Carolina Politics Online

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is a taxpayer watchdog group that for years has been tracking and monitoring the wasteful spending being undertaken by our members of Congress. When I say waste I mean real waste, things that most all of us regardless of political ideology and views could likely agree on. Wasted spending like $1,454,000 for mosquito trapping research or $2,573,000 for potato research. Better yet, right here in our own backyard, UNC Charlotte received $762,000 for interactive dance software.

CAGW has a searchable database containing the 9,129 pork-barrel projects in the 2010 Congressional Pig Book. They also do a ranking of every member of Congress with a score of 100 indicating a taxpayer superhero and a score of 0 being a wasteful taxpayer abuser. Unfortunately, here in the Carolinas we have several big fat zeros. That list is below:

WASHINGTON — Too many Republican leaders are acquiescing to a poisonous “demagoguery” that threatens the party’s long-term credibility, says a veteran GOP House member who was defeated in South Carolina’s primary last month.

While not naming names, 12-year incumbent Rep. Bob Inglis suggested in interviews with The Associated Press that tea party favorites such as former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and right-wing talk show hosts like Glenn Beck are the culprits.

The Washington Post

I’m neither a big fan of Beck nor Palin myself, but Bob, you need to stop pointing the finger at others for your own failures.  You lost because you stopped representing the people that elected you and pushed policies they didn’t want nor support:  a carbon tax, the Wall Street bailout.  Your arrogance and holier than thou attitude were your own undoing.  Oh, and you have diarrhea of the mouth.

Inglis, 50, who calls himself a Jack Kemp disciple because he has emphasized outreach to minorities as the late Republican congressman did, thinks racism is a part of the vitriol directed at President Barack Obama.

“I love the South. I’m a Southerner. But I can feel it,” he said.

That feeling is your head being smothered by your ass because you have it stuck up there.  Maybe if John Kerry and Al Gore and Bill Clinton and Michael Dukakis and Walter Mondale had won South Carolina when they ran for president you might have a point, but being that none of those Democrats were able to win here either, you don’t.

Do you remember a month ago when I warned you about a piece of legislation called the Disclose Act?  Well, it passed the U.S.  House about an hour and a half ago.  Just to recap the dangers this bill presents:

The point of the legislation would be to force corporations sponsoring a political ad to disclose their identity, even to the extreme of the CEO having to appear at the end of the ad in a disclaimer.  However, it’s the more ominous language in the bill that has raised the eyebrows of those in the blogosphere and questioning if this legislation could unconstitutionally impact us as well.  The issue is with the language.

Under the bill, the F.E.C. would have the authority to require disclosures regarding the funding of “coordinated communications,” defined in the bill as “a publicly distributed or disseminated communication that refers to a clearly identified candidate for Federal office” and is publicly distributed or disseminated within four months prior to an election. In other words, political ads. And this bill would specifically target those paid for by someone or some entity other than the candidates.

The bill specifically exempts certain forms of media from being considered “coordinated communications” and regulated by it, but blogs aren’t specifically listed.

OpenCongress

And that is what is sounding the alarm.  Here is the language of the bill stating who exceptions apply to.

‘(4) EXCEPTION- The term ‘covered communication’ does not include—

‘(A) a communication appearing in a news story, commentary, or editorial distributed through the facilities of any broadcasting station, newspaper, magazine, or other periodical publication, unless such facilities are owned or controlled by any political party, political committee, or candidate;

There is no mention of blogs in the list of communication and there is no language specifically exempting the communication of a private individual like myself and others who write Web sites like this.

It’s uncertain if this bill will make it through the Senate. After all, as the saying goes the Senate is the place where legislation goes to die. If they do pass it then we have an open door to Stalinism right here in the United States.  Think it’s out of the question that the Federal government couldn’t abuse this law to shut down Web sites like this one and others that they feel are a threat to their power just like they do in countries like Iran, China, and Singapore?  Think again.

The following Congressmen from North and South Carolina voted for this bill today:

• Bob Etheridge (D-NC-02)
• David Price (D-NC-04)
• Larry Kissell (D-NC-08)
• Heath Shuler (D-NC-11)
• Brad Miller (D-NC-13)
• John Spratt (D-SC-05)
• Jim Clyburn (D-SC-06)

The following members voted against the act to preserve freedom of speech:

• G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-01)
• Walter Jones (R-NC-03)
• Virginia Foxx (R-NC-05)
• Howard Coble (R-NC-06)
• Mike McIntyre (D-NC-07)
• Sue Myrick (R-NC-09)
• Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10)
• Mel Watt (D-NC-12)
• Joe Wilson (R-SC-02)
• Bob Inglis (R-SC-04)

Last night’s run off settled some remaining scores and now that everyone knows who their opponent is, they can begin focusing on the November races.

Elaine Marshall won the Democratic nomination for the U.S.Senate race in North Carolina. She will now face incumbent Republican Richard Burr and Libertarian Michael Beitler.  I rank this race as leaning Republican.

State Representative Nikki Haley handily defeated Congressman Gresham Barrett in the Republican gubernatorial run off for South Carolina.  Haley will now face Democratic State Senator Vincent Sheheen in the fall to determine who will succeed Governor Mark Sanford.  I rank this race as also leaning Republican.  Ken Ard will be Haley’s Lt Governor running mate.

In North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District Republican run off Harold Johnson easily bested Tim D’Annunzio as expected.  D’Annunzio will now have all the time he needs to begin excavating the State of Arizona for the lost Ark of the Convenant.  Johnson will face incumbent Democratic Congressman Larry Kissell and Libertarian Thomas Hill in November.  I rank this race as leaning Democratic.

