The Blogland of Earl Capps

Walton Cartoon: Obama and the State of the Union

2012-01-26T17:56:00.000-05:00

Democratic rout looming in North Carolina?

2012-01-26T15:50:00.000-05:00

Today, two prominent North Carolina Democrats abandoned their re-election bids, both facing strong possibilities of defeat at the hands of Republicans, raising doubts about the ability of Democrats to repeat their surprise win of the state in the 2008 Presidential contest.

Democratic Governor Beverly Purdue, long trailing GOP challenger Pat McCrory, a former Mayor of Charlotte, in polls, announced that she would not seek a second term. Democratic Congressman Brad Miller also announced he would not seek another term, after being forced to choose between almost-certain defeat at the hands of GOP challengers in his old district or by an incumbent Democrat in another.

These signs of trouble for Democrats in North Carolina as they fight Republicans - and each other - in several high-profile contests which follow the surprise 2010 takeover of the North Carolina General Assembly by the GOP.

Miller's story is a rather interesting study in payback. In the 2001 redistricting, Miller had chaired the NC Senate's redistricting efforts, drawing the state's new 13th district, which he was elected to. The same process eliminated the Senate seat held by Republican Bob Rucho of Charlotte, who later returned to the Senate and led this round of redistricting efforts.

For the record, Rucho denies payback was a motive in the Congressional maps.

The Rucho plan radically redrew Miller's District, centered in the Raleigh-Durham region, flipping it from a safe Democratic seat to a Republican district, while moving Miller into the nearby 4th District, a heavily-Democratic seat currently held by Rep. David Price, who is planning to seek re-election.

The prospect of a Miller-Price primary battle was showing signs of splitting Democratic ranks early, with the Daily Kos giving Miller an early endorsement over Price, even though Price released a poll showing him with a heavy edge for re-election over Miller.

But it's not the only bad news facing North Carolina Democrats. Congressional redistricting may cost three other Democrats, all of whom ran close re-election races last year, their seats: Larry Kissell, Mike McIntyre, and Heath Shuler.

Not only that, but President Obama's chances of winning North Carolina are looking quite dismal.

With such news, it's seeming increasingly likely that the decision by Democrats to hold their 2012 convention in Charlotte will do little to avoid a bloodbath for North Carolina Democrats in a state which is considered a top priority for Obama's re-election. It's a stunning turn of fortune for North Carolina Democrats, whose tight grip over the state had long resisted the GOP tide which has been sweeping the South.

Jim Clyburn sleeping during State of the Union?

2012-01-26T00:32:00.000-05:00

We couldn't help but want to run this photo, which shows Sixth District Congressman Jim "JC Hammer" Clyburn sound asleep, reportedly during the State of the Union address.

We think it speaks for itself.

It's ok. We didn't see much exciting in his speech either.

Republicans lining up behind House District 97 candidate

2012-01-23T22:37:00.002-05:00

Every time Dorchester County's sole Democratic legislator - Rep. Patsy Knight - has been in a contested race, she's only won by a few hundred votes in a seat which has changed hands between parties a total of four times since 2000. The district, which connects rural Democratic upper Dorchester County with the fast-growing Republican areas around Summerville, has long been a swing district - a balance which may have been tipped by redistricting, which cut a number of the more Democratic precincts from the district while adding three precincts from Colleton County (two of which trend Republican).

Reportedly Republican support is quickly gathering around Jordan Bryngelson, a Summerville insurance rep who is also the county's representative to the state's GOP Executive Committee. Like Knight, Bryngelson has long ties in the rural areas of the district and is expected to wage a strong battle for those votes.

We've talked with a number of people who have told us that Knight may take a pass on another bid for the seat.

This race will likely be a top target for the GOP in the fall general elections. If Democrats can keep the GOP candidate bottled up in the Summerville and Colleton County precincts, they could hang on to the seat. If the Republicans can win some crossover voting among the district's rural Dorchester voters, the seat is theirs. Given the changes made by redistricting and continued GOP growth in the district's Summerville precincts, a GOP win may well end over a decade of back-and-forth outcomes in this district.

Three running for House District 44 - and counting

2012-01-22T22:37:00.001-05:00

January isn't over and the race for Lancaster County's state House District 44 is heating up with three candidates in the race as two Democrats have announced their plans to seek the seat along with Republican Joseph Coy.

We've heard that Mandy Powers-Norrell, a Lancaster attorney who ran a heated state Senate race in 2008 against now-Congressman Mick Mulvaney back in 2008, is in the running, as is Kershaw attorney Bob Cook. Cook worked under former Democratic Governor Jim Hodges and is currently in private practice. With both having long roots in the district and established political resumes and networks, one can expect a primary match as contentious as the Senate race four years ago.

We're hearing more are looking at the race from the Republican side as well.

Republicans are expected to take a serious shot at picking up the seat, which is being vacated by incumbent Democratic Rep. Jimmy Neal, after waging a strong bid for the seat in 2010 and seeing the county go for GOP Congressman Mick Mulvaney's upset win over former Congressman John Spratt.

Walton cartoon: Infighting

2012-01-22T22:20:00.002-05:00

... enough said.

Mitt Romney for President

2012-01-18T04:39:00.000-05:00

A rear view of the Bloglandmobile.

The United States faces major challenges both at home and abroad. A stagnant economy has left many Americans convinced things are worse than before Obama took office, while growing interference from the federal government stifles economic growth and a growing debt has funded a series of failed initiatives while providing unprecedented incentives for people not to return to work. Around the world, our nation has lost credibility as our military strength and our will to use it effectively have diminished and our foreign policy grown less decisive.

As the Obama administration lacks the willingness and vision needed to address these growing problems, it’s time for a new President who will take them more seriously and who has the background and leadership ability to get results.

In this year’s Republican Primary, the Blogland has watched the evolving field of candidates, attended many events with the candidates and their representatives and absorbed far more information about them than human beings should be exposed to. After careful consideration, the Blogland will support former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for the nomination.

Mitt Romney has a record of executive experience, both in the private sector and in government. He has had to operate with finite budgets, make tough decisions and take responsibility for achieving results. This kind of real-world experience is sorely needed in Washington.

We were impressed by Romney’s solid grasp of issues and his ability to discuss problems in detail, while proposing specific approaches to solving those problems. His campaign messages, which call for reining in spending, addressing long-term issues such as Social Security, applying thoughtful approach to build a larger and more effective military and laying a foundation for a stronger economy through workforce and education policy reforms, smart infrastructure enhancement while keeping organized labor in check, are right on with what the Blogland believes to be the most pressing problems, as well as the kinds of smart solutions which are needed to address them.

As a businessman, Romney helped reorganize and turn around a number of businesses. In the public arena, he led efforts to save the faltering Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and wiped out a $3 billion deficit as Governor of Massachusetts. His proven ability to be a "fix-it man" in a wide range of settings is greatly needed to straighten up the many messes created by the current administration.

We also like Texas Governor Rick Perry, but polling consistently shows Perry can't win the nomination, much less the general election. Not only that, but questions have been raised about whether the American people are ready to elect another Texas governor so soon after the Bush administration, especially since Perry served as Lieutenant Governor under Bush. That may not be fair to Perry, but voters don’t always consider what is fair in making a decision.

While Newt Gingrich is one of the most intellectual figures in the history of the Republican Party, he has often fumbled the leadership ball, as evidenced by a number of controversial statements as well as his short tenure as Speaker of the House, which left many of his fellow House Republicans disgruntled and plotting a coup. That tenure saw Gingrich hold the highest negative ratings for a House Speaker until Nancy Pelosi came along. Republicans can't risk more mangled Gingrich soundbites being used against them in fall attack ads - something which Democrats did with great effect in the 1996 Presidential election.

The other candidates – Ron Paul and Rick Santorum – are too extreme for swing voters to consider in the fall contest, thus unelectable. Also, we’re concerned that Santorum’s ethical questions would be fodder for a billion-dollar Obama attack campaign.

While conservatives are the largest bloc of voters, they are not the majority of voters. Thus the winning candidate must unite a coalition of voters from their party's base and indepedent voters from the center. Time and time again, polling has shown Romney as the candidate who best appeals to those essential independents. Republicans can choose purism and risk four more years of Obama's extremist liberal agenda being shoved upon them, or go with the more certain shot at winning that Romney offers.

History shows that Presidents rarely defy their party's base, meaning that if Republicans can hold the House and gain the Senate this year, any Republican President would be just as friendly as any other to signing off on conservative legislation. Thus there is no reason to believe that Romney would be a threat to his fellow Republicans if elected.

Mitt Romney has shown the depth of knowledge needed to make sound policy decisions, a willingness to apply logic instead of shallow rhetoric to solve problems, proven business leadership and the ability to appeal to swing voters. Of all the candidates, he has the best potential to win the White House, as well as to do the hard work needed to bring real change to Washinton and get our nation back on track. Thus he is our pick in this month’s Republican Primary for President.

Newt Gingrich's Ego Problem

2012-01-17T14:19:00.001-05:00

Today's Newt Gingrich event in Florence showed Gingrich as his usual strong, outspoken self. But it also showed how big his ego could get, as he sought to consolidate the support of conservative Republicans behind his candidacy, telling the audience that "a vote for Santorum or Perry is wasted", criticizing fellow GOP candidate Mitt Romney as a moderate who Repubicans should unite against.

He also made sure audience members knew that Santorum "lost his state by the biggest margin of history". It's true, but it was hardly a generous gesture to the Santorum voters he was trying to talk into supporting him.

So why does Gingrich think he is "The One" for conservatives and all others are lost causes?

While both past results and present polling show Rick Perry's campaign is struggling to establish relevancy, there's plenty of reason to argue that Rick Santorum is still waging a viable candidacy, at least when compared to Gingrich.

In the most recent average of national polling on Real Clear Politics, Gingrich barely led the anti-Romney vote with about half the poll share of Romney. While Romney's average was 31.4 percent, Gingrich averaged 16.3 percent to Santorum's 14.4 percent, putting him right behind Gingrich. Ron Paul followed with 13.4 percent and Perry at 7.0 percent.

Also, Santorum left Gingrich in the dust in Iowa, finishing a close second (and maybe first) while Gingrich finished a distant fourth place. In New Hampshire, Santorum finished ahead of Gingrich, finishing fourth and fifth places respectively.

While Santorum is polling behind Gingrich in the upcoming South Carolina and Florida contests, Santorum would still have bested Gingrich in two of four states. Combined with their relatively close position in national polling, Gingrich is hardly the clear "front-runner" of the also-ran candidates - at least not yet.

Three candidates do morning campaign stops in Florence

2012-01-17T13:42:00.000-05:00

Between 9 a.m. and noon today, three of the Republican candidates for President blitzed through Florence: Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry. Together, the three candidates covered four events across the town, leading a trail of interested party activists and hustling news media reporters as they made their way through and off to afternoon events elsewhere in South Carolina.

From diners to art shops, back-slapping to philosphical dissertations, today's candidate stops had it all, giving Florence voters a rare opportunity to sample several of their options in the same morning.

First up was Mitt Romney at the Florence Civic Center. Making it out early for 9 a.m. stop, about two hundred turned out for the event, joined by at least sixty news media.

Romney was introduced by his wife Ann who opened the event by talking about their family and her husband on a personal level. Making no mention of his primary opponents, Romney spent much of his short speech focusing on attacking Obama, mostly on fiscal and defense issues, calling the Obama agenda “a detour, not a destination”. He endorsed the "Cut, Cap and Balance" approach favored by Senator Jim DeMint.

An hour later, about 150 turned out in Florence to greet Newt Gingrich in downtown Florence. Local state Representative Kris Crawford and Florence County GOP Chair Bill Pickle warmed up the crowd for Gingrich, whose first Florence stop was a private fundraiser.

In the opening of his stump speech, Gingrich hoped to face Obama in the fall campaign: “The number one question that South Carolinas can settle on Saturday … ‘what do we have to do to nominate someone who can defeat Obama in the debates this fall’”, touching on moments from last night’s Myrtle Beach debate.

Talking about the accomplishments of the Republican Congress of the late 1990s, which he helped lead for four years as House Speaker, he touched on a point he raised in last night’s debate, saying the fall campaign should be about “the Paycheck President versus the Food Stamp President”.

At noon, Rick Perry stopped at the 301 Diner, a long-time Florence favorite to greet customers and employees. While those dining didn’t mind being all but run over by news media people, we were waiting for a photographer or two to fall onto a table or into a grease fire. This had the same kind of retail campaign marketing feel that was evident on visits like the Summerville Main Street campaign stop.

Riding herd over the day’s events were the Florence County Republican Party’s high command: Chairman Bill Pickle, Vice-Chair Stephanie Rawlinson and recently-appointed Vice-Chair Ethan Rivera. They managed to help all three campaigns coordinate these events and keep party activists and reporters moving through all four events. Three candidates, four events, definitely five stars.

What's Fair (and what's not)

2012-01-15T20:17:00.000-05:00

Every election year, there's always those who take things a little too seriously and play like there is no tomorrow. For such people, anything goes, including dishonest criticisms, personal insults and mudslinging.

This is the kind of trash that makes potential voters cynical about the political process. In most occupations and lines of business, if people believe that your product or service will deliver what they want, they buy it or offer you a contract to provide it. The realm of electoral politics should work the same way - but all too often, it doesn't.

Instead, we've learned more about Newt Gingrich's divorces than we ever want to know, Jon Huntsman's loving act of adoption has been turned into an ideological sellout, Romney's religious beliefs are used to question his fitness to hold office and we've heard more than we want to know about a candidate's last name being related to a sexual term.

But the lowest cheap-shot we've heard this cycle has been by those who've judged the reaction of the Santorum family to the loss of one of their children, which we discussed last week in some detail.

These kinds of personal cheap shots are simply inexcusable and they're the number one reason why we can't wait for January 22nd to get here.

Does this website engage in criticisms of candidates? All the time. But we stick with analysis of facts related to their conduct in public office, not their personal lives. We'll never stoop to drag you through messy divorces, tales of wayward teenagers, personal dramas, and other kinds of personal stuff. But if you drive dangerously, threaten the public with your conduct or abuse your powers and/or trust for your benefit, you may get called out on it here.

Don't bother sending us the personal dirt on someone because it won't show up on this blog. If they had a messy divorce, a stupid youthful indiscretion or did something "off-the-clock" with other consenting adults, it's none of our business.

As with any profession, those who work in politics should set high standards for accuracy, ethics and professionalism - and they should lead by example. The candidates have a role in this, but each and every staff member and volunteer needs to make that committment as well. Anyone who doubts this should look and see that many of the articles written on this blog about the Presidential campaigns have focused on stupid pet tricks by volunteers and staff members, not by the candidates themselves.

South Carolina will be in the spotlight for a few more days as the voters assess the candidates and make their decisions about who to support. Those of you working for candidates should remember that voters will be watching your conduct as well and that conduct will affect their choices on Election Day.

Knowing the brass-knuckles history of South Carolina's Presidential primaries, there's no point in asking all of you to play nice, because the relevant facts and issues aren't always nice and people here take the state's role in picking Presidential nominees darn seriously.

However you choose to campaign for your candidates over the next two weeks, you owe it to yourself and those around you to play fair and conduct yourselves in a professional manner that will make voters feel good about their choice and make others want to work with you in the future.

Bain and Newt Gingrich's frustration with losing

2012-01-14T14:29:00.000-05:00

For many years, I viewed Newt Gingrich as one of the most intellectual figures in national politics. One might disagree with his positions, but he can be counted to bring deep thinking to anything that he's involved with. Anyone who doubts that should read some of the alternative history books that he has co-authored and see just how well-researched the individuals and situations are.

In light of Gingrich's scholarly approach to writing, as well as a number of speaking appearances that I've attended on several subjects (usually non-partisan ones), I was disappointed at the Bain attack video from his super PAC against Mitt Romney. Not only are the video's facts flawed, but it also shows a serious lack of understanding of just what took place and why.

Only when Gingrich got called out on the issue by fellow Republicans did he back off, asking that an attack video about Bain and Romney be revised. Considering the many falsehoods, that's a good idea, but an even better idea would have been to get the facts straight in the first place.

FactCheck.org reviewed the video and subsequently criticized a number of gross misrepresentations:

But a closer look at the companies highlighted in the video reveals a murkier picture. The video often overstates, or outright distorts, Romney’s culpability for job losses or bankruptcies.

The film talks about layoffs at DDi Corp. and discusses questionable manipulation of stock prices after the circuit board company went public. But Romney had left Bain Capital a year before any layoffs and a public stock offering that ultimately netted Bain and Romney a big payday. The company’s subsequent bankruptcy filing came two years after Bain had largely divested from the company, and was the result of the dot-com bust. Moreover, the company emerged from bankruptcy, and its current CEO credits those early Bain investments for setting the foundation for the company’s current success.&
The film claims Romney was involved in the acquisition, management and demise of the now-defunct KB Toys. He wasn’t. Bain bought the toy company nearly two years after Romney left Bain.
Likewise, the closing of UniMac’s plant in Marianna, Fla., occurred seven years after Romney left Bain and nearly two years after Bain sold UniMac’s parent company to another private equity house.

With over a decade in human resources and having been involved in executive-level business decisions, I've learned that organizations like Bain usually get involved when a business has showed a critical lack of performance and is often facing the prospect of closing its doors.

Layoffs usually start with the "dead weight" of an organization, first targeting poor performers and those most responsible for putting a company on the ropes. In the event of mass layoffs, cuts may extend farther than that than those most-deserving of being let go, but that is often because the company couldn't afford to carry that large a workforce without going out of business. If you can't afford to pay people, then you can only choose between laying some people off or closing the doors and putting everyone out of work.

These are the kinds of things Gingrich should have known before the attacks were made, but Gingrich hasn't responded well to adverse situations, going on the attack when feels snubbed - even when such responses could blow up in his face. One previous example can be found in the infamous Air Force One episode which helped Clinton win a stand-off with congressional Republicans who were attempting to use their new-found majority position to force greater fiscal restraint. According to CNN:

The speaker said Wednesday that tough terms in the government spending bill President Clinton vetoed Monday night were included partly as the result of pique he and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole felt on Air Force One during flights with the president to and from Israel for the funeral.

After finishing far behind him in Iowa and New Hampshire, Gingrich has fallen behind Romney in South Carolina according to recent polls. He's blaming Romney for falling behind and is lashing out with a flurry of attacks on Romney, and has yet to make a dent in Romney's polling number. In the end, he may find - as he did in 1995 - acting in anger or frustration ends up in a major miscalculation that hands his opponents ammunition to use against him. But it wouldn't be the first time that he's been called out for misleading attacks.

