TruGlobalist

“I voted for the lady … – I didn’t like all of the junk that the other campaigns were saying about the lady.” South Carolina voter.

When an Indian-American lawmaker took on the status quo of her state, things got ugly fast. For gubernatorial hopeful, Nikki Haley, the ride to the top has been an uphill battle; literally. The good old boys network of South Carolina are afraid of losing control. Hence their mud-slinging directed at Haley. But in the end integrity prevailed.

Watching from afar the three-ring circus that was South Carolina’s Republican gubernatorial primary, was a cringe-inducing experience. Sexism mated with racism and begot cynicism. As South Carolinians sorted through the sordid attacks aimed at Haley, the stench of dirty politics reverberated across the country.

From alleged extra marital affairs to an uninhibited racial slur; the politics of yesteryear was alive and kicking. Days after Haley surged in the polls, with a double digit lead, two men, one a blogger the other a lobbyist, alleged affairs with Haley. Their downfall was their lack of evidence. Despite this, Haley, who denied the allegations, plodded forward with her husband and two children by her side. A few days later, a prominent local Republican politician, called Haley a “raghead”. A slur often used to insult Muslims and Sikhs. And yet Haley marched forward.

In the midst of the political frenzy in South Carolina, one truth is self-evident. Haley is the change agent the Republican Party desperately needs. Her appeal is like a volcano in slumber waiting to erupt. She is the daughter of immigrants, a self-made woman, with boundless charisma and raging political astuteness. She is the antidote to the status quo.

But Haley’s campaign should be an eye opening experience for voters. American politics has become a cannibal-like, blood sport. It’s all about power. It’s all about money. In states across the country, the political machine, put in place by proponents of the status quo, benefit’s the few while disenfranchising the many. Look around your state, your county, your city or town, look closely and you’ll see the politically connected, toiling behind closed doors, advancing their agenda. Cynicism is their end game.

Politics is often fueled by extremist elements from both sides of the political spectrum. Cable and radio programs constantly bombard us with vitriol and anger. They excoriate centrists (like me) for being “indecisive” or “passive”. They mistake our pragmatic approach for weakness. But pragmatism advances solutions. And sidesteps cynicism.

The antidote to cynicism is to vote. The collective will of the people expressed through the voting process is what democracy is all about. We witnessed it in South Carolina this past Tuesday. Voters slayed the monster of cynicism and voted for change.

And this time change came in the form of Nikki Haley.

Sources: New York times, Associated Press, New York Post, CNN.