faithinthesound

FITSNews For Now

2006-12-22T17:18:00.000-05:00

A temporary home for FITS is up ... for all y'all who couldn't stand the long, hard winter without us. (That means YOU, Mitt Romney!)

COMING IN 2007 - FITSNEWS.COM

2006-12-02T00:44:00.000-05:00

Peace Out, Ya'll

2006-11-27T15:07:00.000-05:00

FITS has been a lot of fun, and we guarantee you FITSNews (which we'll get to one of these days) will be a lot funnerer, but for now it's time to move it on down the road from this little corner of the blogosphere.

Thanks to everybody who took the time to read and react.

We hope ya'll had fun!

Heard in the Echo Chamber - Romney's Footwear, Etc.

2006-11-26T22:54:00.000-05:00

The Boston Globe had an interesting column this morning on the "evolution" of Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's so-called social conservatism.

If you want the nickel tour, the column explores how the governor from central casting supported both abortion and gay marriage so he could get elected in liberal Massachusetts, but now opposes both practices because he wants to win the more conservatively-oriented South Carolina Republican Presidential Primary.

The Globe columnist actually took it fairly easy on Romney.

Shockingly, we would have been a bit more aggressive in our language.

We don't care that Romney is for or against abortion. Nor do we particularly care whether he's for or against gay marriage.

We happen to oppose both, but minus some extraordinary circumstances we have a hard time getting excited about government involving itself one way or the other, especially on the gay marriage issue (with the exception of Heather S., we're all lesbians here).

What we do care about is yet another politician saying or doing anything to get elected, holding the voters in such low esteem that he or she would rather lie than trust their ability to handle the truth.

Sadly, we wrote recently that the number one reason Karen Floyd lost the State Superintendent's race was that she had previously lost her ability to "look 'em in the eye" after flip-flopping on the school choice issue.

We call it 'Electoraphobia' - the fear of speaking plainly on hot-button issues. Its symptons include contortions where there were once strong convictions and evasions where there were once earnestly-held beliefs. Unless treated preventatively, there is no cure.

MORE DUMBASS STUFF FROM KATON DAWSON

It would be nice to have a Republican Party Chairman who spoke of having a "high-minded debate of the issues" or an "honest, spirited exhange of ideas" in the upcoming 2008 Presidential Primary.

Of course it would also be nice to have a Party Chairman who kept his word, whether on his term limit pledge or his promise to stay neutral in GOP primaries.

Alas, we have auto parts salesman Katon Dawson, who in addition to violating his pledge on both those counts is now suggesting the title "Slugfest 2" for the pending Presidential Primary (see this morning's column by Lee Bandy).

Apparently thinking that Presidential politics should remain on par with a Playstation video game, Dawson added that 2008 campaign would be "blood sport" in South Carolina.

Nice.

Dawson's affinity for the English language we knew we could count on during the 2008 cycle, but what about the tattered remains of his "pledge of primary neutrality?"

Stay tuned ...

SIC WILLIE REPLACES SPURRIER ON MIAMI SHORT LIST

We wrote extensively last week on the University of Miami's not-so-super-secret courtship of South Carolina head football coach Steve Spurrier. We're still not 100% convinced that Spurrier is 100% committed to staying in Columbia, but we're certainly feeling a lot better about it today than we were this time last week.

Funny how finally beating Moo U. does that to us ...

We have learned, however, that Sic Willie himself has now made Miami's short list thanks to this season's superb performance from his No Corn No Nuts fantasy football squad.

Folks' Nuts are 8-4 this season, following a disastrous 1-12 record last season.

"I don't know any other way to describe it save for pure brilliance," said Miami President Donna Shalala. "He picked up LT in the offseason, signed Tony Romo as a free agent, knew when to cut the Giants' defense and special teams and most impressively, he's done it all without leaving his couch. If he's having this kind of success in the pros, imagine what he could do at the college level."

Sic Willie could not be reached for comment on the Miami opening, but a spokesman for his Nuts said he had no intention of parting with them.

Finally

2006-11-25T17:28:00.000-05:00

The last time South Carolina beat Clemson, Jim Hodges was governor, there was no war in Iraq and Steve Spurrier was still coaching at Florida.

Five years of futility finally ended this afternoon at Death Valley, where Spurrier's Gamecocks scored the final 17 points of the game against their archrival to escape with a 31-28 victory.

Much to our surprise, South Carolina was clearly the better football team today - gaining nearly 500 yards in total offense while holding Clemson's potent offensive machine to a single second-half score.

But even these impressive, gut-check performances on both sides of the ball almost weren't enough, as the bad breaks and inopportune bounces that have plagued USC all year looked ready to do the Gamecocks in yet again.

Tennessee. Arkansas. Florida. Take away a bad tip in each of those games and Carolina is 10-2 right now - not 7-5.

But finally, something went right for USC.

Most college football fans have butterflies in their stomachs during the final few minutes of a close football game. Not us. As lifelong Gamecock fans, we know it's usually only a question of how South Carolina ends up snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, not if.