In North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District Bill Randall defeated Bernie Reeves.  Democrat Brad Miller is the incumbent in this gerrymandered district which covers a small portion of the Triangle and then shoots up to the Virginia border.  This is a D+5 district, so it’s not overwhelmingly Democratic, though I lean this race towards Miller.  Given the political environment this year, however, we could see Randall pull off an upset in November.

In South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District State Representative Tim Scott defeated Paul Thurmond by a huge margin in the Republican run off.  Although Congressman Henry Brown almost lost this seat in 2008, it is still pretty reliably Republican.  Scott is likely to win the November election.

State Representative Jeff Duncan defeated political newcomer Richard Cash by only a three point margin in the Republican run off for South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District.  This is a solidly Republican seat and we are sure to see Duncan succeed Gresham Barrett in January.

Congressman Bob Inglis became another incumbent to lose reelection in his party’s primary in what’s becoming a long line of incumbent bloodletting all across the country.  Trey Gowdy laid the smackdown on him pretty hard last night.  Like the 3rd, the 4th is solidly Republican and Gowdy will be the next Congressman come January.

Alan Wilson won the Republican run off for South Carolina’s Attorney General race.  The odds favor him to win the general election in November.  Mick Zais won the State Education Superintendent Republican run off and he will face Democrat Frank Holleman in the general.  I rank this race as a toss up.  This is the one statewide seat that the Democrats traditionally seem to be able to capture in this state, probably because Democrats are generally trusted on education issues better than the GOP.  Although, with the political environment favoring the GOP this year more so than normal, Zais could emerge victorious.

In South Carolina’s State House run offs, Doug Brannon ousted one term State Representative Joey Millwood in the 38th House District.  This was an unfortunate result as Brannon supports the failed status quo of public education in this state, where as Millwood was a school choice supporter.  On the other hand, Andy Patrick absolutely pummeled State Representative Richard Chalk in the 123rd so that balances out the Millwood loss.  Democrat Boyd Brown just barely kept his seat in District 41 and Republican Marion Frye hung on to his seat in District 39.

And since I live in York County I always like to weigh on our local races.  Both County Council incumbents in the Republican run off lost their seats.  Eric Winstead defeated Councilman Joe Cox in District 3 and Britt Blackwell beat Buddy Motz in District 6.  David Bowman secured the nomination in District 1, the seat currently held by sleaze bag Paul Lindemann who only managed to get a paltry 12% in the primary election two weeks ago.

9:35pm
It looks pretty certain that Mick Zais has won the State Superintendent run off. That pretty much sums everything up. I’ll write a recap tomorrow.


9:20pm
With 100% reporting in, Jeff Duncan has 51.5% and Richard Cash 48.5% so it appears Duncan is the victor in SC-03.


9:13pm
SC-03 is the last hold out here. With 86% reporting Jeff Duncan leads Richard Cash 53% – 47%. Apparently, the AP feels it’s still too close to call it.


9:09pm
Well, as much as it pains me, I must call the York County Council District 1 run off for David Bowman, not that there’s anything wrong with Bowman, we just really like Kyle Boyd.


9:05pm
Ken Ard has won the Lieutenant Governor run off.


9:03pm
Bill Randall has defeated Bernie Reeves in North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District run off.


9:02pm
Harold Johnson has defeated Tim D’Annunzio in North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District run off.


9:00pm

8:57pm

8:55pm

8:51pm
Not looking good for Kyle Boyd. :sigh:


8:47pm
South Carolina State Representative Richard Chalk has lost reelection in the 123rd House District.


8:45pm
Tim Scott has won the Republican run off for South Carolina’s First Congressional District.


8:45pm
Alan Wilson has won the Republican Attorney General run off.


8:43pm
York County Councilmen Joe Cox and Buddy Motz have both lost their run off elections.


8:39pm
Congressman Bob Inglis has lost reelection. Oh happy day!


8:37pm

8:35pm
Elaine Marshall has won the Democratic nomination for North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race.


8:28pm
Nikki Haley has won the Republican run off for governor!


8:21pm

8:13pm

8:03pm

7:56pm

7:53pm

7:48pm

The polls have closed in South Carolina. They will close in North Carolina at 7:30. I will be updating the results as they come in.

Today is the run off for both states’ primaries.  I don’t think we’re going to see any surprises today in any of the races.  Celtic already weighed on North Carolina.  Here are my thoughts for South Carolina tonight.

In the gubernatorial race Nikki Haley is going to win this hands down.  I don’t think anybody in the political world anywhere is expecting otherwise.  Haley will bring the necessary reform needed to Columbia.  I’ll be voting for her today and I have confidence she will be our next governor.

In the First Congressional district I see Charleston State Representative Tim Scott emerging as the winner this evening.  Scott almost doubled the amount of votes that Thurmond received in the primary and he seems to have the momentum behind him.

The Third Congressional race is a tough one to guess.  Both State Representative Jeff Duncan and Richard Cash finished pretty close in the primary.  I think this could teeter either way, but my hopes are on Duncan.  He has a proven record of fiscal responsibility in Columbia.

In the Fourth Congressional district I think Bob Inglis will be singing his swan song tonight.  It would be quite remarkable for an incumbent who faced several challenges last term and then finished second in this term’s election and forced into a run off to end up winning.  Inglis blew it when he embraced climate change legislation, which would shackle the American economy.  With real unemployment in the teens, this is a kick in the ass we don’t need.  Inglis’s district doesn’t support this nonsense and he forgot that he was sent to Washington to represent the voters, not his personal superstitions.   Trey Gowdy will prevail this evening.

For the State Education Superintendent I’ll be voting for Mick Zais and I also think he will emerge as the winner tonight.  I like Zais’s proposal to bring discipline back into the classroom.  God, is that ever needed.  I had actually considered becoming a teacher when I was younger, but then realized that with my disposition I would end up back handing some kid who smarted off to me in class and then I’d get fired and probably sued by his rotten parents, so I chose a different path in life, that of political agitator.