In his alternative history novel Gettysburg, Gingrich presents a radically different outcome of the famous Civil War battle where Confederate General Robert E. Lee's staff confronted the enraged general and talked him out of continuing a series of costly frontal attacks. Once calmed down and willing to accept input from staff officers who see the fight for the town unwinnable, he considers other options, and ultimately devises a more thoughtful approach to confronting Union forces than the bloody frontal assaults which the battle was well-known for, and in doing so changes the course of the Gettysburg campaign.

It is ironic that Gingrich saw this critical flaw in Lee, but can't see it in himself, allowing his anger to drive him to adopt an "anything goes" campaign attack strategy which has wasted money, muddied the GOP primary waters and tarnished his credibility.

Let's hope Gingrich's willingness to back down will be the beginning of a more prudent and thoughtful approach to his campaign. He is certainly capable of better - and the voters certainly deserve better.

Saturday morning in Summerville: Grits, eggs, bacon and politics

2012-01-14T14:14:00.000-05:00

Lowcountry Republicans packed the house at Kelly’s BBQ on U.S. 78 near Summerville for the monthly meeting of the Lowcountry GOP Breakfast Club, which featured a preview of the 2012 session of the General Assembly, featuring Dorchester County State Senator Mike Rose and Charleston County State Representative Chip Limehouse. The meeting covered a wide range of subjects, including restructuring, the state budget, health care, and harbor dredging.

As always, a special thanks to Bubba Kelly and Kelly’s BBQ for hosting this event.

Next month’s meeting – Saturday, February 11 – the group will host an all-star line-up of state politicos as they celebrate their 10th anniversary.

Stay tuned via the group’s website: www.GOPBreakfast.com.

Connor to seek Sixth District GOP Chair

2012-01-13T02:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday in Manning, Orangeburg attorney and 2010 Lieutenant Governor candidate Bill Connor announced his bid for the Sixth District GOP Chairmanship. The office is currently held by Tom Grimes, a long-time GOP activist from Florence, whose county is being moved into the new Seventh Congressional District.

Jokingly referring to himself as from the “Republican mecca of Orangeburg”, Connor told the audience that “I understand how this district relates to the rest of the state”, promising to apply his in-the-field networking and campaign experience from his Lieutenant Governor bid to help support Republican Party organizations in the Sixth District.

Clarendon Republicans meet, pick Romney in straw poll

2012-01-13T02:07:00.000-05:00

The crowd at the monthly meeting of Clarendon County Republicans was standing-room only in Manning to see a number of speakers, including Rep. Alan Clemmons and representatives from several Presidential campaigns. Long-time GOP politico Moye Graham chaired the meeting with door prizes from Robert and Dawn Alt, owners of the Palms at Wyboo Plantation, a favorite regional hangout for Republicans.

Myrtle Beach State Representative Alan Clemmons addressed the audience, discussing the status of two ongoing election law issues: redistricting, which received Justice Department pre-clearance but is the subject of a lawsuit, and Voter ID, which has been denied approval by the Justice Department and is awaiting further legal action.

While speaking for the Rick Santorum campaign, Bill Connor, who lost a close race for Lt. Governor in the 2010 GOP run-off, announced his candidacy for the Sixth District Republican Party Chair. The current holder, Tom Grimes of Florence, will be vacating the office as his county is being moved into the state’s new Seventh Congressional District.

GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney won their straw poll with 39% of votes cast. Gingrich came in second with 17% and Santorum third with 12%. The straw poll also polled for Vice-President preferences with the top finishers being Rudy Giuliani with 14%, Marcio Rubio with 11% and Jeb Bush with 10%.

Perry walks Summerville's Main Street

2012-01-12T15:49:00.000-05:00

Over 100 people turned out to walk "Main Street" Summerville with GOP Presidential candidate Rick Perry earlier today. Perry's mid-afternoon walk visited a number of businesses in downtown Summerville where Perry spoke to owners and employees.

The most notable people along with Perry were Summerville State Representatives Jenny Horne and Chris Murphy, as well as former state GOP Chair Katon Dawson.

Huntsman Town Hall in North Charleston

2012-01-11T21:39:00.000-05:00

About 200 people turned out to North Charleston City Hall tonight for a Town Hall forum with Presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, the day after he finished third place in the New Hampshire primary.

Introducing Huntsman at the event was former Attorney General and SCGOP Chair Henry McMaster. McMaster praised his experience both as a two-term Governor in Utah as well as a business owner, praising Utah as "the best managed state in the nation" while Huntsman was Governor. Before Huntsman went into his opening remarks, he introduced his wife, Mary Kaye, allowing her to speak to the audience before Huntsman went into his stump speech.

Believing this to be the "most important election of our lifetime", he touted his experience as a business executive, as well as two-term Governor and Ambassador to China, saying "I was raised with the ethos of 'country first'" having served in various roles and offices under Presidents Reagan, Bush and Obama.

Asking the audience "when is the last time we've talked about growth in our country", much of his speech focused on several issues: fiscal reforms, defense realignment, energy indepedence and job creation.

Like those who turn out at Ron Paul events, the audience was almost entirely made up of people we've not seen at local and regional GOP events. Given the short notice and his low standing in South Carolina polls, we'd expected to see a much lower turnout at the event.

Questions from the audience included political subjects (defense, relations with China and education) and personal (about his father and his recent performance on the David Letterman show).

Check out his rock band photo, where he's on the top right. We think he looked a lot like Don Dokken did back in the 80s.

J.C. Watts stumps in Summerville for Newt Gingrich

2012-01-11T18:53:00.001-05:00

Former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts visited Summerville as part of a two-day tour of the state, touring the state on behalf of Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. The mid-day stop at Sweetwater Cafe was a full house on Summerville's Main Street.

Watts told the audience he supported Gingrich because "we need someone who can challenge Obama from more than just talking points", saying that he'd planned to sit this race out, but after Iowa he decided to "get involved and get off the sidelines".

Watts defined the challenges facing the GOP as similar to what they faced in the 1990s, touting their records in reining in deficit spending, entitlement reform, debt reduction and tax relief, promising Gingrich would act on those issues.

He believed the Republicans lost their Congressional majority in 2006 when "some of the things the Democrats were doing, we were doing", predicting that in the face of what he predicted to be a billion dollar re-election campaign by President Obama. He believed the only want to win is with "someone who knows who they are, can complete in debates and has a broad historical perspective".

Watts served with Gingrich in Congress, having been elected to the House from Oklahoma in 1995 as a freshman in the first GOP congressional majority since the 1950s. Watts was also the first black Republican elected to Congress from the Deep South since Reconstruction.

Campaign 2012: The "over the edge" moment

2012-01-10T15:20:00.000-05:00

Every campaign cycle, campaigning and editorializing ends up getting dirtier than it should, as those hoping to score that one last shot go over the edge with their attacks. In this cycle, the lowest blow can be found in the criticisms of GOP Presidential candidate Rick Santorum and his family's handling of the loss of their newborn child, Gabriel Michael Santorum, by news commentator Alan Colmes of Fox News:

Get a load of some of the crazy things he’s said and done, like taking his two-hour-old baby when it died right after child birth home and played with it so that his other children would know that the child was real.

Colmes called the Santorums out on it publicly, but I've heard others snicker and take cheap shots privately about the subject. While I've not hestitated to call Santorum out on things related to his record of public service and his campaign, the loss of their child should be above any form of public judgment or criticism.

I've come to understand this very personal subject far better than most people ever will, so I'll take off the blogger hat and tell you where I'm coming from, as well as why Mr. Colmes - and others - were way out of line.

In 1998, my daughter Bonnie was born three months premature. Weighing one pound and fifteen ounces at birth, doctors gave her a 1-in-4 chance at survival. In the first week, she almost didn't make it, but two months later, she came home. While many premees end up with learning and physical disabilities or are small for their age, Bonnie is doing well in school and those who've seen her can attest that she's tall for her age (and eagerly awaiting inheriting my Dodge Charger in a couple of years' time).

But others weren't so lucky.

While visiting Bonnie at the MUSC NNICU, a daily family ritual until she came home, I watched one couple spend their last minutes with their child just a few feet away from me. I still think about that evening and when I do, ask myself what I would've done. To this day, I still don't know.

It seems rational that babies don't die. We tell ourselves that they will live, grow up and live full lives, and that if we're lucky, we'll share a lot of special moments with them along the way. So when they die, the rational becomes the irrational, and when that happens, anything can seem logical or sensible as one clutches at straws to make sense of it.

Those who criticize the Santorum family for how they handled that experience doesn't understand what they went through - and I hope they never will.

Many couples who lose a child eventually split up because they can't get past what happened, thus compounding an already bad situation for their families. Feelings of frustration, guilt, inadequcy and anger pull them apart, turn them against each other and against even against themselves. Somehow, the Santorum family rose above the pain of their loss to make peace with what happened and remain together. Fifteen years later, they're still together. At least in the Blogland, that's all that matters.

While some would see this as a praiseworthy example of personal triumph in the face of an unavoidable tragedy, Mr. Colmes saw this as nothing more than political talking points for an over-the-edge personal attack on the Santorum family. Unfortunately that's how it goes in today's "hit of the day" media culture, where scoring points is all that matters.

Senator Campbell: Long-term unemployed must volunteer in return for benefits

2012-01-09T21:06:00.001-05:00

If Berkeley County State Senator Paul Campbell has his way, those who are long-term unemployed and are receiving unemployment benefits would have to perform volunteer community service in order to continue receiving state assistance.

Senate Bill 1049, which Campbell sponsored, has an LCI Committee hearing tomorrow, was motivated by his experience as a plant manager for Alcoa. This requirement would apply to those who were out of work twenty-six weeks (six months) after first filing for employment, and would require them to perform at least sixteen hours a week of "suitable" volunteer work in order to continue receiving assistance.

In talking with the Blogland, Campbell said he sponsored the bill because he was concerned that "it's easier to find a job if you've got one. Being out of work long-term make it difficult to get back into the job market, and if you can't get bavk to work, you, your family and your community lose out. That's the bottom line."

Senator Campbell isn't the only one who sees it that way. Being an HR person, I learned a long time ago that it's better to keep people doing something than to leave them completely idle. Once they stop working, it's harder to get them back into a job as they get out of the habits necessary for work and they stop keeping their skills current.

Those observations are supported by an October report published in The Economist, more than 40% of all those unemployed have been out of work for more than six months. Roughly two-thirds of that group haven’t worked for a year or more.

Liberals were quick to blast Campbell's plan with George Wentworth of the National Employment Law Project complaining that Campbell's bill "feeds negative stereotypes of the unemployed".

Obviously he forgot that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, one of the most left-leaning people to serve as President, who created full-time jobs for the unemployed during the Great Depression through the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Many of the major roads, public utilities and public buildings constructed in the United States in the 1930s were built through this program, some of which were vital contributions for the infrastructure of a nation gearing up for World War II.

It's hard to see how the accomplishments of the WPA projects created any sort of negative stereotype for those who built them. If anything, those accomplishments should have given those who worked on them something to be proud of. Working for a construction company, I see the very real pride my employees take in building something real.

Compared to the WPA jobs, which required working for more than full-time hours often far from home for months on end with low pay and often harsh working conditions, asking for someone to volunteer the equivalent of two full-time days a week doesn't seem too much to ask, especially if it can keep those without work busy and allow them to give back to their community at the same time.

The effects of long-term unemployment in the Great Recession are very real. If we want people to be ready for work and get something of value for the billions being allocated for unemployment programs, Campbell's legislation is a step in the right direction. Legislators need to pass this bill.

Rep. Neal announces retirement in House District 44

2012-01-08T20:35:00.001-05:00

After serving in the House since a 1999 special election, Lancaster County Democratic State Rep. Jimmy Neal decided that he would not seek a new term this year. Neal's announcement came two days after Heath Springs businessman Joseph Coy said he would seek the GOP nomination for the seat.

In 2010, Neal faced a surprisingly strong challenge by a Republican in an election year that saw his county side with GOP Congressman Mick Mulvaney, coming in well under the sixty percent mark which is considered safe for an incumbent. This drew speculation that several Republicans would be gunning for the seat in 2012.

Democrats are also reportedly seeking a candidate for the seat. Given the seat's long Democratic history, it would be a major embarassment for them to let the seat go without a fight.

Heather Crawford kicks off bid for Horry County State House seat

2012-01-08T01:18:00.000-05:00

It was a full house Saturday afternoon near Conway as supporters of GOP State House candidate Heather Ammons Crawford kicked off her campaign for the Horry County House seat being vacated by current State Representative Thad Viers.

Crawford is a veteran of Horry County GOP politics, having founded the Grand Strand Young Republicans and served as its Chair for two years, as well as the Horry County Executive Committeeman for the South Carolina Republican Party from 2009-2011. Currently, she serves as the South Carolina National Committeewoman for the Young Republican National Federation. In the summer, she got hitched to Cam Crawford (and the Blogland was there).

Not to miss out on a good time, the Blogland joined the party. It was worth the drive up.

House District 68 is centered in central Horry County, including much of the Socastee area, covering an area from just north of Surfside Beach to just south of Conway along S.C. Route 544. The seat was moved from Sumter County in the 2002 round of redistricting. Presently, Crawford is the only announced candidate for the seat.

Walton Cartoon: Squeezing Liberty

2012-01-06T22:57:00.000-05:00

More visual wit from Jamie Walton, an Upstate GOP activist and contributing cartoonist for the Blogland. Enjoy!

The Santorum Sleaze Factor

2012-01-05T18:38:00.000-05:00

While the Republican Party, prodded by Tea Party activists, has begun to turn away from the lobbyist-infested dealmaking tax-and-spend approach to politics which had much to do with the loss of Congress and the White House, it seems that Presidential candidate Rick Santorum is proof that mindset is alive and well and working to reassert itself within the GOP.

Questions have been raised about his association with Jim Hirni, a former Jack Abramoff-associated lobbyist who is playing an active role in Santorum's campaign. Hirni, who was convicted in 2008 for buying favors with Senate staff members, didn't even take time out of politics after his conviction, setting up shop in South Carolina and working for Santorum while serving as an informant for the feds until he was sentenced last November:

It took three years for the court to sentence Hirni after his guilty plea in 2008. Part of Hirni's plea deal required his full cooperation with federal investigators; including acting as an informant for the feds "...working in an undercover role to contact and negotiate with others suspected and believed to be involved in criminal misconduct...," according to court records.

But the Hirni association is just the tip of the iceberg as many other sources have connected Santorum to Washington's pay-to-play insider culture, both during and after his time as a Senator. Reports which are beginning to surface about Santorum's involvement in the shadowy world of Washington insider deal-making, special favors and corruption should prompt GOP activists should bring into question the validity of Santorum's claims to be conserative Presidential candidate.

As a Senator, Santorum was identified as being at the center of an effort to force lobbying firms into a close partnership with the Republican Party in a story by Nicholas Confessore in "Welcome to the Machine", which was published in the July/August 2003 edition of the Washington Monthly:

Every week, the lobbyists present pass around a list of the jobs available and discuss whom to support. Santorum's responsibility is to make sure each one is filled by a loyal Republican--a senator's chief of staff, for instance, or a top White House aide, or another lobbyist whose reliability has been demonstrated. After Santorum settles on a candidate, the lobbyists present make sure it is known whom the Republican leadership favors. "The underlying theme was [to] place Republicans in key positions on K Street. Everybody taking part was a Republican and understood that that was the purpose of what we were doing," says Rod Chandler, a retired congressman and lobbyist who has participated in the Santorum meetings. "It's been a very successful effort."

The Washington Post reported that as his 2006 re-election bid was heating up, Santorum suspended the meetings for several weeks, only to resume the meetings with lobbyists elsewhere in Washington:

One lobbyist called the attendees "the usual suspects," and said they were among the city's best-known lobbyists whose firms represent financial services, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, oil production and tobacco companies. The lobbyist added: "There were two or three people from his [Santorum's] campaign who didn't go to meetings at the Capitol. I don't think beyond that that I recognized anybody new."

Not surprisingly, Santorum has denied the K Street connections, prompting Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think-tank, to challenge Santorum's denials, presenting considerable evidence of his ongoing dealings with lobbyists.

While still in the Senate, Santorum was accused of receiving a $500,000 home loan on favorable terms from Philadelphia Trust Company, a private bank whose officers contributed $24,000 to Santorum's political action committees and re-election campaign:

In advertising, the lender said it only offered its preferred rates to well-heeled borrowers who also used their investment services. But Santorum's public disclosure forms showed he did not have the required minimum $250,000 in liquid assets and was not an investor with Philadelphia Trust.

After being thrown out of his Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat, Santorum didn't mind cashing in on his connections. NBC documented a number of instances where Santorum pulled in lucrative consulting gigs very similar to lobbying:

A review of the financial disclosure form for Rick Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, shows he made $65,000 for “legislative policy consulting services" from American Continental Group, a government affairs and consulting firm -- a.k.a. a lobbying firm -- in Washington in 2010 up until Aug. 2 of this year when he filed his form.

An ABC News story provided additional details about Santorum's business dealings as a Washington influence-peddler, pointing out that "Santorum has worked for at least seven different employers simultaneously, with several paying him a six-figure fee":

"He has been, essentially, a stealth lobbyist," said Bill Allison, editorial director for the Sunlight Foundation, a watchdog group. "He has been hired to try to influence policy on behalf of his clients without crossing the thresholds that would require him to report what he's doing."

Where there's smoke, there's often fire. As the GOP attempts to purge itself of influence-peddling insiders who compromised the Republican Party's adherence to conservative principles, it might be wise for Republicans to ask if Rick Santorum is part of the solution or simply just another part of the business-as-usual problem.

SCE&G nuclear plant design approved

2012-01-04T22:27:00.001-05:00

Efforts to increase South Carolina's home-generated power supply took another step forward over the holiday season with the approval of the reactor design by the Nuclear Regulatory Commssion just before the holidays. The new AP1000 reactor design by Westinghouse Electric, is slated to be used in several new nuclear plants being built in both Carolinas, Florida and Georgia, including the V.C. Summer plant expansion, which is being developed jointly by SCE&G and Santee-Cooper in Fairfield County.

While a number of efforts have been made to try to stop construction of the Fairfield County SCE&G facility, none have been successful. While the AP1000 design has been approved, the South Carolina plant still has a number of regulatory hurdles before it can go into operation several years from now.

The Summer plant is needed by both power companies to keep up with growing demand. Santee-Cooper has been seeking to expand it's generation capacity for several years, having abandoned plans to build a coal-fired plant in Florence County and faced with prospects of having to close at least two currently-operating coal plants due to new federal regulations. SCE&G has not announced if it will have to shut any of its coal-fired plants.

