign? Some even speculated lame duck president Joe Biden might have tapped her expertise as former U.N. ambassador and appointed her as special envoy to assist with some particularly delicate trouble spot, such as the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.
What, oh, what could it be?
We didn’t have long to wait for the answer. As promised, the “special announcement” began popping up in email inboxes all around the Palmetto State (and the entire country as well) just after 9:00 a.m. EDT on Tuesday morning…
“Here is my special announcement,” the subject line of Haley’s email noted.
When the email was opened, recipients were greeted by this:
“The American people are smart. They’re sick of distractions in DC and noise from the mainstream media. They want to know what the issues are and how the solutions will impact them.”
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Nice pablum, but let’s get to the point, ma’am.
“That’s why starting on Wednesday, September 25, I’m excited to partner with Sirius XM on a weekly show that breaks down the policies and empowers the American people with the facts,” Haley wrote.
Wait… what?
Not since Ralphie Parker (of A Christmas Story fame) learned the mystery lurking within his secret decoder ring was an admonition to “drink more Ovaltine” has disappointment so pervasively abounded.
“A crummy commercial?” Parker noted. “Son of a bitch.”
That’s right, the teasing buildup was just a promo to let us know the former governor, ambassador, and flopped presidential candidate will soon add radio talk show host to her résumé. And since Sirius XM is a subscription service – she expects us to pay for the privilege of hearing the pearls of wisdom she will dispense there.
“Just what America needs,” our intrepid D.C. Operative noted. “A female neocon Howard Stern! Bomb-bomb-booey!”
While there’s nothing wrong with a politician making a few bucks on the side while off the clock (Lord knows Trump isn’t the least bit hesitant about shaking the money tree to his personal financial advantage), it’s curious Haley never sent out news releases touting the corporate boards she’s sat on alongside her crony capitalism buddies, nor the hefty speaking fees her appearances commanded.
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But make no mistake over what’s really going on: This isn’t about trying to build an audience for a new pay radio show. It’s all about Haley maintaining a public profile for 2028.
At that point, Trump will either be term-limited from seeking a third presidential term – or Kamala Harris will be running for reelection. Either way, there will be an open contest for the GOP nomination. Haley clearly believes that having finished second to Trump in the primaries earlier this year makes her the presumptive Republican front-runner in four years time.
GOP voters who overwhelmingly rebuked her candidacy this year (including GOP voters in her home state) obviously don’t feel that way… and Haley would clearly have plenty of competition were she to seek the presidency again.
In fact, South Carolina’s junior senator Tim Scott seems inclined to give a White House bid another go… meaning Haley might not even be the top GOP choice in her own state.
While it remains to be seen whether Haley has a career in broadcasting, the path to sustained relevance in such a position is not unprecedented in South Carolina. Our audience will recall how S.C. lieutenant governor Ken Ard – who was elected the same year as Haley – has become an influential radio host in the Pee Dee region of the Palmetto State.
However, Ard’s success has been driven in large part by a plain spoken, pro-MAGA populism… which is the opposite of the globalist pablum Haley spouts.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.
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9 comments
As miserable as Haley is, she would’ve had a better chance at beating Kamala. She’s far less of a liability to the right.
Ah here’s why Nimratta Nikki Haley “has no interest in serving in Trump’s administration again”—her family was declaring bankruptcy in South Carolina when Nimratta ran for public office where she stabbed conservatives in the back and plied lib donors for millions and now has two $2 MILLION homes and couldn’t get elected dogcatcher in South Carolina where she’d sell her mother’s jugular vein to advantage herself and where voters identify her as…terminally ambitious !!!
Self serving Nimrata strikes again….LOL
Looking forward to not tuning in. ??
Working in the reference to Ralphie and his de-coder ring was stone-cold genius. I salute you.
Mark,
I agree with you most of the time but the idea that Ken “college dropout, convicted criminal” Ard is “an influential radio host” is a bit of a stretch. He might be “influential” in Quinby, SC population 932 but outside a 20 mile circle centered on Florence, SC people have (rightfully) forgotten he existed.
Come on now, give Ard some credit. I’m sure if I were listening to the radio and he came on, he’d immediately influence me… to change the channel.
You have given me one more reason to be glad that I ditched SiriusXM a few years ago. At one time, I enjoyed their product, almost always their music channels. After multiple skirmishes and other negative interactions with the half-wits in their billing department for over a decade and a half, I am through with SiriusXM.
They can never be trusted with your credit or debit card info. Whether automatically re-billing whenever they are told you do not agree to this and do not want it; or outright financial transaction card theft or fraud by their employees, never give SiriusXM your card info. If you do not give them your card info, and attempt to pay using their cumbersome “gift cards” (they do not accept store bought refillable Visa or MC), Sirius XM treats you like a third-class customer and forces you into lesser “special offers” and plans that force you to have to navigate their billing process every six months, rather than every year.
Knowing that I am not somehow adding to this self-loving hag’s bottom line is yet another perk of having dropped SiriusXM.
Eeeek – Her voice! Nooooooooo