Additionally, we have some incumbent state representatives who are hoping to hang on tonight.  State Representatives Joey Millwood (R-Landrum), Marion Frye (R-Leesville), Boyd Brown (D-Winnsboro) and Richard Chalk (R-Hilton Head Island) were all forced into today’s run off.   Also here in York County I am pulling for Kyle Boyd to win the First County Council district and for Britt Blackwell to overthrow Buddy Motz in the Sixth.

HEALTH-CARE MANDATE: Voting 187 for and 230 against, the House on June 15 defeated a GOP bid to use HR 5486 (above) as a vehicle for repealing the new health law’s requirement that individuals who can afford it obtain medical insurance either at work or in a state-run exchange. The purpose of the individual mandate is to hold down everybody’s health costs by establishing the largest possible pool of insured persons. Critics say the mandate is oppressive because those without coverage will face financial penalties. At least 20 states have filed suits challenging the requirement.

The Herald-Journal

The Democrats in Congress continue to sustain the unconstitutional health insurance mandate that President Obama said during his campaign he would never support and criticized both Hillary Clinton and John Edwards for proposing such an idea.  Another one of this long list of lies.  With the exception of Congressmen Mike McIntyre (NC-07) and Heath Shuler (NC-11), every Democrat in both North and South Carolina voted to keep this oppressive and un-American mandate in place.

Every Republican voted against keeping the mandate with the exception of three who were not present to vote:  Henry Brown (SC-01), Gresham Barrett (SC-03), and Bob Inglis (SC-04).  I imagine Barrett and Inglis were too busy trying to save their political asses while Brown, well, he is retiring so maybe he just doesn’t give a damn anymore.

There were no real surprises in the big races last night.  The elections pretty much came down the way the recent polling said it would.

In the Republican gubernatorial primary State Representative Nikki Haley came up just short of the 50% needed to avoid a run off election.  With 48.9% of the vote she will go on to face Congressman Gresham  Barrett who she beat by a more than two to one margin last night.  Hopefully that’s a sign of what’s to come in the run off.  On the Democratic side, State Senator Vincent Sheheen won a decisive victory over Jim Rex and State Senator Robert Ford with 59% of the vote.  He will face either Haley or Barrett in November.

In the First Congressional District State Representative Tim Scott prevailed in a nine person primary and will move to a run off election to face Paul Thurmond.  The winner of the run off will challenge Democrat Ben Frasier who defeated Robert Burton in their primary.

In the Third Congressional District, a Republican run off will be decided between Richard Cash and State Representative Jim Duncan.  The winner of that challenge will face Democrat Jane Dyer who won the Democratic primary and ran against Barrett in 2008.

In the Fourth Congressional District, Trey Gowdy defeated Congressman Bob Inglis, however not enough to decisively win the nomination.  They too will head to a run off and face Democrat Paul Corden in the general election.

In the Sixth Congressional District there was surprisingly a three way Republican primary in this heavily gerrymandered Democratic district.  Jim Pratt and Nancy Harrelson will compete in a run off election to determine who will lose to Congressman Jim Clyburn in November.

In other races, Curtis Loftis defeated incumbent State Treasurer Converse Chellis in the Republican primary.  Leighton Lord and Alan Wilson, son of Congressman Joe Wilson, will move to a run off to determine who the next Attorney General will be.  Neither the AG race nor the Treasurer race was contested by the Democrats.  Ken Ard and Bill Connor will battle it out in the run off to see who the Republicans’ Lt Governor candidate will be.  Mick Zais and Elizabeth Moffly will compete in a run off for the Republican State Superintendent nomination.  The winner will run against Democrat Frank Holleman.

There was a big upset in the State House last night as House Speaker Pro Tem Harry Cato of the 17th House District had the smackdown laid on him by challenger Tom Corbin.  Corbin received 59% of the vote so Cato is outta there!  Two other Republicans in the State House also lost in their primaries.  State Representatives Keith Kelly of the 35th District and Jim Stewart of the 86th were defeated by their challengers.  Additionally, several other State House incumbents were forced into a run off election:  Joey Millwood of the 38th District, Marion Frye of the 39th, Boyd Brown of the 41st, and Richard Chalk of the 123rd.

Finally, probably the sweetest moment of the evening was seeing York County Councilman and scoundrel extraordinaire Paul Lindemann sink faster than the Titanic.  In a four way primary he managed to get less than 12% of the vote.  Republicans David Bowman and Kyle Boyd will move to the run off and the winner will become the next County Councilman for the 1st District as no Democrat filed for the race.

10:23pm – In York County, Paul Lindemann got destroyed.  With 21 of 22 precincts in he has less than 11% of the vote.  David Bowman finished first with 39% and it looks like Kyle Boyd will be his run off opponent with 25.5%, though Tom Audette is pretty close to him and there is still one precinct left to report.  With 98% in, it looks like Paul Thurmond will be Tim Scott’s run off opponent in SC-01.

10:20pm – Richard Cash and Jeff Duncan will head to a run off for U.S. House District 3.

9:56pm – Nikki Haley and Gresham Barrett will be heading to a run off election for the gubernatorial race.  For U.S. House District 1, Tim Scott has qualified for the run off, but his opponent is yet to be determined.

9:53pm – Ben Frasier has won the Democratic primary for U.S. House District 1.  In District 4, Trey Gowdy and Bob Inglis will be heading to a run off election.

