These grades are calculated based on specific key votes in the state legislature that promote responsible economic growth throughout the State of South Carolina. Certain votes are weighed more than others based on their impact. All of the 13 Senate and 24 House members who scored a C- or better were Republicans. I have them listed below:
Senate
Lee Bright (R-Roebuck) A+
Kevin Bryant (R-Anderson) A+
Mick Mulvaney (R-Indian Land) A+
Greg Ryberg (R-Aiken) A+
Tom Davis (R-Beaufort) A
Mike Rose (R-Summerville) B+
Phil Shoopman (R-Greer) B+
Shane Martin (R-Spartanburg) C+
Ray Cleary (R-Murrells Inlet) C-
House
Eric Bedingfield (R-Mauldin) A
Joey Milwood (R-Landrum) A
Rex Rice (R-Easley) A
Jeff Duncan (R-Clinton) A
Nikki Haley (R-Lexington) A
Tommy Stringer (R-Landrum) A
Tim Scott (R-North Charleston) A-
Nathan Ballentine (R-Irmo) A-
Wendy Nanney (R-Greenville) A-
Thad Viers (R-Myrtle Beach) A-
Ted Pitts (R-Lexington) B+
Michael Thompson (R-Anderson) B
Dan Hamilton (R-Taylors) B
Garry Smith (R-Simpsonville) B
Tom Young (R-Aiken) C+
Chip Huggins (R-Columbia) C+
Jim Stewart (R-Aiken) C
Mark Willis (R-Fountain Inn) C
Mac Toole (R-West Columbia) C
Kris Crawford (R-Florence) C
Deborah Long (R-Indian Land) C-
Murrell Smith (R-Sumter) C-
Let’s take a look at the leadership of the general assembly, shall we?
House Speaker Bobby Harrell (R) – A big fat F!
Speaker Pro Tempore Harry Cato (R) – A big fat F!
House Majority Leader Kenny Bingham (R) – A big fat F!
Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell (R) – A big fat F!
Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler (R) – A big fat F!
Well, it’s really no wonder why South Carolina’s economy is one of the worst in the nation when our state’s leadership is steering us right over a cliff, is it? South Carolina may be a reliably Republican state, but if I were a member of the state Republican leadership be it in the general assembly or the state party, I’d take a warning from what is happening in the U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts right now. In one of the most Democrat states in the nation, a Republican is on course to win the U.S. Senate seat that was just vacated by the death of Massachusetts icon Democrat Ted Kennedy. This is a state with only 15% of its state legislature comprised of Republicans and the last time that state elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate was in 1972 and he was incredibly liberal for a Republican. My point is that the folks up there are sick and tired of the corruption and incompetence of the Democrat Party that dominates their state and has for decades. Don’t think the same thing can’t and won’t happen here with the GOP in South Carolina if they don’t start delivering what the people of this state are expecting from them.
As for the 37 members of the Republican caucus above who are at least partially working to improve the economic prowess of our state in these difficult times, they need to go a step further. Their efforts are fruitless if they allow our state government to continue to be ran by the likes of the self-serving Bobby Harrell and Glenn McConnell. These two and the other noted above need to be voted out of the leadership. They are ineffective and not willing to do what is necessary to move this state forward.
A poll released by Inside Advantage shows the current match up for this year’s gubernatorial elections in South Carolina. The numbers weren’t too surprising, but there was one ranking that stood out. Gresham Barrett is tanking. As I predicted a year ago, his Wall Street bailout vote was political suicide.
If the Republican gubernatorial primary were held today, the results would be as follows: Henry McMaster and Andre Bauer would tie with 22%, Nikki Haley would follow with 13%, Barrett is fourth with 9%, and Larry Grooms brings up the anchor with 6%. 28% are undecided at this point in time.
On the Democrat side of the aisle, Jim Rex leads with 21% followed by Dwight Drake with 15%. Vincent Sheheen comes in third with 8% and Robert Ford and Mullins McLeod trail each with 6%. The undecideds are much higher among Democrats, 44%.
No general election match up was done yet to see how who would fair against who.
S.C. Rep. Michael D. Thompson of Anderson announced today that he does not plan to run for U.S. Congressman Gresham Barrett’s seat.
Thompson, a 34-year-old Republican, is in his fifth term as state representative. He did not say today whether he plans to run for re-election to the state post. He said he is focusing on finishing his current term and will make that decision in the spring.
For now, he is supporting Rex Rice, a state representative whom he has served several years with in Columbia. Thompson said he plans to help Rice in his Congressional bid in any way he can in Anderson County.
There are two positions Rice holds that should be a big plus in your mind. One, he opposes ObamaCare. Enough said on that. Two, he supports H.R. 25, more commonly known as the Fair Tax. The Fair Tax would replace the income tax and put in its place a national sales tax.
Gary Coates at The Conservativist posted a list of all 22 members of the South Carolina State House who signed a “No New Tax Pledge” in 2008, yet voted for the cigarette tax increase earlier this month. And Republicans wonder why everyone thinks their party is full of shit.
Here are the 22 liars:
Bill Sandifer
Bryan White
Don Bowen
Dan Cooper
Dwight Loftis
Bruce Bannister
Rex Rice
Lanny Littlejohn
Marion Frye
James Lucas
Murrell Smith
James Harrison
Joan Brady
Jimmy Bales
Roland Smith
Chip Huggins
Kenneth Bingham
Annette Young
James Merrill
Tracey Edge
Mike Sottile
William Bowers
Gee, look who’s on the list! Our buddy Rex Rice who wants to be the next Congressman from the Third District. The same Rex Rice who expects us to believe we can trust him to be a reformer in Washington D.C., yet can’t hold himself to a simple promise he made. The same Rex Rice that a commentator named “Jim” said I don’t know what I’m talking about. Now isn’t that uncanny.
