Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has emerged as the media’s choice for the party’s nomination but she may have already done irreparable harm to her own surging campaign and her rivals pounced.
During a Tuesday Fox News appearance, the former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations proclaimed that if she wins the presidency next year that one of her first priorities would be using government power to eliminate anonymity on social media, suggesting that free speech is a threat to national security.
(Video: Fox News)
“Anti-Semitism was always bubbling underneath the surface, but now we’re seeing this massive exaggeration of it, but no one is talking about why. The truth is, if you look at social media, the misinformation and the dramatic sides of social media are instigating this. Why? Because it’s being pushed by Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea,” she told a group of voters, seeming to absolve the domestic left of being the greatest purveyors of Jew-hatred.
“When I get into office, the first thing we have to do, social media accounts, social media companies, they have to show America their algorithms. Let us see why they’re pushing what they’re pushing. The second thing is every person on social media should be verified by their name,” Haley said, suggesting that the ability to post anonymously without fear of reprisal is “a national security threat.”
As they did with COVID, authoritarian politicians see the explosion of anti-Semitism over Israel’s war with Hamas as a golden opportunity to impose draconian restrictions on personal freedoms and Haley’s remarks show that such un-America sentiment isn’t limited to Democrats leading to some of her fellow candidates slamming her over the pledge to use the government to stomp on free speech.
Haley was hammered over her chilling proposal by some of her fellow Republican candidates who don’t see the reason to make America more like China by imposing more draconian measures of control on what is allowed to be said.
“You know who were anonymous writers back in the day? Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison when they wrote the Federalist Papers,” wrote Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on X, formerly known as Twitter. “They were not “national security threats,” nor are the many conservative Americans across the country who exercise their Constitutional right to voice their opinions without fear of being harassed or canceled by the school they go to or the company they work for.”
You know who were anonymous writers back in the day? Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison when they wrote the Federalist Papers.
They were not “national security threats,” nor are the many conservative Americans across the country who exercise their Constitutional… https://t.co/YkAGMhUVCX
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) November 15, 2023
“Haley’s proposal to ban anonymous speech online — similar to what China recently did — is dangerous and unconstitutional,” DeSantis added. It will be dead on arrival in my administration.”
“@NikkiHaley is *openly* pushing for the government to use private tech companies to censor speech. This is a flagrant violation of the Constitution and straight out of the Democrats’ playbook. Any politician who thinks it’s OK for the government to use the private sector as its censorship bureau shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the White House,” wrote Vivek Ramaswamy, a fierce critic of Haley.
.@NikkiHaley is *openly* pushing for the government to use private tech companies to censor speech. This is a flagrant violation of the Constitution and straight out of the Democrats’ playbook. Any politician who thinks it’s OK for the government to use the private sector as its… pic.twitter.com/Cb1847r6CA
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) November 14, 2023
Other reactions to Haley’s antipathy for free speech on social media.
Is Nikki Haley aware that the Federalist Papers were written by founding fathers using pseudonyms?
Nikki Haley may be one of the most war-mongering and authoritarian candidates for president in some time. She’s completely unhinged. This is blatantly unconstitutional. https://t.co/irQwxsSTrI
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 14, 2023
More red flags than a CCP parade
— Christina Pushaw (@ChristinaPushaw) November 14, 2023
I’m really starting to believe that Nikki Haley is clinically insane and a complete psychopath.
I’m not kidding.
She’s nuts. https://t.co/uQEIypt9bW
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) November 14, 2023
What a surprise the warmonger wants a police state
— Capitalist Mike (@Capitalist_Mike) November 14, 2023
Maybe we can start with her daughter’s TikTok profile. #Hypocrite
— Libertarian Party NH (@LPNH) November 14, 2023
Your name is Nimrata, you don’t even use your real name
— Aesthetica (@Anc_Aesthetics) November 14, 2023
Anonymous speech is free speech. Compelling people to identify themselves is a soft form of censorship meant to discourage dissident opinions from being expressed.
— Mises Caucus (@LPMisesCaucus) November 14, 2023
Don’t you just hate it when your dress bunches up and everyone can see your fascism.
— Jason “Storm Chaser” Nelson (@RealJasonNelson) November 14, 2023
A direct violation of the Constitution
— Scottergate (@Scottergate) November 14, 2023
Such an idea makes Constitution-shredding President Joe Biden look like a champion of civil liberties
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