There's Something About Nikki

Yes, an obligatory post about poor Nikki Haley. There's nothing Haley can do right, or so it seems. Born to Indian immigrant parents, the Sikh-turned-Methodist daughter of the state of South Carolina is now the target of a witchhunt by the good ol' boys of her state's political establishment. She is accused of having an affair with not one but two rather unsuitable men, if one can call them that. Haley is also slammed for being a "raghead", not fit to occupy the Governor's mansion.

I think there are two things going on here, both of them working against poor Ms. Haley. First, in American politics, one of the surefire ways to derail a political candidate's run for office is to insinuate, assert or establish salacious sexual scandal. Given the odd mix, particularly in the South, of extreme religiosity and sexual licentiousness, Haley was bound to be subject to the test of sexual purity, the Bible Belt's own version of the Agnipariksha, or a trial by ordeal. She must be made to suffer and endure, and if found guilty, banished, exiled, sent away. I don't know the truth about Haley's personal life and choices, but this is not about her lack of morals, it is about the morals of the society she wants to govern as an elected candidate. A society she wants to govern as a woman. Tough society you chose to live in, Nikki.

The second way to defeat a candidate even before the voters decide, is to cast him or her as alien. This is an especially tempting strategy for the good ol' (otherwise unelectable) boys for there is nothing that Nikki Haley can do about her lineage. She was born into a Sikh family, was raised a Sikh and only changed her religion because she fell in love with someone of a different faith. She cannot change her DNA or even the color of her (rather light) skin. Her current, ardent Methodism holds no merit for her South Carolina opponents, for no amount of religiosity can change the fact that she is, well, desi. And she is therefore quite susceptible to being called a "raghead" over and over again. Just ask Barack Hussein Obama.

If ever there was a moment when the politics of race and sex combined, this is one of the leading examples. The way forward, Nikki Haley, is to take a deep breath and keep moving forward, regardless of your private deeds and/or misdeeds. Or, to embrace your desi roots and sing like Guru Dutt in Pyaasa about how, even if you win this world, is this world really worth it? There's one particularly nice line about "this world of societies, the enemy of human beings...so what if you win this world?"