The new AP1000 plant design was praised for its safety, having endured rigorous testing to ensure its survivability in extreme conditions, a concern heightened following the Japanese earthquake and tsunami:

NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko said the newly approved design would ensure safety through simplified, passive security functions and other features. He said plants using the design could withstand damage from an airplane crash without significant release of radioactive materials — an issue that gained attention after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The new design features include the construction of a large water tank on top of the concrete-and-steel shielding building containing the reactor. In case of an accident, water would be released to flow down and cool the steel container that holds the reactor, allowing gravity to do what the pumps at Fukushima failed to do when the generators were knocked out by the tsunami wave.

The free speech fight in Columbia

2012-01-04T17:07:00.000-05:00

Apparently the City of Columbia has done so well at addressing major crimes that they're now free to focus on lesser offenses, launching a crackdown on the public use of profanity. City Council apparently adopted an ordinance prohibiting profanity in public places, in spite of several state court rulings which have stricken down similar speech restrictions, setting the game up for what could be a costly and difficult fight for the city.

In Columbia, people are standing up to City Hall and questioning the new policy, including long-time public policy advocate and researcher Bryan Cox and Republican attorney Todd Kincannon.

Kincannon has been discussing this issue in the Midlands news media, taking aim at the city's ordinance, warning in a WIS TV interview (video in this link), that the ordinance "puts police officers making judgment calls about speech and the United States Constitution just does not allow that."

Bryan Cox has been questioning the city's ordinance, including testing its limits in some highly-publicized photos (no, he hasn't been cited or arrested yet). He spells out his concerns:

I completely understand and sympathize with the pure, yet short-sighted, motives of individuals who wish your children didn’t have to hear these things at a city park. However; the ripple effect across society if we allow “rude” actions to be criminalized would have devastating consequences on the liberty we now enjoy. I argue failing to pass that birthright on to our children would be a far greater tragedy than any discomfort we now bear tolerating the noise around us.

While I’m confident this attempt will be thwarted on first amendment grounds, I hope someone here will pause for a brief moment and reflect upon the absurdity at the root of it all. We’re talking about throwing individuals into jail because they used a subjectively “profane” word that does no harm to anyone. Again, we are going to throw people — just like you and me — into jail ... because they used subjectively rude language.

In other words, this could mean the arrest or thousands of people at Williams-Brice Stadium for yelling "Go Cocks", or of Middle Eastern studies students who mispronounce the word "Shiite".

Brad Warthen, a veteran news media and public relations guru in the Midlands, has been discussing this subject as well. While he recognized Cox' position, he expressed sympathy for the concerns that prompted the ordinance:

I have to say that while Bryan may be on firm legal ground here, my sympathy lies with anyone trying to make our public spaces less coarse. I don’t think we, or our children, or our wives, or our innocent asses, for that matter, should have to be subjected to the kind of filthy that is routine poured forth in loud voices in our parks and elsewhere.

Warthen later suggested that Columbia officials look at ways to use technology to automate enforcement of the ordinance. We suspect this would free the cops to chase after the real criminals they should have been after in the first place, but they could do that simply by not adopting such an ordinance in the first place.

Last year, Town of Bonneau made an effort to "clean up" public conduct by citing someone for driving through the town with a pair of Truck Nuts attached to her bumper. While they might have thought they were making a statement, making money, or both, the defendant found an attorney and is fighting back, arguing that what some may consider distasteful is still free speech. Looks like Columbia has baited the same kind of opposition with their efforts. Let's hope they don't drag it out in a similar manner.

McCarty's "Top Nine" SC Politicos

2012-01-02T01:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes we spin over to check out Voting Under The Influence, a blog published by Brian McCarty, a long-time South Carolina politico. Some of the most interesting reading on his blog would be found in the comments section of his articles, where he had cultivated a following of somewhat extreme characters whose hatred for McCarty - and other commenters - was both obvious and dysfunction.

He was inactive for a while, but has returned to the scene recently, including publishing his Top 9 list for the most important politicos in the state:

As the New Year begins, we take a look at who really run things in South Carolina. Here is our take on the 9 most powerful politicians in South Carolina.

So go take a look and enjoy.

South Carolina vs the Obama administration, Round Two

2012-01-01T21:02:00.002-05:00

South Carolina has long been battling with the National Labor Relations Board over the North Charleston Boeing plant. Just as the state seemed to finally have this issue behind them, the Justice Department opened up a new battle when it rejected the state's recently-adopted Voter ID law.

In discussing their concerns about a recent move by the Justice Department to deny pre-clearance to the new law, the Charleston Post and Courier criticized the move as part of a vendetta by the Obama administration against South Carolina, asking "where is the "justice" in the Obama administration's apparent animus against our state?

There's not much logical support for Justice's objections to the new law. In fact, there are valid concerns behind the calls for requiring voters to present photo ID when voting, as well as plenty of support for adopting such laws. Thus when a major news media outlet calls the Obama adminstration out for having a hate trip for South Carolina, we can't help but think they've got a point.

The fact is that other states have adopted similar laws without receiving flak from the Justice Department. Rhode Island, which has an overwhelming Democratic majority in their legislature, enacted similar legislation, as did Georgia, whose law received Justice Department approval and was used to help craft South Carolina's law.

In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board that an Indiana law requiring photo ID did not present an undue burden on voters. South Carolina's legislation will require the state issue free identification cards, thus making the requirement less burdensome upon voters.

Keep in mind that the feds have long required officially-issued identification to be presented in order to work in the United States, as well as to buy firearms. So why the double-standard?

Polling has shown overwhelming support for Voter ID laws. Several conducted by the Rasmussen polling firm in recent years have shown strong support for the law, with seventy percent or better of respondents expressing support: October 2008 - 76 percent, August 2010 - 82 percent, July 2011 - 75 percent and December 2011 - 70 percent.

Not only is there a lot of support for these laws, Last month, the director of the Indiana Democratic Party resigned in the face of an ongoing state investigation in widespread allegations of voter fraud. The website Rotten Acorn lists numerous incidents of voter fraud across the country. Also of concern is a survey of New Mexico voters which found that "More than 43 percent said that in the past 10 years they had witnessed voter fraud" as well as that "50.2 percent say election fraud has changed the outcome of elections in which they have participated." The concern was bi-partisan, as the number of those who fingered one party over the other were equal and 44 percent saying both parties engaged in voter fraud.

Another person who has alleged voter fraud is Artur Davis, a former Alabama Democratic Congressman, who cited instances of voter fraud in his 2010 bid for the Democratic nomination for Governor in Alabama in an op-ed he penned last year calling for the adoption of Voter ID laws:

I was disappointed to see Bill Clinton, a very good president and an even greater ex-president, compare voter ID to Jim Crow, and it is chilling to see the intimidation tactics brought to bear on African American, Democratic legislators in Rhode Island who had the nerve to support a voter ID law in that very liberal state.

Congressional Black Caucus chair Emanuel Cleaver (D-Missouri) "was frustrated" by Davis' call for Voter ID. We're not sure why, as it's been found that minority voter turnout actually increased after other states adopted Voter ID laws, leading researchers at the Universities of Delaware and Nebraska to conclude that "Concerns about voter identification laws affecting turnout are much ado about nothing." No wonder 69 percent of respondents in a survey taken last month by Rasmussen did not see Voter ID laws as discriminatory.

Critics who say those without ID will be turned away from the polls without being allowed to vote on Election Day are misleading. Per the new law, voters without identification will be allowed to vote via a provisional ballot, which will be counted if the person obtains identification before the election is certified.

Providing free identification cards and even allowing provisional ballots to be cast seem pretty reasonable safeguards to ensure those who want to vote can vote - provided they can produce identification.

A law that protects against fraudulent voting protects everyone's right to vote, regardless of their ethnicity. Those few who disagree would do well to do their homework on this issue and the Obama administration would do well to drop their obsession with South Carolina, especially on issues where there is plenty of evidence and public support for taking action.

Happy New Year - It's Beef Jerky time!

2011-12-31T23:59:00.000-05:00

Today's Birthday Triple: Graham, Lisella and Martin

2011-12-31T01:00:00.001-05:00

Sometimes, good things come in threes and there aren't many occasions better suited for good things and great times than New Years' Eve. In that spirit, the Blogland wants to wish a very Happy Birthday and an early Happy New Year's to three well-known and accomplished South Carolina politicos who are celebrating their birthdays today:

Moye Graham, the Chair of the Clarendon County Republican Party, a well-traveled international man of mystery and one of the legendary Four Horsemen of the Political Apocalypse. He's on a roll these days, having led Clarendon County Republicans in a unprecedented special election stunner, getting 48 percent of the vote in a spring State House special election race in a heavily-Democratic district.

Mark Lisella, a Lowcountry native who has become a well-known national Republican political strategist and direct mail guru. He's been on a long winning streak over the last two election cycles, especially in North Carolina races, and is hard at work gearing up for 2012 races.

Shane Martin, a Spartanburg County State Senator and automotive R&D engineering consultant who is gearing up for election to a second term in the Senate. His first race was a stunning landslide upset of the incumbent Senator by roughly two-to-one in the 2008 GOP run-off. He'll certainly be a formidable candidate for anyone who wants to take him on next year, but we haven't heard any names surfacing yet so maybe he'll get a free ride.

EPA rules threaten closure of SC power plants

2011-12-30T18:16:00.002-05:00

Santee Cooper's Conway
coal-fired power plant

Several dozen mostly coal-fired power plants in a dozen states will be forced to shut down with several dozen more facing possible closure because of new federal air pollution regulations, according to an Associated Press survey. These changes may force Santee-Cooper, which relies upon coal-powered generation plants to generate three-quarters of its electric output, to close at least two of its coal-powered generator plants, reducing it's generating capacity by at least ten percent.

The immediate impact will cost several dozen jobs at the Conway plant, but considering the importance of the company's electric supply to several major industrial plants in the region, more jobs could be lost. Santee Cooper supplies Alcoa and Nucor Steel, along with other manufacturing plants in the region. It seems hard to imagine that reducing the utility's ability to generate power would be good for its customers. Alcoa, which operates an aluminum plant in Goose Creek, is already considering leaving, with electric rates being a key concern.

It's possible the new rules could also impact South Carolina Electric and Gas, the state's other major electricity supplier, which operates coal-fired plants in South Carolina to generate about half of its total electricity output. Presently, it's still uncertain how the new regulations will impact its capacity, but if plants were to close, it would reduce the state's capacity for some time to come - at least until the ongoing expansion of their V.C. Summer nuclear plant in Fairfield County is complete, which is several years away.

Stay tuned folks, but keep the flashlights close at hand, just in case ...

Getting punked, Bachmann style

2011-12-27T22:27:00.001-05:00

Having recently drawn fire for playing sore loser in the chase for the TEA Party vote, the Michele Bachmann campaign stepped on yet another political landmine in South Carolina earlier today. Their poor attempt to one-up the struggling campaign of Rick Santorum, a RINO pandering to social conservatives, only succeeded in getting them punked by none other than Tyler Jones, one of the state's foremost Democratic campaign operatives.

It started earlier today when the Bachmann campaign issued a news release:

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann today announced the team of grassroots leaders who will propel her campaign to victory in South Carolina. This announcement leaves little doubt that the Bachmann campaign has the most organized ground game in the Palmetto State.

A list so organized that it included the Jones' name as one of the campaign's leaders in Charleston County, where Jones resides. Jones admitted to responding to an email solicitation of support from the Bachmann campaign, which led to his being included in the list of "grassroots supporters", prior to a retraction issued by the Bachmann campaign later in the day.

But the story grows more interesting, so keep reading.

This list of supporters was intended to one-up a grassroots leadership list released last week by the campaign of Rick Santorum. In addition to targeting TEA Party support, the Bachmann campaign has been competing aggressively for the social conservatives being courted by the Santorum campaign. As with their TEA Party outreach, the Bachmann campaign has been struggling to gain traction with this key Republican constituency.

Sources indicate that Sheri Few, the Bachmann campaign's state campaign director, was responsible for putting the list together and vetting it before its release (but bungling it in her usual style). As Jones is well-known around the state for working on numerous campaigns, especially in legislative races (Few lost three consecutive bids for a Midlands State House district), it seems this kind of mistake is one which was either the result of grand incompetence or intentional collusion and sabotage on behalf of the Democrats.

But nobody we've talked with indicated that Cyndi Mosteller was involved in putting this release out there, so we'll rule out the possibility this was intentional.

Meanwhile, Jones stands by his willingness to support Bachmann's primary bid:

“I truly want Michele Bachmann to be the Republican nominee so that President Obama can continue to be our president for the next four years,” he says.

Asked how he feels about officially being on her grassroots team, Jones says he’s thrilled.

“And I’m anxious to start making phone calls for her in South Carolina,” he says.

We can only sit back and watch with eager anticipation to see how the Bachmann campaign screws the pooch next.

South Carolina mulling options to challenge Justice on Voter ID

2011-12-23T23:40:00.002-05:00

Taking a break from arming Mexican gangs, Eric Holder's Justice Department declared that it would not give preclearance to South Carolina's Voter ID law, which would require voters to present photo identification when casting ballots. This decision came earlier today in spite of revelations earlier this week about problems with state voter registration data which might facilitate voting by those ineligible to cast ballots:

For instance, the DMV found that the Election Commission had “several instances of seemingly incongruous, illogical or nonconforming data” that included what appeared be a 130-year-old voter, 25 voters registered at a Sumter County jail and 19 registered at a Myrtle Beach Post Office. The commission “even told us that they knowingly changed Social Security numbers by a single digit when they moved from one county to another because their computers were incapable of acknowledging the same number as part of the transfer process from one county to another,” Shwedo wrote.

Attorney General Alan Wilson responded several hours later, tweeting: "I will file a Declaratory Judgement action in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia as soon as possible." This course of action is consistent with a promise made earlier this year in a Blogland interview with State Rep. Alan Clemmons, who chairs the House subcommittee on election law. Clemmons believed:

The chief benefit of having such important issues heard by the court is that they will be considered more on legal merit and less through the political sieve of the Obama Administration.

Declaratory Judgement is a process allowed for in Section Five of the Voting Rights Act, which allows cities, counties and states who are required to submit election laws and changes to the Justice Department to bypass Justice and seek approval from a three-judge panel in the Washington D.C. District Federal Court.

Such a course of action was initiated earlier this year to head off concerns that Justice would not approve the state's Congressional and legislative redistricting maps. As those maps were eventually approved by Justice, the action was dropped. However, the state of Georgia employed this approach to ensure its Voter ID law would be implemented, forcing Justice to relent to avoid creating a precedent of using the judicial bypass process.

A poll conducted by Rasmussen earlier this week showed sixty-nine percent of those surveyed support requiring voters to present ID when voting. This is fairly consistent with other polls on the subject.

Since the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 has long required prospective employees to show photo ID to prove their eligibility to work in the United States, today's Voter ID decision seems to create a double standard.

Maybe Holder's Justice Department will be "fast and furious" to reconsider their position, but we're not holding our breath. Given South Carolina's stated aggressive position on defending the state's right to establish its own election laws, we expect more action on this front soon.

Guest Cartoon: Jamie Walton - Santa and the North Pole

2011-12-22T19:07:00.000-05:00

Thursday: Talking politics in the Pee Dee

2011-12-21T10:06:00.001-05:00

We're honored to be the featured guest on the new political webcast by Bill Pickle, the Florence County GOP Chair. The show - "The Pickle Barrel" - is streamed live from Bean Groovy, 848 Woody Jones Blvd., Florence, SC. The hour-long show starts at 6:30PM.

We look forward to having a fun conversation with Bill about the year in state politics, as well as the ongoing campaigns for the Seventh District and for President, where we've seen lots of fireworks taking place (including here in the Blogland).

You can bet we'll do our part to keep the show lively, including some fun surprises that will keep you in stitches the whole time.

If you're in the region, drop by and watch the show. Otherwise, tune in by visiting his website: www.inthepicklebarrel.com/p/barrel-live-stream.html

Chanukah message: Resistance in a time of darkness

2011-12-21T06:56:00.038-05:00

Today, Jews begin to observe the eight days of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights. While this holiday’s importance among Jews has varied, it is often more celebrated in the United States as it is usually observed around the same time as Christmas.

Chanukah (more commonly known outside the Jewish community as Hanukkah) is recognized by many for the lighting of candles on menorahs in Jewish homes, bringing light to the longest and darkest days of the Northern Hemisphere. But it also commemorates the time when Jews rallied against long odds to bring light to their homeland in a dark time in Jewish history.

The Jewish homeland had fallen under the rule of Greeks, who had launched a wave of persecution, outlawing the practice of Judaism and taking over the Second Temple in Jerusalem for pagan worship rituals, in the hopes of eliminating the Jewish faith and assimilating the Jewish people into their empire. In the face of long odds, a resistance movement rose up as Jews, determined to preserve their faith and traditions, overcame internal divisions and rallied against long odds to fight to liberate their homeland.

Eventually, Jerusalem was liberated and returned to Jewish rule. The Temple was rededicated and restored to its rightful use. As part of the rededication, the Menorah in the Temple was re-lit with just enough oil to stay alight for one day, but by a miracle, remained alight for eight days until more oil could be delivered.

In the darkest of days for the Jewish people when hope seemed lost, brave resistance in the face of overwhelming power prevailed, allowing them to survive as a people and a tradition of faith to this day. Judah Macabee and his followers share a common ground with a long heritage of freedom fighters who, like them, fought for freedom against overwhelming odds across time and around the globe.

As this year began, tyrants held power in much of the Middle East just as they had for many years before, their often-brutal grip on power seemingly unbreakable. Just as in the time of Judah Macabee, the long oppressed and brutalized peoples of those nations rose up, demanding change. In nation after nation, these revolutions, led mostly by private citizens, eventually prevailed. While it remains to be seen what directions these newly-liberated nations will take, these recent events should remind us that in a time of the deepest darkness, people can set aside their differences and courageous acts of resistance guided by a belief in liberty can prevail against overwhelming odds.

Let us hope and pray that the lights of liberty and justice that were lit by Judah and his freedom fighters in Jerusalem, as well as in many other nations since, will burn just as brightly in these recently-liberated nations in the years to come and that they will join nations like the homeland of Macabee in embracing and defending the time-tested ideals of rule of law, freedom, tolerance and justice which have done much to advance the human condition.

House Republicans seek to rein in FCC

2011-12-20T05:35:00.000-05:00

Congressional Republicans have had enough of the Federal Communications Commission (FFC) acting in an arbitrary and less-than-transparent manner, so they're pushing efforts to rein the agency in.

