Cast Your Votes For The “Palmetto Power 50″

By fitsnews • on August 15, 2007

WHO ARE THE PALMETTO STATE’S TOP POLITICAL PLAYERS?

FITSNews – August 15, 2007 – We figured since GQ magazine just released it’s list of the 50 most powerful people in Washington, D.C., somebody ought to put together a similar list for the Palmetto State. And who better to do it than us, right?

Clearly, Speaker Gilda Cobb-Hunter is at the top of our list – which is pretty amazing considering she’s not actually the Speaker and she’s a Democrat in the middle of a “Republican-controlled” government. We’re also pretty sure another Democrat, U.S. Rep Jim Clyburn, is going to clock in at No. 3, just behind Democrat-turned-Republican Hugh Leatherman.

But who else belongs in the elite pantheon of power? And who doesn’t? For example, will S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford – ostensibly the state’s highest elected official – even make the “Palmetto Power 50?”

We’re compiling our list now, but in the meantime feel free to sumbit your suggestions in the comments section below or e-mail us directly with your thoughts. Political players can be anybody – elected officials, lobbyists, consultants, activists, government employees, big business types, journalists, bloggers, you name it. The complete list will be released later this week …

Comments

By Bill Clinton on August 15th, 2007 at 10:48 am

My God, you go from Jessica Alba to whatever the hell this is.

I almost threw up. Sick, Sick Sick.

Please remove this and make all your posts with pictures of JA

By anonymouse on August 15th, 2007 at 11:00 am

gilda #1? please. buck limehouse, cindi scoppe, curtis loftis, harry ott, fred allen, thornton kirby, nick kremidis, joe taylor, scott richardson, converse chellis, frank fusco, reggie lloyd – all names deserving of a spot but not as well known as mcconnell, leatherman, harrell, cooper, merrill, etc.

By Real Choice on August 15th, 2007 at 11:59 am

Yeah, Gilda’s strong. She really delivered that black caucus vote for Rex on the open enrollment veto. Kudos.

By ABC (Anybody but Colts) on August 15th, 2007 at 12:38 pm

Somewhere somehow Sic WIllie has to be on the list. Fitsnews was the catchphrase heard all over the statehouse the final weeks of the session.

Senor Rod Shealy – Just win Baby

I am also sure that Number 50 is someone out there the public doesn’t know but still pulls the strings on the marionettes in Columbia. This is after all a part time legislator state.

p.s What about Coach Belichick?

By Gal Leo on August 15th, 2007 at 12:48 pm

Should be interesting…speaking of which, whatever happened to the “Matrix” you spoke about several months ago?

May 25, 2007

Finally – and this is really going to be fun – weâ€™re planning on publishing a scorecard plotting where each Republican legislator stands in relation to those two groups on one line, coupled with the amount of influence they wield on the legislative process on the other line.

Call it the â€œGOP Power Matrix.â€

By who cares on August 15th, 2007 at 12:50 pm

If Will Folks is compiling the list, who cares?

By Pinetreeguy1 on August 15th, 2007 at 5:50 pm

Actually, this is a good beginning…..
buck limehouse, cindi scoppe, curtis loftis, harry ott, fred allen, thornton kirby, nick kremidis, joe taylor, scott richardson, converse chellis, frank fusco, reggie lloyds, mcconnell, leatherman, harrell, cooper, merrill ,

So lets add some more:…
Andre Bauer, Billy Oâ€™Dell, Yancy McGill, Joel Lourie, Will Folks, Rod Shealy, Warren Tompkins, Katon Dawson, Karen Floyd, Joe Wilson, Clyburn, Demint and Graham, Darrel Jackson, Joe Riley, Jim Rex, Sam Tenebaum,
And some big question marks…Karen Floyd, Gayle Averyt, Nate Ballentine, , English and Barret (both should be a given , but are not), Randy Lee,
And I am a few short…

By schotline on August 15th, 2007 at 5:59 pm

Blake Mitchell, Stephen Garcia & Steve Spurrier

By A Daily Turd on August 15th, 2007 at 6:08 pm

Wesley Donehue, Terry Sullivan, Tim Cameron, Michael Rentiers, George Ramsey and their mentor Warren Tompkinsâ€¦

No other team has made so money off making their candidates loose elections and they sure are good at spending Mitt’s Millions…same with Ryberg’s and Staton’s…not to mention Warren’s raping of Da Beas in 98.

By Lee Atwater on August 15th, 2007 at 6:28 pm

Actually, this is a good beginningâ€¦..
buck limehouse, cindi scoppe, curtis loftis, harry ott, fred allen, thornton kirby, nick kremidis, joe taylor, scott richardson, converse chellis, frank fusco, reggie lloyds, mcconnell, leatherman, harrell, cooper, merrill ,

So lets add some more:â€¦
Andre Bauer, Billy Oâ€™Dell, Yancy McGill, Joel Lourie, Will Folks, Rod Shealy, Warren Tompkins, Katon Dawson, Karen Floyd, Joe Wilson, Clyburn, Demint and Graham, Darrel Jackson, Joe Riley, Jim Rex, Sam Tenebaum,

And some big question marksâ€¦Karen Floyd, Gayle Averyt, Nate Ballentine, , English and Barret (both should be a given , but are not), Randy Lee…

Let’s add a few more:
John Rainey, Mike Campbell, Strom Thurmond Jr., Roger Milliken, Don Tomlin (who is about to own Columbia City Council), Jim Hodges, David Beasley, Jim Edwards, Katon Dawson, John Napier, Tommy Hartnett…

By Denis Sined on August 15th, 2007 at 6:38 pm

Robert Cahaly, Jon Zigler, Randy Bates, Katherine Jennerette, Joel Sawyer, Tommy Windsor, Wesley Donehue, Terry Sullivan, Tim Cameron, Michael Rentiers, George Ramsey and their mentor Warren Tompkins, Thad Viers & oh geez there are just too many to list…did we mention Warren Tompkins?

By Denis Sined on August 15th, 2007 at 8:43 pm

Those lips send me into shivers….I love you Mam!

By scooter libby on August 15th, 2007 at 9:31 pm

Don’t forget the guy on the back bench…the ubiquitous mispellur former shealy teammate, statehouse clinger and general all around bad boy Paul Adams. I mean, if a loser like Rick Quinn makes the list so should Paul!

By Big D on August 15th, 2007 at 11:03 pm

WHERE IS JOHN SPRATT’S NAME IN ALL OF THESE LISTS? I WOULD SAY HE DOES MORE FOR THE STATE THAN CLYBURN (WHO JUST LOOKS AFTER JIM CLYBURN AND THE NANCY PELOSI).

Steve Benjamin, Darla Moore, Lee Bandy, Joel Lourie, Phil Bailey, Lachlan McIntosh, Frank Caggianno, Dick Harpootlian, Glenn Reese, the Sheheen’s, Robert Barber, Don McElveen, Harry Ott, dare I say Jean Toal, Zeke Stokes, Jim Hodges, Billy Boan, Gilda, Jim Rex… for the Dems.

For the GOP… I would add Oscar Lovelace who is making waves with the Cigarette Tax, Strom Thurmond (sort of like the Beatles and Elvis still being top sellers), Fred Allen, Will Folks, Gresham Barrett, Leatherman, McConnell, Harrell, Henry Mac, I’ll hold my nose and say Rick Quinn Jim Harrison and Greg Delleney, Rod Shealy, Jim Ritchie, DeMint, Jakie, Warren Thompkins, and maybe a few others who just don’t come to mind right now.

I would not ever consider adding K-Flo, SCRG, PPIC, etc to this list if we are talking about influential politicians.