In a season where every key break went the other team's way, South Carolina finally relocated its "Mojo" Saturday when Jad Dean's 39-yard field goal attempt sailed "Wide Left." Less than an hour earlier, trailing by two touchdowns, Carolina got another huge break when a generous official's spotting of the football gave Spurrier's offense a first down on a crucial fourth down conversion attempt.

Did the Gamecocks actually make it past the marker on that play?

We'll just say they got a Nell Carter-sized break.

The most encouraging thing about today's big win, however, didn't take place on the field. It took place during Spurrier's post-game interviews. The Ol' Ballcoach talked about the future of the program, and of his being a part of it, which is what you want to hear out of a coach who has been linked to one of the most attractive job openings in all of college football at Miami.

For today, though, we're just thankful that the Clemson skid is snapped and Carolina caught a break ... finally.

FITS Thanksgiving Day Rewind - Sanford Refuses to Pardon Turkeys

2006-11-23T13:34:00.000-05:00

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on our website on November 22, 2005. We are republishing it today for those of you who missed it. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

It was supposed to be the launch of a new South Carolina Thanksgiving tradition. It ended up being the latest in a string of recent public relations debacles for South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford.

FITS has learned that new Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer, presumably in an effort to stop the recent bleeding his boss has suffered in the press, organized a South Carolina version of the President's annual pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkey.

The plan was simple - bring two birds into the governor's office, write up a witty press release and Thanksgiving Day proclamation, then have His Excellency the Governor "pardon" one of the animals and ship it off to a life of leisure at a local petting zoo.

"Great politics," said Francis Marion political scientist Neal Thigpen. "Or at least it should have been."

As it happened, everything was going along smoothly until it was time for Sanford to actually pardon the bird. Turns out, the governor - in addition to having his legendary frugality offended by giving something away for free - suddenly became more than just a tad peckish (that means "hungry" for those of you who received your public education here in South Carolina).

"I can't do this," Sanford abruptly announced to the assembled press corps. "The taxpayers' aren't going to see a dime of that petting zoo revenue and besides, I haven't eaten lunch yet."

Crumpling the Executive Order pardoning the turkey and summarily dispatching it to the waste bin of good media ideas, the governor then proceeded to have both turkeys returned to their cages, ordering them shipped to the Governor's Mansion for "preparation."

"Now we got turkey sandwiches for lunch AND Thanksgiving dinner," Sanford said. "Ya'll come on over and dig in - but it's BYOC, remember."

Sawyer, left speechless at Sanford's latest self-inflicted public relations reverse, was momentarily unable to clarify the governor's BYOC reference, which FITS later discovered means "Bring Your Own Condiments."

"Governor Sanford is becoming more and more out of touch with the people of South Carolina," said State Sen. Joel Lourie. "This makes you wonder what he really did with those cute little piglets Pork and Barrel."

"The governor fully supports the concept of pardoning turkeys for Thanksgiving," Sawyer said. "Unfortunately, since the legislature failed to incorporate a revenue-sharing plan allowing the state to receive a percentage of this turkey's petting zoo proceeds, the governor was left with no choice but to eat him."

Why Karen Lost

2006-11-21T16:27:00.001-05:00

Tim Kelly may be thanking God over on the LaurinLine, and it's clear the Socialistas at The State are barely able to contain their "unbiased" excitement, but Karen Floyd's concession today to Jim Rex in the Superintendent of Education race has got us feeling more than a little bit blue here at FITS.

Sure, we wrote a concise, Why England Slept-themed title for our blog (and make no mistake - these are certainly observations that somebody needs to put out there for public consumption), but for some reason our hearts just aren't in it today like they should be.

Maybe it's the gloomy skies or the sub-freezing rain outside, but for whatever reason right now we'd much rather be running a bubble-bath, lighting some candles, grabbing a glass of Shiraz, putting the Garden State soundtrack on our portable CD player and escaping with the latest edition of Us Magazine.

Seriously, somebody build us a Bridge Over Troubled Waters ...

But lamentably, this is show business, not show friends, and the show must go on. Accordingly, here are (in order of importance) the reasons Karen Floyd lost the State Superintendent's race:

1. Vacillation on the School Choice Issue

If you went to a South Carolina public school, take your time with that first word - look closely, we know it's big, but just sound it out ... Ready? Okay, what that big "V" word means is that Karen was never quite sure where she stood on the school choice issue during this campaign, or at least she gave the impression that she wasn't quite sure where she stood. Voters can forgive a lot of things - even things that they vehemently disagree with - but something they usually won't look past is someone who evades direct questions and appears to be hiding something.

If you've never seen Oliver Stone's Nixon, there's a great scene that runs during the opening credits that shows the future Watergate burglers are sitting around a table smoking cigars and watching a sales training video. "Don't forget to look 'em in the eye," a fictitious manager in the film tells a struggling salesman. "Nothing sells like sincerity."