9:53pm -

Gubernatorial Primary 89% Reporting

• Haley49%
• Barrett 22%

U.S. House District 1 Primary 90% Reporting

• Scott 31%
• Thurmond 16%
  

• Frasier 55%
• Burton 45%

U.S. House District 3 Primary 82% Reporting

• Cash 25%
• Duncan 24%

U.S. House District 4 Primary 88% Reporting

• Gowdy 43%
• Inglis 26%

Superintendent Primary

• Zais 26%
• Moffly 21%

York County Council District 1

• Bowman 40%
• Boyd 25%
  

9:38pm -

Gubernatorial Primary 78% Reporting

• Haley48%
• Barrett 22%

U.S. House District 1 Primary 65% Reporting

• Scott 32%
• Thurmond 16%
  

• Frasier 56%
• Burton 44%

U.S. House District 3 Primary 69% Reporting

• Duncan 26%
• Cash 22%

U.S. House District 4 Primary 78% Reporting

• Gowdy 42%
• Inglis 27%

Superintendent Primary

• Zais 27%
• Moffly 22%

York County Council District 1

• Bowman 40%
• Boyd 25%
  

9:33pm – Alvin Greene has won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

9:21pm – Jane Dyer has won the Democratic primary for U.S. House District 3.

9:20pm -

Gubernatorial Primary 62% Reporting

• Haley48%
• Barrett 22%

U.S. House District 1 Primary 54% Reporting

• Scott 30%
• Thurmond 17%
  

• Frasier 56%
• Burton 44%

U.S. House District 3 Primary 64% Reporting

• Duncan 26%
• Cash 23%

• Dyer 67%
• Doyle 33%

U.S. House District 4 Primary 59% Reporting

• Gowdy 50%
• Inglis 24%

Superintendent Primary

• Zais 29%
• Moffly 19%

York County Council District 1

• Bowman 40%
• Boyd 25%
  

9:10pm – It looks likely that Nikki Haley and Gresham Barrett will head to a run off.  In U.S. House District 4, Trey Gowdy is at 49.6%.  He may end up defeating Inglis tonight and avoid a run off.  In U.S. House District 1, Tim Scott is going to head to a run off.  He’ll be facing either Carroll Campbell or Paul Thurmond who keep trading second place.  District 3 looks like it will be a run off between Jeff Duncan and Richard Cash.  In York County, Paul Lindemann is getting his butt kicked, in last place of the four candidates.

9:02pm – Vincent Sheheen has decisively won the Democratic primary for governor.  He is well over the 50% mark to avoid a run off.

9:00pm -

Gubernatorial Primary 44% Reporting

• Haley47%
• Barrett 25%

• Sheheen 58%
• Rex 24%

U.S. House District 1 Primary 25% Reporting

• Scott 31%
• Campbell 18%
  

• Frasier 55%
• Burton 45%

U.S. House District 3 Primary 57% Reporting

• Duncan 26%
• Cash 22%

• Dyer 67%
• Doyle 33%

U.S. House District 4 Primary 49% Reporting

• Gowdy 50%
• Inglis 24%

Superintendent Primary

• Zais 29%
• Moffly 19%

York County Council District 1

• Bowman 31%
• Boyd 30%
  

8:45pm -

Gubernatorial Primary 30% Reporting

• Haley48%
• Barrett 23%

• Sheheen 59%
• Rex 23%

U.S. House District 1 Primary 21% Reporting

• Scott 33%
• Thurmond 18%
  

• Frasier 55%
• Burton 45%

U.S. House District 3 Primary 42% Reporting

• Duncan 28%
• Grimaud 20%

• Dyer 65%
• Doyle 35%

U.S. House District 4 Primary 31% Reporting

• Gowdy 44%
• Inglis 26%

Superintendent Primary

• Zais 27%
• Burgess 20%
  

8:25pm -

Gubernatorial Primary 16% Reporting

• Haley42%
• Barrett 25%

• Sheheen 58%
• Rex 23%

U.S. House District 1 Primary

• Scott 39%
• Kobrovsky 15%

• Burton 62%
• Frasier 38%

U.S. House District 3 Primary 27% Reporting

• Duncan 27%
• Cash 22%

• Dyer 69%
• Doyle 31%

U.S. House District 4 Primary 6% Reporting

• Gowdy 64%
• Inglis 19%

Superintendent Primary

• Zais 36%
• Payne 17%
  

8:10pm -

Gubernatorial Primary 8% Reporting

• Haley40%
• Barrett 28%

• Sheheen 54%
• Rex 27%

U.S. House District 1 Primary

• Scott 39%
• Kobrovsky 15%

• Burton 62%
• Frasier 38%

U.S. House District 3 Primary 7% Reporting

• Duncan 41%
• Grimaud 17%

• Dyer 65%
• Doyle 35%

U.S. House District 4 Primary

• Gowdy 66%
• Inglis 17%

7:50pm – There isn’t much reporting yet, but right now in the gubernatorial primaries Nikki Haley is leading the Republicans with 42%.  Sheheen is leading the Democrats with 52%.

The polls are closed.  I’ll be updating as I get information.

South Carolina’s primary election is taking place as I write this.  I have already voted this morning.  Here are my thoughts as to what I think some of the outcomes will be.  These don’t necessarily match who I “endorsed” the other day.

In the First Congressional District, I think State Representative Tim Scott is going to be the highest vote getter, but it won’t be enough to avoid a run off.  As to who he faces the run off with?  I’m guessing Paul Thurmond.  I think Robert Burton will win the Democratic nomination.

In the Fourth Congressional District, I think Trey Gowdy is going to force Congressman Bob Inglis into a run off as well.

In the gubernatorial race, I think Nikki Haley and Henry McMaster will end up in a run off on the Republican side and I think Vincent Sheheen will avoid a run off and win the Democrat’s nod.

Here in York County, I don’t think that Paul Lindemann will pull out a decisive win today.  I think the best outcome he can hope for is a run off.

I’ll be live blogging the results tonight as they start coming in.

