NOT EVEN MARK SANFORD BITCHED THIS MUCH …
Ever since her national ambitions were emphatically rebuked by the GOP electorate, South Carolina governor Nikki Haley has been bouncing from one fit of pique to the next.
For those of you educated in one of the Palmetto State’s government-run schools, that’s another way of saying she’s been prone to irrational outbursts of anger (see here and here).
Haley is on the attack again this week, lambasting the leadership of the S.C. House of Representatives for deciding to amend an infrastructure bill the chamber received earlier this year from the State Senate.
House leaders do not believe the Senate bill “promotes a long-term funding plan for our state’s deteriorating roads and bridges,” according to one source. These House leaders say they approve of the structural reforms contained in the Senate bill – which would give Haley and future governors more authority over transportation projects – but they claim there is genuine disagreement over the dollars and cents tied to those reforms.
It is not our intention to revisit the debate over infrastructure funding in this column. We’ve made our points abundantly clear on that front. Also, we’ve been emphatically consistent in exposing the corruption of the S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT), an agency which has seen its base budget double over the last six years with absolutely nothing to show for it.
Also, our points already prevailed. State Senators rejected a gas tax increase – and rejected attempts by liberal legislative leaders to further politicize funding decisions.
Our point in raising this issue? Haley’s antics.
The governor is becoming the proverbial “one-trick pony” in her interactions at the S.C. State House. Instead of offering substantive ideas to improve legislation, she simply attacks members for not doing what she wants (which isn’t always clear).
It’s similar to former governor Mark Sanford‘s approach – although Sanford at least had some intellectual depth accompanying his shrillness (not to mention handy dandy charts and graphs).
Haley’s objective is no secret: She wants to claim a quick political victory as she enters into the lame duck section of her term.
Stand in her way and she’ll rip you to shreds on her Facebook page …
A few weeks ago, Haley attacked S.C. Rep. Kirkman Finlay for having the audacity to question why one of her cabinet agencies was being run so poorly (repeating attacks she previously leveled against S.C. Senator Katrina Shealy). Last week she bashed lieutenant governor Henry McMaster for refusing to follow her advice and break Senate rules on an ethics bill.
“This is how the governor operates,” one State House observer told us. “She is light on policy credentials – as are those around her – so every question, no matter how legitimate it may be, is portrayed as a personal attack on her.”
Ah, the perpetual victim card …
“We need our public servants to be just that – servants of the people – not worrying about their poll numbers, their national prospects, or their next job,” the observer added. “Haley has done very little to move our state forward, she is more cheerleader and media hog than visionary. So governor, let’s stop with the attacks and get down to debating some real ideas before your eight years are up.”
Wow …
Haley’s spat with the House comes as her legislative aides have reportedly been getting quite close to some ranking members. In fact we’ve received reports of one top Haley staffer partying “on the regular” with a prominent House committee chairman at a local bar called Tin Roof.
Will these late night exertions restore the once-friendly relationship between the governor and her former colleagues (who have previously seen fit to whitewash her ethical lapses)?
We shall see …