Video poker inspired by Sanford's ethical retreat?

Two decades ago, video poker machines began showing up in the backrooms of small stores across South Carolina. Ten years later, video gambling had blossomed into a large industry which filled warehouse-sized locations and helped oust a Governor and several legislators. With a friendly Governor and an intimidated Legislature, it took the intervention of the courts to rein the industry in.

A recent shooting near Charleston in which nine outlawed video poker machines were confiscated was far from the only recent sighting of video gambling machines around the state:

Charleston County Sheriff's deputies said they confiscated nine arcade-style poker machines from a home where a man was shot with a rifle this weekend.

In the wake of video poker, reformers sought to close the loopholes which allowed that industry to pour millions into political front groups without having to disclose. While this was once the cause of the current Governor, now that Sanford's agenda benefits from the support of groups like SCRG, the campaign disclosure reforms the Governor once advocated now seems forgotten.

Perhaps the video poker industry has found inspiration in Sanford's craven sell-out, hoping that they once again may be able to buy politicians and topple those who resist.

There is no small irony that the Governor who preached the gospel of "reform" and "leadership" has engaged in the same kind of shady pay-to-play politics that he once criticized. While we hope the video poker industry doesn't follow Sanford's example, we're not going to bet our state's future on it.

Those legislators who want to defang Governor Sanford's out-of-state allies, as well as head off video poker at the pass, would be wise to quickly resurrect campaign finance and disclosure reforms. If the Governor wants to undo some of the political damage which has been done in the last two election cycles, as well as remain true to his reform rhetoric, he'll sign such legislation when it reaches his desk.

After the damage which has been done to this state's political culture and its people by centuries of "highest bidder" politics, enacting legislation which requires full disclosure of campaign finances and expenditures may be one of the most important things Sanford can accomplish in the time he has left in office.

House leadership vacancies - the second shootout?

Make no mistake about it - this spring was a political shootout at the OK Corral, for control of the Legislature. Even though the dust is just beginning to settle from those races, the next shootout is about to begin.

One gang - the Governor, his legislative allies and special interest groups - fought it out with the other Republican "gang" of legislators. Many of the casualties were first and second term legislators, such as Catherine Ceips, Heyward Hutson, and Randy Scott, who hadn't secured their political bases. While the Governor's people scored some wins, a lot of the seats targeted by the Governor and his allies didn't go their way.

The next shootout between the two camps will be in the upcoming races for a whole pack of open House leadership slots, in which many of the candidates are either allies of the Governor or those who were unsuccessfully targeted by the Governor's crowd. In fact, we don't think we've seen this much turnover at the same time since the GOP took over the House after the 1994 elections.

We’re going to look at what’s open and who’s running – and see what you, our readers, have to say:

MAJORITY LEADER: Jim Merrill has been many of the things a Majority Leader should be – articulate, charismatic, and politically savvy. His decision to step down from this post has opened up a hotly contested race to succeed him: Mike Pitts from Laurens County, a retired police officer who is the star of Second Amendment advocates, Kenny Bingham from Lexington County, and Alan Clemmons from Horry County.

We jokingly dubbed Clemmons “The Waterboy” at this year’s GOP convention, but he’s a prodigious fundraiser, having run one of the first $100K House races ever run. His fundraising prowess could make him a strong asset to the House Republican leadership. Plus we appreciate his work ethic, as shown by his willingness to hit the convention floor, passing out water bottles to delegates.

Ok, we apologize for the bad joke there ... Clemmons is the guy on the left.

ASSISTANT MAJORITY LEADER: This seat is also opening up. We see a two-way race at present, between Florence second-termer Kris Crawford and Bruce Bannister, who surprised political observers by winning the Greenville County House seat that was vacated when former House Speaker accepted the prestigious ambassadorship to Canada. Crawford is seen as the Sanford ally in this race. Now the two are going to see who can get on the fast-track for even higher leadership slots.

LCI CHAIRMAN: Current Chair Harry Cato, from Greenville County, is moving up in what seems to be an uncontested bid for Speaker Pro Tempore, which opens up a three-way race between Lexington Rep. Nikki Haley, ranking committee member Oconee Rep. Bill Sandifer, and Charleston Rep. Wallace Scarborough.

Sandifer turned back a well-funded challenge from the Governor's allies, while Haley is well-known to be a strong Sanford ally. Scarborough is seen as somewhere in between the two, but faces what is expected to be a strong re-election challenge which he will have to win before he can seek the slot.

EDUCATION AND PUBLIC WORKS CHAIRMAN: Initially this race was intended to be a showdown between Bob Walker and Ted Pitts from Lexington County. But the 19 people who gave Walker’s challenger an upset win in the GOP primary changed that, and the race is now a four-way affair.

While Pitts may have been an early post-Walker favorite, he has been identified as the candidate most closely aligned with Governor Sanford, which we were told has cost him some support. In the realigned open race, B.R. Skelton and Bill Whitmire, both of whom survived well-funded attacks by Governor Sanford’s allies in the recent GOP primaries, have also begun testing the waters.

The wild card in this race is Mike Anthony, a Union County Democrat who is well-liked by Republicans. Keep in mind this committee had a Democratic chair even after the GOP took over the House in 1994.

It would seem that should any of the candidates than Pitts become the next Education chair, it would be a stinging and costly rebuke for the Governor’s crowd, who invested a small fortune to knock Walker off in hopes of getting a more friendly leader of that committee.

