If you’re explaining, you’re losing… that may be the takeaway from Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley essentially flubbing a “gotcha” question about the Civil War, telling a New Hampshire town hall crowd that the War Between the States was about government interfering in people’s freedoms while neglecting to mention slavery.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has a history of not wasting time playing footsies with media activists, was hit with the same question and he delivered a masterclass on flipping the prescribed narrative that Haley should pay heed to.
“Of course, you have the issue of slavery,” the GOP presidential candidate began. “You have the states that were concerned about Lincoln interfering and potentially eliminating it. And they viewed it as a state’s rights issue, not as a federal issue.”
“And they were concerned. You have this Republican president — may come in and get rid of the institution of slavery,” DeSantis continued. “And so that was, you know — it’s interesting because the Republican Party was founded to put a stop to the growth of slavery in this country… and the abolition of slavery was to this day, remains the party’s top achievement.”
Ron DeSantis just dropped the latest module from the Candidate Masterclass.
“What caused the Civil War.”
Answer:pic.twitter.com/qa38Zkgl7a
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) December 28, 2023
Not only did the governor stress that it was his party that intervened to end slavery, but he proceeded to point out that Democrats were the party of opposition.
“It was a partisan achievement because the people that were fighting Lincoln, the people that wanted to preserve it, they were Democrats,” DeSantis concluded. “And so the Republican Party did that and that’s something that you should acknowledge and be proud of as a Republican.”
After getting eviscerated for a full day for her response, Haley tried to clarify her remarks Thursday during an interview with radio host Jack Heath.
“I mean, of course the Civil War was about slavery,” she relented.
“But what’s the lesson in all of that?” she continued. “That we need to make sure that every person has freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to do and be anything they want to be without anyone or government getting in the way. That was the goal of what that was at. Yes, I know it was about slavery. I’m from the South, of course I know it’s about slavery.”
DeSantis also addressed the “bastardized” media narrative about Florida schools teaching of black history, suggesting that slavery was a good thing in some ways.
“That’s not what it suggests, That’s a fake narrative,” he said. “We’ve now had a whole semester that’s happened — have you seen examples of [schools] saying what the media was saying this summer? No. You haven’t seen it.”
“That was bastardized — I think intentionally, to create a narrative for people like [Vice President] Kamala Harris,” DeSantis added, before pointing out that Florida’s standards were largely written by African-Americans.
A reporter brought up FL middle school standards language about how “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit”
DeSantis said it was “bastardized— intentionally” to “create a narrative for people like Kamala Harris.” pic.twitter.com/Nn5Aek3Idk
— aaron navarro (@aaronlarnavarro) December 28, 2023
DeSantis certainly impressed some with his handling of a question designed to trip up Republican candidates, as seen here:
DeSantis never misses! This is how you answer the Civil War question. This man is the Gold Standard in the Republican party. In the words of @DeaceOnline , he’s right there! Take him! pic.twitter.com/XWiK0k4S7l
— Unfiltered☢Boss (@Unfilteredboss1) December 28, 2023
He’s so much better than Haley and Trump. The gap is just staggering.
But our donor elites prefer candidates who can’t pronounce the word “nuclear.”
— Max Twain (@MaxTwain24) December 28, 2023
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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