It's true. Unfortunately, Karen gave up the ability to "look 'em in the eye" when she backpedaled on school choice immediately after securing the GOP nomination. The sad thing here is that no matter what she did in the general election, the media (see reason #4) was going to make the race about school choice anyway. But by ducking and running instead of sticking to her guns Floyd missed a truly unique opportunity - not only to educate the public about the positive side of the school choice issue (which they won't get from the papers), but more importantly to avoid the lethal perception, or in this case the reality, of inconsistency.

2. Katon Dawson

Democrat campaign manager Trav Robertson told reporters that he walked into his party's GOTV (Get Out The Vote) headquarters on Election Day and knew immediately that his candidate, Grady Patterson, and the rest of the Democratic ticket was in serious trouble.

Why? There was hardly any organization in place to mobilize people to go to the polls.

Against such a ridiculously understaffed, underfunded and generally underwhelming Democratic opposition, the Republican Party has absolutely no excuse for losing a single statewide race. Let us repeat that - no excuse whatsoever.

Of course, Dawson could have atoned for his lack of adequate grassroots mobilization by having poll watchers stationed at all the controversial precincts to challenge ballots, but he somehow managed to screw that up, too.

In the end, Dawson's voice was among the most aggressive urging Floyd to formally challenge the recount results of the election.

That shouldn't surprise you. It's because his ass is now on the chopping block for failing to fully exploit a complete Democratic collapse.

3. Jon Lerner

Jon was hot property following Mark Sanford's improbable journey from a Sullivans' Island basement to the Governor's Mansion. Now we see how much of that trip was driven by the candidate and how little of it was guided by the consultant.

Let's break this down in the simplest terms - Karen Floyd is attractive. She's tall, she's well put-together, she's got a pretty face, a nice speaking voice and unlike a lot of candidates out there (i.e. Drew Theodore) she doesn't have a problem putting complete sentences together. In fact, she was probably the most intelligent, eloquent Republican candidate on the ballot in 2006.

Karen's strength in this race should have been her television advertisements, particularly given the huge fundraising advantage she enjoyed over Jim Rex.

When Floyd's TV advertisements during the primary were less-than-impressive, we naturally assumed it was a fluke. Then came the general election ads, which to our utter amazement were even worse.

Lerner's TV for Floyd was by far the biggest disappointment of the advertising wars this year, if not this decade.

4. The Liberal Media

Okay, before you left-leaners start accusing us of right-wing ranting, notice that the top three reasons for Floyd's loss were all Republican in their orientation ... and just wait till you read #5.

And no, we don't think a liberal bias is the South Carolina press corps' default setting - it just was in this race.

Based on the coverage in La Socialista, for example, it's not implausible that Mark Lett, Steve Brook and Bill Robinson just got together one day at lunch and decided that since Jim Rex didn't have the money to get his message out, The State would pick up the slack for him.

Seriously, Rex could have walked into an elementary classroom, pulled out an AK-47 and shot everybody in sight and The State's headline the next day would have read "Floyd's Voucher Plan Criticized By Educators."

Now usual suspects Brad Warthen and Cindi Scoppe are editorial writers, which means they can say pretty much whatever they want, but Lett, Brook and Robinson are in the newsroom, which means they are supposed to adhere to a journalistic code. They didn't come close ... and not just to being impartial. They didn't come close to giving the appearance that they were even trying to be impartial.

Seriously guys, does the Devil let you keep the change when you take him his cigarettes?

5. The SCRG/ Josh Gross Ad

As much as The State newspaper completely deserved to have a negative ad run against it for its biased coverage, the actually writing, producing and airing such an ad was one of the dumbest moves we've seen in a long time.

We don't know how much the ad cost to produce (after watching it, hopefully not much), but whatever cash, time and energy was spent on this poorly-written, completely pointless, kneejerk exercise in frustration, it served absolutely zero purpose.

Think about it - What might have happened if those resources had gone to helping Karen Floyd push it across the finish line - or at the very least educating the public about the benefits of school choice? Come to think of it, where would the school choice issue (and Karen's candidacy) be right now if educating the public was actually where SCRG had been pouring its millions from day one here in South Carolina?

This stuff isn't brain surgery: One out of three S.C. schools is failing or below average. One out of every two South Carolina school kids doesn't graduate.

We'll put it in capital letters: IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE, YOU'RE LOSING.

Oh well ... the water's running, time to forget about all of this for awhile and relax.

Tompkins' Opening "Shot"

2006-11-21T10:49:00.000-05:00

Write this date down - November 20, 2006.

That's the day Mitt Romney's newly-minted S.C. consulting team of Tompkins, Thompson and Sullivan started lobbing Campaign 2008's first grenades at U.S. Sen. John McCain.

Appropriately enough, "The Shot," a blog run by Tompkins' flunkie Mike Rentiers (formerly a Joe Wilson staffer and RINO campaign manager) published this post yesterday attacking McCain for a comment he made to ABC's George Stephanopolous on the subject of homosexuality.