AGRICULTURE CHAIRMAN: For some, Green Acres may be the place to be. For others, the place to be is the chairmans's seat on the House Agriculture Committee.

The current holder, Bill Witherspoon from Horry County, is retiring, and a three-way races is developing for the job. Dwight Loftis from Greenville County seems to have a good shot at the seat, having been in the House since 1996, as compared to Jeff Duncan from Laurens County, who was elected in '02 and Nelson Hardwick from Horry County, who will be starting his second term in the House.

We did have someone offer us $20 to say nice things about Jeff Duncan. He seems to be a nice enough guy, but come on, we don't take payoffs here. Just free beer.

YOUR TURN … what do YOU think? Sound off in the comments section. We’d love to hear what you’ve heard, or what you think of the candidates and our analysis of these developing leadership races.

2008 runoff recap

We called it right in all three of our Senate guesses – Jakie Knotts won by a bigger margin than expected, Ritchie got slaughtered, and Lee Bright pulled off a close victory, building on his strong 2004 challenge to John Hawkins. All three Senators have our congratulations for jobs well done in their candidacies.

Dee Compton, the GOP nominee for the Greenwood-area Senate seat being vacated by John Drummond, has our congratulations for his 2-to-1 runoff victory and our best wishes for what will be a tough fight this fall.

SCRG came up short in its efforts to pick up extra House seats with Tom Young winning the Aiken House seat and David Herndon in the Midlands. One has to wonder if Herndon won’t be facing a petition candidacy from the local perennial loser. We understand Rep-elect Tom Young is a friend of the folks over at Voting under the Influence.

Since many of their House candidates failed to win, one has to wonder if the SCRG’s high-dollar game plan of pouring in massive barrages of phone and mail will be reconsidered in favor of other approaches.

As further vindication of the theory that hard work and grassroots work trumps the big boys and big bucks … in the Democratic race for House Seat 111, being vacated by Floyd Breeland (a really nice guy), Wendell Gaillard, a Charleston City Council member and union leader, pulled off a win in the runoff against primary frontrunner and Clyburn staffer Clay Middleton. Wendell isn’t the most polished guy, but he’s a straight-shooter with a good heart.

Other winners on the Democratic side … Williamsburg Rep. Ken Kennedy, Rep. Creighton Coleman advances to the general election to replace retiring Senator Linda Short, and Rep. Curtis Brantley survived a primary challenge from the guy he booted from the seat two years ago … a race where the Black Caucus backed the white challenger over the black incumbent.

Our State Senate Runoff picks: Knotts, Martin, and a Toss-up

We’ve been sitting back, doing a little traveling, watching a lot of movies, and watching the runoff races boil in the Upstate and Midlands as three Senate races – one open seat and two incumbents – have turned into all-out wars. For those of you who care what we think (but never just take our word for anything, it’d be like taking candy from strangers), here’s our Senate Run-off picks:

Knotts wins in Lexington County:

Two weeks ago, a lot of people were expecting Katrina Shealy to continue building momentum into the second round of voting in this race. Indeed, we believe that if the run-off vote had been held in the first 48 hours after the primary, Knotts would have lost.

Shealy's primary campaign seemed to run smoothly, aided by tons of outside money and a well-focused message which challenged years of Knotts' attacks on the Governor and his bull-in-the-china-shop approach to politics. However, the dynamics of the race seemed to have changed as Knotts has – at long last - begun to get some lucky breaks. The first of these was when the third-place primary candidate, who everyone expected to come out for Shealy, ended up giving a surprise endorsement to Knotts.

While Governor Sanford and Senator DeMint came out for Shealy, Knotts received the endorsement of Congressman Joe Wilson, the numero uno Republican in Lexington County politics, along with Lt. Governor Andre Bauer, whose support among the core GOP voters who will comprise much of the run-off turnout, has always been strong. We’re betting that Wilson and Bauer beat Sanford and DeMint when it comes to winning the hearts and minds of run-off voters. Especially as poorly as the Governor fared in his re-election primary in Lexington County.

The last weekend, a number of legislators who had survived knock-off attempts by the Governor’s allies were sighted walking and making calls for Knotts. No doubt they were eager to see the Governor lose his most high-profile runoff fight, right in his backyard.

In the race which will give the winning side tremendous bragging rights, we expect that Jakie Knotts will win re-election, and might just win it by more than a couple of points.

Martin trounces Ritchie in Spartanburg:

A year or so back, when Senator Jim Ritchie began testing the waters for a possible statewide candidacy, he should have considered how it would be received back home. Two strong challengers came out of the woodwork, hoping Ritchie would not be seeking re-election, and a lot of voters didn’t believe he would be sticking around for an entire term, if re-elected. So almost two-thirds of them voted for Ritchie’s challengers. So many that Ritchie finished a distant second and came within a few dozen votes of seeing Shane Martin knock him out in the first round.

This round won’t even be close. Shane Martin will win this one easily.

Whoever talked Ritchie into considering a statewide run really screwed him good.

Bright and Talley fight down to the finish line:

Lee Bright is a hell of a tough customer. Four years ago, he almost knocked out John Hawkins, the now-retiring incumbent Senator. This time around, we weren’t surprised to see him in a runoff for the open seat, finishing a close second place behind current Representative Scott Talley.

In the runoff, Bright was endorsed by the third-placer, who got a little over ten percent of the vote. While that endorsement may have given him a little nudge towards the 50% mark, we’re not sure if Sanford’s endorsement helped.

