“Cracking Skulls?”

HOUSE SPEAKER BOBBY HARRELL’S “BREAKFAST CLUB” STRATEGY

FITSNews – July 31, 2008 – Angry over the untimely demise of his gubernatorial ambitions and frustrated by the widely-held belief that he runs a “loose ship” in the S.C. House of Representatives, sources close to S.C. Speaker Bobby Harrell say 2009 will be different.

“He’s cracking skulls from here on out,” says the same Harrell confidant who informed us of the Speaker’s decision not to run for governor in 2010. “He’s fed up with people saying he can’t keep his troops in line like (former House Speaker David) Wilkins did.”

Wilkins, the current U.S. Ambassador to Canada, ruled the House with an iron fist during his eleven years as Speaker.  Although hardly a reformer (or a FITSNews favorite), Wilkins is generally regarded as infinitely more conservative than Harrell on fiscal policy.  Under his leadership in 2004, for example, the House passed the vast majority of Gov. Mark Sanford’s reform agenda, including an income tax cut.

Harrell, on the other hand, is a classic big government RINO. Under his tenure as Speaker, Republicans have grown government by obscene, unprecedented levels while at the same time failing to provide working South Carolinians with anything resembling meaningful tax relief.

Predictably, our state’s economy has remained in the toilet, yet Harrell has becoming increasingly fond of blaming this dire predicament on Sanford’s failure as a business recruiter (which isn’t entirely untrue).

So (other than Sanford’s) … whose “skulls” does Bobby plan on “cracking” next year?

According to our source, at the top of Harrell’s “hit list” is the so-called Common Sense caucus, a growing group of fiscally-conservative Republicans who have seen the handwriting on the wall for the state’s endangered Republican majority as a result of its recent fiscal excesses.

One member of that caucus – who spoke with FITSNews on the condition of anonymity – told us that Harrell began implementing his “crackdown” as soon as the legislative session wrapped up last month.  Specifically, promises of coveted committee assignments and the awarding of local pork this summer have been used as “Bobby’s sticks and carrots.”

“You either play ball with him or you get nothing,” this legislator told us.

Harrell’s position has weakened dramatically since his near-unanimous selection as Wilkins’ successor three years ago, but he’s by no means impotent.

In addition to a Democratic minority (which is expected to pick up several seats this November), Harrell also has a loyal group of big-spending “Bobbycrats” in the House GOP Caucus he can rely on, among them Reps. Joan Brady, Harry Cato, Dan Cooper, Mike Gambrell, Carl Gullick, Davey Hiott, Keith Kelly, Gene Pinson, Bill Sandifer and B.R. Skelton.

With these dozen or so RINOs at his side, Harrell has successfully blocked dozens of critical reforms including tax relief, spending reform, government restructuring and parental choice.

He’s also been able to get away with it by personally voting for many of these reforms (while rigging the opposite outcome behind the scenes) or by sponsoring feel-good “reforms in name only” that appear to address the problems.

One other thing – he’s gotten away with it because so few of the “Common Sensers” have been willing to grow a set of balls and call him out.

As evidenced by our recent assessment of Harrell’s so-called “Jobs plan,” that’s not a condition we’re afflicted with.

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