GOP 2016 Hopefuls: Haley Barbour

GOP HOPEFULS HEADER

The Republican National Committee recently conducted an?online straw poll?identifying 32 candidates who could get its nomination in the 2016 presidential race. Each of the 32 has quite a questionable history, though, that contrasts with the GOP’s consistent claim of it being the ?moral? option for voters.

Philander, racism, thievery, bribery, and combinations of these and other?sins?are?found across the slate, in fact.?In this series on the 32 potential candidates (updated every other day), Liberal America will offer a quick rundown on the hypocrisy clouding each one’s ?holier than thou? claims.

Haley Barbour

Former Governor of Mississippi

(Image Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr)
(Image Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr)

Dubbed ?one of Washington’s all-time mega-lobbyists,? Haley Barbour’s lobbying firm became?the largest and most powerful in the U.S. after George W. Bush was first elected to the White House. He previously tried to run for US Senate in 1982, but his campaign was damaged when got called out for issuing racist statements.


Barbour can apparently be bought, as well. For example, he states he supports immigration reform, but his firm was paid $35,000 a month by Mexico to lobby for ?path to citizenship? for illegal immigrants. The tobacco industry was his firm’s biggest client; as governor, Barbour refused to sign a bill that increased cigarette tax, and tried to defund a program designed to stop children from smoking.

Barbour has carried a?reputation of racism?throughout his political career, mostly based?on his issuance of?questionable comments regarding African-Americans. Blacks didn’t have it ?that bad? before the Civil Rights Act, he once claimed, and Barbour openly accepted endorsement from a racist group that calls for segregation.

Right before leaving the governor’s mansion in 2012, Barbour pardoned 204 criminals from Mississippi prisons, including convicted murderers and rapists. Many of the pardons were issued to persons from wealthy families or whose relatives Haley knew privately or politically. (See video below.)

Today he heads a Super PAC that made the news earlier this year for political ads containing false information.


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Visit Liberal America for future updates on?the other?GOP 2016 hopefuls.

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See previous posts on GOP 2016 hopefuls:

Kelly Ayotte

 

I had a successful career actively working with at-risk youth, people struggling with poverty and unemployment, and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. In 2011, I made the decision to pursue my dreams and become a full-time writer. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.