Grab your “Red Scare” decoder rings because the GOP’s language is going vintage. Remember when being called a “communist” was the go-to attack in politics? Well, it seems like Fifth-place Republican presidential hopeful, Nikki Haley, is dusting off that old playbook.
Once upon a time, Haley, our former UN Ambassador, painted herself as the voice of reason within the GOP during her South Carolina governor days. Fast forward, and she’s now wearing the “Hard Core Conservative” badge with pride. Haley’s new favorite word? Communism. It’s been sprinkled all over her conversations, from targeting “Communist China” to calling out the “Chinese Communist Party.”
And get this: in June, she claimed, “The Chinese Communist Party is building missiles and we’re arguing over gender pronouns. China is laughing at us.” Interesting move, considering the two issues are unrelated. While Caitlyn Jenner gave Haley a virtual pat on the back, many raised eyebrows. Edward Wong, a diplomatic correspondent, dropped some tea, stating that during his recent visit to Beijing, there was zero buzz about American ‘culture war’ issues.
But wait, it gets juicier. This week, she trained her sights on President Biden, equating his Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – you know, the one that helped slash inflation rates from 9% to 3% – to a “communist manifesto.” According to Haley, the legislation is supposedly making the U.S. more dependent on China, and she’s convinced American families are suffering because of Biden’s policies.
This “everything’s communism” chant isn’t unique to Haley, though. She seems to be borrowing a page from far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s songbook. Greene, in her unparalleled style, had called the Biden administration a “communist regime” and labeled the Trump indictments as “straight-up communism.”
It’s like the GOP has a “word of the month” club, and “communism” took the top spot.