One should keep in mind that both candidates for House seats within that Senate district who were backed by Sanford and Sons – Ken Roach and Roger Nutt – lost their bids by modest margins in spite of high-dollar third party campaigns waged to help their candidacies. Spartanburg voters have been known to be tough customers who generally favor less politically-extreme Republicans than GOP voters elsewhere in the Upstate.

In any other situation, we’d say Bright has the advantage, but Talley is an aggressive campaigner who has pushed hard and even gone on the attack with some pretty hard-hitting TV spots. We believe this race will be close, with turnout and an effective ground game being the key to the outcome of this race.

By midnight, we’ll know who won and who lost. In the meantime, don’t touch that dial ...

Representative Erickson gets results with "Lauren Gentry" law

Those who say a freshman legislator can't really hope to get much done, other than learn where the restrooms and free dinners are at, should take lessons from Shannon Erickson, Beaufort County's hard-working freshman State Representative.

In the closing days of this year's legislative session, her "Lauren Gentry" bill made it through the Senate and onto the Governor's desk. This new law will help protect the rights of South Carolina students who are victims of those predators and bullies on campus.

While we were glad to do our part to help move the bill through, the bulk of the work was done by Erickson, with the help of some compelling testimony from Ms. Gentry.

Representative Erickson saw a real problem and acted to do something about it. That's what leadership is all about. For a first-year legislator, this kind of hands-on commitment to getting results is impressive, and it's a good way to assess her long-term potential to grow and become a real leader in the State House.

Time for a cease fire?

Over the last three months, we’ve watched a massive statewide battle take place. While some may attempt to claim the results point to a turning point in state affairs, a closer look suggests very little has changed.

Several of the legislators who went down or will be struggling to survive run-off battles did plenty to defeat themselves. Most notably were Senator Randy Scott and Representative Gloria Haskins. A number of challengers backed by SCRG-backed challengers and candidates for open seats did well, as could be expected considering a number of incumbents were pummeled by continual waves of attack mailings, push polls and even television advertising.

But a large number of SCRG-targeted races failed to go their way. Incumbents survived in the majority of races, and plenty of the open seats they targeted were close races or went for non-SCRG candidates.

The most important lesson learned from last night, in our humble opinion, is that no incumbent is truly bullet-proof and that winning office requires hard work, humility, and the willingness to respect your opponent’s ability to put up a fight. While we’ve disagreed with SCRG a lot, we’ll give them credit for helping shake some cages that long needed shaking in Columbia. We hope that long-overdue lesson won’t soon be forgotten.

Over the last few weeks, everyone involved in these primary feuds have turned up the heat. We’ve certainly done our share of slugging in a number of races around the state, so we’re not going to mislead our readers by claiming sainthood.

Tonight, we’ve heard from those on both sides who swear they’re not going to quit, not going to budge, and have every reason to believe the fighting will continue. But after what we’ve seen the last few months, we can’t help but believe there has to be a better way.

We hope we’re not the only ones who feel that way.

Primary in the Blogland

It’s Election Day today. Are you going to vote? We are.

We’re still not voting in the Senate 38 race. Mike Rose and most of his people have done nothing more than be rude and nasty to us, so why would we want to do them any favors?

A few weeks ago, we reconsidered our original plan not to vote in the Horne-Hutson race. But the personal attacks and smear tactics from Heyward and company got too much for us to watch, so we’re voting for Jenny Horne. Whatever she is, at least she's honest and doesn't go around trying to disenfranchise people in ways that would make the Klan and Nazi brownshirts proud.

So what do we see going on out there … ?

We’ll be surprised if Jakie Knotts returns to the Senate, or Gloria Haskins to the House. Luke Rankin will win big in his Senate primary, as will Kent Williams, Robert Ford and Clem Pinckney on the Democratic side. So will Carl Gullick, Bob Walker, and Gilda Cobb-Hunter in the House.

Scott Talley will edge out Lee Bright for one Spartanburg Senate seat, and Jim Ritchie and Shane Martin will go into runoff overtime for the other. Catherine Ceips and Randy Scott will have close races, and could lose their seats as well. Jenny Horne will run close with Heyward Hutson in one Dorchester House race, and could score a rematch upset, but next door, Annette Young will roll her primary challenger.

There will be close races for Solicitor in the Lowcountry between Jennings and Wilson, as well as in the Upstate with Adams and Drawdy. A couple of weeks back, we had reliable sources tell us Wilson was slightly ahead, but Jennings has been running some strong and focused TV spots which have to be exerting a strong influence on late-breaking undecideds.

We have no idea who will win the GOP nods for open House seats in Aiken and Horry, or the GOP race for the open Senate seat in Greenwood.

Lindsey Graham wins by a comfortable margin in a race which we’ve always said was his fault.

Brian McCarty over at Voting under the Influence has some pretty good insights, which we largely agree with. Go check them out.

Overall, turnout will be mixed. In some places, like along the Wade Hampton US 29 corridor from the Bob Jones campus to downtown Spartanburg, as well as Beaufort, Dorchester and Lexington Counties, it’ll be red-hot in numerous legislative races. But in most places, we think primary turnout will be nothing like the big turnouts seen in 2002 and 2004.

On a local note … if Mike Rose beats Randy Scott, expect a petition candidacy in the fall. We’ve been contacted, but we’re not getting involved. Sure Mike Rose and his people have never liked us very much, but a petition candidacy is simply a do-over of the primary. We’ll accept the will of the voters.