We all knew this garbage was coming. Like the tides, the swallows returning to Capistrano or South Carolina choking in close football games, it might as well have been chiseled in stone long ago or told to Keanu Reeves' girlfriend in one of those Matrix movies.

After all, "attack sleaze" is the only thing Warren Tompkins and his stable of minimally adequate consultants (Heath Thompson, Terry Sullivan, Rentiers, Wes Donohue, Jason Puhlaski, etc.) are capable of producing. Oh, and the sleaze has to be targeted to a dwindling segment of the electorate that votes exclusively on social conservative issues, because if you're talking about anything else, these guys are as worthless as tits on a bull.

Of course, if the basis of your campaign is calling your opponent a fag-lovin', baby-killin', Jesus-hatin' liberal, then Tompkins is your man.

True, the "Tompkins Method" worked on McCain in 2000 when Panderer-in-Chief George W. Bush was running hard right to social conservatives, but three key factors make it highly unlikely that the "Method" will have the same effect this go-round.

FACTOR ONE - McCAIN IS NOW THE FRONTRUNNER

In 2000, the "Straight Talk Express" was the "Little Engine that Couldn't" in South Carolina, an insurgent campaign taking on the anointed frontrunner George W., a candidate who had huge advantages in cash and in-state institutional support. Today, McCain is the candidate with the most money and the biggest in-state GOP network - including many former Bush supporters. In the immortal words of Rick James, "the tables have turned!"

FACTOR TWO - ROMNEY'S SOCIAL CONSERVATIVE FLIP-FLOPS

Tompkins and his slime factory can light McCain up all campaign long on hot-button social issues like homosexuality and abortion, but the fact is their candidate has a history of flip-flopping on these very issues. That's poison not only to the same GOP fire and brimstoners they're courting, but also to moderates who don't appreciate hypocrisy. To put it another way, there's really only one candidate in this race who should fear getting busted open like a pinata in the eyes of social conservatives, and it's Mitt Romney.

FACTOR THREE - TOMPKINS' DECLINING EFFECTIVENESS

We wrote a controversial blog called "The Impending Fall of J. Warren Tompkins" back in April prior to the primary elections, essentially making the argument that his predictible bullying tactics in support of exclusively social conservative issues were all used up on the South Carolina electorate. Tompkins then proved us right two months later when both of his well-funded statewide candidates failed to make it out of the GOP primary. One of them, State Sen. Greg Ryberg, spent $2 million on his campaign - a good chunk of it on anti-gambling commercials and mailings that targeted the GOP's social conservative base. Of course the fact that Ryberg, like Romney, had a bit of a consistency problem on the very social conservative issues he was advancing ultimately came back and bit him in the ass. Hard.

Seriously, Warren. Can you at least try something new? Just for a minute? Just the tip? Just to see how it feels?

Being so consistently and unambiguously right about you and your moron factory's burgeoning incompetence is getting boring.

O.J. Show Cancelled, Viers Show On Hold

2006-11-21T09:53:00.000-05:00

FOX has cancelled the TV/Book special "If I Did It" in which O.J. Simpson was to describe how he "would" have committed the infamous double murder of his wife, Nicole Simpson, and Ron Goldman.

Considered the greatest legal travesty in American history (until Rep. Thad Viers was granted pre-trial intervention yesterday), O.J.'s aquittal in 1995 continues to spark torrents of emotion among people who watch television during the daytime.

The cancellation of O.J.'s show prompted Viers to reconsider his own "If I Did It" episode, in which he details how he "would" have left numerous allegedly threatening messages on Columbia resident Jon Ziegler's cell phone voicemail - including reported references to sodomizing Ziegler's father.

Like O.J. before him, Viers' plight continues to spark torrents of emotion among people who live in mobile homes in Horry County ... and watch television during the daytime.

What Next?

2006-11-21T02:17:00.000-05:00

After today's anticipated concession in Spartanburg, life begins again for Karen Floyd.

More than a few readers have commented on the fact that we have yet to follow through on our promised post-election "K-Flo" blog, which is true.

We'll be doing so, but there are a lot of mixed emotions on this one.

On the one hand, we're incredibly sad to see Karen lose. Jim Rex, for all his polish and sway, amounts to little more than a continuation of the failed "Tenenbaum Doctrine" of throwing more money and more government programs at our ever-worsening public schools.

On the other hand, Karen disappointed us, too. Sure, the vast majority of the blame for this shocking loss (as we will get into later) rests with bad advisors, misapplied support resources and a totally incompetent Republican Party, but the candidate isn't entirely exempt, either.

For now, though, we hope Karen will use today's concession in the closest statewide race in South Carolina history as a springboard, not a surrender.

Floyd Conceding Superintendent's Race

2006-11-20T21:28:00.000-05:00

Republican Karen Floyd will concede the State Superintendent of Education race to Democrat Jim Rex at a press conference tomorrow in Spartanburg, sources tell FITS.