Keep in mind that one of the four sitting commission members is Mignon Clyburn, a South Carolina native whose father is Congressman Jim "JC Hammer" Clyburn.

In addition to preventing last-minute "data dumps" of FCC data before controversial votes, legislation pushed by House Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) would rein in other practices by the agency, forcing it to be adopt more business-friendly practices:

Under the reform proposal, the agency would face a new burden-of-proof requirement in order to enact any “economically significant” rules. Specifically, the commission would have to justify rules by identifying market failure or consumer harm and performing a cost-benefit analysis.

On top of the analysis requirement, the proposal would force the commission to survey the state of the marketplace before even starting a rule-making process. This would ensure the agency “has an up-to-date understanding of the rapidly evolving and job-creating telecommunications marketplace,” Republicans maintain.

Ms. Clyburn's prior work experience was serving on the state Human Affairs Commission after working as the manager of a weekly newspaper. She holds a B.S. degree from USC in Banking, Finance & Economics in 1984. So we guess she's qualified - or Daddy got her the job. Whichever you believe.

Just like the Sixth District Congressman hired the highly-qualified John Rickenbacker fresh out of federal prison to handle constituent outreach.

Gingrich's campaign team troubles

2011-12-20T00:30:00.002-05:00

When the Des Moines Register listed the hurdles which could trip up Newt Gingrich's surging candidacy, it identified his weak campaign organization as his first vulnerability:

Gingrich’s relative lack of organization handicaps him. He didn’t open an Iowa headquarters until last weekend, just 34 days before the caucuses. (Organizing took a long hiatus after his entire Iowa staff quit in early June, citing the candidate’s lackadaisical fundraising and campaigning.)

The late start has revealed itself in a spate of growing pains and errors in recent days.

This might help explain why he's losing a lead he held in Iowa for the last few weeks, and it’s not the only news story which has noted this problem with his campaign. Reportedly, he is having similar problems in Virginia and his campaign may be facing a similar problem in South Carolina.

A recent squabble between supporters of Gingrich and Michele Bachmann over accusations that Gingrich's campaign was seeking to buy the Tea Party vote resulted in a Jerry Springer-esque catfight of accusations and finger-pointing which left veteran politicos that we talked with shaking their heads at how easily a front-runner campaign could be sidetracked (we've been amazed at the number of emails and phone calls we've received in the last week). As few associated with either campaign in the state have any serious campaign experience, mostly activists with experience of speaking to Tea Party groups, maybe this strange turn of events isn't so surprising.

Early on, Bachmann campaign brought on Sheri Few, a well-known social conservative activist and perennial candidate for a Columbia-area State House seat and Cyndi Mosteller, a supposed social conservative recently noted for being one of the leaders of a shadowy group which has opposed Nikki Haley (but later made of the smartest hires in the cycle by picking up Wesley Donehue, a key player in SC politics with a growing national presence). The Gingrich campaign hired a number of Tea Party activists, including DeLinda Ridings, who earlier in the cycle had worked for Mike Huckabee and Jon Huntsman, and Gerri McDaniel, a former Perry supporter known for being an abrasive leader of the Myrtle Beach Tea Party and a relative newcomer to politics whose stacked-deck plan delivered her group's endorsement of Gingrich, forcing them to pick from just Gingrich and Herman Cain (a role which McDaniel denied).

While the Bachmann campaign has little to lose, given their low standing in polling, the Gingrich campaign can’t afford to stumble if they want to keep their momentum. They might have done well to vet the people they were going to hire better, but this was a problem in Iowa as well, where their first Iowa political director was forced out following religious attacks on Mitt Romney.

In South Carolina, history has shown the Presidential primary campaign with best organization and resources wins. Without it, you can't capitalize on momentum by identifying and mobilizing your supporters and targeting persuadable voters. With a large field running in this state, it's possible that the winner could lead by just several percentage points, making it crucial for candidates to squeeze out every vote possible in next month's primary – something you don’t accomplish by trading accusations and letters to the editor about a campaign’s hidden agenda.

When South Carolina's GOP leaders created the state's primary in 1980, including future Governor Carroll Campbell and Lee Atwater, who would later become RNC Chair, they already had their candidate picked - Ronald Reagan - thus setting up a no-lose scenario. Eight years later, the Campbell and Atwater network combined their control of the ground with a robust paid media campaign to make South Carolina a key turning point in George H.W. Bush's campaign, quickly forcing most candidates out of the race.

The 2000 primary was as much a battle between Bush and McCain as it was a battle between the state's then two largest political kingmakers: Warren Tompkins, who was tied to the old Campbell machine, and Richard Quinn, who was linked with long-time GOP operative Trey Walker and the McMaster family (which includes for SCGOP Chair and Attorney General Henry McMaster). Both campaigns were flush with cash and organization, while several other candidates with not much of either were quickly marginalized as Bush and McCain fought a bloody race that resulted in a close victory for Bush.

While Gingrich may have the lead today, other campaigns are working hard get their messages out as well. Rick Perry has recruited a large team, including Starboard Communications (most recently noted for their roles in the Nikki Haley and Mick Mulvaney campaigns), and has made plans to engage in an aggressive ground and air war in state in an effort to recover lost ground. Romney’s continued second and third place finishes in polling, which has persisted in spite of spending little money in the state, could easily improve with modest investment of time and staff, as well as capitalizing on high-profile endorsements by Governor Nikki Haley and Treasurer Curtis Loftis.

Other campaigns are attempting to get by as best as they can, undeterred by small organizations or the lack of financial resources. But those campaigns aren't handicapped by high profile instances of their supporters going rogue on those supporting other campaigns or, in some cases, those who are uncommitted to any candidate. This is important as those campaigns which aren't trying to regain lost ground have opportunities to gain it.

The recent miscues and lack of seasoned leadership in Gingrich’s South Carolina campaign operations could present a credible threat to his ability to sustain the momentum he’s shown in recent weeks. Since polling has indicated most likely primary voters are either uncommitted or still open to other candidates, other campaigns are working hard to win those voters over. If Gingrich’s campaign fails to bring the stability and focus needed to finish strong, he wouldn’t be the first early front-runner who who lost South Carolina's all-important "First in the South" primary.

Guest op-ed: Allen Olson - Negative campaigning threatens TEA Party movement

2011-12-18T11:37:00.003-05:00

his op-ed was published in The State earlier today and was also submitted to the Blogland. Guest op-eds and cartoons are considered for publication via email to earl@earlcapps.org.

The strength of the TEA Party is also it's weakness. The beauty of the TEA Party movement is that it is decentralized, made up of many local organizations with a loose affiliation to one another and have no one person who speaks for all of us. The reason that is a strength is that any one organization can be co-opted or corrupted, yet the movement will still be carried on by others. Since the start we have accomplished much, and as long as we stay focused on the overall goal, I believe we will accomplish much more.

The weakness of a decentralized movement is that you have many in local leadership roles who will try and steer the direction of the TEA Party movement as a whole, to their own personal agenda. That includes tearing down fellow TEA Party members to accomplish their goal.

I have read in the press "it is ludicrous to think that Newt Gingrich will get the TEA Party support". I agree with this statement wholeheartedly, however I don't agree in which it was intended. It was intended to demonize Newt in the hopes that TEA Party support as a whole will be shifted from one candidate to another. That is impossible! All candidates will get some TEA Party support and no candidate will get all.

I also contend that is the way it should be. Members of the TEA Party are intelligent thinkers with the ability to vet candidates for themselves. I have no problem with putting every candidate under intense scrutiny (that is the way it should be), I do have a problem with tearing down fellow TEA Party member simply because they're opinion differs from yours.

I resigned my position as Chairman of Columbia TEA Party on September 13th so I could endorse Newt Gingrich. At first I received little scrutiny or pushback from anyone in the movement. However since Newt has started to rise in the polls it is disappointing to see who I thought were friends, have gone after me personally and others who support Newt. I have been called, RINO, establishment, clueless, idiot, the list goes on. These statements have come directly from members I have worked with from the beginning, and not one has contacted me to ask WHY I support Newt.

I urge everyone in the movement, to vet the candidates on your own, scrutinize the record of each candidate, read the negatives of all, then look at the other side of the attacks, more often than not, you will find plausible explanations of each and every issue that is used to demonize that candidate. I chose to support Newt simply because I believe the solutions he is bringing to the table is what this country needs. If you don't agree that is fine, vote for your candidate, I respect your decision, all I am asking is that you respect mine. We are all in this together, if we are going to continue to work together we can not tear each other down.

The TEA Party is a movement, not a voting bloc. In order for it to survive we must stop eating our own.

Tim Scott brings Romney to Charleston for a Town Hall event

2011-12-17T21:15:00.000-05:00

Even though it was first thing on a Saturday morning in the middle of holiday shopping season, it didn’t stop the crowd from filling the Memminger Auditorium in downtown Charleston for the latest in First District Congressman Tim Scott’s Presidential Town Hall series of candidate forums. Today’s guest: Presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Introducing Romney was his wife, Ann, and Governor Nikki Haley, who endorsed his candidacy yesterday. Haley explained her endorsement as being driven by their experiences as Governors, saying “we have to get things done” and calling for a “fresh start” in the White House with a President who wasn’t already in Washington. She also pointed out the Democratic Party attacks on Romney as a sign of Romney’s viability as a candidate, saying “if Obama’s scared, that’s a good thing”.

Romney opened with a stump speech that focused on the need for greater fiscal restraint and maintaining a strong defense posture, warning of an Air Force which had been cut to its smallest size since its founding in 1947 and a Navy fleet too small to meet its projected needs.

During the hour-long question and answer session, he promised to change the approach to federal spending, spelling out specific spending cuts and reforms intended to give states flexibility to tailor federal-funded programs to address the specific needs of their states.

Romney talked about job creation, including by streamlining workforce development programs and standing up to labor unions, as well as promising to push the Keystone pipeline proposal, accusing President Obama to “make our nation energy poor” and promising that he would push for expanded exploration to make the United States “energy rich”. He also promised to support infrastructure improvements, including touching on the Charleston dispute with Savannah by promising to support funding for dredging.

Romney took additional questions, spelling out specific agenda points on a wide range of issues, including Social Security reform, making health insurance more affordable for small businesses and self-employed individuals, immigration reform and border security and education policy. Full of subtance, the speech wasn't full of the hyper-partisan soundbites, general philosophical responses and Obama shots that have become standard fare for many candidates this cycle.

The Ron Paul people were outside, as usual, with their crappy handouts, complete with crossed-out typos, but didn't stick around for long, having left long before the event ended. Too bad, but we can't blame them for wanting to go enjoy a nice day out.

Overall, this event was one of the better candidate events we've been to this cycle and another great job by Tim Scott, who is clearly becoming South Carolina's political rock star Congressman and wisely putting that standing to use to benefit his constituents in getting these Presidential candidates to come to his district.

Good leaders think of their team before themselves, which is definitely what Tim Scott is doing in hosting this series for the benefit of his constituents. We could use more of that kind of leadership.

Blogland in Front Page Magazine: "South Carolina Fight Against the NLRB Continues"

2011-12-16T05:56:00.001-05:00

This article was originally written for the Front Page Magazine, which published it earlier this week.

While the recent decision by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to drop its lawsuit against Boeing’s new South Carolina plant may have signaled the end of its battle with Boeing, there are numerous signs that South Carolina’s battles with the agency will continue. Instead of resting on their laurels, many in South Carolina are continuing to battle the agency on a number of fronts, as well as continuing to work protect workers’ rights from labor union interference.

The first sign of trouble came in January just after South Carolina voters overwhelmingly approved a state constitutional amendment protecting the right of workers to decide union issues by secret ballot. In a letter to state Attorney General Alan Wilson, the NLRB threatened to file suit if the state sought to implement the amendment, seeking assurances that such implementation would not take place. Wilson rebuffed the demands and pledged to stand by state voters, saying “I don't know how you don't defend a sweeping decision made by eighty-six percent of your state's voters.” According to Wilson, the NLRB has yet to follow up on their threat, instead focusing their current efforts upon overturning similar laws in Utah and Arizona. While he couldn’t predict future NLRB action, his office is “keeping its powder dry” and is ready to act should action be taken against South Carolina.

The NLRB also took aim at one of South Carolina’s largest industrial development successes to date- Boeing’s 787 “Dreamliner” plant in North Charleston - filing suit to keep the plant from opening. Following years of failed negotiations with labor unions in Washington state, Boeing chose to open its new 787 plant in South Carolina at the location of a small Boeing plant whose workers had just voted overwhelmingly to de-certify (kick out) the union in their plant. In a highly-publicized battle led by House Republicans, including a tense House subcommittee hearing held near the site of the new plant, the NLRB was taken to task for what was believed to be government retaliation on behalf of labor unions. Last week, after Boeing completed negotiations with labor unions at their Seattle production plants, the NLRB dropped their case against Boeing just in time for the first Dreamliners to roll off production lines.

While the Boeing case may be closed, South Carolina hasn’t stopped fighting back. South Carolina State Senator Paul Campbell (R-Goose Creek), a retired Alcoa executive who was one of South Carolina’s negotiators for the 787 plant, predicted that the state’s fight with the NLRB and the labor unions will continue, calling the NLRB a “pawn for labor unions”. South Carolina Congressman Tim Scott (R-North Charleston), a former Charleston County Council Chair who played a key role in efforts to bring both Boeing, as well as the Vought Aerolina plant which was the precursor of the Boeing plant, to the Charleston area, shared Campbell’s view, saying “Their (the NLRB) side is not the state, their side is not fairness - their side is the labor unions.”

Representative Scott, Senator Lindsey Graham, and other members of South Carolina’s Congressional delegation are playing lead roles in maintain an ongoing impasse over the appointment of new board members to the NLRB. Senate Republicans have blocked efforts by the Obama administration to fill those vacancies while House Republicans are keeping Congress from adjourning by conducting pro forma sessions, keeping the Obama administration from filling the seats via temporary “recess appointments”. Two of the board’s five seats are vacant and a third will come vacant at the end of the month. Once a majority of seats are vacant, it cannot conduct business. Both Congressman Scott and fellow South Carolina House member Jeff Duncan (R-Laurens) indicated the House leadership will continue the pro forma sessions for the foreseeable future.

Duncan expressed his concern with the NLRB’s conduct in the Boeing case, promising to “push for changes in the law to make sure that the NLRB never uses this type of unconstitutional bullying tactic again”, while Scott expressed his belief that “the forces at work within our country to undermine our recovery include the NLRB.” Driven by these concerns, Duncan and Scott have sponsored several bills aimed at protecting free choice by employees and reining in the NLRB. These bills include:

H.R. 1047 - “State Right to Vote Act”, sponsored by Duncan, would protect states which adopt laws allowing workers to settle issues by secret ballot
H.R. 1976 and 2587, both sponsored by Scott, would bar the NLRB from directing companies to close or move plants or jobs, while another Scott bill, H.R. 2810 - The “Employee Rights Act”, would require the use of secret balloting to unionize a workplace and require a renewal vote every three years. It would also set guidelines on how these elections are to be conducted.

In September, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others in filing suit in federal courts to block implementation of what is known as the “Notification Rule”. This proposed NLRB rule would create a new mandate which would require employers to post notices which have been considered free advertising for labor unions.

Scott believed the backlash against the NLRB over the Boeing case taught the agency to be careful in picking its battles with businesses, predicting “the NLRB will become a little more cautious when it steps outside of the lines with companies in the future”. Given the ongoing efforts being waged in the courts and on Capitol Hill by South Carolina’s business and political leaders, it would seem that while the battle over the Boeing plant may have ended, the state’s war with the agency is far from over.

Pimpin' the Tea Party

2011-12-15T23:46:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week, FITS News called out the Gingrich campaign for seeking to win the Tea Party vote by hiring certain individuals who presented themselves as connected. This issue flared up after a comment by Wesley Donehue, a South Carolina politico working for the Michele Bachmann campaign, that "Bachmann is trying to grow an organic base of supporters, and Newt Gingrich is trying to buy off tea party groups" was brought up by John King of CNN.

The FITS story pointed out that:

Bachmann herself hasn’t gone so far as to directly accuse Gingrich of purchasing Tea Party support, although she did say this week that she has “been hearing this all across the country, that money is changing hands.”

Gingrich’s campaign didn’t directly deny the allegation – choosing instead to slam Bachmann for attacking the “character” of Tea Party leaders.

The FITS story singled out Gerri McDaniels, a paid employee of the Newt Gingrich for President campaign, who recently played a key role in ramming through an endorsement vote by the Myrtle Beach Tea Party which, not surprisingly, endorsed her employer. When asked what she thought about this connection, McDaniels engaged in denial and diversion, tactics characteristic of her short time of involvement in state politics:

It had not one thing to do with me being on staff. Do you have the same problem with someone being in the GOP as Team Party:-)? People need to focus on their candidate of choice and stop worrying about who folks support.

As much as Tea Party groups have railed against people buying influence and said higher standards should be met, it's a little disappointing to see they feel that, like the "establishment" they rail against, that they.

In all fairness, Bachmann campaign can't get a pass on this issue. They've brought on board several people with supposed involvement with Tea Party and Christian evangelical groups, as well as former Cain operatives, some of whom are likely getting paid to help "open doors". In this case, it seems to be a matter of jealousy as the Gingrich hires are obviously doing better at playing pied piper than the Bachmann operatives.

In it's earliest days, we praised the Tea Party movement for its independence and willingness was to challenge power, including the wielding of paid influence agents to manipulate people to accomplish goals. Obviously that's not McDaniel's game, which is disappointing. Even more disappointing is the willingness of campaigns to engage and empower those like her in treating grassroots movements as marketable commodities.

But she's not the only one who's pimpin' the Tea Party. Expect us to talk more about some of those pimps real soon.

Midlands Neo-Nazi leader sentenced for fraud

2011-12-14T20:26:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since the Blogland has talked about August Kreis, a Midlands resident and noted white supremacist, but it seems he's been busy these days, having been sentenced today in federal court for charges of fraud.

A one-time leader in the Aryan Nations white supremacist group has been sentenced to six months in jail after pleading guilty to fraud.

A judge on Wednesday sentenced August Kreis (krys) to time served as he awaited sentencing after pleading guilty to taking nearly $193,000 in a need based military pension that prosecutors said he wasn't entirely eligible to collect.

His organization embraces what they call "Ethical National-Socialism", which they claim is: "a progressive continuation of National-Socialism as practiced by the Führer in the days of the Third Reich. It is how he viewed the Aryan race and other ethical cultures."