Further, political history is pretty clear on the odds of a petition candidacy succeeding: zero. Only three House members, and none in the Senate, have won races as petition candidates in the last two decades, and only one of those: Bubba Cromer from Richland County – was legitimately elected as a non-party candidate.

We’ll talk about all the news tomorrow, and get your thoughts on what this state can look forward to – for better or for worse.

The price of Graham’s arrogance

Tomorrow, GOP voters will go to the polls across South Carolina, and among those they will put in office, and those who they will remove from office, United States Senator Lindsey Graham will receive enough votes to give him the GOP nomination, all but assuring him a return to Washington for six more years.

Were it not for the Senator’s arrogance, it is a race which might never have happened in the first place.

Graham, once a darling of conservative activists for his role in the impeachment proceedings against former President Bill Clinton, had risen quickly. His election to the Senate came ten years following his political debut as the first Republican State House member to be elected from Oconee County. Few could have predicted that six years later, he would be a virtual pariah in his party.

Senator Graham isn’t in trouble for the overwhelming majority of the votes he cast. His trouble stems from a number of highly-visible actions that have infuriated conservative activists. Votes that might have been explained, but the Senator never felt the need to do that.

It’s not uncommon for a politico to buck the party line from time to time. Generally, once they realize they’ve rattled some cages, they take the time to reach out to those offended, and appeal to the good judgment of their friends in their party to weigh one vote against the many others which met the party loyalty test.

That’s not what Graham has done. He has chosen to keep the rank-and-file of the party at arm’s length. Instead of engaging his critics in a hands-on campaign, he has chosen to let their attacks go unanswered and run for re-election hiding behind a five million dollar warchest.

We’re not going to entirely disagree with Graham’s politics. The Gang of 14 turned out to be a smart move, keeping the GOP relevant even after the Democrats took the Senate. Being willing to reach out and work with Democrats, especially since they took over the Senate, has allowed him to play a role in avoiding the kinds of tensions that were seen a few years ago when former Senator Tom Daschle led a 51 seat Democratic majority.

But these are things that he has never tried to explain to the party faithful who feel betrayed by these and other moves. Maybe he felt such explanations would not be welcome, or maybe he didn’t feel he needed to explain anything.

For such arrogance, Lindsey Graham won’t get our endorsement, nor our votes. In our opinion, he’s done nothing to deserve either.

Senator Graham’s efforts to work with his party back home pales in comparison to the state’s junior Senator, Jim DeMint, who has attracted a following among conservatives both at home and nationwide. Should he win the nomination tomorrow, Graham would be wise to be more like DeMint and a lot less like he’s been during his first term.

Developer cash raises questions about Hutson's ethics

Last fall, Heyward Hutson returned to the State House from the Summerville area, with a campaign largely backed by a local group of anti-growth advocates.

In their zeal to score a win, either the anti-growth crowd didn't realize Hutson was pulling a fast one on them, or they wanted a win so bad they didn't care.

Much of the problem of growth in the Summerville area was fueled by rampant real estate speculation, where people would buy homes and "flip them" outright, or rent them for the short term while they waited for a better offer. There is no small irony in the knowledge that one of those real estate investors is Representative Hutson himself. One of his rental properties is located on Axtell Drive in the Newington Plantation subdivision, not far from Flowertown and Newington Elementary Schools - both overcrowded due to the kind of rampant over-development that Hutson both opposes and profits from.

While that's bad enough, the truth about Hutson just gets worse. He's not just fueling development - he's taking thousands of dollars from real estate developers and their political allies.

Allegations have followed a shadowy campaign by Howard Rich, a New York real estate investor, to pour thousands of dollars into South Carolina campaigns. Wikipedia sources note that he has been adventuring in a number of states in a similar manner. A story from the Washington Post reported that Rich has become a major financier of the "property rights" movement, a term long alleged by growth opponents to be a code phrase for "developer special interests":

“The property-rights movement, as it is known, has a major new benefactor — Howard Rich, a wealthy libertarian real estate investor from Manhattan,” The Washington Post recently reported. “He has spent millions — estimates run as high as $11 million — to support initiatives that will appear on ballots throughout much of the West.”

The Stop Howard Rich SC website has detailed the numerous shell groups through which Mr. Rich has funnelled campaign cash to various South Carolina candidates, including Hutson. Their reports, which can be confirmed via the Ethics Commission website, point to a clear pattern of what is known as "bundling", a practice by which large donations from a number of donors are sent at the same time to candidates.

Such practices are often employed by special interest groups to support candidates known to support their agendas. The Howie Rich Exposed website discusses his record of supporting candidates who are pro-development, under the guise of "property rights".

When we pulled up Hutson's contributor report, guess what we found?

• 05/16/2008 1,000.00 - 123 Lasalle Associates A Partnership
• 05/16/2008 1,000.00 - Bradford Management of New York Inc.
• 05/16/2008 1,000.00 - Pomerantz, Alan J.
• 05/16/2008 1,000.00 - Rich, Yvonne

When electronic reports were searched on the state Ethics Commission website, these four out-of-state contribution sources all turned up to have made numerous donations to as many as 16 candidates, and have been identifed as part of the "bundling" scheme used to funnel thousands upon thousands of out-of-state dollars to South Carolina candidates.

