When Nikki was elected to the governorship she was seen as spanking new as a product from Apple. Andre was seen as an old rocking chair at a garage sale. He was useful but seen as limited to many because they thought he was behind the Haley affair rumors. There were hardly any politicians who came by Andre’s office when the session was over in the last year of his term. Yet, Haley had legislators visiting her office more times than you visit a grill at your family picnic. Haley’s support salivated members of the GOP and some members of the Democratic Party. Haley had the political bona fides that Rep. Bakari Sellers needed for election to higher office or a house party leadership post. Haley had the national appeal that Sanford lost due to his adultery. Haley had the national appeal that McMaster longed for for his entire political career spanning over 4 decades. To put it in laymen’s terms ‘national appeal’ means media attention and donor exposure, which could bring you a better political campaign if you try to run for office. Haley was the first female governor in SC and first minority governor in SC too. She was majority whip in the SC House. That aforementioned thing is one leadership post Sanford, Sellers, and McMaster never had. McMaster and Sanford were never state legislators and Sellers was never a party leader in the SC House. This gave her an advantage politically in addition to her youthfulness and race. Additionally, Haley could use her race as a foreboder of new things to come. Sellers, the son of a civil rights activist and college president who was at the helm of the Orangeburg Massacre, rested on the Civil Rights Movement. McMaster, the relative of a family of attorneys and member of some all-white social clubs, is the reflection of the Old South establishment. So, their opposition to each other brought publicity to themselves. The same way the NAACP fights the White Citizens’ Council , and the KKK battles the Black Panther Party. Or perhaps when the street gangs were used as protection for civil rights activists at times and when the police were used to openly brutalize black people. Well, I guess those times have not passed us. There can’t be a war without an enemy and a discussion without a problem at hand. These groups have free speech, but are often more of a devastating distraction than a solution to citizenry concerns. Nonetheless, Haley gave McMaster two political appointments in her administration. Sellers used his geographical proximity to Haley since they were from the same home county to try to appease voters from a different political persuasion when he ran against McMaster for Lt. Governor. Sanford received the endorsement of Haley in his congressional bid. Haley tried to leverage all the GOP support in the state through her endorsements and appointments that included elected officials all across South Carolina. Still, it is like Showtime at The Apollo in S.C. with every politician wanting their time on stage in the presidential primaries. Therefore, the potential of her endorsement evaporates quicker than a puddle of water in the Chiahuahuan Desert because of that.
Jordan Thomas Cooper is a 2015 graduate of the University of South Carolina with a degree in History and a 2010 graduate of the Real Estate School of Success in Irmo. He is the first African-American to serve in both the governor and lieutenant governor’s office as an aide and first to serve in the Inspector General’s Office in S.C. (Haley) He is also the first to serve in the top three offices in the gubernatorial line of succession in South Carolina (Haley, Bauer, McConnell). He happens to be the second black presidential campaign speechwriter in American History and the first for a GOP presidential campaign (Bush 2015). He also played football for Coach Steve Spurrier.
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