After we discussed his 2006 Aryan Nations conference, he thought so much of us as to write a nice, but short, note:

-----Original Message-----
From: August B. Kreis III [mailto:NationalDirector@Aryan-Nations.org]
Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2006 7:12 PM
To: Earl Capps

Idiot!

While a failure in military service and in his career, Kreis has worked hard at developing his skills in fraud as well as in Aryanism.

Kreis was a high school dropout who became eligible for the pension by serving nine months in the Navy during the Vietnam War before he was discharged for not being fit for service, authorities said.

He joined the Ku Klux Klan in New Jersey in the late 1970s, first making a media splash in 1981 when he was fired by a Jewish real estate developer for holding Klan meetings in his apartment, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Kreis moved up the ranks of various white supremacy organizations, becoming known for his appearances with his teenage daughters on The Jerry Springer Show in the 1990s. In a 1995 show he wore a priest's collar and almost got into a fight with the Jewish host after denying the Holocaust took place.

"I've got your mom in the trunk of my car," Kreis told Springer. "Your relatives - weren't they all turned into soap or lampshades? I'm looking for one of those lampshades."

What a prince.

To Mr. Kreis and his friends, as he begins this new chapter in his life, we'd like to say "Mazel Tov!"

Jake and Elwood Blues hated Illinois Nazis. We can't say we're very fond of the South Carolina ones either.

Small town strangeness, Part Two: Bonneau has balls

2011-12-14T18:07:00.000-05:00

For today's second tale of small town strangeness in the Palmetto State, we take you to Bonneau.

Bonneau is a small town in rural Berkeley County, so small that it's losing it's Post Office, but the town is showing that it's big in other ways, issuing a ticket to a motorist whose rear bumper sported a pair of dangling fake testicles:

Virginia Tice was given a $445 ticket on July 5 that accuses her of violating the state's obscene bumper sticker law. And other than a hefty fine, the ticket is causing a huge controversy that extends far past the Bonneau city limits.

The town is well-known for being a speed trap as well as for aggressive prosecution by local police, with more than one case getting thrown out. According to a 2005 story in the Charleston Post and Courier, the town's traffic enforcement practices are a great source of revenue:

Bonneau's two-man police force hands out about 65 traffic tickets per month at an average of $232 per ticket, earning the town a listing on the Speed Trap Exchange's Web site.

Not all of that money goes to the town, but when it's all said and done, Thompson and his partner generate about 25 percent of Bonneau's annual budget of $252,600.

Actually, 65 tickets a month would generate $15,080 a month, for a total of $180,960 a year. If even half the tickets are thrown out, the town still probably nets more than it costs to keep the two officers on payroll.

But it's likely that the costs of the publicity associated with this case, which has generated national attention, has cost the town far more than the cost of the ticket.

A web search will turn up interesting tales about the town, like this one and this one. But ask anyone who lives in the Lowcountry for any amount of time (myself included) and you'll hear stories of their traffic enforcement practices.

The best advice to driving through Bonneau is to make sure you set the cruise at 45 (the posted speed limit) and have all your lights in proper order. If the coast is clear, keep moving and don't stop before their cop, driving a black Dodge Charger, pulls onto U.S. 52.

Small town strangeness, Part One: Foolishness in Wellford

2011-12-14T17:22:00.000-05:00

For today's first tale of small town strangeness in South Carolina, we take you to Wellford, a small town in Spartanburg County which drew national attention a couple of years ago when their then-Mayor, Sallie Peake, directed that the town's police follow a "no chase" policy.

But it wasn't just what she said that drew attention, but how she said it that make this tale interesting. A TV interview of her rambling and disorganized attempt to defend the policy to a reporter she tried to dodge showcased just about everything wrong in speaking to an audience.

Now, the former Mayor, who railed in the video about wasting money, calling police chases "foolishness", was arrested, accused of engaging in another kind of foolishness involving taxpayer money:

According to warrants for her arrest, Peake misused funds and misappropriated town money beginning in 2008. She also hired undocumented workers and used them to renovate property that didn't belong to the town, the warrant states. Town money was used to pay the workers.

Before you get your hopes up, you need to know that Peake later rescinded the no-chase policy.

Legislative parking trivia

2011-12-14T03:02:00.002-05:00

With the holiday season upon us, the Blogland wants to give some gifts to our readers - but since nothing in life is free, we're going to make you earn them.

To win our “Legislative Parking Trivia” contest, look at these photos which were taken over the summer somewhere in South Carolina and answer two questions:

1) What is the lane in front of restaurants generally reserved for, and

2) Name the legislator who owns this vehicle.

The winners will receive prizes, which will come from these following gift items:

A Canadian flag mug, representing the birthplace of more Myrtle Beach residents than Myrtle Beach itself, and
Some cool circular “41” and “43” stickers, great for remembering the two Bush presidencies.
Cool metal CDs.

The first five readers who respond with the correct answers via email to earl@earlcapps.org will win the prize. All contest entries will be kept confidential, as well as the identity of the contestant who submits the winning answer (unless publication is requested). This way you can win the prizes without worry, fear or guilt.

The winning answers will be published – anonymously – shortly before New Years.

Remember, you can’t win if you don’t play, so take your best guess soon!

Run like Sheri Few (we didn't say win)

2011-12-12T02:11:00.001-05:00

South Carolina's world of political strategists grows as another politico advertises her services as a campaign consultant.

After botching several State House bids in the Midlands, Sheri Few wants to share her election campaign magic, offering her services via her new website Electing Conservatives:

Don't trust your future to the established, male-led consulting firms of South Carolina. They are known for treating South Carolina politics as a blood sport. You deserve better than this. Let us help you win with honor as we raise the bar for South Carolina elections.

In 2006 and 2008, Few lost two primary bids for House District 79. On her third try for the seat in 2010, she rolled by a double-digit margin as the GOP nominee in an open race for the seat in 2010, in spite of predicting that she would win the seat handily:

Few says she thinks Gunn “saw the writing on the wall” in terms of his chances for re-election and she offers some advice for anyone wishing to challenge her from the left: Why walk into a potential loss in a year when Democrats are projected to do poorly?

Many Democrats did do poorly, but Democrats were able to find a last-minute replacement for Gunn and still mopped the floor with Few, scoring a second win in a seat that had been in GOP hands since the 1980s.

Few is right on a few things: winning is important, candidate should aspire to run and win honorably, and South Carolina's political landscape could use more gender diversity. But you don't win elections trusting the counsel of someone who doesn't know how to win them.

If you want to win your election, you may want to look at other options.

Guest cartoon: Walton aims at the "Rats of Chester County"

2011-12-11T02:36:00.000-05:00

Jamie Walton, the Blogland's contributing cartoonist who lives in northern Chester County, not terribly far from Rock Hill, sounds off on recent purchases by Chester County in the name of economic development.

Redistricting to divide state's towering landmarks?

2011-12-08T13:24:00.000-05:00

Twenty years ago, South Carolina underwent the first significant reshuffling of its Congressional districts in almost a century when the Pee Dee region, which had long been unified in a single Congressional district, was divided between three of the state’s then-six districts: the First, Fifth and Sixth Districts.

However, it was the first time the state placed its two towering Interstate landmarks - Gaffney’s Peachoid and the Sombrero tower of South of the Border - within the same Congressional District. Since then, the state’s two towering freeway landmarks have been represented by the same member of Congress – first John Spratt and now Mick Mulvaney.

Unfortunately, this relationship appears headed for a break-up as both of the competing redistricting plans threaten to overlook this community of interest. The Congressional maps which were passed would separate these two landmarks, leaving the Peachoid in the Fifth District, while moving the Sombrero into the Seventh, and Pee Dee Republicans are of mixed opinions as to what the potential impact of this move will be, as well as who is to blame.

Florence County GOP First Vice-Chair Stephanie Rawlinson, who was a major backer of the Pee Dee-based Seventh District, told the Blogland that nobody she knew had considered this a significant community of interest, calling the matter “unimportant”. She didn’t believe the issue would block the Congressional maps from being put in place before next year’s elections.

Sixth District GOP Vice-Chair Mike Reino, a former Sixth District congressional candidate and publisher of the SC6 blogsite, who said he was concerned "for the 5th District people who will lose their sense of self", pointed the finger at one person:

You have only one man to blame this on. Jim Clyburn! I know, I blame him for everything - even for my gray hair and only being 5'8"- but if he weren't such a crappy House member, the Pee Dee wouldn't be running from him like he were a corner hooker with an itchy mantrap!

However, Reino did express his support for moving South of the Border into the new Seventh District:

It'll be nice to have South of the Border back in the 7th District... Why? Mainly because it is a nice, tacky reminder of home. Seriously, there is NOTHING in North Carolina until you get to The Border. It may have been put up 50 years before we actually had Mexicans here, but that Sombrero means after driving 11 hrs from Yankeeville, I'm almost home.

Sixth Congressional District GOP Chair Tom Grimes defended the two landmarks: "Unlike some who may look upon the South of the Border sombrero or the Gaffney Peach water tower as some type of an eyesore, they at least help to promote tourism for their respective communities."

But thanks to redistricting, those communities - and their respective Interstate-side landmarks - will have different Representatives in Washington.

No word on if tacky interstate landmarks is a protected class under the Voting Rights Act, but we have lawyers looking into it.

Staff quits Viers congressional campaign?

2011-12-06T10:49:00.001-05:00

Seventh Congressional District Thad Viers' congressional campaign seems to be suffering yet another setback after a weak initial fundraising effort.

The Blogland has learned from several sources that Viers has lost his two campaign staffers, including Jill Kelso, who was hired to be his campaign manager. Kelso, who had listed Viers as her employer on her Facebook profile, recently removed employment information from that profile. The Blogland has attempted to contact Kelso to confirm these reports, but has received no response (but not responding or wanting to go on the record is the norm for the Viers camp).

This might help explain why the almost-daily email flow from the Viers campaign dried up last week.

As personnel matters are generally kept confidential, the Blogland did not attempt to verify the rumored reasons for the campaign staff shake-up (we've heard several), but in any event, it seems pretty clear that the candidacy of Viers, a self-proclaimed front-runner, is strugging.

In recent weeks, Viers has been joined by several others in seeking the GOP nomination, including former Lt. Governor Andre Bauer, Florence attorney and mega-church activist Joe Jordan, Horry County Council Chair Tom Rice and Myrtle Beach City Councilman Randall Wallace.

Columbia's got the blues

2011-12-05T03:51:00.000-05:00

It may be a great day in South Carolina, but not for everyone - especially if you live in Columbia. According to Men's Health magazine, Columbia is among the 100 saddest cities in America.

They calculated suicide rates from the CDC and unemployment rates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (June 2011) and obtained data from the SimplyMap geographic information website to obtain information about the percentage of households that use antidepressants as well as the number of people who reported "feeling the blues all or most of the time". The only city in South Carolina surveyed - Columbia - ranked 77th place in the survey. It seems like a lot of people there have the blues, but we're not sure why.

The least down of the 100 cities surveyed were Honolulu, HI and Manchester, NH, while Detroit and St. Petersburg, FL came in at the other end. Most other cities in the region which where studied didn't fare well in the survey:

57. Charlotte, NC
79. Greensboro, NC
86. Winston-Salem, NC
87. Atlanta, GA
88. Jacksonville, FL

However, there is some good news as Raleigh, which is considered to be faring well economically these days, ranked 21st and neighboring city Durham ranked 24th place.

Blogland in Front Page Magazine: "Newt Rising"

2011-12-02T12:21:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the folks at Front Page Magazine online for asking me to write an article on the current state of the game in the race for the South Carolina GOP Presidential primary:

The 2012 primary has featured a large pack of candidates with lots of wild swings in support among them. South Carolina has not been left out of these rapidly-changing currents. Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Mike Huckabee and Rick Perry all generated considerable waves of early enthusiasm with state GOP activists, only to lose ground later on. The newest candidate to surge in the Palmetto State is Gingrich.

Bolstering polls that show growing voter support for Gingrich, GOP activists in the Palmetto State have begun taking increased interest in his candidacy. Growing turnout at campaign events is one promising for the former House speaker’s prospects in South Carolina. A case in point is a recent question-and-answer session hosted by Charleston Congressman Tim Scott and the College of Charleston, which attracted national news media and filled the venue’s seven hundred seats a full half hour before the event, forcing college officials to turn away many more. This was one of the largest turnouts for any Presidential campaign event in South Carolina so far in this cycle.

Read more ...

Lowcountry Republicans to protest Rocky D program cancellation

2011-12-01T23:29:00.001-05:00

Earlier today, well-known conservative local talk radio host Rocky D, who had broadcast an afternoon talk show on WTMA 1250am, was abruptly fired and his show replaced with a nationally-syndicated show. This comes shortly after his radio station changed ownership.

Charleston-area Republicans have responded quickly to this move, setting up a Facebook page and organizing to try to pressure the station into reinstating Rocky's program.

Tomorrow (Friday) at 3pm, local fans of Rocky D are going to rally in front of the station to call for the reinstatement of Rocky's radio program. The Blogland will definitely be there - as he's been there for so many for so long, it seems like the only right thing to do.

The station is located at 4230 Faber Place Drive, which is right off Leeds Avenue, between Interstate 526 and the Cummins manufacturing complex. If coming from I-26, turn right at the end of the ramp and then left off Leeds shortly after that.

Fort Lawn event cancelled

2011-12-01T07:30:00.000-05:00

We were just notified that the planned GOP Presidential campaign forum planned for this Saturday in Fort Lawn, SC has been cancelled and will be rescheduled. Please update your calendars accordingly.

Who really cares about fiscal restraint in South Carolina?

2011-11-29T20:11:00.001-05:00

Tonight, the Blogland took some time to drop in on the North Charleston hearing held by the State Senate Judiciary Committee's Fiscal Fitness subcommittee.

While we're pleased the Senators took time off from their families and careers to attend the meeting (in attendance were Glenn McConnell, Jake Knotts, Gerald Malloy, Mike Rose and Phillip Shoopman, along with Bonnie Anzelmo and Sara Parrish from Judiciary Committee staff).

What was disappointing was that the Senators and news media people outnumbered attendees at the hearing, in spite of the meeting being publicized via the local news media.

The committee members are exploring a five point agenda, which McConnell promises to begin working on when the General Assembly returns in January:

Constitutional amendment to cap state spending
Establish a commission to advocate spending and fiscal reforms
Enact a Taxpayer Fairness Act
Deficit Prevention legislation
Legislation to protect trust funds

These are all good ideas and ones which are advocated by tea party groups activists around the state. We support them as well and commend McConnell and the other Senators for promoting these worthy ideas, but we're disappointed those who are demanding these reforms aren't taking the time to make their voices heard.

Next Tuesday, the subcommittee's tour wraps up in Aiken County:

Aiken Technical College,
Amphitheater 700-800 Building, Room 701
2276 Jefferson Davis Highway Graniteville, SC 29829

If you're concerned about what's going on, this your chance to put up or shut up.

Tim Scott town hall at CofC with Newt Gingrich a full house

2011-11-29T01:49:00.000-05:00

Tonight's Presidential Town Hall at the College of Charleston saw former House Speaker and current Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich fill the college's 700 seat Sotille Theatre (the doors were closed about a half hour before the event as there was no room for additional attendees).

Leading with a short opening speech followed by a Question and Answer session, Gingrich's presentation focused on a number of issues, including education, internet, regulatory and legislative reform, immigration and labor issues were major points of discussion, with plenty of questions coming from College of Charleston students.

Gingrich opened fire early, saying he would defund the NLRB to protect businesses, including Boeing.

He then praised Senator Larry Grooms for leading the state's effort to ramp up its enforcement of immigration laws, blasting the Obama administration's efforts to obstruct Grooms' legislation and promised that he would "side with South Carolina" against litigation filed by several Latin American nations, declaring that "no President has the right to side with foreigners against the people of a state."

While there weren't a lot of elected politicos in attendance (but former Congressman Tommy Hartnett and former Governor Jim Edwards were there), a number of activists and leaders from local Tea Party groups were there. There were a number of Occupy activists spotted entering the event, but unlike the recent Michele Bachmann event, they behaved.

Plenty of news media from local, state and national outlets were also on hand, putting the spotlight upon Gingrich, Scott and the College, which has become a must-stop destination for Presidential candidates from both parties in recent years.

Special thanks are due to the Department of Communication's "Bully Pulpit" team, headed by Dr. Amanda McSwain, for organizing what was one of the biggest and best-run events of the current Presidential campaign cycle. We've been told they're hard at work bringing other Presidential candidates to the campus, following up on a successful run in the 2008 cycle, which brought five candidates, including John McCain and Barack Obama, to the College.

Thad Viers playing with funny money?

2011-11-21T16:00:00.000-05:00

In his bid for Congress, Myrtle Beach Republican Thad Viers has been making claims about robust fundraising in an effort to establish himself as the early "front-runner" in the race for the state's recently-created Seventh Congressional District. While Viers recently claimed to have reached "the $100,000 mark in just 57 days", reviewing the disclosure report that we received raised some serious questions about how much he is raising and how - as well as how much spin is involved.

Viers' campaign finance disclosure which was filed on October 15 indeed shows his campaign account received $113,996.83, but the report also shows that much of that came from Viers himself. Nearly thirty thousand of what he raised was in the form of a campaign loan and in-kind expenses by the candidate. Subtracting this amount would reduce his total to a much less robust number.

A review of his donor records also raised questions among some we spoke with he may be channeling additional funding through other individuals to create the impression his base of support is larger than it might really be. The practice of funnelling contributions, where money is passed through third parties to give to the campaign, has come under some scrutiny in South Carolina in recent months and it is highly illegal in federal campaigns. Earlier this year, a Delaware resident was convicted for funneling money into a number of Democratic campaigns, including that of Vice President Joe Biden, and a former lobbyist in Ohio was sentenced to 27 months in prison for making hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions.

Viers' campaign was contacted and asked to discuss these observations, but we received no response.

Ten thousand of the roughly eighty thousand dollars in donations which were actually received by the Viers campaign came from Emanuel and Beverly Stikas, who are also listed on the Georgetown County Clerk of Court website as defendants in several foreclosure actions. Several people we've spoken to have indicated these are the parents of Jill Kelso, a former Georgetown State House candidate (who we endorsed in 2008), who is currently serving as Viers' campaign manager.

Also, Viers received $4,000 from Bart Viers and $5,000 from Brenda Viers. Our sources indicated these are relatives of Viers.

Subtract these donations from interested parties, as well as Viers' direct funding, and his campaign's cash take ends up being about half what he reported raising - a sum hardly impressive for a Congressional candidate. Especially one who is trying to stand out among what is becoming a fast-growing Congressional field.