More on Spurrier

2006-11-20T16:55:00.000-05:00

South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier is indeed on the University of Miami's short list to replace head coach Larry Coker, sources familiar with the school's search efforts told FITS Monday.

Others on the list include Wisconsin's Barry Alvarez, Auburn's Tommy Turbeville, Georgia's Mark Richt, West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez, Rutgers' Greg Schiano, Arkansas' Houston Nutt and NFL Offensive Coordinators Norm Chow (Tennessee Titans), Cam Cameron (San Diego Chargers) and Bob Bratkowski (Cincinnati Bengals).

Just off the A-List are several up and coming college coaches including Boise State's Chris Peterson, TCU's Gary Patterson, Southern Cal Offensive Coordinator Lane Kiffen and Miami Defensive Coordinator Randy Shannon.

FITS has also learned that Miami President Donna Shalala (yes, she's the former Clinton Administration Cabinet member) and Athletic Director Paul Dee have started the process of contacting coaches and schools about the soon-to-be-announced opening, but there is no word on whether or not Spurrier has been contacted about the job.

Spurrier and Dee were fraternity brothers at the University of Florida, incidentally.

CSTV, which broke the Spurrier to Miami rumor late Saturday night, is still sticking by its story that Spurrier is in fact headed to Coral Gables next year.

Spurrier has denied the rumor, but has not definitively outruled it.

Denying such rumors is not uncommon in college football. Southern Cal's Pete Carroll, for example, repeatedly denied that he was taking the Trojans' job after initial reports surfaced only to accept it later.

Some believe Miami is putting up a smokescreen to distract attention from its true choice, something the school has done in the past. Others argue Spurrier is not a good fit for a program that has a history of hiring younger, less established coaches.

FITS' own Will Folks, who broke the story of Lou Holtz's hiring at Carolina back in 1999 for The Gamecock, said the fact CSTV is sticking to its story despite Spurrier's denial should give South Carolina fans at least some cause for concern.

"Some sources are good, some are bad," Folks said. "The one I had for Holtz back in 1999 was as good as they come and for whatever reason, happened to be a real fan of the student newspaper. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time."

In addition to posting an uncharacteristic 5-6 record thusfar this season, Miami's season has been marred by several on-field brawls, including one against Florida International in October that received nationwide attention and resulted in the suspension of several players.

Miami has long been regarded as one of the dirtiest programs in the nation, earning the nickname "Thug U."

In his six years at Miami, Larry Coker has a record of 58-15 including a national championship in 2001.

Stay tuned to FITS for the latest on the Steve Spurrier situation ...

Romney's Backyard Problem

2006-11-20T11:04:00.000-05:00

Earl Capps has an excellent blog post this morning hightlighting the not-so-great relationship between Gov. Mitt Romney and the Massachusetts GOP.

Apparently, after Romney won election four years ago he immediately started positioning himself for a Presidential run and basically let Bay State Republicans go hang themselves.

Sadly, that sounds entirely consistent with everything we've heard and seen thusfar from this central casting Presidential clown.

If we were producing a made-for-TV movie about a group of evil terrorists and wanted to include one of those scenes where the President is sitting at the end of a long table with a bunch of military people and says something like "You tell those bastards that America does not negotiate with terrorists," we might choose Romney.

But he'd get the part only if that was the President's sole line in the movie.

If it was a bigger part, we'd chose a real actor like Harrison Ford or Michael Douglas.

It continues to amaze us that so many South Carolinians are being duped by Romney's transparent candidacy. Of course now that he's hired Warren Tompkins, those roles are likely to be reversed.

Spurrier Not Taking Miami Job?

2006-11-20T00:19:00.000-05:00

CSTV, one of the nation's top college sports websites, reported this weekend that South Carolina head football coach Steve Spurrier is leaving the Gamecocks to become head coach at the University of Miami following the 2006 season.

The website first reported the story here, then stuck by it here despite denials from Spurrier during his Sunday teleconference.

South Carolina media outlets, as evidenced by WIS-TV's piece and this article in The State, are trumpeting the denials, but oddly enough the most convincing direct denial quotes taken from Spurrier's teleconference appeared in this article in The Miami Herald.

We don't know about the rest of you Gamecock fans out there, but we're hoping today brings further clarification from the Ole' Ballcoach that he is not - and will not - be a candidate for the Miami opening and is positively coming back to Columbia next season.

Also, what's with USC's athletic director declining to comment - and doing so through a subordinate? Don't we pay this guy close to $300,000 to deal with precisely this kind of situation?

Seriously, for $300,000 a year Eric Hyman should at least have the balls to decline comment himself.

The 2006 "Bloggie" Awards

2006-11-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

Last year we gave our winners an all-expense paid trip to Upper Conway Lower Aynor and their very own blue ribbon-winning Alpaca. After numerous complaints about the Alpacas, however, we are finally acquiescing. This year's "Bloggie" award recipients will receive "Golden Freds" in honor of our pet squirrel, whose name is actually Genghis.

To the envelopes ...

