It's All About Delivery - but Not About Babies

This is about delivery but it’s not about babies.

It’s about deliveries, assumptions, politics, intellectuals, prejudices, Nikki Haley, blondes and more. Strange combinations, don’t you think?

That Nikki Haley becomes our new governor this week is what prompted my weird collection of thoughts.

Haley, of course, is our state’s first female governor. Of Indian heritage, she is our first minority governor. She becomes the nation’s youngest governor. Believe it or not, there are still – in 2011 - a few individuals who think a woman shouldn’t be governor, or that a minority shouldn’t be or that a relatively young person shouldn’t be.

It was in early January 40 years ago that I served my very first day in the state legislature, becoming the nation’s youngest lawmaker. There were many who thought I was too young and/or that a female had no place in the law-making process.

And there were then - and still are - folks who believe that a blonde can’t have brains!

Perhaps Nikki Haley overcame some of the prejudices by the way she delivered her message. Delivery is extremely important in the election process.

One of the smartest and brightest people I ever served with in government was the late Heyward Belser. He was so much the intellectual that most of us couldn’t keep up with him or even understand him.

At one point, Belser ran for lieutenant governor in the Democrat’s primary. Notwithstanding any of the attributes of other candidates, I’m convinced that he wasn’t more successful in that race because he was too brilliant and the brilliance showed in his speeches. His delivery was lacking when it came to relating to most people.

There are some who believe Sarah Palin isn’t very bright because of her delivery style, which includes smiling and winking. My point is not whether she is or is not bright but how we judge folks.

We should not judge or base our decisions on smiles, hair color, ethnicity, age or other such factors.

Forty years ago, there were many who thought I didn’t know much because of my age. Most definitely, there were some things I didn’t know. Now I’m 61, and there are still things I don’t know.

Lack of knowledge on some subjects is true for every human being, regardless of age, ethnicity, facial expressions, religion or education.

Or hair color.

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