There is little the Beltway media loves more than a gaffe. When a politician lets slip some statement, judged as insulting or offensive to voters by the pundits, it's generally treated as an all-hands-on-deck coverage moment. Gaffes far surpass any attention given to policy positions or governing philosophy. Some crafty campaigners weaponize the press's gaffe obsession, by "accidentally" articulating views that will offend the pundits, but will thrill the voters they're trying to reach. It's why so many candidates "forget" their microphones are turned on.
All of which is a long-winded way of arguing that it's not a mistake, the way former Gov. Nikki Haley, R-S.C., keeps saying ugly things about race. It's unlikely she actually "forgot," as many outlets suggested, to mention slavery when asked by a New Hampshire voter what caused the Civil War. She was just placating the presidential primary voters of the GOP who tend to get fussy whenever suggests there's a downside to white supremacy. Rather than discouraging her from pandering to racists, the media attention Haley got for this so-called gaffe only emboldened her. She coughed up the "I had Black friends" cliché, which garnered another round of liberal condemnation, which just makes someone more popular with the MAGA base.