I made the drive out to Greenville yesterday evening to attend the anti-tax, anti-spending tea party at Bi-Lo Center that was put together by the Upstate Young Republicans. While they were the organizers of the event, this was far from being a Republican pow-wow. I saw people there of all ages and political stripes, and yes, even racial minorities (the leftist extremists reading this are hyperventilating now) holding up a festive collection of signs and flags across a sea of people that the Greenville News estimated to be about 3,000. I would concur with that number. On the other side of the arena, another gathering took place of people demanding that Governor Sanford accept the stimulus money and “save” our schools. They numbered a paltry 200.
Speakers consisted of several state representatives: Tommy Stringer (R-Landrum), Rex Rice (Easley), and Eric Bendingfield (R-Mauldin) as well Greenville County Councilman Joe Dill who encouraged the audience to show up at the next county council meeting and voice their opposition to a resolution being voted on by the council to demand Governor Sanford accept the stimulus money.
Governor Mark Sanford and Senator Jim DeMint were the highlights of the event, but not every speaker was welcomed. Congressman Gresham Barrett, who voted for the $700 billion bailout, for some reason got the idea that people would want to hear him speak. He was booed nonstop during his entire speech. His spokesman told the Greenville News that the boos came from “a vocal minority of the crowd.” I guess B.J. didn’t attend the same rally I did because the minority were the people that didn’t hoot and hollar and turn their backs on Barrett when he got up on stage. But hey, I recorded it, so judge for yourself.
600 AM radio’s Dr. Tony Beam also gave a rousing speech to the crowd and State Rep. Tommy Stringer reminded the Republicans in the crowd to make sure they hold their party accountable too as they started this mess.
I have various pictures and videos below you can watch:
State Representative Rex Rice (R-Easley) has officially announced his candidacy for Gresham Barrett’s House seat, as expected. Among the issue he claims to support, he opposes any and all future Federal tax payer bailouts and stimulus packages, an end to wasteful spending, and advocates elimination of the Federal income tax to be replaced by a national consumption tax.
He talks a good game, that’s for sure, but I have to question his sincerity due to his record in the South Carolina State House. As I have pointed out in the past, Rice was a co-sponsor and fervent supporter of increasing the state cigarette tax in order to expand the government welfare state. He also advocated raising the gas tax a nickel when prices were through the roof. Furthermore, he has voted to override almost all of the governor’s budget vetoes.
Don’t listen to what they say, watch what they do. How can he claim to be against wasteful spending when he hasn’t supported Governor Sanford in reigning it in? How can he claim to be opposed to larger government when he has advocated increasing it’s size right here in our own state? I don’t see Rice being a reformer in D.C.
An expected announcement. I had my hopes on Barrett to begin with but his careless lack of judgment on the Wall Street bail out really disappointed me. How will he able to convince South Carolinians that he can be a fiscal steward of our tax dollars when he was complicit in giving hundreds of billions of our tax dollars to failed Wall Street CEOs, unsuccessful speculators, and political cronies? I’m not saying he can’t win me back, but he’s got his work cut out for him. I don’t generally condemn someone for one mistake here and there, but that was no small error. That mistake was the equivalent of like ten. And the fact that he was “shocked” and “surprised” when it turned out that the money wasn’t going to what Congress was originally told it would be for? Well, hello McFly! Anybody home??
The speculation of who would run to replace him in Congress also caught my eye.
Three members of the South Carolina state House are expected to vie to replace Barrett in Congress in next year’s Republican primary. State Rep. Michael Thompson represents Anderson County, the district’s most populous. State Rep. Rex Rice represents parts of Greenville and Pickens Counties, also in the northern part of the district. And state Rep. Jeff Duncan represents a district closer to Columbia around Clinton and Newberry.
Rex Rice? Is there a punch line somewhere hidden in there? Would this be the same Rex Rice that suggested raising the gas tax a nickel when gas prices were $4 a gallon? Would it be the same Rex Rice that cosponsored a bill last year raising taxes to expand the welfare nanny state? What we do not need in Congress is another fiscal abomination and breeder of a large authoritarian government like Rex Rice.
The state House has approved increasing the cigarette tax and maintained a Senate plan to use the money to provide health care for low-income restidents.
The Senate approved the 50-cent per-pack increase earlier this month, estimated to bring in $159 million in additional taxes. The only change made in the House was setting aside $1 million for agriculture.
This is House Bill 3567. I just want to point out that the legislators that sponsored this bill to expand socialism in South Carolina are RINOs Bill Cotty, Carl Gullick, and Rex Rice along with Democrat Paul Agnew. Cotty is retiring so we’ll be rid of him after this year and Gullick has a primary challenger in Kyle Boyd, who I hope will be successful.
A House lawmaker has proposed raising the state’s gas tax by a nickle a gallon, in exchange for eliminating the sales tax on cars. The proposal was offered by Rep. Rex Rice during debate on a bill to use some car sales tax revenue to pay for road improvements.
The House Ways and Means committee adjourned without voting on the proposal. They will take it up again later today.
What another brilliant idea coming from our RINO majority in the State House. After all, it’s not like gas isn’t expensive enough already. Let’s tack on some more to the charge.
