S.C. Sen. Larry Grooms (R-Berkeley) is slamming the “education plan” released by GOP gubernatorial nominee Nikki Haley as “a dressed up version of the Status Quo” and “not the true reforms that are needed.”
“Simply not acceptable,” Grooms said of Haley’s proposals.
In a series of campaign stops around the Palmetto state, Haley surprised many political observers by saying that universal school choice legislation – which she has supported (and even sponsored) during her career in the S.C. General Assembly – was no longer “a priority” for her and that she would not focus on it as governor.
Instead, Haley basically regurgitated a funding reform plan that was proposed eight years ago by S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford.
Here is Grooms’ statement in its entirety:
I have read Nikki Haley’s newly released education paper and have one question, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU ???
All our GOP candidates expressed support for educational choice reforms. In fact, in a televised debate not too long ago, I stood next to Nikki as she pledged her support for School Choice.
A dressed up version of the Status Quo is simply not acceptable.
Absolutely, all Nikki’s proposals are good, but they are not the true reforms that are needed or what was promised.
Thomas Jefferson defines Liberty as having choices. It is high time that the blessings of Educational Liberty are made available to struggling South Carolina families.
Now is the time for change. Now is the time for Liberty. Now is the time for Educational Choice.
Grooms, who dropped out of the GOP governor’s race in January, is one of a handful of fiscal conservatives in the S.C. Senate and (obviously) one of the state’s strongest school choice supporters.
He’s also one of many “movement” conservatives who are quickly becoming disillusioned with Haley’s general election antics.
After capturing the GOP nomination as the “reform” candidate, Haley has spent the last two months sprinting to the “center” of the S.C. political spectrum. In addition to her surprising retreat on parental choice, last week she proposed raising the state’s grocery tax while abandoning her quest for small business tax relief in exchange for a much smaller corporate tax cut – despite the fact that small businesses create 95 percent of South Carolina’s jobs.
Will other fiscal conservatives join Grooms in protesting the new direction of the Haley campaign?
We’ll have to see …
Obviously, if his comments become a cacophony then Haley could be in real trouble with the “movement” she claims to be leading …
By Mike Honcho August 19, 2010 at 10:33 pm
Grooms is a fiscal conservative? Talk about paying lip service to the cause. Maybe if we had some more of those recorded votes, you could see the farce of that statement.
Let us know when someone relevant comments.
By Balsac the Hungdudian August 20, 2010 at 12:33 am
Honcho, don’t you know it’s rude to talk when you have Nikki’s mouth full? Let me guess, your definition of a fiscal conservative is those who say and do what Nikki says and when she does them.
Nobody could do me like she does you, I’m betting. You R such a hot rocketman with all your facts.
Get a microscope, it will help you find the facts, and yourself too.
I knew this girl named Nikki, you could say she was a?
By WorkingTommyC August 20, 2010 at 9:51 am
No.1 we get on-the-record voting whatever it takes.
After that, the forces that be will be pushing through the legislation needed for school choice as well as many other issues that will be inflicting great political pain on the crooks in the Statehouse who will thereafter actually have to fight to keep their seats.
Grooms, as usual, is placing the cart before the horse and diverting attention from his own hidden voting record and his stabbing his supporters in the back on that very issue.
I have yet to be convinced that Grooms was a serious gubernatorial candidate to begin with. He seemed to be yet another kamikaze candidate in SC politics. He was aimed by the establishment at Nikki Haley but he couldn’t even keep his campaign going long enough to do any real damage. He took his supporters for all they were worth and then ditched them. I wouldn’t be too sure that he has a lot of friends in this state right now.
By Seymour Glass August 20, 2010 at 10:19 am
Do you two simpletons (Honcho, Tommy C) actually think that “more on the record voting” is the answer to all SC’s ailments? It’s no wonder you are Haley supporters.
First off, the fact that school choice has repeatedly failed isn’t about roll call voting. It’s simply a matter of the “haves”, if you will, opposing any measure that will take dollars away from their district. Make all the votes on the record, and members from Spartanburg, Greenville, Charleston, York, and Horry are still going to vote in favor of their districts, who don’t need school choice.
And Tommy C, when Grooms announced his candidacy, Nikki wasn’t even a blip on the radar, so your argument holds no water… shocking, I know.
By Fred August 20, 2010 at 10:21 am
Hey, I like Nicki’s TEA TAX. The increase in the grocery tax (TEA TAX) will help stabilize State revenues and get the State back in the black!
Fred
By Florida Watching August 20, 2010 at 11:46 am
I like Nikki’s food tax. Less fatso fatties going to the Emergency Room.
By WorkingTommyC August 20, 2010 at 11:46 am
Seymour:
Despite your simplistic revisionism, the establishment knew she was going to run well before her official announcement. There may have been some simpletons who did not realize that but the Quinn machine was fully in tune with the fact.
And no, on-the-record voting is not the solution in and of itself as you simplistically stuff your straw man argument with. It is simply a tool that interested people can use to make things happen. Right now, We, the People are at a severe disadvantage when the essentially one-party, big government, establishment politicians in the Statehouse pass anything they want with few consequences on the record.
By Florida Watching August 20, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Grooms – Nikki likes to get spanked. Get some fishnets on her and go to town. She will go school choice real fast.
I promise.