We have a primary election here in South Carolina on Tuesday with some important choices to make.  We’ll be choosing party nominees for the next gubernatorial race and we’ll be getting at least two new Congressmen this year since Henry Brown (R-SC01) is retiring and Gresham Barrett (R-SC03) is making a failed run for governor.  We may be seeing a bigger turnover than that however.  Bob Inglis (R-SC04) isn’t exactly in the greatest reelection shape and some speculate that he could be forced into a run off by one of his primary challengers.  Add that to a strong challenge by State Senator Mick Mulvaney (R-Indian Land) to Congressman John Spratt (D-SC05) in November and we could potentially be replacing over half of our state’s Congressional delegation come January.

Now I obviously can’t vote in all of these races, but I’m happy to offer my thoughts on many of them and point out who I would vote for if I could.  I make these decisions based on who I think is the best candidate to protect our liberties and freedoms from the tyranny of the powers that be.  And so here we go.

York County Council District 1

I don’t typically weigh in on local races because I don’t have the time to analyze the hundreds of races going on in every county and municipality in the Carolinas, but I am going to weigh in one and that is because it is pretty close to my backyard.  If you live in York County, or more specifically Fort Mill or Tega Cay, then right now you are being represented on the York County Council by one corrupt SOB.  His name is Paul Lindemann.  That shouldn’t be a new name for you.  We talk about him all the time.  Despite the publicity of his malfeasance, he is running for reelection.  If you vote for Paul Lindemann you deserve to be flogged, tasered in your groin, and then buried in the sand up to your neck right near a mound of fire ants with honey drizzled over your head.  Is that descriptive enough?  This man is the living characiture of the stereotypical corrupt politician.  Now you may think that Paul is crazy for running again.  How could he possibly get reelected?  Well he’s got three challengers so his ability to survive in a four way race should not be underestimated.  There are plenty of lambs out there who will go to their slaughter on Tuesday to try and install this man for another two years.  Don’t let that happen.  Give your vote to someone with integrity, honesty, and decency.  That someone is Mr. Kyle Boyd.

I have met Kyle Boyd.  He is the headmaster at Walnut Grove Christian School and the father of three children.  He identifies himself as a fiscal conservative and pledges to be a leader on tax reform and government transparency.  We will not be reading stories in The Herald of Kyle Boyd getting DUIs or being a party to a domestic violence dispute, or bouncing $10,000 checks to Winthrop University, or not paying contractors for the work they do on his house.  We will not be reading those stories about Kyle Boyd the way we have read them about Paul Lindemann.  This is an opportunity to put an overall good guy into our county government so please don’t screw it up this time.  Vote for Kyle on Tuesday.  It’s really that easy.

South Carolina Congressional District 1

This is the seat currently held by Republican Congressman Henry Brown.  Thankfully, he is retiring this year so we will no longer have to worry about him stealing our tax dollars and redistributing it to his district.  This has become a huge contest.  There are nine Republicans, two Democrats, and four third party candidates running for this seat.  On the Republican side there are many good candidates to pick from and if I lived in that district I would have a difficult time making a decision.  However, kind of like Highlander, in the end there can be only one.  So that being the case, I would again, like in 2008, go with Katherine Jenerette.  She is an accomplished woman and mother.  She has bravely served this country in our armed forces and I think she has the right ideas to take us forward.  Her agenda on lower taxation, lower government spending, and controlled immigration is a positive plan for the nation.  I think she would be a responsible representative for the people of the Grand Strand.

On the Democratic ballot I like Col. Robert Burton.  He recently retired from military service after spending 32 years in the United States Air Force.  Burton has a strong focus on lowering South Carolina’s unemployment rate, one of the highest in the nation, by championing a lower Federal tax rate on small businesses and actively seeking opportunities to bring technology and energy jobs to the state.  He also realizes the need to stick it out in Afghanistan.  It’s been a long and tiring war on our soldiers and there was plenty of mismanagement of the war by our previous administration, but Burton is correct.  We just can’t cut our losses and leave like some in our Congress would like to see.  Burton is a common sense man with common sense ideas.

South Carolina Congressional District 3

This is the far western district of the state bordering Georgia and currently held by Republican Congressman Gresham Barrett.  As I stated before, he is not seeking reelection and instead decided to lose in the gubernatorial race this year.  He voted for the bank bailout, so I’m not too upset about his current political misfortune.  There are six Republicans running to succeed him and the one I like is State Representative Jeff Duncan.  Duncan has a proven record of fiscal responsibility in our state government.  In fact, he is one of the few that can actually make  that claim.  He has received an “A” rating from the South Carolina Club for Growth whose opinions I take very seriously because they don’t just hand out good grades to anyone.  Duncan’s views on reigning in government spending and excessive taxation is precisely the shot in the arm our nation needs.  He is the guy we need to send to D.C.   We do not want to send State Representative Rex Rice.  He not only supported raising the cigarette tax to expand the nanny welfare state in South Carolina, he was a co-sponsor.  Duncan good.  Rice bad.

South Carolina Congressional District 4

I think this goes without saying.  Bob Inglis is in some pretty deep shit and may very well be the next incumbent to get booted in his party primary.  Inglis is facing the hostility of a very conservative electorate in his district who are not all that pleased with the direction the Republican Party has been going in.  He has also taken some heat for voting to reprimand Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC02) for his infamous “You lie!” outburst to President Obama during this year’s State of the Union address as well as voting against “the Surge” in Iraq in 2007.  Furthermore, the man has hit my boiling point over his insistence on us needing to implement a carbon tax over the fraudulent man made global warming scam.  In my opinion, there is no need to stop the national political bloodletting here in South Carolina.  Give Inglis the boot.

My recommendation is Spartanburg attorney Trey Gowdy.  Gowdy is strong advocate of job creation by lessening Federal restrictions on businesses that make it difficult for them to thrive.  Of course, he is mortified by the irresponsible spending going on in D.C. otherwise I wouldn’t recommend him.  He is also a staunch supporter of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments of the Constitution meaning he is very much opposed to the recent Federal grab of our health care system and their unconstitutional insurance mandate.

