For a bald, unattractive dude, S.C. Rep. Rex Rice has two incredibly hot daughters … which we attribute to the fact that he married a mom we’d very much like to Fahrvergnuegen (that’s her in the red).
Yeah …
Anyway, Rice is running for the U.S. Congressional seat that’s being vacated by taxpayer turncoat Gresham Barrett, who is looking to take his record of “bailing” on the free market to the S.C. Governor’s Mansion … which would make this race yet another example of big government politicians trying to play RINO musical chairs.
Rice, who is best known for leading the fight to pass a cigarette tax increase in South Carolina, is without question a RINO.
Until this year (when he started to case votes with an eye on the 2010 Congressional race), Rice was one of the most liberal Republicans in the S.C. House of Representatives – not to mention a member of the money-wasting Ways & Means Committee that helped push through not one, but two of the most massive expansions of government in South Carolina history.
Columbia jokers like Rex Rice have grown government by obscene levels over the last decade, leaving the taxpayers of this state to pay the price for their incompetence (in more ways than one).
But it’s the cigarette tax debate that has showcased Rice’s ideological bankruptcy.
In over a dozen years in the S.C. General Assembly, Rice has never led the fight to reform our state’s fragmented health care delivery system … nor has he ever push for fraud prevention and eligibility reform of Medicaid. Medical homes? Yeah right …
All of that would be too hard, you see …
Rice just wants to dump more money into the same failed system, apparently oblivious to the fact that four years from now all that money will be gone as the unsustainable growth of these programs will eclipse any new revenues brought in by a cigarette tax.
When you stop and think about it, isn’t that how Democrats approach issues?
We bring this up now because Rex was endorsed last week by S.C. Rep. Michael Thompson, a guy who we once saw as a rising star in the fiscal conservative movement. Always seemingly on the verge of taking a stand against this state’s RINO establishment, Thompson’s endorsement of Rex is proof positive that he never will.
That’s too bad … if Thompson lacks the stones to mount a Congressional bid, the least he could have done was show some stones with his endorsement. Guess what we’ve heard about him is true …
Oh well, in case you missed this story you can read the press release from the event over on Palmetto Scoop, the “news” website that’s bought-and-paid-for by Rice’s campaign consultants. Literally bursting at the seams with trial lawyer special interest money, they’ve been shamelessly promoting Rex as a fiscal conservative for months now …
Of course as disappointed as we are in Thompson, there really isn’t a good option in this race at the moment. We certainly like S.C. Rep. Jeff Duncan better than Rice, but he’s been known to cut and run on the taxpayers from time-to-time himself.
It’s too bad, really.
South Carolina is supposed to be the most “Republican” state in the nation, but we keep cycling RINOs through these offices …
When will it stop?
By Barney Fife August 18, 2009 at 11:10 am
Michael Thompson was never a conservative. He is/was an opportunist. He is a two faced fence sitter. He would say one thing to one person, and tell a totally different story to the next person.
He didn’t run for Congress, because he knew it would cost him a lot of money and he would lose.
With that being said, Rex is the front-runner. Jeff Duncan is probably second. The others are just taking up our time at meetings. Blah, Blah, Blah. If Duncan can raise the money, he will beat Rice. I have my doubts, though. The money just ain’t there in this economy.
Rex has his own money. He will spend it to win.
By COURTNEY August 18, 2009 at 11:30 am
Weren’t there three daughters in the pic?
By Craig August 18, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Of course there is libertarian Dr. Mike Vasovski in the race.
By Karla M. McGowan August 18, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Nope, It’s the Hot Mama and her Peeps.
By Mr. Ed August 18, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I am a fiscal conservative without a party. But I must say the idea of passing a cigarette tax in SC isn’t a bad idea. Taxing cancer sticks at rates similar to other states is a lesser evil than overspending on the numerous projects that are nothing but smelly rat holes.
That being said, none of the jokers mentioned in the above article are fiscally conservative.
By weseetwo August 18, 2009 at 1:35 pm
There is only two daughters. The girl on the right wing is Jenna Quick from Cheraw.
By Matt August 18, 2009 at 2:06 pm
I’m sure that other GOP consulting clique will tell you that Shane Massey is also in this race…not sure if he has even been in office long enough to know what his fiscal conservative stripes are…would be nice though if he did the job he was elected for instead of jumping to another one.
By Laura Campbell August 18, 2009 at 2:07 pm
The recycling will stop, just as surely as Chesterfield County will get its political arena cleaned up. In other words, “never in a million years”.
Too many people like it like this because it serves them well.
By Toyota Kawaski August 18, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Matt mabey if you did your homework you would see Massey has done a fine job.Aiken county likes massey much better than the Sen. from Sullivans Island.
By lou August 18, 2009 at 6:44 pm
*yawn*
next………
By Just the Facts Ma'am August 18, 2009 at 7:22 pm
I’m sorry to be disagree with the esteemed FITS gang, but to call Rex Rice a liberal anything is just nuts. Rex is an honest man who speaks his mind and doesn’t toe the party line — even going directly against the Speaker (and being punished for it). Just because he has a different opinion when it comes to the cigarette tax does not make him a liberal. He says what he means and doesn’t play games. Seems to me that he’s what most folks would like to have in a representative.
By Just the Facts Ma'am August 18, 2009 at 7:23 pm
I know, it should be tow…not toe. I had a typing cramp….
By Kid Charlemagne August 19, 2009 at 10:09 am
Why no mention of the millions paid in taxes in SC by non-smokers to subsidize the smoking related illnesses of those that do? Seems as though a fiscal conservative should believe that people who choose to smoke should pay their own way.
By 2nd District Junkie August 19, 2009 at 3:10 pm
I don’t think Rex is a liberal, but his fiscal conservative record leaves much to be desired. For years he voted against the governor on pork barrel veto after pork barrel veto. Also, didn’t he push for a gas tax increase?
I don’t think that’s what we need in Washington. Another “Republican” who claims to be conservative on $$ but then is first in line to serve out the pork.
By Bee August 19, 2009 at 7:52 pm
We need a BIG, FAT cigarette tax, NOW…Somebody’s gotta pay for all the lung cancers (office visits, imaging, chemo, surgery) of the Medicaid folks. This is not a liberal/conservative issue. This is reality, folks.
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