To make it in politics, you’ve got to have pretty thick skin.
In fact, you’d think that since a bunch of liberal, big-spending RINOs are currently running South Carolina (into the ground), they would have developed skin as thick as rhinoceroses in the process.
Ironically, they haven’t.
In another example of how a very public policy disagreement in our bass-ackwards state is cloaking a very bitter, very vindictive and intensely personal behind-the-scenes battle for power, we bring you the untold story of House Speaker Bobby Harrell versus the S.C. Policy Council – the latest skirmish in a war between command-and-control big government backers and common sense, free-market conservatives over the heart and soul of the SCGOP, and the state legislature.
It all started a week ago today, when Harrell sent a letter to the board of the S.C. Policy Council – the state’s leading conservative think tank – bashing a recent report the organization issued on government transparency.
In his letter, Harrell demanded that the Policy Council board “direct (its staff) to remove the false statements that are currently posted” on the organization’s website.
Harrell also demanded that the board print his recent op-ed attacking the Policy Council … in the Policy Council’s newsletter, of all places.
“It is unconscionable that an organization to which integrity is so important would knowingly allow such an inaccurate report to be issued in its name,” Harrell wrote, adding that the organization should “make sure future reports meet the high-quality and accuracy standards that the Policy Council has been known for in years past.”
Of course, Harrell’s public pronouncements against the Policy Council are part of a much larger war against not only the notion of transparency in government, but against those conservative lawmakers who support it.
Specifically, Harrell’s ire is directed at two women, Lexington Rep. Nikki Haley (who authored the transparency bill Harrell has yet to endorse) and new Policy Council President Ashley Landess, who joined Haley and Gov. Mark Sanford recently in promoting Haley’s open government legislation.
And with each passing day, Harrell’s ire grows stronger.
In fact, two days after sending his caustic missive to the Policy Council board, Harrell derisively wrote Landess the following letter:
Copies of the enclosed packet (containing his oped) were mailed this week to all the Board Members of the Policy Council. In case any of the Board Members have yet to receive this information, I request that you please make copies available for them during the Board’s meeting this weekend.
Wait … “make copies?” Yup … in Harrell’s world, that’s apparently all that strong conservative women are good for.
But sending snippy, condescending two-sentence letters (after you already went over the recipient’s head) is evidently just part of Harrell’s battle plan.
Two Policy Council Board members spoke with FITS yesterday regarding threats that came directly from the Speaker’s Office concerning Landess, whom it seems pretty clear by now is being specifically targeted by Harrell for dismissal.
“He wants her gone,” one Board member told us. “His people called and said we were making powerful enemies at the State House by keeping her around. It was sad, it was inappropriate, it was uncalled for … it was pathetic.”
Sort of like Harrell’s record of conservative government.
Thick skin is indeed in short supply in South Carolina political circles, we knew that already, but the thin-skinned measures to which the so-called most powerful elected official in the state has been forced to resort to in this debate are quite disturbing.
Incidentally, both Board Members we spoke with said they were sticking with Landess, and that Harrell’s threats have only strengthened their resolve to advance the cause of more open, more accountable government.
Stay tuned for more …
By OO October 15, 2008 at 11:49 am
Now there’s a gaggle of McCain-o-schumcks there. Ewwwwwwwwwww
By OO October 15, 2008 at 11:52 am
McCain-o-Schmucks!
By free cheese October 15, 2008 at 2:08 pm
So is it also true that Booby is tacitly backing a Dem inhte house 119 race?
By Unreal October 15, 2008 at 2:14 pm
You managed to get three of the most ineffective men in politics in one photo….kudos.
Senator Fair is actually effective.
By peyton manning sucks October 15, 2008 at 3:14 pm
“conservative think tank” — isn’t that an oxymoron?
By ~ ~ October 15, 2008 at 3:26 pm
My bad @ Senator Fair. I didn’t know who the other one was :)
By beater October 15, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Oh, please Will. I cannot believe with your record on treating women, you are even going there with the making copies comment. Let’s see, one strong conservative woman you accused of sleeping her way to the top a few years back and then battered your fiance and wound up in jail. Pot? Kettle? Black?
By smackover October 15, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Beater, you are just copying Cindi’s gotcha phrase from today’s editorial. “Pot. Kettle. Black.” said she. How do you even know the furniture throwing wasn’t always a reciprocal, ritualistic lovemaking stunt that went awry — and that “horse” suddenly turned on him? You people amaze me. We’ve got people doing much worse than that in high and lofty places in this state. The freakin’ nosebleed section. So get a clue! It starts with a C!!!
By fitsnews October 15, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Beater,
Blah-di-dee blah blah.
-FITSNews
By cute October 15, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Bobby might need a time-out during daycare next week…big boys don’t cry.
Is the rumor that Bobby might change parties true?
By A Real Conservative October 15, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Harrell had one of his finger puppets, Annette Young, making the phone calls to the Policy Council Board members. Which, after speaking to two board members apparently has backfired big time. Then today I get a copy of the Club for Growth Scorecard, another conservative organization. http://www.scclubforgrowth.com/legislative/voting_records.asp
Look who’s ranked at D and below…Harrell, Cooper, Cato, basically leadership.
By StupidShouldHurtMore (SSHM) October 16, 2008 at 8:41 am
Wow … I found something I agree with:
“behind-the-scenes battle for power”
Sure it is. With each passing day, I’m more and more convinced that the SC Policy Council left a word out of the title of their organization. That word: libertarian.
It is a sad, sad day in South Carolina when libertarians, who can’t win a race or push public policy on their OWN platform, must glom onto the SCGOP and seek to dismantle it from within by labeling those that are not of the libertarian bend as RhINOs.
. . . stupid . . .
- SSHM
By Real GOP October 16, 2008 at 4:18 pm
SSHM…i didn’t realize GOP no longer supported lower taxes, govt spending cuts and transparency. guess I haven’t gotten my copy of the new platform saying we now favor billion dollar spending increases. thanks sshm for the headsup.
By Dr. Christina Jeffrey October 17, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Too bad and so sad when our Southern gentlemen fail to adapt to the times and update the manners their mothers taught them. Trying to get a lady fired today, is like attacking widows and orphans in days gone by.
Shame on you, Mr. Speaker, you should know better. Call me old fashioned, yell that if she is tough enough to be the President, she has to take the punches, I don’t care. I say, viva the differences and mind your manners. So women get an advantage now and then. Good! Men have other advantages. Please apologize, Bobby, so I can go back to thinking you are just one of the most charming young men in SC politics.