Voters who are concerned about growth in Dorchester County should be concerned when their Representative is a real estate investor who rakes in big bucks from out-of-state developer interests, while giving them a shallow song-and-dance about their concerns:

"I think people are upset about how their quality of life in Summerville is being changed," Hutson said after the results were announced. "They see the growth out of control and they're insisting on taking charge again. I have recognized, like everybody else in this district, that we need to manage the growth better. We're tired of turning the faucet on full blast without any control."

- Charleston Post and Courier (10/31/2007)

These findings should warn House 94 voters who are concerned about controlling growth that Hutson may not be as virtous, or as honest, as he'd like Summerville voters to believe.

Joey Millwood strikes a blow for the rich

Comrades, workers of the world, if your kids are stuck in poor schools, unite. Otherwise, Joey Millwood will keep them in chains.

Don't just take our word for it. The Spartanburg Herald-Journal caught Millwood, whose campaign office does double-duty as the campaign headquarters for Kyle Boyd, who is running for the State House in York County, in the act:

State Rep. Bob Walker and Joey Millwood both say they oppose voucher programs that would give public money to parents to send their children to private schools.

Millwood is in favor of tax credits for parents who choose to send their children to private schools, while Walker is opposed to that as well as vouchers.

Tuition tax credits, which are favored by Millwood and his friends at SCRG, will only benefit the extremely wealthy who send their kids to private school.

According to the State Department of Revenue's 2007 tax tables, here's how much you have to report in taxable income in order to receive the following tax credit amounts:

• $2,000 credit - $35,000 taxable income.
• $3,000 credit - $49,200 taxable income.
• $4,000 credit - $63,500 taxable income.

For those of you who don't know, taxable income is often far less than one's gross income. The amount of taxable income is derived from one's federal taxes, which allows thousands of dollars of standard deductions.

According to the IRS' 2007 1040-A form, a single mother of two would have to make at least $49,650 (after deducting $7,850 for Head of Household and $6,800 in exemptions for dependents) and a married family of three would need to earn $55,900 (after deducting $10,700 for married status and $10,200 in exemptions for dependents).

If you consider that health insurance and 401K plans are paid for out of pre-tax income, further reducing taxable income, these families may need to earn another $10K/year in gross income to qualify for even a minimal $2,000 tax credit. But from what we've seen, private school tuition (while often lower than the per-student costs of public schools) is still way more than $2K/year.

According to the S.C. Budget and Control Board, about 35% of South Carolina homes have a household income of more than $50,000 a year, and about 17% more than $75,000 a year. In fact, only six of 46 South Carolina counties have a median family income near or above $50,000 - Beaufort, Dorchester, Greenville, Lexington, Richland and York.

Tax credits only benefit those who are wealthy enough to afford to pay the tuition up front and earn enough to own enough in taxes to receive the credits. Many middle class families who pay private school tuition would receive little or none of the tax credit amounts. Even if they could afford to send their kids in the first place.

Worst off of all under these schemes are the poor. They don't have the disposable income needed to pay tuition up front. In the end, yon don't really change anything with this plan. But we think that's the way the tax credit advocates like it.

For that reason, we've always opposed credits and supported vouchers. So if you're an inner-city single mother making ten bucks an hour, hoping to get your kids into a school that is safe and decent, or even an average family residing in most counties (including Spartanburg, where Millwood resides), Millwood's advocacy of tuition tax credits has nothing to offer you.

If Millwood really cared about helping the poor of the state, he'd stop parroting the SCRG's country club agenda and back vouchers for those who need it, instead of more tax breaks for those who don't.

What do an Iraqi woman and Kyle Boyd not have in common?

We were remiss in finding this piece on Ross Shealy's blogsite until we got a call about it tonight, but we laughed our tails off tonight:

One of these two people has definitely voted since 2004 (a photo of an Iraqi woman).

The other one is the voucher candidate recruited to run against Republican lawmaker Carl Gullick of York County.

They then warn us to not try to pull one over on the staff at the Rock Hill Herald. Having worked with Matt Garfield, we tend to agree - these guys do their homework. That tidbit about Boyd is just more proof.

Florence GOP coup in the works?

We have reports that when two Florence County GOP officers arrive at today's state GOP convention, Vice-Chair Mike Reino and Secretary Tommy Grimes, they will be met by the Florence County GOP Chair, Tommy Phillips, who will inform them that he is removing them from their offices.

Our sources inform us that Phillips is justifying this ouster on the basis of the two being elected Sixth District GOP officers - Grimes as District Chairman and Reino as District Vice-Chairman.

If the allegations are true, the next questions that come to mind are:

1) Can they be removed for this reason, and
2) Does Phillips have the authority to act without a vote of the Florence County GOP Executive Committee?

To us, this seems to be a rather mean thing to do, and probably counter-productive. Given the tough fights the Florence GOP will face this fall to hold Phillip Lowe's District 60 State House seat and re-elect their recently-switched Sheriff (their second-ever courthouse officer), the idea of picking fights amongst one's fellow Republicans seems a little short-sighted to us.

If this is really Mr. Phillips' plan, we hope he'll reconsider these plans and seek a solution other than such a harsh and unilateral action.

Inside Interview: Blair Jennings, 9th Circuit Solicitor candidate

Round two of our special Inside Interview look at the 9th Circuit Solictor's race goes to Republican Blair Jennings. In charge of the Berkeley County Solicitor's Office under Solicitor Ralph Hoisington, who died last year, Blair is running to fill the office for both counties in the circuit.

Let's hear what he has to say:

Tell our readers a little bit about what made you want to go into prosecution.

