Indian-origin South Carolina governor Nikki Haley on Tuesday criticised President Barack Obama’s policies as having “fallen far short of his soaring words” during his seven-year-long tenure as she ask
Indian-origin South Carolina governor Nikki Haley on Tuesday criticised President Barack Obama’s policies as having “fallen far short of his soaring words” during his seven-year-long tenure as she asked Americans to resist the “angriest voices” on immigration.
“Barack Obama’s election as President seven years ago broke historic barriers and inspired millions of Americans. As he did when he first ran for office, tonight President Obama spoke eloquently about grand things. He is at his best when he does that,” she said in the formal Republican response to Mr Obama’s last State of the Union address.
“Unfortunately, the President’s record has often fallen far short of his soaring words,” said 43-year-old Ms Haley, seen as a potential Republican vice-presidential pick in 2016.
“As he enters his final year in office, many Americans are still feeling the squeeze of an economy too weak to raise income levels. We’re feeling a crushing national debt, a health care plan that has made insurance less affordable and doctors less available, and chaotic unrest in many of our cities,” she said.
In her impressive nine-minute speech that launched her into national politics, Ms Haley also took a jab at her party’s White House frontrunner Donald Trump by urging Americans to resist “the siren call of the angriest voices” on immigration.
She recounted her Indian-American heritage to describe her vision of America. “I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants who reminded my brothers, my sister and me every day how blessed we were to live in this country,” she said. “Growing up in the rural south, my family didn’t look like our neighbours, and we didn’t have much. There were times that were tough, but we had each other, and we had the opportunity to do anything.”