South Carolina State Superintendent

This is a race that doesn’t get talked about much but really should.  Public education in this state has a poor reputation and we haven’t seen much improvement.  We just keep getting more of the same and Jim Rex has been no different.  I like Gary Burgess for this seat.  He’s big on school choice and eliminating programs that have not shown any merit.  The main reason we spend so much money on education in this country but do not get the bang for our buck is because the vast majority of the money goes to bureaucracy.  Burgess wants school spending accounted for.  But the real idea that sold me on Burgess is his philosophy on school choice, that the tax dollars should follow the student.  My God, how many times have I written about that very same idea on this Web site?  Make the school districts compete for the students.  With the students comes the money.  It is a winning formula and mark my word if Gary Burgess could accomplish that he would be the most successful state superintendent in this country.

South Carolina Governor

And finally we get down to the big one.  I have a candidate for both the Republican and Democrat parties.  On the Republican side I have been an ardent supporter of State Representative Nikki Haley and despite the calamity that has surrounded her over the past two weeks, I am sticking with Nikki Haley.  Accusations are not proof of guilt.  It was different with Mark Sanford because there was proof of his indiscretions and he came right out and admitted it.  Maybe Nikki Haley has been unfaithful.  I don’t know, but what I do know is that there isn’t a single shred of proof out there to support these accusations.  If there was we’d have seen it by now.  We are innocent until proven guilty in this country.  I believe that of all four Republican candidates Nikki Haley has the best ideas to take our state forward.  She has a record of fighting for transparency in government and against wasteful spending.  Prior to the recession our state budget increased an average of 11% per year for four years and that was with Republicans in control.  You know, the party that claims to be for small government?  Haley has fought against that kind of government growth and I think she can be a real powerhouse in the governor’s mansion.  She has my vote.

On the Democratic ticket I think State Senator Robert Ford is an outstanding choice.  Senator Ford took a brave stand last year going public with his support for school choice so that the parents of the poorer children in this state can get those kids out of these failing schools and get them a better education.  Ford took a lot of flack from his party and fellow legislators over that stance because his party has been in bed with the teachers union for decades and have been preserving the failing status quo in public education in order to keep the donations coming in.  Ford recognized the problem in education and chose to speak out.  I also support Ford because of his push to bring back video poker to South Carolina.  According to Ford’s estimate it could bring in a billion dollars in revenue for the state and create several thousand jobs, but it’s not just that.  I am a grown man and if I want to go to a bar and gamble some of my money on a video poker machine, who in the hell is the State of South Carolina to tell me that I am not allowed to do that?  This is an issue of liberty and I said at the beginning of this post that was the primary goal I was looking for in these candidates.  Robert Ford fits the bill.

So that’s what I’ve got for Tuesday.  Man am I tired after all of that.  Vote wisely and good luck to all of the candidates.

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It’s not really that surprising.  Congressman Bob Inglis (R-SC04) has slowly transformed into Lindsey Graham Jr.  Inglis represents a very conservative district and has taken some positions in recent years that haven’t been popular with that crowd.  It looks like it’s finally caught up to him.

It looks like there’s a pretty good chance South Carolina Congressman Bob Inglis will be the next House member not to survive his party’s primary this year. The 4th District Republican race is likely headed to a runoff with Inglis at 33% trailing challenger Trey Gowdy’s 37% standing. David Thomas and Jim Lee are each polling at 9% right now with Christina Jeffrey further back at 5%.

Inglis’ problem is the same as what we’ve seen for many establishment Republicans this year. Voters in his district are not happy with the direction of their party, and they’re taking it out on him. 45% of GOP primary voters in the 4th say they don’t like where the party is going compared with just 26% who approve of its current course. Gowdy leads Inglis 42-31 with those voters who think the party’s going the wrong way, accounting for his entire lead.

Public Policy Polling

If there is one universal rule of politics it’s that incumbents do not trail opponents in polls and end up winning.  Inglis is done.  If he can’t muster enough to avoid being forced into a run off election then he is finished.  People who are going to vote for Inglis are probably going to do it the first time.  If Trey Gowdy gets more of the vote in the primary and the two of them head to a run off it’s more than probable that Gowdy is going to win.

What’s the matter with South Carolina?  That’s the question asked by Politico columnist Alexander Burns.  Indeed, South Carolina has been a focal point of hot bed politics and political scandal recently, but as former State Republican Chairman Katon Dawson points out, it’s really nothing new.

Dawson agreed, citing the state’s long and tempestuous political history as a mark of pride: “South Carolina’s been yelling from the top of our lungs on national politics since this nation was formed and entered the union.”

Consider the attention, sometimes unwanted, that we’ve received over the past year.  You could write a whole book on Mark Sanford.  The Governor went from being the favorite son of conservatives and economic libertarians to rumored presidential candidate only to then fall from grace as his scandalous extra-marital affair became headline news around the nation.  Sanford’s status rose quickly when he was the only governor to fight the wasteful stimulus package thrust on us by the Federal government.  He received endless and thunderous applause at the Greenville Tea Party earlier this year, yet in a flash all of that respect and fame soured to notoriety and disappointment as details of his Argentine “soul mate” Maria Chapur pierced the airwaves.

Look at conservative rising star Senator Jim DeMint who has made it his career to call out waste and corruption in Washington D.C. and be the general in the battle against the unconstitutional overreaching grip of the Federal government.  DeMint took flak earlier this year when referring to health care as Obama’s “Waterloo”, but was he necessarily wrong?