Charleston school board RINO recruit

2011-11-20T12:59:00.003-05:00

As soon as former Charleston County School Board member Mary Ann Taylor resigned her post to protest a planned 2400% pay increase for school board members, the RINO herd on the board began working to replace Taylor with someone more agreeable to their agenda of co-opted conservative rhetoric combined with liberal policy moves.

Their goal: replace Taylor with someone more agreeable to their agenda: Charleston Democrat Henry Copeland.

Copeland, a memeber of the Charleston County Democrat Party's executive committee, is being pushed by RINO school board member Elizabeth Kandrac. Kandrac talked like a conservative, but came under fire for having the largest expenditures for any school board member and joined in the failed push for the pay raise.

Some Charleston Republicans we've talked object to Copeland being on the board, seeking to avoid a repeat of the mistake they made in supporting current RINO school board member Elizabeth Moffly, who made no bones about her support for former Democratic State Education Superintendent Jim Rex and later turned on her Republican supporters.

Moffly and Copeland are both known for their abrasive, self-centered acts. Once on the board, Moffly became known for backstabbing supporters and returning to her Democratic roots and Republicans we've talked with are certain that Copeland would do the same if appointed to fill Taylor's seat.

A number of Charleston GOP leaders are seeking to have local businessman Brian Thomas appointed to fill the vacant seat. Thomas has a long record of involvement with the Charleston County GOP, and unlike RINO ringleader Moffly, no record of involvement with Democratic education leaders.

Guest Cartoon: Waltons - Puss in Boots

2011-11-20T12:20:00.000-05:00

Ron Paul no-show on Balanced Budget Amendment vote

2011-11-19T00:07:00.000-05:00

Today's vote on a constitutional amendment mandating balanced budgets carried a large majority in the House - 261 for and 165 against, but fell 23 votes short of the required two-thirds majority needed to pass a Constitutional amendment.

In spite of campaigning for President as a strong fiscal conservative, House member Ron Paul (R-TX) was one of two Republicans who did not cast a vote on the amendment at all.

What's up with that?

Michele Bachmann, the other House member seeking the GOP nomination for President, returned from campaigning for the White House to vote for the amendment.

While the amendment was supported by the Democratic Blue Dog coalition, including many who represent swing and GOP-leaning districts, past BBA supporters in the current Democratic House leadership - Steny Hoyer (MD) and Jim Clyburn (SC) - joined the majority of House Democrats who voted against it.

Sec. of State Mark Hammond's 2011 Angels and Scrooges list

2011-11-17T16:42:00.001-05:00

Carrying on a tradition started by his predecessor, Secretary of State Mark "Dirty Harry" Hammond announced this year's "Angels and Scrooges", identifying those registered charitable organizations who devoted the largest, as well as smallest, shares of their revenue towards their programs.

It's interesting to note that while eight of the ten Scrooges were based outside of South Carolina, eight of the ten Angels were based in-state.

The Angels must devote 80 percent or more of its total expenditures to charitable programs; the charity must have been in existence for three or more years; the charity must make good use of volunteer services; and the charity must receive minimal funding from grants. Each year the Secretary of State’s Office attempts to showcase Angels with diverse missions, from across South Carolina and outside the state.

The Scrooges failed to spend a high percentage of its collections on stated program activities and/or use of a high percentage of collections to pay professional solicitors. The charities designated as this year’s Scrooges are listed below, along with the percentage of expenditures used for program services. Those recognized are listed in alphabetical order, and are not ranked by the Secretary of State.

So who were this year's good guys and bad guys?

The Angels:

ACTS-Area Churches Together Serving, Inc., Aiken, SC 86.5%
Associated Charities, Inc., Myrtle Beach, SC 97.6%
Camp Discovery at His Acres, Inc., Blythewood, SC 96.2%
Carolina Wildlife Care, Inc., Columbia, SC 87%
Children’s Advocacy Center of Spartanburg, Inc., Spartanburg, SC 89.1%
DonorsChoose.org, New York City, NY 94.8%
Let There Be Mom Inc., Greenville, SC 92.2%
Project Host, Inc., Greenville, SC 91.8%
South Carolina STRONG, North Charleston, SC 98%
Support Our Troops, Daytona Beach, FL 98.3% - Highest percentage listed

The Scrooges:

Cancer Survivors’ Fund, Missouri City, TX 9.1%
Children’s Leukemia Research Association, Inc., Garden City, NY 23.9%
Disabled Police Officers Counseling Center, Inc., Niceville, FL 7.5%
Foundation for American Veterans, Inc., West Bloomfield, MI 10.4%
Korean War Veterans National Museum and Library, Chicago, IL 32.7%
Law Enforcement Education Program, Inc., Troy, MI 2.9% - Lowest percentage listed
Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation of America, Milwaukie, OR 12.8%
South Carolina Professional Firefighters Association, Myrtle Beach, SC 24%
Veterans of Foreign Wars, O.B. Rosseger Post #2779, Orangeburg, SC 4.9%
Woman to Woman Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc., Lauderdale Lakes, FL 3.1%

Don't say we didn't tell you so

2011-11-14T21:09:00.003-05:00

One of the most audacious power grabs in recent years in Lowcountry politics fell short tonight - with Charleston RINO Elizabeth Moffly leading the failed charge.

A proposal pushed by Moffly, who was elected to a seat on the Charleston County School Board last fall after a second failed bid for State Education Superintendent, would give Charleston County School Board members a whopping 2400% percent raise in their salaries, taking their pay from $25 per meeting (roughly $600 a year) to $15,000 a year. By comparsion, the most highly-paid school board members - in Horry County - get paid $9,600 a year.

In the losing 3-5 vote, Moffly was joined by Chris Collins, who lost a recent challenge to North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey and fellow RINO Elizabeth Kandrac.

The strongest voice against the proposal came from long-time Republican Mary Ann Taylor, who was elected along with Moffly last fall and resigned from the school board in protest tonight. While we wouldn't have endorsed her resignation, we certainly understand why she did it and believe she did the right thing in opposing the raise. Sources we've talked with indicated the proposal failed because of the high level of attention Taylor's resignation drew to the proposal.

This move leaves Charleston Republicans, who expressed their disgust with Moffly in tonight's meeting of the Charleston County GOP, with egg on their faces as some of their leadership backed her for the school board last year.

It would be one thing if Moffly had betrayed Republicans after playing a fiscally conservative tune, but when she endorsed the candidacy of former Democratic Education Superintendent Jim Rex after losing her GOP primary bid for the office in 2006, a role she bragged about in her failed 2010 candidacy (not to mention her association with former Democratic Governor Dick Riley), Republicans should have known better than to trust her. It's not like she was hiding her liberal stripes.

In an online poll on the Charleston Post and Courier website, with roughly 1000 votes cast (so far), just under 46% backed keeping their pay where it was at, while about 24% believed they shouldn't be paid at all and less than 4% supported Moffly's raise.

For the record, the Blogland stands with those who think Charleston County School Board members should be paid what they're worth - nothing.

Last year, the Blogland had called Moffly out for spending campaign money on frivilous expenses and she was also criticized for having the second largest expenses for a board member during the 2010-2011 fiscal year, a figure only exceeded by her fellow raise supporter Kandrac. Maybe our readers aren't seeing it, but we see a pattern emerging with these politicians who, after spending other peoples' money upon themselves, want to spend even more.

The board has become a "safe harbor" for failed politicos in recent years, with three current and former board members serving on the board after having made and lost bids for higher offices: Moffly, Collins and former member Nancy Cook, who lost a GOP primary bid for County Council in 2008 while serving on the board. Like Moffly and Collins, Cook has also come under fire for personal spending of tax dollars. We're somewhat at a loss to explain how this board attracts so many politicos of questionable nature, but it's certainly an issue that should concern Charleston County voters

Hopefully those who didn't know better last year will learn what we knew all along - Elizabeth Moffly was a self-serving and unreliable loose cannon whose treason serves as a reminder that democracy is based upon the premise that people should get what they vote for - and sometimes they get it good and hard.

Mark your calendar: This Saturday - Lowcountry GOP Breakfast club to feature Presidential stump rally and straw poll

2011-11-10T13:03:00.000-05:00

This Saturday, from 9:00 to 10:30 am, the Lowcountry GOP Breakfast Club in Summerville will be holding a stump rally and straw poll for the Presidential candidates. They'll be meeting at Kellys BBQ, which is located at 10475 Highway 78 in Summerville, about two miles south/east of the US 17 Alternate intersection with US 78.

At the present time, representatives from each campaign except Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney have confirmed they'll be there, so expect a big turnout.

Only those candidates who participate will be listed on the ballot, along with "None of the Above" and ballots will be limited to paying attendees only ($1.00 for coffee and $7.25 for the breakfast buffett). Also, there will be prizes given away throughout the event.

You don't want to miss this event. We'll be there.

GOP seeking to flip House District 44?

2011-11-10T06:56:00.002-05:00

Last year, Lancaster County's Democratic State Rep. Jimmy Neal saw his first challenge in years, coming in under sixty percent against an underfunded political first-timer. Having held the seat since winning a special election in 1999, speculation that Neal may be retiring next year is drawing interest by the GOP in trying to pick the seat up.

Between a unexpected strong challenge to Rep. Neal by Rob McCoy (who went on a few months later to lose a primary bid for the State Senate seat vacated by Congressman Mick Mulvaney) in the general election, and Mulvaney carrying Lancaster County by a comfortable margin in last year's Congressional upset, the district appears increasingly competitive for Republicans.

Considering these factors, it's not too surprising to hear that several Republicans are looking at the seat. During a visit to Lancaster last weekend, we talked with a couple of people about the race for the seat and have been told more may be looking at the race.

The district didn't change much in redistricting, and is still comprised of much of non-suburban Lancaster County, with much of the county's rural center, as well as it's three municipalities: Heath Springs, Kershaw and much of the City of Lancaster. It did shift slightly west and north and gave up several precincts in the east to neighboring rural districts. While it's BVAP is 31%, it's not the toughest seat for Republicans to win and hold (Rep. Shannon Erickson and Phillip Lowe have landslide in seats with BVAPs in the high thirties).

This year's redistricting opened the door for Republicans to push to the two-thirds mark in the State House. In order to pick up the handful of seats needed to reach that mark, this is one of the seats they'll need to win, so don't be surprised if the race for this seat heats up once the Presidential primaries are over.

Republicans fielding primary for Hutto's Senate seat?

2011-11-08T06:43:00.001-05:00

Next year, Brad Hutto may face one of several Republican challengers for re-election to his six-county Senate District 40. The Blogland has learned that three Republicans are looking at running for Hutto's seat: Barnwell County GOP Chair Ben Kinlaw, Orangeburg County GOP Chair Jim Ulmer and Bill Connor, who ran a close second-place finish in the GOP run-off for Lt. Governor last year.

Among those we talked with was Kinlaw himself, who said planning was underway. He criticized Hutto, telling us "there is no other state senator that is a greater roadblock to the progress of our state, than Brad Hutto, he has to go."

Even more interesting is that all three candidates seem to be willing to take their chances in a primary to face Hutto in the fall. We've met with a number of GOP activists and attended a number of meetings where we've learned all three are organizing supporters and laying plans for Senate candidacies.

In a Senate District where GOP opposition is rare, seeing a three-way primary for the seat is even rarer. With rumors of a Democratic primary challenge to Hutto, the race for the seat, normally considered a ho-hum affair, could get downright interesting.

Stay tuned ...

Visiting Lancaster, Florence & Darlington

2011-11-06T16:32:00.000-05:00

The Blogland hit the road last weekend to see what was going on across South Carolina, hitting three political events Saturday afternoon and evening across the Pee Dee and Upstate in Lancaster, Florence and Darlington.

As always, we greatly appreciate the hospitality shown by the folks across South Carolina. Just about anywhere we go, we find friends and make new ones along the way. This Saturday run was certainly one of those kinds of weekend getaways.

Lancaster Tea Party

First stop was to visit with Winston Smith and the Lancaster Tea Party, well-known as one of the state's largest Tea Party groups, which held their annual fall event, featuing the usual large crowd and an insightful speech by special guest Hilmar von Campe, author of Defeating the Totalitarian Lie, as well as short addresses from several political and community figures from across the region. Smith opened the event by pointing out that from Lenin's Russia to Hitler's Germany to the present-day Obama agenda, every form of socialism involves sacrifice, often from certain groups which are scapegoated for being evil.

Then for a little fun, we drove down to Florence to check out the annual Pecan Festival. While we found scant evidence of pecans there, the place was packed and clearly the place to be in the Pee Dee region.

Right in the middle of it were the Florence County Republicans, shaking hands and talking with the crowd at their booth.

Gospel singers performing at
the Darlington GOP event

Last stop was to visit with the Darlington County GOP's variety show fundraiser, featuring a variety of singers and comedians who kept the full-house crowd entertained late into the evening. It was well worth the five bucks for the entertainment, as well as the chance to meet some of the Blogland's readers in the Pee Dee region.

We want to thank a number of people for their hospitality on this weekend run: Le Flowers (Darlington Cty GOP Chair), Tommy Grimes (6th District GOP Chair), Bill Pickle (Florence GOP Cty. Chair) and Winston Smith (Lancaster Tea Party leader).

Blogland on Facebook

2011-11-06T11:27:00.000-05:00

Just a plug for the Blogland's Facebook webpage. Lots of short thoughts and story leads, the "story behind the story" kind of stuff, as well as some inside chat about what's going on in the Blogland, can be found there. Check it out and follow us.

Guest cartoon: Waltons - "Reagan to Obama"

2011-11-03T23:32:00.000-04:00

More guest artistry from Jamie Walton of Rock Hill.

As always, submissions of drawn or written editorial content are accepted for publication from Blogland readers if sent via email to earl@earlcapps.org.

Big legislative shake-up looming in the Grand Strand

2011-11-03T05:40:00.001-04:00

With redistricting and several incumbents leaving, the Georgetown and Horry County legislative delegations could send at least a half-dozen new faces to Columbia after next year's elections. This region's political clout in Columbia has steadily grown since the 1970s, picking up a new House district each of the last four redistricting cycles, as well as the gradual shift of the majority of Senate District 28, once entirely in the rural Pee Dee, into Horry County.

While Myrtle Beach State Rep. Alan Clemmons opted to remain in his State House seat instead of seeking the new Seventh Congressional District, at least four other Grand Strand House seats are epected to be vacant when filing time rolls around in March (pending approval of the State Senate districts):

House District 56. This new seat was shifted to Horry from Chesterfield and Darlington Counties.

House District 68. This Myrtle Beach seat is being vacated by Thad Viers who is running for the 7th Congressional District seat, who has held the seat since it was moved from the Pee Dee in the 2001 redistricting cycle.

House District 104. This North Myrtle Beach seat, held by Tracy Edge since 1996, may be vacated should he follow through on rumored plans to challenge Democratic State Senator Dick Elliot.

House District 108. After scoring an upset win over long-time Democratic Rep. Vida Miller last year, Republican State Rep. Kevin Ryan decided not to seek a second term next year.

While a large crop of candidates is likely to contest these open House seats, expect to see other new faces on the Georgetown and Horry delegations from other House and Senate districts.

In addition, House District 57 and Senate District 30, both based in Marion County, will pick up about 5,000 Horry residents. Any contests for these Democratic districts would probably by decided by Democratic primary voters from outside of heavily Republican Horry County.

A seventh new face on the coastal delegation could be the winner of the looming battle for Senate District 28. While Democratic Dick Elliot has held the seat since he knocked off scandal-tainted Senator Gene Carmichael in the 1992 Democratic primary, he's barely won re-election in several contests as the seat has increasing tilted to the GOP. With the seat shedding many of its Democratic voters, losing all of its Marlboro and Marion County precincts and most of Dillon County, re-election will be much tougher for Elliot next year. Republican Solicitor Greg Hembree is already running for the seat and Rep. Tracy Edge is rumored to be looking at running as well. Given the strong shift of the seat's demographics, we expect other Republicans may also be looking at the seat.

Given the potential for additional retirements or electoral upsets next year, the region's growing legislative bloc could feature even more freshmen legislators from the Grand Strand when the 2013 General Assembly convenes in Columbia.

Mark your calendar: Darlington GOP fundraiser this Saturday evening

2011-11-01T21:51:00.000-04:00

If you're in the Pee Dee region this weekend, the Darlington County GOP is holding a fundraiser variety show for just five bucks. Go show your support for a great team and help them raise some much-needed campaign cash.

The event is this Saturday at the The Music Hall on 1133 Harry Byrd Highway in Darlington. It starts at 6 PM and tickets are just five bucks.

The Blogland will be there, so be sure to say hello!

Mark your calendar: Lancaster Tea Party rally this Saturday

2011-11-01T21:42:00.000-04:00

Beginning at 12:00 Noon, the Lancaster Tea Party, one of the state's largest Tea Party groups, will hold their annual fall event at the gymnasium of the Carolina Christian Academy. The Blogland will be there as well.

The event will feature special guest Hilmar von Campe, author of Defeating the Totalitarian Lie, as well as visitors from a number of campaigns and Republican Party leaders from across the region.

The event will be held at the Carolina Christian Academy. It's located at 1850 Kershaw Camden Highway (U.S. Route 521), Lancaster, SC 29720-7559.

This group never disappoints, so if you're in the region this weekend, you don't want to miss this event!

Visiting Occupy Wall Street

2011-11-01T10:20:00.000-04:00

Fellow blogger and Florence County GOP Chair Bill Pickle visited New York City last week, bringing back his reflections from a visit to the Occupy Wall Street bunch. He's written about the visit on his blog In The Pickle Barrel:

Like many other "protest", they are very unorganized as far as getting their message out to the public. I believe there is a difference between protesting just to be protesting and protesting with a definite, clearly defined goal(s).

The Occupy Wall Street group is just like most political groups and politicians. Each want to make changes. They state they will make changes. However, most of them lack the "what changes" and "how to make good, sustainable change" in their action plans.

Overall, the article makes for good reading, showing just how poorly-organized the group is - which might explain why some Democrat activists are integrating themselves into the Occupy movement. Lenin's followers did much the same thing in 1917 Russia, eventually toppling more moderate reformers after the Czar's abdication to launch a radical takeover of Russia.

GOP gunning for House District 97

2011-10-31T23:41:00.001-04:00

House District 97 has been a seat which has been tough to hold since 2000, when Republican David Owens was the first Republican to win the Dorchester County-based district by a mere 200 votes. In the races which have followed, races for the seat have been decided by just a few hundred votes, with the seat changing party control four times since 2000.

