In announcing her candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, Nikki Haley called for mental competency tests for politicians over 75. It was a swipe at President Biden and a veiled attack on Donald Trump, though she refused to directly name him.
But why stop at 75? There’s enough bonkers to go around. The statement smacks of ageism, especially when so many members of both parties have shown issues of mental incompetence.
In the over 75 crowd, aside from Biden and Trump, there’s California Senator Dianne Feinstein’s confused response when asked about her impending retirement. The 89- year-old senator had to be reminded that her office had already issued a statement announcing she would be leaving the Senate once her current term expires.
Chuck Grassley is right up there with Feinstein in being born in the midst of the Great Depression, but there’s been no mention of his mental acuity in any right wing swipes at President Biden. Instead, he just won an eighth term, which will put him well into his nineties when his current term expires. And he’s shown no desire to name a successor, much less consider retirement.
Joining President Biden in the octogenarian set are Mitch McConnell and Bernie Sanders. Both are known for their long, rambling, sonorous speeches. It’s entirely possible that they would be unable to perform these verbal feats without (May The Beatles forgive me) a little help from Depends.
And there are at least a dozen other members of the Senate and three dozen members of the House who would be subject to the Haley Test. They include the current conscience of the Republican Party, Mitt Romney, and the Democratic fly in the ointment, Joe Manchin.
But why limit it to those over 75 when there are so many others in Congress who are riding the Crazy Train? Despite winning the speakership, Kevin McCarthy has to take a back seat to QAnon kook Majorie Taylor Greene. Her bingo card of crazy has been filled out for years, including unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud and California wildfires being caused by Jewish space lasers. Every day promises new additions to her litany of lunacy, but she is apparently clear of any assessment of her mental state.
Greene’s other stooges are Rootin’ Tootin’ Lauren Boebert, who used her GED skills to childishly label the COVID vaccine the “Fauci Ouchie” (such wit is rare in sane people), and Jimmy Neutron look-alike Matt Gaetz, whose sneering vernier resembles a Batman villain who has escaped from Arkham.
Rand Paul uses his time in the Senate to rant and rave when he’s supposed to be asking a question of witnesses during Congressional hearings. Instead of allowing the witness to respond, he goes off on an insane diatribe where only his opinion is heard. Dr. Anthony Fauci is often the recipient of these rants as Paul tries to equate his credentials in ophthalmology with an esteemed infectious disease expert. Is it any wonder Paul’s own neighbor attacked him?
His matching lunatic in the House is the equally unbalanced Jim Jordan. His rants are worthy of the Guinness Book of World Records for the number of baseless accusations he can make in a single sitting. Yet he is currently in charge of a committee aimed at investigating “weaponization of the Justice Department”. This, after ignoring years of abuse by the former administration. While such investigations are not a sign of mental instability, his incoherent rants, and the paranoia of even suggesting such an assembly of crazies, are definitely signals that all is not well upstairs.
Pathological lying isn’t recognized as a mental disorder. If that were the case, the butterfly nets would certainly be coming for George Santos. While he might be excused for attempting to emulate the former Liar-in-Chief, Santos’ penchant for over- embellishment has many questioning his mental capacity.
The recently minted members of Congress certainly include plenty of crazies, but there are also the long-term lunatics like Ted (Cancun) Cruz who cannot lob an accusation without having it blow up in his face as he is caught doing the very things he accuses others of.
While Haley’s call for mental competency tests were a definite swipe at Joe Biden’s (and Donald Trump’s) age, the implication was that she wanted to limit it to presidential candidates. Congress has its fill of questionable members, the statehouses also have their share of potential lunatics. “Meatball” Ron De Santis and Lone Star Loony Greg Abbott have certainly made some questionable moves that have others questioning their mental states.
Jumping out of the gate, Niki Haley immediately attacked her potential opponent’s mental health as a means of addressing the age issue. It’s a back-door way of using ageism without taking it head on. If this is any indication of her future campaign strategy, it means she will find a way to skirt certain issues instead of providing concrete answers.
I’m Not Racist. You’re Racist!
Any time someone begins a conversation with “I’m not a racist, but…”, you can be certain the rest of that statement involves some sort of racial remark. Which makes Nikki Haley’s decision to declare that America is not a racist nation, in front of a largely White crowd, all the more telling. While she can’t ignore the fact that many MAGA supporters are White supremacists, she can at least appease them by validating their feelings of inferiority by declaring they really aren’t the negative term associated with their dogma.
Her declaration would have been far more effective if she didn’t invite controversial televangelist John Hagee to open her rally. Hagee has a history of anti-Semitic remarks that have caused more moderate Republicans to refuse to accept his endorsement. Yet, he’s been embraced by Trump and his acolytes, including Michael Flynn and My Pillow CEO, Mike Lindell, which shows just how far right his ideas are.
Given that Haley is the daughter of immigrants, it makes her embrace of far right rhetoric all the more puzzling. Had she been born under the previous administration’s rules, it’s quite possible her parents may not have even been allowed into the country. She would never have been governor of South Carolina nor Ambassador to the United Nations much less a candidate for president.
Haley’s upbringing is a microcosm of a racist America. The town in South Carolina where she grew up was divided by a railroad track with Whites on one side and people of color on the other. It epitomizes the phrase, “being born on the wrong side of the tracks”, yet Haley still holds to the belief that America isn’t a racist nation despite the fact she most assuredly was the victim of the very thing she denies.
Following her announcement, CNN’s Don Lemon made the ill-advised comment that Haley was “past her prime”. This earned him an immediate rebuke from his female co-anchors. Lemon has repeatedly apologized for his remarks and was noticeably absent from the next day’s broadcast in what the network called a “planned absence” and not punishment for his comment.
In response, Haley blasted Lemon using the social media outlet that has become the new home for White supremacists since it was purchased by Elon Musk, Twitter. She claimed, “…it’s always liberals who are the most sexist”. She obviously ignored who she once worked for and is currently opposing in the upcoming election.
And speaking of being sexist, in another comment, this time at the haven of sexual harassment and racism. Fox, Haley stated that another of her potential opponents in 2024, Ron DeSantis, didn’t go far enough with his “Don’t Say Gay” law. She cited her own educational experiences in South Carolina, which didn’t permit any discussion of Sex Education until the seventh grade, and then only with parental permission. She conveniently ignored the fact that her home state consistently ranks near the bottom when it comes to education.
So, with a little less than two years to go, it’s already shaping up to be an interesting primary season. Trump’s possible indictment on a number of charges, and his threat to form a third party if he doesn’t get the Republican nomination makes for more drama ahead.
And we are just getting warmed up!