By: Zachary Sparks
Edited by: Bridget Salice
First off, let me acknowledge that I am not a Republican. I believe the Republican Party has become complacent — borderline treacherous — with regards to the Trump presidency. I believe their economic policies are scandalous, social policies full of one-sided bigotry, and world-views reprehensible. Their party now harbors — and elects — racist and extreme right-wing nationalist. In general, their current path is not a good one for America.
However, I am also not a Democrat.
The Democratic Party, while starting to be representative of the people, is very slow at actually doing so. They’re doing better, don’t get me wrong, but Democrats still fail to represent the working class majority of Americans. With political scandals, indifference to the popular “Medicare-For-All” initiative, and offering consistent protection for the wealthiest Americans, the Democratic Party fails to follow through with much of its rhetoric.
With this said, I hope my proposal for the next Vice-President can be taken in a non-partisan, unbiased manner. There’s only one VP that lets all sides claim a win: Nikki Haley.
Nikki Haley – a first-generation immigrant from India, the first female governor of South Carolina, the second Indian-American to serve as a governor, and first Indian-American to hold a cabinet-level position – is a candidate that should check a lot of boxes from people on both sides of the aisle. She has lots of political experience, is strong and assertive, and would be the very first woman to serve as VP — something for everyone to love. Naturally, the biggest turn-off for many non-conservatives is her conservative views. However, she has taken many reasonable steps that should put non-conservatives at ease. For example, she has called for the removal of the Confederate flag from state grounds, gives her support to women coming forward with their experiences with sexual violence, has strongly criticized much of Trump’s behavior, and stands as a powerful example of strong women.
Nikki Haley is a great example of an assertive, passionate, and bipartisan woman: the exact kind of person that this country needs to have in leadership positions. With these considerations, why shouldn’t she be Vice-President?