Paul announces opposition and directs viewers to NeverNikki.net
In a recent video statement, Senator Rand Paul expressed his strong disagreement with former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley’s position on internet registration. Paul highlighted his concerns about Haley’s attitude towards overseas interventions and her involvement in the military industrial complex.
Paul declared, “I am ready to make a decision on someone who I cannot support, so I’m announcing this morning that I am never Nikki.” He directed viewers to the website NeverNikki.net, which presents a comprehensive list of criticisms against Haley. The website, paid for by Rand Paul for US Senate, features a red line striking through the name Nikki.
Paul emphasized the importance of anonymity in expressing one’s views, highlighting the principles on which the American Republic was founded. He stated, “Our republic was founded upon people like Ben Franklin, Sam Adams, Madison, John Jay, and others who posted routinely — for fear of the government — they posted routinely anonymously.”
Expanding on this point, Paul argued that Haley’s view on internet registration contradicts the values of a free American Republic. He asserted that her stance “flies in the face of a free American Republic whose founders wrote anonymously the Federalist Papers and routinely posted newspaper articles and pamphlets under pseudonyms.”
Haley’s Proposal Sparks Debate
Haley faced criticism in November after she voiced her intention to require verification of social media users in the name of “national security.” During an appearance on Fox News, she explained her reasoning, saying, “First of all, it’s a national security threat. When you do that, all of a sudden people have to stand by what they say. And it gets rid of the Russian bots, the Iranian bots and the Chinese bots.”
However, Haley later clarified her remarks during an appearance on CNBC, stating, “I don’t mind anonymous American people having free speech. What I don’t like is anonymous Russians and Chinese and Iranians having free speech.”
The debate surrounding internet registration continues, with Rand Paul firmly expressing his opposition to Haley’s proposal and urging libertarian-leaning conservatives to reconsider their support for her.
Contributed by: Fox News’ Brandon Gillespie