On the flip side is Republican Congressman Bob Inglis who hasn’t wavered in ruffling the feathers of the conservative base of his Congressional district.  He has taken an onslaught of criticism for his changing opinion towards accepting the fraudulent theory of man made climate change.  Even more recently he riled the far right at a town hall meeting when he told them to turn off Glenn Beck.  Inglis has earned himself several primary challengers in next year’s election.

Let’s also not forget former State Treasurer Tom Ravenel who was sent up the river for the distribution of cocaine.  Then of course, Joe Wilson has become the most well known Congressman in America over the past couple of days for his outburst during Obama’s Congressional address accusing the President of lying.

Is this bad for South Carolina?  Are we embarrassing or are we emboldened?  We did fire the first shot in the Civil War, after all.  I guess the impression of our state is in the eye of the beholder.  We certainly aren’t perfect, but we definitely could be worse.  We aren’t in a full fledged melt down like California.  We aren’t chasing every business and hard working American out of the state like New York.  Our own scandals really aren’t any less comparative than those of Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio.

Personally, it gives me a lot to write about and opine on.  I’d probably be pretty bored with writing if I lived in Vermont.

The Club for Growth has released their annual RePORK card that gauges how responsible our Congressional representatives have been with our tax dollars.  The result is usually pretty atrocious and this year is no different, but we do have a few responsible representatives in our states’ delegations.  The ratings are based on 68 amendments introduced in the House that would have stripped wasteful earmarks out of 12 annual spending bills.  Representatives who voted for all of the amendments received a score of 100%.  Those that voted for none received a zero.  So how did our guys and girls stack up?

Virginia Foxx (R-NC-05) was the only member to receive a perfect score of 100%.  However, there were a few others who weren’t far behind her.  Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10) received a 99%, voting against only one of the amendments.  Gresham Barrett (R-SC-03) and Sue Myrick (R-NC-09) both received a 97%.  Bob Inglis (R-SC-04) a 96%.  All others were below 90% which means the rest have some work to do, some a little and some are completely worthless.

Two more Congressmen that stood out to me were our two Blue Dog Democrats in North Carolina:  Heath Shuler (NC-11) and Mike McIntyre (NC-07).  Bear in mind that the Blue Dogs are supposed to be fiscal conservatives.  Apparently, these two didn’t get the memo.  Shuler supported only one amendment out of the 68 and McIntyre found the only way to top his poor showing by voting for none of them.

Also on the wall of shame for frivolously throwing your tax dollars away are the following pigs who received a zero score:

• G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-01)
• Jim Clyburn (D-SC-06)
• Bob Etheridge (D-NC-02)
• Larry Kissell (D-NC-08)
• Brad Miller (D-NC-13)
• David Price (D-NC-04)
• Jack Spratt (D-SC-05)
• Mel Watt (D-NC-11)

It’s interesting to note that all the high scoring members of Congress are Republicans and all the ones with the shitty scores are Democrats.  That really illustrates the differing views the two parties have on the role of the Federal Government.

Courtesy of The 9/12 Project

Bob Inglis (R-SC-04)

Sue Cleveland Elementary School
Piedmont, SC 29673
Monday, August 17, 2009
Start Time: 7:00 PM

Travelers Rest Library
Travelers Rest, SC 29390
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Start Time: 7:00 PM

R.D. Anderson Applied Tech. Ctr.
Moore, SC 29369
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Start Time: 7:00 PM

New Prospect Elem. School
Inman, SC 29349
Monday, August 24, 2009
Start Time: 7:00 PM

Lake Forest Elementary
Greenville, SC 29615
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Start Time: 7:00 PM

Senator DeMint (R-SC)
Town Hall Breakfast on Daniel Island in Charleston at 8 a.m. on Monday August 17.
Town Hall Lunch at Sea Captain’s House in Myrtle Beach at noon on Wed. August 19.
Town Hall Breakfast at Tommy’s Ham House in Greenville at 8 a.m. on Thurs. August 20.
Town Hall Lunch at Wade’s Restaurant in Spartanburg at noon on Thurs. August 20
Town Hall Lunch in Sun City at noon on Friday August 21.

Joe Wilson (R-SC-02)
Town Hall at Midland’s Tech NE Campus, 1151 Powell Rd. Columbia 6-7 p.m. on Aug.17.
Town Hall at Lexington Town Hall 6-7 p.m. on August 20.
Town Hall at 10 a.m. on August 22 at USC Beaufort North Campus, Performing Arts Center, 801 Carteret Street, Beaufort.
Town Hall meeting at 2:30 p.m. on August 22 at Hilton Head High School, Visual and Performing Arts Center, 70 Wilborn Rd. Hilton Head.

Just the other day Congressman Bob Inglis (R-SC-04) told his constituents at a town hall meeting that there was no reason for them to be afraid of ObamaCare.  I guess Inglis hasn’t met Ezekiel Emanuel, one of the President’s health advisers and what he thinks health care “reform” should entail.

Start with Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. He has already been appointed to two key positions: health-policy adviser at the Office of Management and Budget and a member of Federal Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research.

Emanuel bluntly admits that the cuts will not be pain-free. “Vague promises of savings from cutting waste, enhancing prevention and wellness, installing electronic medical records and improving quality are merely ‘lipstick’ cost control, more for show and public relations than for true change,” he wrote last year (Health Affairs Feb. 27, 2008).

Savings, he writes, will require changing how doctors think about their patients: Doctors take the Hippocratic Oath too seriously, “as an imperative to do everything for the patient regardless of the cost or effects on others” (Journal of the American Medical Association, June 18, 2008).

Yes, that’s what patients want their doctors to do. But Emanuel wants doctors to look beyond the needs of their patients and consider social justice, such as whether the money could be better spent on somebody else.

Many doctors are horrified by this notion; they’ll tell you that a doctor’s job is to achieve social justice one patient at a time.