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Ross Shealy, BBQ & Politics - Ross has given up blogging to focus like a laser beam on the rectum of billionaire school choice advocate Howie Rich. In his prime, however, there was no one funnier than Gervais S. Bridges.

KING AND QUEEN OF THE S.C. BLOGOSPHERE AWARDS

Kings - Jeffrey Sewell and Mike Green, SC Hotline
Queens - The FITS Girls

BLOG OF THE YEAR AWARD

Crunchy GOP - What can we say, Sunny Philips stepped it up this year. Lots of good original content, breaking insider news and some of the most spirited "comment wars" we've seen in a long time. Minus the Katon Dawson lovefests, the Crunchy Republican is a must-read.

BEST NEW BLOG AWARD

Jaded Listener - A tad on the conservative side for our tastes but the kid has definitely got game. We linked you straight to his "Election Notes" article above, which is one of the smartest blog posts we've ever read.

BEST LOCAL BLOG AWARD

Seeding Spartanburg - Our girl Tammy calls 'em like she sees 'em and really doesn't give a damn if she pisses you off. We like that.

BEST ENTERPRISE BLOGGING - CAMPAIGN 2006

S.C. Solon - This blog had its way with Democratic Comptroller General candidate Drew Theodore, and got the mainstream media to pick a lot of it up. Nice work, pledge.

BEST ORIGINAL VIDEO FOOTAGE ON A BLOG AWARD

Brad Warthen - Grady Patterson's editorial board interview.

BEST USE OF AUDIO TECHNOLOGY ON A BLOG AWARD

Michael Reece - Okay, we could have done without the three Trav Robertson segments, but Reece is by far and away leading the field in this category.

BEST NAME FOR BLOG AWARDS AWARD

The Golden Crackpipes - Tim Kelly cracks us up regularly. Now come on, daddy, your girls are hurtin' bad, just give us a little bit ...

BLOGGER MOST LIKELY TO ASK IF YOU HAVE READ HIS BLOG TODAY AND THE ANSWER IS "NO" AWARD

Joshua Gross - Live it, learn it, know it, love it ... and click on every hyperlink. There will be a quiz at the end of this conversation on how brilliant Josh is and how many SCRG/Club for Growth candidates were victorious in this year's elections.

"AS THE BLOGOSPHERE TURNS" NEEDLESS SOAP OPERA DRAMA AWARD

Roxanne Walker

"HOW IN THE HELL DID I LET WILL FOLKS MAKE ME HIS BITCH?" AWARD

John Rainey, Greg Ryberg

BLOG MOST LIKELY TO COMMENT INAPPROPRIATELY ON THE FEMALE ANATOMY AWARD

FITS - Seriously, after butts and legs it's only a matter of time before Sic Willie turns his attention to State House Hooters.

POLITICIAN MOST LIKELY TO RELATE WITH BLOG READERS AWARD

T-Rav - It's just how he rolls, people.

POLITICIAN LEAST LIKELY TO RELATE WITH BLOG READERS AWARD

Hugh Leatherman - Probably things "Blogs" are edible.

LOBBYIST MOST LIKELY TO BE READING BLOGS WHEN THEY SHOULD BE WORKING AWARD

Sara Hopper - Relax, Sara. If we start making fun of your clothing selections again we'll give you a heads-up.

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES MOST LIKELY TO BE READING BLOGS WHEN THEY SHOULD BE WORKING AWARD

Anybody who works for Jim DeMint or Joe Wilson.

STATE LEGISLATORS MOST LIKELY TO BE READING BLOGS WHEN THEY SHOULD BE WORKING AWARD

Reps. Wallace Scarborough and Catherine Ceips.

PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYEES MOST LIKELY TO BE READING BLOGS WHEN THEY SHOULD BE WORKING AWARD

Rebecca Dulin and the TFC.

Well that wraps it up for us, but here's the fun part - your comments. After all, the best "Bloggie" Awards are the ones you think up and post below!

Adopt-A-Pet This Holiday Season

2006-11-18T15:39:00.000-05:00

"My name is Todd. I am a very sweet little pup. I have had a bad start as I was abandoned and nobody wanted me. I am in need of a warm and loving home. I would be good with other dogs, cats and children."

We don't care who you are - if that face and that description doesn't make you want to adopt a pet this holiday season, there's something wrong with you.

Fortunately, six-month old Todd's story had a very happy ending this morning.

He was adopted into a warm and loving home and is getting along splendidly in his new surroundings. He's even napping on the floor as we speak, watching a little college football with his new buddies, Miss Emily, Uncle Will and a cute little Westie named Cotton.

Todd is just one of hundreds of dogs and cats who are looking for a home this holiday season.

Across South Carolina and the rest of the nation, groups including S.Q. Rescue are devoting their time, talents and energy to saving hundreds of animals who would otherwise have been put to sleep.

Working with online services like Petfinder, volunteers like Mary Key Escue (who runs S.Q. Rescue) pick up dogs and cats like Todd from the pound, get them spayed or neutered, fix them up with all their shots and then help place them in new homes.

