“If you’re taking flak, you’re over the target.”
That expression certainly applies to the S.C. Policy Council – a fiscally-conservative think tank that’s catching its fair share of incoming fire for its efforts to expose the Palmetto State’s secretive culture of government excess and inefficiency.
After initiating the high-profile debate over transparency in government (or more accurately, the lack thereof), the Policy Council has been persona non gratis over at the S.C. State House, and follow-up efforts to highlight the true size of the state budget and show an economic disincentive to accepting stimulus funds have also angered lawmakers.
House Speaker Bobby Harrell, for example, threatened to fire S.C. Policy Council President Ashley Landess during the transparency debate last year and has been unsuccessfully attempting to hamper the organization’s fund-raising efforts ever since.
Meanwhile, the establishment political consulting firm of J. Warren Tompkins – which elects many of the politicians the Policy Council is exposing as fiscal frauds – has stepped up its attacks against the organization, as well.
One of their favorite targets?
Policy Council researcher Justin Evans, a former Sanford staffer and the creator of a fairly well-trafficked SCGOP discussion group on Facebook.
Evans – who we happen to like – is certainly aggressive, and occasionally his tactics rub people the wrong way.
For example, he once posted a comment on his Facebook page saying that “voting politicians out of office is a short term fix … indicting them is much more permanent.”
Huzzah!
Evans created another buzz over the weekend with a scathing critique of Palmetto Republicans, in which he referred to supporters of accepting federal bailout money as “cowards.”
Both of these comments have been noted derisively by blogger Wes Wolfe, who is reportedly on the payroll of both Tompkins and Harrell.
As far as we can tell, Evans does all of his political work on his own time – which means the real storyline here is why a paid political hack like Wolfe is so intent on assigning scandalous attributes to this young man?
After all, dozens of government employees have been caught in recent days using taxpayer time and resources to lobby in support of South Carolina accepting this bureaucratic bailout money. Why is Wolfe ignoring those efforts to write about a private citizen who is merely exercising his right to free speech – and free (online) assembly?
Clearly, this is more about attacking the Policy Council than it is about attacking Evans, which shows that the organization has gotten under the skin of Wolfe’s status quo paymasters.
They don’t like the fact that somebody is finally calling them out for their bad behavior, and so they’re looking to manufacture a scandal where none exists.
WEB EXTRAS:
By BombThrower April 6, 2009 at 8:49 am
Pissing people off means the SCPC is doing its job. Nice.
SPN think tanks are 501c3s. Of course they need to be “persona non gratis” at the statehouse (and the governor’s mansion for that matter), that’s how they keep on target and stay above the fray.
By Chris Richardson April 6, 2009 at 9:04 am
Evans was a trouble maker and a liar while he was at Clemson. Nothing shocks me about him continuing the trend in the real world.
By Dan April 6, 2009 at 9:18 am
True fiscal conservatives in and out of office, who believe in the health of the private sector over the government, and not the other way around, like the Policy Council’s work. The ones who don’t, don’t. That simple.
By Nate April 6, 2009 at 9:22 am
Wolfe on the payroll of Bobby Harrell… keep dreaming loser. Hopefully one day what you do will be illegal.
By fitsnews April 6, 2009 at 9:44 am
Nate-
“Hopefully one day what we do will be illegal?”
Good luck w/ that …
-FITS
By Fashizzle April 6, 2009 at 11:54 am
Let’s remember Wes authored the hit job last year accusing Andre Bauer of being a cocaine addict. His writing is tabloid smear that never lets the truth get in the way of a sensational story. Justin is just a kid who posted his personal opinion online. Sure, he should have been more eloquent but if that’s the worst thing he ever does in his free time he’ll be fine. Hopefully he’ll learn his lesson and gain a bit of maturity.
By craig April 6, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Wolfe is also the guy who wrote the stupid story about how Will’s volunteer work for Tom Davis should be reported on his ethics form.