Emanuel, however, believes that “communitarianism” should guide decisions on who gets care. He says medical care should be reserved for the non-disabled, not given to those “who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens . . . An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia” (Hastings Center Report, Nov.-Dec. ‘96).

Translation: Don’t give much care to a grandmother with Parkinson’s or a child with cerebral palsy.

He explicitly defends discrimination against older patients: “Unlike allocation by sex or race, allocation by age is not invidious discrimination; every person lives through different life stages rather than being a single age. Even if 25-year-olds receive priority over 65-year-olds, everyone who is 65 years now was previously 25 years” (Lancet, Jan. 31).

New York Post

And then there is David Blumenthal who thinks we should slow down the medical innovations in order to keep costs under control:

But Emanuel criticizes Americans for being too “enamored with technology” and is determined to reduce access to it.

Dr. David Blumenthal, another key Obama adviser, agrees. He recommends slowing medical innovation to control health spending.

Blumenthal has long advocated government health-spending controls, though he concedes they’re “associated with longer waits” and “reduced availability of new and expensive treatments and devices” (New England Journal of Medicine, March 8, 2001). But he calls it “debatable” whether the timely care Americans get is worth the cost. (Ask a cancer patient, and you’ll get a different answer. Delay lowers your chances of survival.)

Obama appointed Blumenthal as national coordinator of health-information technology, a job that involves making sure doctors obey electronically deivered guidelines about what care the government deems appropriate and cost effective.

In the April 9 New England Journal of Medicine, Blumenthal predicted that many doctors would resist “embedded clinical decision support” — a euphemism for computers telling doctors what to do.

Americans need to know what the president’s health advisers have in mind for them. Emanuel sees even basic amenities as luxuries and says Americans expect too much: “Hospital rooms in the United States offer more privacy . . . physicians’ offices are typically more conveniently located and have parking nearby and more attractive waiting rooms” (JAMA, June 18, 2008).

Apparently Congressman Bob Inglis (R-SC-04) is leaning towards supporting ObamaCare and that did not go over well in his very Republican district.  According to The Palmetto Scoop people began walking out and that pretty much ended the meeting.

There are two videos available for this:

Uh-oh.  This is going to put the Bible thumpers in a tizzy.

South Carolina Rep. Bob Inglis made a name for himself in the late 1990s as one of Bill Clinton’s most zealous pursuers, an impeachment “manager” who attacked the moral failings of the president with a gusto that earned him a devoted following in the staunchly conservative “Upstate” of conservative South Carolina.

But with his governor now felled by similar temptations, Inglis sees an opening for the Republican Party, a chance to “lose the stinking rot of self-righteousness” and “to understand we are all in need of some grace.”

The Wall Street Journal

I don’t disagree with Inglis’s comment.  The Republican Party throughout the Bush years allowed social conservatism to define them.  They threw fiscal responsibility right out the window, which makes it all the more amusing to watch them preach about it as Obamination spends us into oblivion.   Instead they railed and hollared about morality and that is why they get slammed so hard by the media when one of them don’t live up to the moral pedestal they have put themselves on.  Sure, there is a leftward bias in the mainstream media.  I don’t deny that, but Republicans have branded their party as the party of traditional family values so when they screw up, like Mark Sanford and Diaper Dave Vitter and Mark Foley, etc they get thrown into the frying pan.

The GOP should put the social cons on the backburner for now and get back to their fiscally conservative roots if they are to win over the trust of the American people to put them back in control of Congress.  That’s not to say that social conservatives can’t have a home within the Republican Party, but they can’t have 90% of the seats at the table anymore.  That shift is what drove away people like me who used to support Republican candidates that truly believed in the idea of personal freedom, responsibility, and limited government, not the ones who falsely preach morality and then try to use their power in government to force it down our throats.  I think that is what Inglis is getting at.

By a vote of 219 to 212, the House narrowly passed the Cap and Trade bill that will cost us millions of jobs and devastate the American economy even more as it starts going into affect. Just ask Spain how well it went for them?

This still has to pass the U.S. Senate of course and that is nowhere near certain. They need 60 ayes just to be able to vote for it and I imagine there will be Democrat defectors there just as there were in the House.

Those who voted to raise your energy bills by about $1500 a year to “save the planet” are as follows:

• G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-01)
• Bob Etheridge (D-NC-02)
• David Price (D-NC-04)
• Heath Shuler (D-NC-11)
• Mel Watt (D-NC-12)
• Brad Miller (D-NC-13)
• Jack Spratt (D-SC-05)
• Jim Clyburn (D-SC-06)

Those who voted to protect your liberty, labor, and livelihood were:

• Walter Jones (R-NC-03)
• Virginia Foxx (R-NC-05)
• Howard Coble (R-NC-06)
• Mike McIntyre (D-NC-07)
• Larry Kissell (D-NC-08)
• Sue Myrick (R-NC-09)
• Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10)
• Henry Brown (R-SC-01)
• Joe Wilson (R-SC-02)
• Gresham Barrett (R-SC-03)
• Bob Inglis (R-SC-04)

State Senator David Thomas (R-Greenville) has thrown his hat into the ring joining four other candidates in challenging Congressman Bob Inglis (R-SC-04) in next year’s Republican primary.  I have no qualms with anyone trying to take out Inglis because he needs to go, but the more people that jump into this race, the more likely it is that Inglis will prevail because the anti-Inglis vote will be split between too many challengers.  It is possible, however, with so many challengers that Inglis could be held under 50% requiring a run off.

My biggest beef with Inglis, aside from his vote to bail out Wall Street, is his recent slobbering over the climate change fraud that’s been perpetuated by the left.  Inglis has become fully assimilated into the  climate “Borg” and is backing carbon taxes and other such nonsense that will only hurt our nation’s economy and accomplish absolutely nothing positive.  Inglis needs to spend more time listening to his constituents rather than his brainwashed children.