I actually got involved in prosecution during law school when I began clerking for the Solicitors Office in Columbia. What I found was that as an attorney, this was the best way I could give back to my community, and make it a better and safer place. It is an incredible feeling to know that everday when you go home, you have made the community safer. I am not sure there is a similar area of law where one can make such a profound impact. It is also incredibly rewarding to help people who are many times experiencing the worst situation of their life.

What would you consider to be your most meaningful case? Tell us a little bit about it.

This is definitely the Jesse Sapp case. Mr. Sapp murdered South Carolina Hoghway Patrolman Jeff Johnson at a traffic checkpoint in July 2002. Mr. Sapp was tried, convicted and sentenced to death. This is extremely meaningful because it was an honor to represent all of the men and women who serve our community and country as law enforcement officers. They place their lives in danger everyday, and we need to do everything we can to protect them hen we have the opportunity.

To work on a case everyday for six weeks, you build an incredibly tight bond with the victim's family. It is impossible to express in words the fulfillment I felt after helping Missy and her family through their devastation.

In the next five to ten years, what do you see as the biggest challenges that will be faced in dealing with crime in the Lowcountry?

The next five to ten years will see unparalled grouth in the lowcountry. Therefore, it is going to be imperative that we use innovation and foresight to come up ith new ways to increase the efficiency and productivity of the solicitors office so that we are able to focus our resources on the prosecution of violent criminals. In addition, we must make sure that each governmental agency works together to make sure we maximize our response to the illegal immgration problem that is plauging the lowcountry.

Should you win on June 10th, what do you see as the two biggest priorities for your term as solicitor?

Should I be elected, one priority will be to bring them same working relationship I enjoyed with law enforcement in Berkeley County to Charleston County. THis is something that needs to be done no just in the month's leading to an election, but all of the time. Over my 7 years in Berkeley County I built a reputation working with law enforcement to not only assist with their training, but also to provide any needed assistance with ongoing investigations. I believe this working relationship was reflected in the decision of the Police Benevolent Association to endorse my candidacy for Solicitor.

Secondly, we need to reduce the overall backlog of cases in Charleston, so that the focus of prosecution can return to violent criminals and we can reduce the overwhelming backlog of Murder cases. By instituting many of the initiatives I began in Berkeley County we will reduce not only the backlog of pending cases, but also backlog of old murder cases.

Criminal prosecution is tough work. What keeps you going and committed to your profession?

There are many frustrating times associated with prosecuting. However, I am kept going by a simple thank you from a victim who has appreciated my help.

One of the most important things here in the Blogland is music. What’s your favorite album(s)?

Favorite album - with 11 and 8 year old daughters, I don't get to listen to much adult music. There is not much on our radio except Disney Channel and Hannah Montana.

Inside Interview: Scarlett Wilson, 9th Circuit Solicitor candidate

As promised, our Inside Interview series will introduce y'all to the two Republican candidates seeking to fill the 9th Circuit Solicitor's Office.

Since she won the coin toss, Scarlett Wilson, who was appointed interim Solicitor, goes first ...

Tell our readers a little bit about what made you want to go into prosecution.

At first, I wanted to prosecute because I wanted trial experience. Very quickly, however, I was moved by seeing the impact that I could have on victims by giving them and their cases my time and attention. I feel blessed to have realized very early in my life that prosecution is my “calling.” Knowing that I help those who have been hurt and who have lost so much is the most rewarding experience; it’s one that you just can’t put a price tag on. Working with law enforcement also provides a camaraderie that is unique to those of us involved in prosecution. Knowing that we are all a team and are working together for common causes is great… you always know that somebody has your back! Becoming Solicitor was the highest honor of my career because the Governor could have chosen anyone. Continuing Solicitor Hoisington’s legacy and building upon it has been extremely rewarding. From aggressive murder docketing to taking steps to close the “revolving door” to streamlining the bureaucracies of the office, we’ve made real progress working together as a team.

What would you consider to be your most challenging and memorable case? Tell us a little bit about it.

In my first year as a lawyer, I tried a case in which a mentally handicapped woman had been raped. She was in her early 20s but had the mind of a 7 year old. She was the apple of everyone’s eye in her entire family and they doted on her like she was The Queen. Before I took over the case, there had been 4 prosecutors assigned to it. That is simply ridiculous. The family was so kind and patient but I was outraged that the case had dragged on for three years and that so many prosecutors had not wanted to deal with the case. I worked very closely with the victim and with her family and we convicted the guy and he got the max of 30 years. I will never forget how sweet the victim and her family were to me and how gracious they were in such terrible circumstances.

The most challenging case that I’ve had involved the prosecution of a “no body” murder case. The Feds wouldn’t take the case though there were interstate aspects to it. Edwina Sims disappeared after traveling from Virginia to visit Ronald Coulter (who was her daughter’s father) and his family in Charleston County. We proceeded to trial against Coulter despite the fact that Sims’ body had not been found. After convicting Coulter and obtaining a 30 year sentence, a team of investigators and I located the body in rural Berkeley County. Being able to take a case that no one believed we could win and to end up not only getting a 30 year sentence but also finding the Edwina and giving her family a proper burial was amazing. Calling Edwina’s family from the woods of Berkeley County and letting them know we had found her was something I will never forget. As difficult as it was, I knew that without finding her body, Edwina’s children would always wonder if she had simply abandoned them and was living somewhere else in the world. Working the co-defendants against each other until we found the body was a grueling process but one where my Federal experience came in handy.

