Vivek should know Nikki is an Indian name — and American, too

Republican 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (left) attacked fellow contender Nikki Haley for her ‘inauthentic, non-Indian’ name. What he doesn’t get is that there is no such thing as a ‘proper’ Indian name. — The State/TNS

IN a crowded field of Republican presidential candidates who will say anything, no matter how absurd, for attention, Vivek Ramaswamy stands apart as a spouter of strategic silliness.

His views on the Jan 6 Capitol attack, climate change, the war in Ukraine, single mothers and Juneteenth may be uniformly risible, but they are calculated to ingratiate himself to a specific audience. And his elevation from a curiosity to a contender suggests he has a good bead on the paranoias and prejudices of a sizeable proportion of the party faithful.