The adoption fee - which goes to cover all the shots and medical check-ups prior to adoption - is usually only around $125. That's a fraction of what it would cost to purchase a dog or cat at a pet store or through an online breeding service, plus you get the satisfaction of knowing you've saved an animal's life.

This morning, Todd and about several of his canine buddies were on display at the Northeast Columbia Petsmart store, where S.Q. Rescue holds regular doggie adoption events.

FITS has been granted an exclusive interview with Mrs. Escue next week, and we're looking forward to hearing her story and getting more information about this wonderful opportunity to open your home to a loving new pet this holiday season.

In the meantime, you can check out a list of S.Q. Rescue's available dogs by clicking here, and you can get more information on the program by e-mailing klangley@sc.rr.com.

Look for more on S.Q. Rescue and other Dog Adoption services on FITS soon, and we hope you'll consider adopting this holiday season so that more pets like Todd can have a happy ending.

Skrady

2006-11-18T02:28:00.000-05:00

skrady \ska-ray-dee\ adj - skrad-i-er; -est 1. One who embodies sketchy and shady qualities or mannerisms, ostensibly possessing questionable ethics or morals which are used to advance nefarious ends.

Katon, You're Killing Us Man

2006-11-17T10:41:00.000-05:00

FITS knew over a week ago that there were voting irregularities in Sumter County this election cycle. Why is it that auto parts store owner and SCGOP Chairman Katon Dawson is just letting the media know about it today?

Heck, anybody who watched out-of-state Morris College students illegally casting the decisive ballots in Sen. Phil "LeBuster" Leventis' paper-thin victory over Dickie Jones two years ago could have told you there's always some shadiness going down on Election Day in Sumter County.

In case anyone has forgotten, Dickie Jones lost the GOP's best chance to knock off a leading Democratic obstructionist in the State Senate by less than a hundred votes two years ago. Why? Because the Republican Party didn't have its act together in Sumter County. Nobody challenged the legality of any of the suspect ballots when it mattered - before they went into the box.

Challenging ballots is easy. You just say "I challenge that ballot." The poll worker then registers that vote as challenged and doesn't it count it with the rest of the votes. In the event the outcome of the election depends on it - which it usually doesn't - the challenged ballots are examined one by one to determine if they are legitimate.

Why is challenging a ballot so important? And why is it so critical that the state parties have people who know what they're doing at historically suspect polling places - especially in tight races?

We're glad you asked.

Once a vote is officially counted (i.e. once a ballot "goes in the box"), the burden of proof shifts from the voter to the challenger. If a ballot is challenged, it's ultimately the voter's job to prove that he or she is legit and that the vote should be allowed to count. Once the ballot has actually been counted, however, you're more likely to get a judge to overturn the Bill of Rights than to start digging into the box and taking votes out - no matter how egregious the alleged voting improprieties may be.

"Votes go in the box, they don't come out," a senior Election Commission official told FITS. "If it's been counted, it's going to count."

All of which brings us to auto parts store owner and SCGOP Chairman Katon Dawson, who apparently doesn't understand either the notion of challenging ballots or managing perception in the media.

People were told last Wednesday that Jim Rex won a very, very close election but that there was going to be a recount. Then yesterday, people were told that the recount had been completed and Jim Rex was still the winner.

Predictibly, Jim Rex declared victory on both occasions while Floyd's people kept regurgitating the same old tedious, highfalutin language about "respecting the integrity of the electoral process" or something equally mind-numbing.

Sure, Katon said at one point that he was "confident" Karen was going to win, but there was nothing substantive buttressing his remarks (which we have to say isn't all that surprising coming from this Chairman).

Like a ballot that's already gone into the box, public perception is that Rex has won the race (twice). Just look at the body language of the two candidates: He's up and about setting up his transition team while she's holed up somewhere trying to decide whether or not to challenge the results in court. Floyd finds herself in the same hole Al Gore was stuck in six years ago in Florida. Not only does she have to make up the votes, more importantly she has to overcome the now-cemented public perception that she's lost the race (twice).

Even compelling evidence of impropriety becomes very suspect under these circumstances, which is why you never hold your ammunition when it comes to recounts. The longer you allow the perception of a clear winner and a clear loser to gel in the minds of the public, the further you paint yourself in a corner.

Of course the ammunition you've got also needs to matter. Katon claims Rex received 266 "erroneous" votes in Sumter. Floyd is down by 455 votes.

Looks to us like too little, too late.

Good Grief

2006-11-17T02:44:00.000-05:00

In case you missed it, Secretary of State Mark "The Bean" Hammond's office released its annual "Scrooges and Angels" list yesterday.

The cleverly-titled list keeps South Carolinians abreast of how well different charities currently operating in our state are fulfilling their missions.

Here's how it works ... First, the Secretary of State's office compiles the list. Second, an overweight state employee wearing a sweater with snowflakes and a Christmas tree on it hands the list to the Bean. Finally, the Bean stands nervously in front of the two or three reporters who drew the short straw that morning and patters on and on about "who's been naughty" and "who's been nice."

