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    Nikki Haley Has Guts

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    Nikki Haley arrived for her New York City presentation with open enthusiasm. She brought to the stage the confidence of a consistent winner, the inviting swagger of a knock-out model, and a story of proven strategies that have positioned her as a mover and shaker to watch closely. Even staunch critics are muttering about her chances to become the first woman president in this country!

    In one of the smaller auditoriums in the Streicker Center, Haley was a large presence with a definite game plan to reach this predominantly liberal crowd.  Among President Donald Trump’s Cabinet appointments, Haley, the former Ambassador to the United Nations left her post in a decidedly different way from most other high- level officials who have headed for the hills. She exited the President’s inner orbit unscathed. Here at the Streicker Center, she expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve as a member of the Trump Cabinet–without all-around boos from the Democratic loyalists.

    While she was in the administration, the President opted to avoid acting irascibly (at least in public). Haley chose her own timetable for departure and made her move on a high note. (Before he became president Haley made no bones about her tepid view of his candidacy. He brushed her off as an incidental player. But once Haley made friends with First Daughter, Ivanka Trump, Daddy Trump took another look and concluded Haley was no bimbo. It seems that Haley also took a harder look at the President at precisely the same time. A month later she was nominated to her Cabinet position and won Senate confirmation smoothly (96-4).

    The former Governor of South Carolina knows how to size up her audience quickly and accurately, in South Carolina and Washington, and she made a sharp judgment call that New York’s Steiker Center was filled with attendees eager to hear what she had to say. Indeed, the crowd allowed ample latitude. Haley sang her former boss’s praises (in the few areas of his presidency that have been least controversial), without a single boo–from the down front VIP seats up to the rafters.

    Nikki Haley may be the most respected non-contender (Republican or Democrat) for the US presidency in 2020. Thus far, President Trump has been helpful, if only by restraining his frequent impulse to diss anyone who abandons him–especially former Cabinet officials–as they take their leave for the door.

    In recent years, Haley has been a supporter of Israel, so it was fitting that Israeli Ambassador Aharoni was her interviewer. He gave her plenty of room to rise or fall on the merit of her words. She gained traction, quickly, by suggesting that great politicians hold common sense in high esteem, and favor doing more homework than appears to be required. She says that being prepared for the unexpected helps her to keep cool when others are getting hot.  Haley freely acknowledges that she has studied the playbooks of highly successful women and men.

    The Ambassador’s presentation appealed to a broad mix of New Yorkers. It resonated with a cross-section of conservatives and independents in addition to the predominantly liberal crowd. She refused to be pushed into harsh political positions, making her case for her initiatives as Governor and thereafter as President of the UN Security Council. Point by point, she brought her understanding of the facts to the table. She often supported her position with empathy for people in the line of fire. And, she focused on one underpinning– an open mind for compelling solutions that make sense.

    A confident executive, Haley has climbed up the totem pole with gambits that tilt skeptics on their collective heads, such as advancing to decision, removal of the Confederate flag while Governor of her home state of South Carolina, and pushing the position that United Nations must talk more and do more on the right side of an argument. Haley’s strong focus on reaching the finish line is her proven strategy to win,” she says. But more than that, her fans insist that she “makes you want to listen, even if you come to the table with an independent or diverging view.

    In watching so many Democratic contenders of late, making their points in the debates to prop up their candidacies, women can be proud that so many women have been prompted to take the plunge. Each one has shown grit and a basic understanding that being prepared is one of the keys to getting respect, but Nikki Haley could teach a lot of lessons about how to apply gutsiness as the basic timber for glory- with a credible mix of moxie and mellifluent tones.

    Her presentation was a stunning example of carefully honed political savvy, if only in the proof; her preparation provoked a long, standing ovation.
    Frankly, she offered a slew of additional arguments for keeping tabs on her continuing steps to sculpt her positions as well as her image. There is little doubt that she is firmly engaged in the trek toward the 2024 election proceedings– no matter which way the 2020 election goes, Haley is paving the way not only for herself but also for the competition.

    When, as, and if the former Ambassador/Governor chooses to step up to the plate, there will likely be a whole new crowd of women ready to make their mark. If Haley’s contribution were solely to set an  example for how  women (and men) can up their game with more guts than bluster and more common sense than bullying tactics, her contribution would be “huge.” It is time to become gender-neutral in presidential politics and to stop presuming in any line of endeavor that assertive women are automatically nuts.

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