By upstate tea party August 20, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Our movement cannot and will not support candidates who cannot support freedom and less government. School choice is the ultimate education reform…Nikki you said that to all who would listen and we responded…who are you listening to now and why this pablum on education reform? Thank God for Larry Grooms who is a real Tea Party conservative soldier…we need more like him. If Nikki cant lead now, what the hell can we expect after she is sitting in the Governors mansion entertaining all of these establishment, big government new found friends? No school choice freedom agenda…no vote from the Tea Party Movement…period. And lets not evening begin to talk about the tea tax on food…increasing a sales tax…this aint what we fought for.
By sick of your sikh denial August 20, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Haley does not have a clue. I think she has political attention deficit disorder. Nikki, you are over your head, and you know it. For those of you who like or dislike Haley, google nikki haley black sheep and read the article in the charleston paper. It packs a punch. As Nikki said, go tell 10 people and tell those 10 to tell 10 more. Words of wisdom from Trikki Nikki herself.
By Blake August 20, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Thank goodness for Larry Grooms. As a conservative, I was surprised at the lack of depth and the lack of leadership demonstrated in Nikki’s education plan. It ignored obvious issues that people like me care about. Yes, I care about transparency and votes on the record. But I also deeply care about lower taxes and private school choice.
I’m glad that Larry is leading on this. I can hardly wait until my nominee for governor follows suit.
By CaptMiller August 20, 2010 at 5:11 pm
I have to agree with Sen. Grooms on this one. Simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic won’t cut it anymore than shuffling the different sources of funding around at the SC DOE- you still haven’t fundamentally reformed anything.
Choice is an integral part of real education reform and to leave it out of her plan, especially given her prior support, just doesn’t make any sense to me.
One thing you can be sure of: no matter what position she takes Sheheen and the Educrats will defend to the last a system that is failing ten’s of thousands despite the best efforts of many dedicated teachers.
By Fed up conservative August 20, 2010 at 5:29 pm
what is it about reform candidates that run on true conservatism that they cower when they run in a general election?? the only thing NIkki can do wrong to lose to lib sheheen is run to the middle!! especially on SCHOOL CHOICE–only the educrats think they really “need more money!” all of her “reforms” are just warmed over establishment stuff–sorely disappointed that Nikki has given up on school choice–it is the only thing that will fix our messed up and greedy education establishment!!
By former teacher August 20, 2010 at 5:47 pm
As a former public school teacher (11 years), I can tell you many of the kids I taught would have benefited from school choice. As a Haley supporter, I am surprised choice is not a part of her plan given her stand on reform across a broad range of issues. Nikki, please stand for school choice. You know it works.
By Florida Watching August 20, 2010 at 10:14 pm
Nikki – You gotta say you were kidding about the food tax, school choice, etc. We know you like action, but the rule is……you screw em AFTER the election,
By Fred August 20, 2010 at 10:34 pm
Nicki’s TEA Tax will help schools. It will bring in State money that can be funneled to schools and roads.
Our school and roads are suffering and need help.
Only Nicki Haley has the foresight and wisdom to understand which taxes are good for us and which need to be eliminated.
By Mike Honcho August 21, 2010 at 12:29 am
Seymour –
On the record voting is a tool – not in the way that you are – in knowing what actually happens in Columbia. Besides, it is a fairly insignificant tool when people like Vincent Sheheen go walkabout whenever the tough recorded votes come up.
You can deflect and make up all the arguments you want, none of them are going to make Larry Grooms a fiscal conservative.
By Armymule August 21, 2010 at 3:42 am
Wasn’t the creator of this site supposed to provide proof of his affair with little Nikki? Where are all the authenticated documents that we were promised by the creator of this site? We obviously were told a lie by the creator of this site. Unlike so many others, I have not forgotten.
By hollie August 21, 2010 at 9:56 am
This entire state NEEDS school choice. Even York County which everyone seems to think is knocking test scores out of the park. Really, is being at the top of the bottom of the pile all that great? I am not sure why everyone is so entrenched in the status quo.
It is my sincere hope that Nikki will embrace school choice. I chose to support her during the primary because she told me personally she supported school choice during a debate in Rock Hill. NOTHING is more important than the education of our children. They will need a good education to get a good job to pay off all this debt our country has created. P
By mike wallace August 21, 2010 at 11:30 am
I too am disappointed that Nikki Haley did not include school choice in her education plan. She has been in favor of school choice in the past. What happened Nikki? Don’t abandon us now that you are playing with the big boys. if you become governor we need you to be a spoke person for choice and responsible education in SC. Choice is so desperately needed in SC and this is the answer for our struggling education system.
By BIN News Editorial Staff August 22, 2010 at 10:13 pm
Now is the time for voucher clowns to face the fact that vouchers are dead in S.C.
A Midlands’ elected official has said so.
And, Nikki knows it.
Humpty Howie had a great fall, and all Howie’s voucher pimps and voucher clowns can’t put the voucher scam together again.
By Linda August 25, 2010 at 6:06 pm
Once I tried to cut Larry’s hair but he admitted that he does it himself.
George Clooney also cut his own hair until he became a movie star.
Larry, please spend the $11 and get your hair done right.
I still love ‘ya, honey.
– Linda.
By FunkyChicken August 27, 2010 at 10:12 am
Sorry guys. Vouchers are dead in SC. The taxpayers of this state do not want their taxes doubled to send some candy ass kid to a private school. Larry Grooms is not the brightest bulb in the box either.