Democrat Patsy Knight defeated Republican incumbent George Bailey in 2006 by just several hundred votes, winning a re-match against Bailey by a similar margin in 2008. While she ran unopposed last year, Bailey ousted one of the two Democrats on Dorchester County Council, whose district included much of Knight's district.

District 97, which combines rural upper and central Dorchester County with outlying parts of Summerville, was turned decidedly more Republican in redistricting, shedding some of its more Democratic areas along US 78 and I-26, while keeping it's growing Republican precincts in the Summerville area. With the district's BVAP reduced to 27% from the upper 30s, Dorchester County Republicans see a golden opportunity to take the seat once and for all, knocking out the county's only resident Democratic legislator in the process.

We've talked with a number of Dorchester Republicans who've reported that several people are looking at running for the seat next year (they also indicated Bailey will not make another run for his old House seat). Each of these sources believed the changes made by redistricting could tip the district's long-running close electoral balance.

With this high level of early interest and greatly-improved demographics, don't be surprised if the race for this seat becomes one of the hottest contests on next year's GOP primary and general election ballots. Given how close her races have been in a much more Democratic-friendly district, Knight will likely face her toughest electoral fight yet if she opts to seek another term next year.

You can count on the Blogland to keep you updated about this early-brewing legislative race.

Nancy Pelosi: Unionize Boeing plant or close it

2011-10-30T22:00:00.000-04:00

In case you missed it, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi says the National Labor Relations Board should shut the Boeing Charleston plant down or require it to be a union facility.

When asked in a CNBC interview if "it's right that Boeing has to close down that plant in South Carolina because it's non-union?”

Pelosi responded “Yes. I don't think they close it down. I would hope they would make it union.”

Meanwhile, requests for comment from South Carolina Democrats regarding Pelosi's remarks by state GOP leaders have gone unanswered.

House Republicans continue battle against NLRB

2011-10-30T16:47:00.000-04:00

Already the subject of inquiries by House Republicans, the Obama-staffed National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) , which has been putting South Carolina under increasing pressure, will find its abilities to harrass South Carolina (or any other state) even more limited due to new legislative tactics.

Of the five members of the Board, two seats have been vacated when the terms of the seat holders expired. Once a third member's term expires before the end of the year, the Board will be unable to conduct business, such as the ongoing efforts to punish South Carolina for holding a referendum to protect workers' rights and allowing Boeing to open a production facility in Charleston.

To fill these seats, the Obama administration can either offer NLRB appointees capable of winning Senate approval or make recess appointments while Congress adjourns, seating those who might have trouble getting past Senate vetting without a vote. Such recess appointees would hold their seats through the end of next year without receiving Senate approval. To prevent the Obama administration from pulling such an undemocratic move, House Republicans have launched a new legislative tactic. The use of pro forma sessions in the House (Article 1, Section Five of the Constitution) which keeps Congress from officially adjourning when either the House or Senate remains in session, will keep the Obama administration from being able to make such recess appointments.

For those who might want to throw stones at Republicans for legislative gamesmanship, its worth noting that tactic was used jointly by Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2008 to stall Bush administration-backed legislative efforts.

This move by the House majority follows a vote last month where the House approved legislation to prohibit the NLRB from dictating corporate decisions about where to set up shop. This legislation (H.R. 2587) was sponsored by First District Congressman Tim Scott.

Meanwhile, Scott's other ongoing legislative effort to rein in labor union abuses - the Employee Rights Act - is still pending further action in the House.

Clemmons passes on 7th District bid, opts for re-election

2011-10-30T15:38:00.000-04:00

In spite of speculation which put him as one of the front-runners for South Carolina's new Seventh Congressional District, Myrtle Beach State Rep. Alan Clemmons has passed on joining the growing field of candidates seeking the seat. Instead, he will seek re-election to his State House district.

In talking with the Blogland, he cited a desire to remain close to South Carolina while his teenage daughter was still at home. He expresed great optimism that the growing field of GOP candidates would produce a candidate who would carry the district next fall.

His intent was also reported in Sunday's edition of the Myrtle Beach Sun News.

Clemmons, as Chair of the House's redistricting subcommittee, played a key role in re-drawing the state's Congressional districts earlier this year, along with the legislative districts. His decision to remain in the State House runs against accusations by some sources that he was drawing Congressional maps to guarantee himself a free ride to Congress.

Richmond Tea Party challenges favoritism for Occupy group

2011-10-30T13:05:00.000-04:00

While Occupy groups attempt to create the impression they are similar to Tea Party groups, evidence makes it increasing evident they couldn't be more different. While the Tea Party groups champion self-sufficiency, autonomy and indepenence from government, the Occupy movement makes self-indulgent demands from others and doesn't mind dodging accountability and dumping the costs of their actions upon others.

The Richmond Tea Party group is calling the city of Richmond and the Richmond Occupiers out for their self-indulgent hypocrisy:

The tea party group is sending Jones an invoice for the charges incurred for the Tax Day rallies it has held at the plaza the past three years, arguing that the Occupy Wall Street offshoot group squatting there has been using the park illegally and free of charge since Oct. 15.

"The tea party keeps being compared to the occupiers. Well, in the way we're treated, there's no comparison. It's like a slap in the face," said Richmond Tea Party spokeswoman Colleen Owens.

Owens said her group has shelled out about $10,000 for the three rallies held there, including a rental fee for use of the park, various permits and other expenses. She added that the rallies were scheduled with the city months in advance and that the group held fundraisers to cover the required costs, which included police presence and portable toilets.

This is similar to the mounting costs faced by local governments, who are forced to babysit the groups elsewhere, including:

New York City: $3.4 million
Boston: $2 million
Atlanta: $300,000
Minneapolis: $200,000

While fairness would demand Richmond either refund the fees or require the Occupy group to meet the same obligations expected of the Tea Party group, we doubt that's going to happen.

The Occupy movement's selective rage

2011-10-26T00:49:00.005-04:00

While the Occupy protestors rant about corporate greed and bailouts, that anger seems oddly focused. Unlike the Tea Party groups who often railed against corporate bailouts by the current administration as well as against Republicans they perceived as having supported past bailouts, the Occupy groups seem to direct very little anger at fiscal cronyism by the current President and the Democratic Party, which seems to go hand-in-hand with increasingly-open alliances between Occupy groups and Democratic party leaders.

For evidence of the growing connections (which the Occupy people try to deny), one need only look to the example of the Charleston group, whose meager ranks include two prominent local Democrats: Phil Noble and William Hamilton.

Amidst the selective anger of the Occupy movement are signs of a pro-Democratic agenda in the deafening silence over automotive bailouts which were a priority of the Obama administration, which don't get the same criticism as bank bailouts which were made pre-Obama, as well as the shift in anti-war rhetoric from Bush-bashing to generic opposition to violence.

But not everyone is fooled. Among those who are getting the hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty of the growing Democrat-Occupy alliance are the folks with Heritage Action , who have called Obama and his fellow Democrats out for cozying up to the enemies of the Occupy movement, pointing out that Obama:

raised $3.9 million (in financial corporate donations) just this year so far. But, he has raised nearly $12 million in Wall Street donations for the DNC. In total, that’s more than all the Republican Presidential candidates combined have received from Wall Street.

Yet President Obama supports the Occupy Wall Street Movement. He said that their protests were a reflection of a “broad-based frustration about how our financial system works.” He has also adopted the term “99%” when talking about raising taxes.

Their report also calls out Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi for taking over $600K, DNC Chair and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz who took nearly half a million and Rep. Barney Frank, who endorsed the Occupy movement while on the way to a Wall Street fundraiser, who has taken in over $1.3 million.

The Occupy movement would be wise to spare us the kind of selective rage that reeks of either hypocrisy or ignorance. If they cast out the Democratic insiders who are supporting them and integrating themselves with their movement, from Noble to Obama, and tried to develop a truly non-partisan approach to blasting good ol' boy dealing and cronyism in government, we might actually buy some of what they're selling.

Tim Scott bill to give employees more choices on unions

2011-10-26T00:09:00.000-04:00

One major complaint about labor unions in the workplace is that once they're in, they become difficult for employees to disband. Pressure upon employees to not sign petitions for a de-certification vote or go against other wishes of the union leadership, which profits off union dues, can be intense.

Lowcountry GOP Congressman Tim Scott has sponsored, along with Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, legislation that would give workers who work in union workplaces more rights and protections. The Employee Rights Act ("ERA") would require that all union members have the right to vote with a secret ballot on recertifying a union every three years, require a majority vote by secret ballot before a strike could be called and would also require unions to obtain the written consent of every member before spending dues money on anything other than collective bargaining activities.

Research has shown considerable public support for the goals of Scott's legislation.

A survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation in August reportedly showed large support for Scott's legislation. With nearly 2,500 nonunion households and more than 600 union households surveyed, the three-year recertification requirement drew support from 84 percent of the nonunion households and 83 percent of the union households. Other studies have shown overwhelming opposition to using union dues for political activities, support for requiring unions to disclose how union dues are spent and shown a huge disparity between where union campaign cash goes and who their members are voting for.

This legisation would help to codify a Supreme Court ruling (Communications Workers of America v. Beck) which sought to reign in the use of labor union dues used for non-bargaining related activities without the approval of the employee forced to pay union dues. In spite of this ruling, numerous actions have been filed for labor unions not informing their members of their right to request a refund of the portion of their dues which were used for political purposes.

It doesn't seem likely this bill would become law under the current administration, but expect Scott to keep pushing until this effort does succeed.

Guest Op-Ed: Larry Marchant - "2012: The GOP’s McGovern Moment?"

2011-10-20T23:13:00.003-04:00

This guest op-ed comes from Larry Marchant. A long-time activist in the GOP going back to the days of Governor Carroll Campbell, he is the President of The Palmetto Policy Group, a public policy and governmental relations firm. As always, if you'd like to speak your piece, email your op-eds to earl@earlcapps.org.

I’m the guy that risked his marriage and career, lost some friends, clients and income, and was the butt of a few late night comedic jokes.

I’m concerned about a division – a “my way or the highway” approach to politics – which is being fed by a small but well-funded segment of the Republican Party. The continuation of the media sound bites, political gamesmanship and the division does nothing to solve the many serious problems we face – in fact all those things conspire to make those problems worse.

Have we forgotten just twenty years ago when South Carolina was – if not the envy of the nation – certainly on its way up the national ladder? Under Governor Carroll Campbell, the Palmetto State was starting to climb out of the bottom. We had one of the lowest unemployment rates in America, our schools were improving and we were attracting quality jobs at every turn - and a Republican governor was making all of this happen with a Democratic-controlled legislature!

Campbell’s formula was simple: Leadership plus cooperation equals progress. It’s not too complicated – but it is becoming far too uncommon in our state.

During the 1980s I had the privilege of working with some very honorable people as we started the seemingly impossible task of making South Carolina a majority party for the Republicans. It was slow and tedious work, but step-by-step, we made gains. During that decade, I had the opportunity to work for Governor Carroll Campbell, Congressman Joe Wilson, the late Congressman Floyd Spence and Congressman Tommy Hartnett. I was a state officer of the Republican Party and a delegate to the 1984 Republican convention enabling me to cast my electoral vote for Ronald Reagan at the age of twenty-one.

My greatest teacher during this period was Carroll Campbell. Words simply cannot explain the influence he had on my life as a young adult. I was taught by Gov. Campbell to respect our elected officials, regardless of party, especially once the election was over. I was taught to participate in the process and be proud of our government because although flawed, it is still the best system in the world.

Most importantly, I was taught to try to work with everyone. That meant compromise. Now that didn’t mean we didn’t have our battles, but at the end of the day, we were all working for the same goal: the State of South Carolina, and everyone understood were we were trying to go.

Today, I see the two political parties as far apart as they have ever been in my lifetime. But even more frightening is that I am hearing concerns from many friends regarding how rigid the Republican Party has become. Repeatedly in recent months I’ve heard a phrase that cuts me to the bone:

“I’m not leaving the Republican Party, the Republican Party is leaving me.”

Those words are frightening because I heard them decades ago while canvassing for the Republican Party in the early 1980s. Except then, people were saying: “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me!”

In 1972, the liberal wing of the Democratic Party got its long-awaited wish in the nomination of George McGovern. We all know what happened next – an overwhelming majority of Americas rejected this liberal extremism and McGovern wound up carrying only one state, Massachusetts (and the District of Columbia).

This is not some parallel doomsday prophecy, my Republican friends.

However, could history be on the verge of repeating itself? Ask yourselves – is the Republican Party of today really representing the majority views of America? Or will the Republicans have a “McGovern Moment” in 2012 by nominating a candidate who is pandering to the ideological fringes of the Republican party?

Closer to home, can our Governor work with state legislators of both parties to start finding solutions to the very serious issues at hand? Can we stop the finger pointing – and report card grading – and start finding the common ground necessary to begin the arduous process of moving us forward again?

I hope so, because this division is slowly killing our state from the core. We face the most serious issues and troubling times in our history and we desperately need our leaders to come together and start tackling those issues – lest the times pass us by.

I know we can do better because I have seen and participated in government that actually worked. Unfortunately, all I see now is politicians bickering and arguing with each other while they neglect the neediest among us.

It’s time for that to change – or else the GOP’s days will be numbered.

Guest Op-Ed: Stephanie Rawlinson - "Who should run for the Seventh?"

2011-10-19T22:20:00.000-04:00

This guest op-ed comes to us from Stephanie Rawlinson, 1st Vice Chair of the Florence County GOP and Broker-in-Charge of the McLaughlin Company, a Pee Dee real estate and commercial development company. As always, if you have something you'd like to share with our readers, you are welcome to submit a guest editorial via email to earl@earlcapps.org.

Recently, I seem to have ruffled some feathers when I made this statement:

The Pee Dee still has a major hurdle to cross, if a person is sincere about protecting the Pee Dee they should spend time defending it to the Justice Department and assuring we get the 7th District rather than campaigning for a seat that has not yet been finalized. A person who announces a candidacy before the Justice Department rules shows no regard for the process, a serious immaturity in judgment, a lack of concern for the region and an unwillingness to put their own desires second to the advancement of the Pee Dee.

Many have asked me what exactly I meant when I said this, so I am going to spend a little time and clarify my statement.

Back in the Spring of 2011, the process of redistricting South Carolina began. The SC House and Senate both held hearings in every region of South Carolina. There were two hearings held in Florence County at Florence Darlington Technical College. Hundreds of Pee Dee residents cared enough to show up to testify before the house and senate sub-committees. A person’s involvement and willingness to serve the 7th district began there. Many of those who have announced for this district, or are potential candidates, didn’t even bother to show up at any of these well publicized hearings. It was at these hearings that people expressed their desires on the record and testified as to why the Pee Dee deserved the 7th District.

So my question is: "Was the district not important to these candidates back in the spring of 2011 and why have they just now decided to get involved and serve this region of SC?" Why were they not willing to stand up and speak in favor of this district at those hearings last spring?

One should give credit where credit is due. There are some proposed candidates who were there and who did stand up for this region but there are a significant number who did not.

Second, for those of you who missed it, there was an actual battle for the 7th district in the Senate back in the spring. It was a very well publicized battle which those in this region of SC called the Pee Dee Push. Twice, the Pee Dee Coalition for the 7th took large groups of people to Columbia to lobby, attend and testify at judiciary hearings, attend committee meetings, hold press conferences, wave signs, and work toward the development of the new 7th Congressional district. There were so many activists, local politicians and interested parties attending that a chartered bus was needed to take them all to Columbia. The local county Republican Parties spent hard-earned money to publish a newspaper, print flyers, and print signs. They also made buttons, designed t-shirts and spent hours in the SC map rooms drawing and redrawing maps. Hours were spent on phones, on social media sources and in meetings with elected officials putting political pressure where pressure needed to be put to get the job done for the Pee Dee. Even more hours were spent sending emails and letters to SC Representatives, Senators and local and state media to bring attention to the Pee Dee’s need for representation.

This was an all-hands-on-deck project and everyone in the region was asked to help on numerous occasions. The people who actually worked to get this district moved to the Pee Dee know who was there and who worked. Funny thing about the people of the Pee Dee, they have the memory of an elephant and they don’t forget.

So the next question is: "Where were all of these announced and potential 7th district candidates (several of which are attorneys and former legislators) who could have been a tremendous help to this group when the actual work to get the district was being done?" Why, after the majority of the work is done, should those who didn’t help get the district be the one who “serve the district”? Why should anyone believe these candidates will stand up for the needs of this district if they were not there when the district needed them most?

Third, the Pee Dee 7th district is not a sure thing. It is wonderful that everyone in the Pee Dee is celebrating and excited about having this new possible opportunity for real representation. However, at this point, the congressional map has not received preclearance by the US Justice Department. Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell and House Speaker Bobby Harrell have filed lawsuits asking the courts to intervene and approve this district but it has not happened yet.

Those who were working during the initial phases of redistricting in the spring and summer are still working towards obtaining this judicial approval. So finally I have to ask: "Where are these candidates and potential candidates now? How much effort have they, or are they willing to, put forth to assure this region of the state gets the 7th district which they think is important enough to ask for the right to represent?"

Guest Cartoon: Jamie Walton & "Biden's Twisted Tongue"

2011-10-19T17:13:00.000-04:00

Another submission from Jamie Walton of Rock Hill.

As always, submissions of guest editorials and cartoons are welcome for submission. Any submitted articles will be published verbatim and the source given credit. Send them via email to earl@earlcapps.org.

The Republican Women of Dorchester County

2011-10-18T23:07:00.000-04:00

A blogger meets with a bunch of women late one night … and attends a meeting.

The October meeting of the group featured GOP Committeewoman Cindy Costa and Dorchester County State Rep. Chris Murphy. A good group to hang with, the Blogland always appreciates their warm hospitality.

You can catch them every third Tuesday of the month, meeting in the back room at the Dog and Duck restaurant, next to Arby's on Trolley Road in Summerville.

Annual Barnwell GOP dinner

2011-10-18T16:12:00.000-04:00

Last night, Barnwell County Republicans packed the house for their annual dinner. The Blogland was there and enjoyed their hospitality (and the BBQ as well).

While the event brought in three big GOP stars: SCGOP Chair Chad Connelly, SCGOP Second Vice-Chair Chair EJ Cousar and State Education Superintendent Mick Zais, it was Zais who gave the most meaningful information to attendees, promoting his agenda of focusing on boosting accountabilty, competition and incentives in South Carolina public schools.

Zais pointed out there was "no one-size-fits-all solution", warning that the "traditional school system puts every child in an assembly line, factory type system where every child is the same" for which he advcoated customization and personalization". Touching on his days in the U.S. Army where many soldiers came from disadvantaged homes, he reiterated his believe that "every inner city family has a right to the same choices for their children's education as anyone else."