In the next five to ten years, what do you see as the biggest challenges that will be faced in dealing with crime in the Lowcountry?

The growing problem with illegal aliens is going to be more and more of an issue in the criminal justice system. The federal government has failed us and it is now up to us at the local level to step up to the plate. As the chief prosecutor, I will continue to vigorously prosecute illegals and do my part to see that they serve time and then get deported.

Multi-defendant violence is a continuing problem that is likely to get worse. This includes gang activity. I already have provided my prosecutors with training on how to recognize gang activity and we are working with local law enforcement to make sure we are sharing information about related crimes. Assigning agencies to specific teams of prosecutors will help us all work together to keep our neighborhoods safer.

Should you win on June 10th, what do you see as the two biggest priorities for your term as solicitor?

1) Continuing to crack down on violent offenders, especially those who are repeat customers. Abolishing parole will be a key tool in keeping those who prey upon society behind bars. We have to approach this from both ends with fierce bond revocations and serious consequences for those who violate probation and parole (while it still exists!). I want my office to help an overwhelmed and discouraged Probation and Parole Agency get results in the courtroom. Unlike the federal system, the State system does not provide for our involvement in probation and parole violations. I want to change that and have taken steps to help them out. Probation and parole are privileges that should be “yanked” when criminals violate. Aggressive Murder Docketing will continue to be a policy while I am Solicitor. The results we have achieved in just 10 months have been remarkable, having brought more killers to justice than ever before.

2) Doing my part as Solicitor to crack down on illegal aliens who are robbing us of our wonderful quality of life is a priority. We cannot allow this area to be considered a sanctuary. We have to convict these criminals, give them prison time so that their message home is: Don’t come to Charleston and Berkeley Counties. It also will give them a second thought about returning to our area once they are deported… AFTER serving their time in prison.

Criminal prosecution is tough work. What keeps you going and committed to your profession?

It’s not hard to stay committed. Seeing the face of a victim turn from devastation to empowerment and accomplishment is very rewarding. Knowing day in and day out that I am making a difference in people’s lives and am helping make our community safer is all I could ask for in a career.

One of the most important things here in the Blogland is music. What’s your favorite album(s)?

There is absolutely now way I can pick a favorite album. I love music and seeing folks in concert is one of my favorite things to do. To give you an idea of what I like, in theWinter, I listen to a lot of Country Music. I listen to Willie Nelson, Toby Keith, Dolly Parton, Dirks Bentley and Sammy Kershaw. The Summer months call for Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, Sheryl Crow and a little James Taylor.

Campaign prank of the year

We saw this video from an Upstate race and were laughing our collective tails off.

Four years ago, Lee Bright came within dozens of votes of ousting an incumbent Senator. This time around, he's facing current State Rep. Scott Talley for the now-vacant Senate seat, and it looks like both sides are going all-out to win the seat.

A recent Lee Bright campaign fundraiser was "crashed" when a boat with a 4x8 sign for Scott Talley floated back and forth offshore of the event. This video shows the unknown Talley supporter having a little fun, as well as Bright taking the whole thing too seriously.

Our advice to Lee Bright - don't get pissed off. Counter-prank 'em. Have a little fun at their expense:

Personally, we recommend sending this guy to board the next Talley boat, or lead a raid:

We don't like sleazy dirty tricks in campaigns, but moments like these provide some much-needed stress relief for both sides. Maybe Bright's people took this too seriously, but we do appreciate them YouTubing this to lighten our day.

President McCain to face Congressional grilling?

In this story in the online edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, we find John McCain offering to introduce Question Time to the United States Congress:

On the policy front, McCain said that by 2013, the end of his first term, he envisions most U.S. troops coming home from Iraq "in victory," as well as delivering health care and restoring "economic confidence."

And, acknowledging a White House criticized as too partisan and insular, McCain said that as president he'll ask Democrats to serve in his administration and vowed to "set a new standard for transparency and accountability. ... When we make errors, I'll confess them willingly." He vowed to institute regular presidential question-and-answer grillings before Congress, much like the British prime minister's weekly televised "Question Time."

It would certainly be interesting to see a President McCain slugging it out with the Democrats on the House floor.

For those of y'all unfamiliar with Question Time, a weekly staple of British governance and political discourse, here is a great clip of British PM Gordon Brown battling Conservative Party leader David Cameron in the British House of Commons.

We've been fans of the Question Time ever since we first saw it on C-Span manhy years ago. Sure this tradition lacks a lot of the decorum that creates a facade of false civility and non-partisanship in both Houses of our Congress, but at least they're honest and don't dance around the points. Perhaps our Presidents should be able to defend their administration's policies in front of audiences of politically-motivated skeptics, as well as live television audiences.

We don't know about y'all, but we would be so ready to watch a little more fire, passion, and locked horns help keep both sides in check.

Gullick's challenger confused, Part 2

In the course of pushing out the large volume of messages that are associated with political campaigns, mistakes happen. But the guy running against State Rep. Carl Gullick, mistakes seems to have been, in the immortal words of Led Zeppelin, "dazed and confused for so long it's not true.

Today's case in point is Boyd's website. The page to solicit support has the disclaimer address of "Paid for by Kyle Boyd 2008 - 1603 Columbus Road - Landrum, SC 29356 - (864) 384-5885"

When we traced the address back, it led to the home address of another GOP House candidate - Joey Millwood, who is seeking a Spartanburg County seat.

