There is little surprise about the appointment of Heather Nauert, the new nominee to replace Ambassador Nikki Haley in the UN. But what do we know about President Trump’s choice? Will there be a problem getting her confirmed? And perhaps most importantly in this age of media dominance, what are the optics of her appointment?
As a journalist, former ABC and Fox and Friends anchor, and more recently spokesperson for the Department of State, Nauert is in the unique position that she not only has government experience but knows all too well how to handle the press. And it is for this that she will most likely be attacked.[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”24″]What are the topics that will be clogging up your newsfeeds from now until Christmas?[/perfectpullquote]
But what do we know about her as a person? What are the topics that will be clogging up your newsfeeds from now until Christmas?
Experience
Having served in the State Department since only April 2017, few would accuse Nauert of being an entrenched politico, yet it might be this “outsider” persona that causes her the most grief with Senate Democrats.
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) expressed his incredulity in the oh-so-eager company of Anderson Cooper, lamenting Nauert’s lack of political experience and that she has “no experience as a diplomat.” This concern for the Connecticut senator apparently only applies to those who aren’t himself. As a 25-year-old upstart, Murphy took his seat in the state House with far less experience in politics, business, or, in fact, any field whatsoever, than Nauert now has.
Despite her seeming lack of experience, Nauert has spent a lot of time in government circles. From working as a government consultant on a range of issues to being a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, she may turn out to be more of a Washington insider than most would suspect at first glance.
The D-Day Comment
Be prepared for wall to wall coverage of an apparent blunder Nauert made, referring to the U.S.-German relationship and D-Day. While this is being pointed out as a major gaffe, the reality is somewhat different.
Legacy media sources are suggesting that Nauert is incompetent or idiotic due to statements she made back in June. The Washington Post ran a headline stating “Heather Nauert cited D-Day as the height of U.S.-German relations. Now she’s headed to the U.N.” But once you get to the meat of what she said, it becomes obvious that the Post interpretation was misleading at best:
“When you talk about Germany, we have a very strong relationship with the government of Germany … Tomorrow is the anniversary of the D-Day invasion. We obviously have a very long history with the government of Germany, and we have a strong relationship with the government.”
Serious relations with Germany began after the historic landings. It was the birth of the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Western Europe and made the German nation the economic powerhouse it is today. Nowhere in her statement does she cite “D-Day as the height of U.S.-German relations.”
The Process
Perhaps the most coverage in the coming weeks will be devoted to Democrat Senators. Why? Because this is a time for them to bloviate without consequence. It doesn’t really matter how they vote during the final confirmation. With a clear Republican Senate majority, Nauert is a shoo-in. The opposition party can flap their collective toothless gums to contentment knowing that few people in their voter-base care who becomes the U.N. Ambassador as long as the Donkeys are “Resisting! Resisting! Resisting!” all that President Trump does.
Will Heather Nauert’s appointment signal the end of relations with the U.N.? The beginning of the Apocalypse? Or something much, much worse? Rest assured that the media and Democrats will do their level best to prey on all of your greatest fears for the sake of a 30-second soundbite and a spark of pleasure in knowing that no matter what, they are always morally, and politically, correct.