Also, Kinlaw was recognized for his early support of renewed efforts to boost the state GOP's Silver Elephant fundraising program with a pin from Connelly.

Any way you go, it's a long drive to Barnwell County, but well worth it. Ben Kinlaw and the Barnwell GOP team are always great company.

Donehue to address national campaign IT conference

2011-10-18T14:30:00.001-04:00

Donehue Direct would like to announce that CEO Wesley Donehue will be speaking on "The Digital Candidate" at the 2011 CampaignTech Conference. The conference will be held November 10-11 in Washington, D.C., and is being hosted by Campaigns and Elections magazine.

Donehue has been a good friend and a noted innovator in the political netroots world and it's always been a great experience to work with him. While we can't break away for this, we're sure those who attend will learn a ton.

Congrats!

State immigration compliance law challenged

2011-10-12T15:06:00.000-04:00

Months before it takes effect, South Carolina's new immigration compliance law is being challenged in court. Alleging the act is unconstitutional, the following groups have filed suit to block the law's implementation, alleging "South Carolina and the nation have watched the devastation caused by laws like this as families have fled Alabama, businesses have lost patrons, and a climate of fear and hate have settled over the state":

American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of South Carolina, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the National Immigration Law Center, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, and the law firms of Rosen, Rosen & Hagood and the Lloyd Law Firm.

While the coalition alleges the new law "unfairly and illegally targets the Latino community with improper arrests and detentions", we reviewed the legislation and - not surprisingly - we didn't find any race-specific language.

Also, if any of our readers observe any recent outbreaks of devastation, fear or hate which they refer to anywhere in South Carolina, please let us know - because haven't seen any.

Packed Loftis fundraiser with Mitt Romney

2011-10-06T21:21:00.002-04:00

The crowd at the Mills House in Charleston was backed out the door for a fundraiser for State Treasurer Curtis Loftis and the Blogland had about thirty minutes' free time this evening to drop in and say hello to Loftis and the many fine folks in attendance, including a number of well-known politicos from the Lowcountry and Pee Dee regions.

Romney and Loftis with Dorchester
County Treasurer Mary Pearson

The headliner for the occasion was GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who is in the middle of a campaign sweep through the Lowcountry. Like many Loftis events, they're at least as well known for having fun as they are raising funds. This event was a great success at both.

The hospitality of Loftis, who has proven himself to be one of the state's friendliest and most upbeat Constitutional officers, was appreciated, along with many of the guests who took time to say hello and talk about blogging, state politics and Thad Viers.

Not to be left out of the occasion was the Ron Paul fan club, who were out front protesting Romney. We appreciate how they lined up for a photo when the camera came out even though they probably had no idea they'd end up getting their fifteen seconds (and three sentences) of fame in the Blogland. They all looked alike with their Mitt Romney masks.

A successful series of these events in recent months makes it clear that Loftis isn't taking re-election for granted in 2014.

NLRB employer mandate postponed

2011-10-06T11:45:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, the Blogland reported of ongoing legal action to block a planed move by the NLRB to require employers to post a notice informing workers of the process to form a union in their workplace:

The 11-by-17-inch notice should be posted in a conspicuous place, where other notifications of workplace rights and employer rules and policies are posted.

This implementation of this NLRB mandate, which was intended to take effect on November 14, will now be delayed until January 31 of next year. Reportedly, the NLRB's reason for the delay was that it needs to “provide enhanced education and outreach” to small and mid-sized companies.

Recently, the S.C. Chamber of Commerce joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in filing suit against the National Labor Relations Board (Chamber of Commerce, et al. v. National Labor Relations Board, et al.,) to challenge NLRB-issued regulations which will require nearly all employers to post a large notice to employees informing them of rights under the National Labor Relations Act, including their right to unionize. Many in the HR profession see this pending rule as little more than free advertising for labor unions and has been accused of being part of an ongoing pattern of the Obama administration giving free assistance to help labor unions reverse a long trend of declining membership, such as the current NLRB action against Boeing's new North Charleston manufacturing facility.

A pioneer lost

2011-10-05T20:07:00.000-04:00

Guest cartoon: Jamie Walton - Obama & Taxes

2011-10-05T03:18:00.001-04:00

Guest Op-Ed: Bill Connor, "The Hollow United States Military?"

2011-10-04T23:58:00.013-04:00

Today's Guest Op-ed comes from Bill Connor, an Orangeburg attorney and Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Army reserve. Guest submittals will be considered for publication if sent via email to earl@earlcapps.org. All op-eds will be published in their entirety and attributed to the original author.

On September 22, 2011, while testifying in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, stated: "If you took a trillion dollars out of defense that would break us”. He was referring to the mandatory cuts in Defense if the “Super Committee” failed to reach a plan for a budget. At the same hearing, Admiral Mullen warned that further cuts going past the $315 Billion planned “has forced us to look into the abyss”. The new Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, testified that further cuts would cause "catastrophic damage to military and ability to protect this country." Unfortunately, the new military drawdown and defense cuts are the most drastic seen since the post-Vietnam period of the 1970s. While the media and Presidential candidates put all focus on the nation’s economic problems, they ignore a gathering storm on the horizon: A “hollow” military.

The term “hollow”, in reference to the military, was first used by Army Chief of Staff “Shy” Meyers in describing the post-Vietnam, 1970s Army as the “hollow Army”. At this time, many units existed on paper, but were not prepared, manned, or equipped to defend the nation. Having grown up as the son of a career Army officer (and Vietnam veteran) in the 1970s, I can personally remember the poor state of our nation’s military due to the lack of support by our politicians. That is in comparison to my own time of military service from the 1980s until today. The hollow Army was not only due to the massive cut in funds, but also the rapid drawdown in personnel. Major Garry Thompson, in his thesis for a Master of Military Arts and Sciences described the infamous Hollow Army of the 1970s:

“By the mid-1970s the Army was not a pleasant place to be. Drug use, racial
tensions, low quality troops, and inexperienced NCOs left the Army in a state of disarray.
Officers and NCOs were occasionally mugged by their own troops and some were even
murdered. Many officers and NCOs were reluctant to enter barracks alone, or without a
pistol on their hip. Troubles were made worse by the efforts of many senior officers to
cover up or play down the incidents. Thus many guilty soldiers were not court-martialed
and were often quietly let out of the service (and sometimes not). One battalion
commander stated, “If they didn’t like being in the Army, all they had to do was badmouth
an officer (or worse) and then be rewarded with their walking papers.”

Master Sergeant (retired) Richard C. Cox recalled of the conditions of the
Army in 1976 and 1977 thus:

“The only reason I stayed in the Army was the fact that I knew it couldn’t get any
worse. As crazy as it sounds I had a high school diploma and a few college
credits so I was one of the smart ones. I knew that I would be promoted. The
only thing that nearly drove me out was the inconsistent disciplinary practices.
Receiving a DUI was almost a right of passage in some units. In others you were
kicked out right away. I also remember seeing a platoon leader stuffed in a wall
locker and thrown down a flight of stairs. I wasn’t particularly proud to wear the
uniform back then.”

By the mid-1970s, reenlistment rates fell to the lowest levels in history. First term attrition
rate was 26 percent in 1971 and steadily peaked 38 percent in 1974.

The results of the “hollow” Army were obvious. During the Carter years we were helpless as Iranians to our fellow countrymen hostage, and we failed miserably during the “Desert One” rescue attempt of those hostages. We were also helpless to stop the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, which came partly from the Soviet analysis of our weakness and inability to fight back. Thank God the Cold War did not become “hot” during the late 1970s.

The way out of that terrible period was with the support of the Reagan Administration after Reagan took office in 19981. Ronald Reagan was a true “comprehensive” conservative, who believed that despite conservative “small government” values, it was the obligation of conservatives to ensure our national defense. National Defense was the most important function of the Federal Government and one of the only functions only Government could provide. Under Reagan, defense spending rose dramatically, as did the salaries and benefits to keep the best people in uniform. The Army Reagan built deterred any direct confrontation with the Soviets, and was proven during Desert Storm. It is the military that has defended us since the attacks of 9/11.

Having rebuilt the military of the 80’s 90’s and today, are we now taking it back to the hollowness of the 1970s? Similar to the 1970s, we are now redeploying from a long war. In the case of Vietnam, we had substantial numbers of troops deployed from 1964 until 1973. We are all aware of the decade of sustained combat during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. This period of recovery from sustained periods of combat is a critical time and one of the worst time to make massive cuts and rapid drawdown.
If, as happened during the 1970s, we cut benefits, salaries and support, we will see a similar dynamic as then. Many of the best officers and non-commissioned officers will opt to leave the service. Those remaining will be stuck with sub-standard training, equipment, and personnel. We will have “paper” units, which are only a shadow of the authorized strength.

From my own experience over the last few years, those within the military are already becoming concerned that promised benefits, like health care and pension, are becoming open to the chopping block. These are benefits promised to those who put their lives on the line and gave their best years to the nation. Our nation keeps its word and will end up paying a price if it fails to honor these types of commitments.

America should have the proper debate about the future of our Armed Forces. We may make the conscious decision to sacrifice national security for a period of time due to the perceived economic crisis. Though I would disagree with this decision (at least if there is any entitlement left to cut), at least we would know and could control the risk. It’s absolutely wrong to continue down the road we are heading: The neglect of our great military to the point it becomes hollow. If that happens, economic concerns will be the least of our problems.

Defeated Dem to make second House bid in Berkeley County?

2011-10-04T15:48:00.001-04:00

In a heavily-Republican county such as Berkeley County, it's hard to find a Democrat willing to get beat like a drum once, much less twice. But it seems like Democrat Tonia Aiken-Taylor, who just lost a special election to fill House Seat 100 by about twenty points, plans to run for the House again next year.

After she lost to Republican Rep-elect Eddy Southard last week, Aiken-Taylor told the Charleston Post and Courier: "This was just a practice run."

Where she presently resides will remain in District 100 (presuming the redistricting plans receive pre-clearance from the Justice Department), a large part of the town of Moncks Corner, where she holds an at-large Town Council seat, will be moved into Rep. Joe Jefferson's majority-black House District 102. Some have told the Blogland that Aiken-Taylor may move into 102 and challenge Jefferson in next year's Democratic primary, knowing the nominee will easily carry the seat in the general elections.

Since the chances of a Democrat winning in heavily-Republican District 100 in what is expected to be a decent year for Republicans would be slim, using her head-start in the mostly-Democratic portions of District 100 which are being moved into District 102 seems a more logical next step to follow up on her "practice run".

We'll be watching this one.

GOP surge in WV guv race tied to Obama woes?

2011-10-04T02:32:00.000-04:00

Today, voters in West Virginia go to the polls to decide who will complete the gubernatorial term of Joe Manchin, who won a spirited race last year to fill the state's then-vacant U.S. Senate seat.

After Manchin managed to break out of a close race in the closing weeks of his 2010 Senate race, Republicans weren't given much of a shot at contesting the race to replace him, but the race between acting Democratic Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and GOP businessman Bill Maloney, which started out as a sure-bet win for Tomblin, has changed radically with polling showing undecided voters breaking heavily for Maloney, cutting a lead of over thirty points to dead even.

Who's to blame for this sudden reversal? The same one they blamed for the loss of New York's Ninth Congressional District several weeks ago: President Barack Obama.

What Republicans have done, though, is transformed the national issue that is Obama’s health care bill into a state one. And given Obama’s approval rating in the state — which has stood in the low-30s for some time — that could be a winning strategy.

The effect of the Tomblin-equals-Obama messaging has been to push undecided voters, which until last week were about one-quarter of all likely voters, into the Maloney camp.

Here's the ad the Republican Governor's Association has been pummelling Tomblin with to help capitalize on Obama's poor standing with West Virginia voters:

Herman Cain's own brand of bigotry

2011-10-04T00:41:00.000-04:00

This week, GOP Presidential candidate Herman Cain has gone on the attack, shooting at fellow Republican Presidential aspirant Rick Perry over issues of racial bigotry over a word painted on a rock at Perry's family ranch:

Since Gov. Perry has been going there for years to hunt, I think that it shows a lack of sensitivity for a long time of not taking that word off of that rock and renaming the place.

The attacks from Cain seem ironic considering the kind of bigoted rhetoric Cain has directed at American Muslims. In March, Cain promised that he would not appoint Muslims to serve in his cabinet or in the federal judiciary.

Cain later backtracked somewhat, suggesting in a Glenn Beck interview he would allow Muslims to serve, provided they met a loyalty test that would not be applied to those of other religious affiliations:

BECK: So wait a minute, are you saying that Muslims have to prove, there has to be a loyalty proof?
CAIN: Yes, to the Constitution of the United States of America.
BECK: Well, would you do that to a Catholic or a Mormon?
CAIN: No, I wouldn’t.

This position would run counter to the Constitution, which in Article Six clearly prohibits using religion to qualify or disqualify one from holding public office:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

Back in July, we called Cain out for supporting the right of communities to block the construction of mosques, running counter to yet another part of the Constitution: the freedom of religion.

We're not sure if Cain's rhetoric is a matter of ignorance or willful deception - but either way, it's inexcusable for someone with such high political aspirations. While we don't dispute the threat presented by Islamic radicals, mostly those abroad, object to Sharia Law, or find the Ground Zero mosque proposal grossly insensitive, Cain's pandering to narrow-minded voters overlooks the fact that millions of Americans of the Islamic faith have been law-abiding loyal citizens for generations with few examples of disloyalty.

But then again, when it came to seizing and keeping power, the loyalty of Jewish German citizens didn't matter much to Adolf Hitler either.

E-verify use mandatory in 5 states

2011-10-03T23:45:00.000-04:00

Following the Supreme Court ruling (Chamber of Commerce of the United States v. Whiting) in which justices ruled 5-3 that the state of Arizona could mandate the use of the federal E-verify system as a means of screening new hires, other states are following Arizona’s lead to mandate it’s use.

Legislation sponsored by Berkeley County Senator Larry Grooms will require South Carolina employers to use E-verify next year. In addition, three other states will also mandate E-verify usage next year: Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.

South Carolina law sets some pretty tough penalties for those employers who don’t comply with the new law:

For a first occurrence by a private employer, after July 1, 2012, of failure to verify a new hire through the E-Verify federal work authorization program within three business days, the Department of LLR must place the employer on probation for a period of one year, during which time the private employer must submit quarterly reports to the agency demonstrating compliance with the law. A subsequent violation within three years of the law’s verification requirements must result in the suspension of the private employer’s licenses for at least 10 days but not more than 30 days.

A private employer who knowingly or intentionally employs an unauthorized alien must have his licenses suspended by the Department of LLR on a first occurrence for at least 10 days but not more than 30 days.

E-verify is relatively easy to use and it’s a free service. Having been the hiring person for my company, I know this firsthand. If you know anyone who works in HR who is unfamiliar with the E-verify system and has questions, let me know and I’ll be glad to help.

Crescent Magazine offers positive look at SC

2011-10-03T07:25:00.000-04:00

As hard a task as it may sound, Upstate political and public relations strategist Taft Matney has put his experience, his contacts and his knowledge of the Palmetto State into creating Crescent: The Magazine, a publication taking some positive looks at life and politics in the Palmetto State:

There’s a lot going on in South Carolina, and you deserve to know about it. At least that’s the premise behind CRESCENT.

With a mixture of original and aggregated content, it’s a look at South Carolina news and politics that may give you some “inside baseball” while making it understandable and entertaining.

Go take a look. We think he's got something pretty good going on here ...

Back in South Carolina

2011-10-02T23:32:00.003-04:00

After a two-week hiatus traveling the Eastern Seaboard from South Carolina to Nova Scotia by car and cruise ship, it's time to get back to work. The Blogland has returned, so watch for new ramblings to appear soon.

Will Folks book cover leaked

2011-09-24T14:46:00.001-04:00

According to a highly-trusted, but anonymous, source, here is the cover and title of the Will Folks "tell-all" book which is rumored to be awaiting publication.

Meanwhile, the honeymoon cruise continues, with stops in Portland and Kennebunkport today.

Cruising ...

2011-09-22T14:51:00.002-04:00

The Blogland is going to take a little downtime as yours truly is off for a ten-day honeymoon cruise in the North Atlantic.

We'll see everyone in October. Either be good or have a great alibi.

Become certified in CPR and First Aid - for free!

2011-09-22T01:26:00.000-04:00

As Upstate Congressman Mick Mulvaney recently discovered, you never know when someone might be in urgent need of help, such as CPR. With the right training, you might be able to save a life in an emergency situation with just a little bit of training.

For those who don't know, as part of my job, I am a Red Cross-certified instructor, which means I can teach First Aid, CPR, Biohazards and some other important life-saving and safety skills. In addition to classes for workers, I've taught community organizations, staff in schools and courts and private citizens these skills.

You don't have to have a medical background to take this class. Many people, including teachers, law enforcement officers, construction personnel, and even teenage babysitters, take these classes to learn how to respond to save lives. All you need is four or so hours of your time on a weekend to learn how.

So here's your chance to - regardless of party label - get FREE Red Cross CPR and First Aid training.

If some of my readers would like to organize a First Aid and CPR class elsewhere, let me know. Just find at least a half-dozen people somewhere in S.C. and I'll be glad to come to wherever you are and teach it. So email me at earl@earlcapps.org and let's see what can be worked out.

More trouble for organized labor in South Carolina

2011-09-22T00:41:00.000-04:00

This week hasn't been a good week for labor unions in South Carolina. In addition to ongoing efforts to resist the NLRB, two events presented additional challenges for organized labor.

On Monday, a decertification petition (11-RD-064845) was filed regarding the Johnson Controls facility in Florence S.C., which presently has a United Auto Workers presence. In August 2010, the UAW barely won the union vote at the plant with 76 votes for the union and 71 against.

In Charleston, the S.C. Chamber of Commerce joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in filing suit against the National Labor Relations Board to challenge NLRB-issued regulations on August 25 which will require nearly all employers to post a large notice to employees informing them of rights under the National Labor Relations Act, including their right to unionize.

Many of us in the HR profession see this pending rule as little more than free advertising for labor unions. Given their ongoing efforts to act as a virtual bargaining agent for labor unions by taking action against Boeing, it's part of an ongoing pattern of using federal funds to give free assistance to labor unions.

The case, Chamber of Commerce, et al. v. National Labor Relations Board, et al., is in the U.S. District Court of South Carolina, seeks to block the NLRB rule, which proposes that:

“The 11-by-17-inch notice should be posted in a conspicuous place, where other notifications of workplace rights and employer rules and policies are posted.”