Whoops ... again!

What we're dying to know is this: When a student in his school makes this many mistakes, what kind of grade do they get?

Being the long-haired rock and roll types we are, here's a video of that classic song from Led Zeppelin:

Gullick's challenger confused?

Does he support citizenship for illegal immigrants?

Did he vote to support Mark Sanford?

If you're the guy who is challenging York County representative Carl Gullick, the answer could be yes AND no, depending on when you're asked:

Kyle Boyd, the Christian school leader running to be a "true conservative light" in the state House, says he misspoke Thursday during a candidates forum when he said he supports granting citizenship to illegal immigrants.

Well ... which is it?

Among Boyd's platforms is that Gov. Mark Sanford needs more help to advance his reform agenda.

"He's not being supported like he should," Boyd said Thursday night. "I'm a true conservative Republican."

Boyd hasn't voted in an election since 2004, county and state records show. Sanford has appeared on two ballots in that time, a Republican primary and general election in 2006. Sanford won both contests.

Asked Friday about his absences, Boyd said: "That's a good question. I wasn't able to get away from school, that's all."

A short time later, Boyd re-contacted The Herald to say his recollection had changed and that he did vote in 2006. He declined to elaborate.

(Our thanks to Matt Garfield at The Herald for a good story.)

We guess the guy hasn't heard of absentee ballots? Or maybe he supported the Governor's agenda before he actually voted for it? Sounds a little like John "I was for it, but I was against it" Kerry to us.

We heard this guy was recruited to run against Gullick, but if this is what he can do in two days, we hate to see what the rest of his candidacy is looking like.

Is the GOP relevant in 2008?

Right now, a lot of Republicans are probably feeling the way Winston Churchill felt at the end of 1945.

Two months after Germany surrendered, the crowning achievement of a war effort that many of his countrymen once believed to be unwinnable, Churchill was ousted as Prime Minister in elections in which half his party's seats were lost to the new Labour government.

On the heels of losing special elections for three longtime Republican congressional seats, Republicans are wondering what lies ahead, concerned that many of the roughly two dozen open seats may follow suit, reducing the GOP to its pre-Clinton era minority in the House.

What went wrong?

History shows that while voters may appreciate past performance, their current concerns are more important in influencing their voting behaviors. So long as the GOP chooses to remain silent on the issues which most affect people, they shouldn't be surprised at their present state of affairs, which we believe centers around three key problems:

First, an unpopular President, who has chosen to hunker down and ride out the last two years of his term in office, has hurt the party. Second, the work of Congressional GOP leaders, who abandoned the party's fiscally-conservative principles and allow ethics to return to the days of Jim Wright and Danny Rostenkowski, convinced swing voters that Congressional Republicans had no more appeal than the President. Third, with Saddam Hussein dead and Bin Laden either dead or in hiding, the last ace the GOP had, security and military issues, was no longer relevant.

As in 1945 post-WW2 Britain, today's electorate has moved on to new issues. Thus the question before the GOP is not one of if it's right on issues, or what it's done wrong to upset voters, so much as one of relevance.

Some of our die-hard Republican readers may argue that the GOP is right on the issues, but look at the polls - voters now favor Democrats on the key issues of the day, and the issues where Republicans enjoy the highest (but still losing) levels of support, are low on the priority lists of voters.

Whether the issues are fiscal conservatism and governmental ethics, where their credibility has been severely damaged, or issues like energy prices and health care, issues of high importance with voters, where they are painfully silent, Republicans may be talking, but for the first time in a long time, nobody's listening.

The Republican congressional majority, which was installed in 1994, was based upon the perception the Democrats were out of touch with the American people. Putting together an agenda that connected with the views of voters, both right and center, on the issues which were of the greatest concerns, the GOP rode to victory from coast-to-coast.

In the months following the GOP's electoral romp, Bill Clinton "got it" and started to speak to the concerns of voters, even when he didn't actually do anything. As a result of his combination of symbolic and substantive tactics, Clinton salvaged his re-election prospects and the GOP gained little additional ground throughout the rest of his term.

Right now, the Democrats may not have much of an agenda, but they don't have to - they're not in charge. They need only keep their heads down, avoid infuriating voters, and wait for the voters to throw them the keys of power. So long as the GOP holds the White House, voters perceive its congressional members as part of the political majority - and will reward or blame them accordingly. In the last three special elections, the voters have done just that.

So how does the GOP turn it around?

In business, it's all about serving the customers - listening to them and meeting their needs. For a party that is supposed to be pro-business, the GOP seems to be doing a pretty lousy job of emulating that basic approach of DOING business these days. Republicans should try treating voters like customers - learn their needs and concerns, and offer them a quality product they'll want to buy on Election Day.

We'll be talking about some of these problems, and hope you'll join the conversation.

What's getting done in Columbia?

That question is on the mind of Nathan Ballentine, one of our favorite House members:

With just three weeks left before the end of this two-year legislative session, I keep hearing the same question back home “What’s everyone thinking down there in the State House? Is anyone listening to the people?”

They remind me we have a Republican majority in the House, a Republican majority in the Senate, and a Republican Governor but we seem to not be getting what the citizens want accomplished.

They know what “this guy” thinks and what I’m working towards but I can’t speak for the rest of the body. I can only share what folks mention in passing at the grocery store, church, schools, and at neighborhood meetings:

Right on, Nathan!

Now, go read the rest of his posting.