By Reality Check April 6, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Justin Evans is a bright and intelligent young man. Anyone that knows Evans understands his round-about ways of making a very clear and logical argument. There is no surprise in Wes taking his words out of context and making it appear as though Justin’s personal rhetoric is that of SCPC. Thankfully, we have individuals like Justin who articulate what the majority of us are thinking. Keep it up Justin!
By The Senator April 6, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Nice play on the quote from the character of Jim Williams in Midnight in the Garden of good & evil
By Come on April 6, 2009 at 3:18 pm
I love how you always find a way to throw Harrell into your ridiculous stories. I know this will hurt, but he is a bit too busy to have you or the Policy Council (esp. Justin Evans, who nobody knows!) on his radar. Except for serving him as the occasional source of laughter.
By BIN News April 6, 2009 at 3:45 pm
S.C. policy council – pimps
worthless political pimps
(lower case p)
We all know the pimps.
By LuvinMeSomeJustin April 6, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Hey…
Justin is a cool guy. I do not know him too well, but the bit I know about him makes me think he is a stand up guy. Which of course makes it hard for him to get along with the RINOS…but what the heck.
Soldier on, young Mr. Evans…soldier on.
By LuvinMeSomeJustin April 6, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Justin for State House of Reps.
That will show those RINOS!
By Ha! April 6, 2009 at 9:42 pm
LuvinMeSomeJustin-don’t be so obvious that you are posting about yourself.
Justin Evans sadly had to start his OWN fraternity at Clemson. You know you are loser when you can’t even make it into the worst of the worst and you are forced to start your own.
By Girl Sailor April 7, 2009 at 9:13 am
Ha!,
It worked out pretty well in “Old School” and “Revenge of the Nerds.”
By Craigstopher April 7, 2009 at 10:16 am
Isn’t it funny how when people cannot criticize your message, they attack you personally? I bet Ha! and Chris Richardson also meet girls by kicking them or pulling their hair. It’s refreshing to see someone say the truth, and equally refreshing to see how much it antagonizes the liberals and rinos. There is more to life than money, which is a point lost on the soulless like wes wolfe and bobby harrell, who sacrifice honesty and integrity (and the good of SC) to line their own pockets.
By SCGOP April 7, 2009 at 10:39 am
Evans was not forced to start a fraternity, he chose to. That fraternity, ATO, was the fastest chartered chapter in the fraternity’s history under his leadership. The chapter has grown to be one of the strongest at Clemson.
If you’re going to try and attack the man’s character and abilities at least pick a topic where he hasn’t had great success…
By Caleb April 7, 2009 at 10:49 am
Ha! – I am sorry I can’t refer to you by your name, since you are too coward to share that with those who read your post. I think it is sad that a person is too weak to stand behind their own words that they will not even put their own name by them when they are committing a personal attack.
I for one know Justin Evans extremely well, being that I was one of those people who help start that fraternity that you mentioned of and Justin Evans is one of my close friends. We all worked very hard to make that one of the best fraternities on campus in a relatively short amount of time. If we didn’t give you a bid, oh well.
Instead of the personal attack, why don’t you tell us what you have heard or read that he has done that is false/incorrect or that you don’t agree with and let us know why.
By Ha! April 7, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Wow, defensiveness on having to start your own fraternity! Everyone who’s ever been greek knows that when a group of nerds get together to charter their own fraternity, they are losers. Plain and simple.
As far as Justin Evans goes, he’s a lauging stock in Columbia. Thinks he knows a little too much and is obviously very immature with poor judgment. He needs to grow up a little and stop his crazy rants. There are more mature ways to get your message across.
By Rod Tidwell April 8, 2009 at 8:06 am
Sic, I am wondering why you chose to give credibility to these two goons with your post?
A. why elevate the status of Wolfe Report, a stooge blog written by a goon who seems obsessed with low level wonks and ethics fillings?
B. why post about a wonk, who no one, but pro status quo blog seems to care about?