It's basically like fourth grade show-and-tell, except using grown-ups.

The whole exercise underscores how utterly ridiculous it is that we even have a Secretary of State's office in South Carolina - let alone one that the voters are Constitutionally required to elect.

Is it nice to have a list of good charities and bad charities? Sure, it's nice. And is Mark Hammond a nice guy? Sure, he is, and his puffy, red cheeks just scream holiday cheer to us.

But this is government, people, not a bad talent show.

Sic Willie, who is running for the Secretary of State's office in 2010 on a Montgomery Brewster-esque "None of the Above" platform, wants to transfer the "Scrooges and Angels" project to University of South Carolina graduate students.

"Research students can collect the data and PR students can release it to the media - all as part of their class projects," he said. "We can unlock the idealism potential of our state's young people while at the same time eliminating the need for government to perform what is essentially a fringe function."

Lawmakers, however, said the Sic Willie plan (like Sanford's restructuring) has no chance of passing because it "makes too much sense" and "would save money we could be spending."

As the Blogosphere Turns

2006-11-16T12:18:00.000-05:00

Sombody get us Lindsay Lohan on the phone, because the S.C. political blogosphere is turning into Mean Girls ...

We literally couldn't believe our eyes when we say this post from self-proclaimed "token liberal blogger" Roxanne Walker.

With about as much class as we should probably expect from someone who attended both Western Kentucky and USC-Spartanburg, Walker point blank called Crunchy GOP Girl Sunny Philips a "self absorbed bitch" for getting her (Walker's) name wrong during ETV's election night coverage.

Whoa!

Undeterred, Sunny responded by saying "Angry liberals like Roxanne are nothing new" and telling Walker to "keep your teasing and insults coming."

Ooooooo Goodie goodie gumdrops!

Now all we need for this to officially become FITS' "Best Week Ever" is for Laurin Manning to start suffering from some kind of online identity crisis ... wait a minute ...

Seriously, there is nothing like a good catfight to get the juices flowing ... and there is nothing like someone calling someone else a "self absorbed bitch" to get a good catfight started.

Of course, we were a tad disappointed upon visiting Roxanne Walker's website. It's not that you're liberal, honey. Or that you're mean. Or that your blog is not particularly well-written or interesting.

Not to put too fine a point on it, darling, but your problem is that you look a lot like Jakie Knotts.

And for God's sake, put some damn shoes on.

Yes, Sunny gets under our skin from time to time, too, Elizabeth ... er, Roxanne.

She's so friggin' cheerful all the time, for one thing, and when she starts blathering on and on about how great Katon Dawson is we literally get sick to our stomachs.

But a "self-absorbed bitch?" Hardly.

Currently, we'd have to give that blogger award to you.

THAT REMINDS US ...

FITS will be unveiling its Second Annual "Bloggie" Awards in this weekend's "Echo Chamber." If you thought last year was hilarious, wait 'till you see what we've got in store for your funny bone this go-round ...

Free Parking in 5 Points? Thanks, But No Thanks

2006-11-15T21:39:00.000-05:00

In an effort to drum up business and get a little good Christmas-time PR, the City of Columbia is offering free parking in Five Points through the holidays.

So in the event you and your children have never strolled through the Demilitarized Zone in Korea, gone spelunking in Tora Bora or surfed the Tsunami in Sri Lanka, here's your chance.

Free parking through the holidays? Are you kidding us? That's all we residents of downtown Columbia get for eons worth of traffic-snarling, business-crippling, vehicle-dinging construction?

They could have offered free parking thru 2097 and it wouldn't come close to making up for this massive inconvenience - which by the way has yet to run its course.

Five Points is a war zone - the construction area that time forgot.

Don't take our word for it, though.

Drive through Five Points yourself - after ten minutes you'll come out on the other side (two blocks away) wondering a) if your therapist has an opening later that afternoon, b) if you still have a job, c) if it's too late to start smoking again and d) how in the hell did Bob Coble ever get reelected Mayor of Columbia with such an unmitigated disaster on his hands?

And driving through the clusterf--k is just half the battle. God forbid you actually need to get out and do anything.

Getting a Blended Venti Mocha Frappuncino (with the chocolate drizzle) from the Five Points' Starbucks is like trying to extract a Somali Warlord from his downtown Mogadishu hideaway (think Blackhawk Down). Just turning into the Harper's parking lot for nice lunch is like trying to establish a friggin' beachhead in Normandy. Window-shopping on Saluda Street? Try navigating your way through Kristallnacht - and don't even think about doing it in three-inch heels.

Free parking through the holidays? Come on Mayor Bob.

It's going to take a little more than that ...

Sanford's Lack of Balls Infuriates Legislators

2006-11-15T15:48:00.000-05:00

For the second time, Gov. Mark Sanford has infuriated State Legislators by refusing to show them his balls.

The governor announced today that his 2007 reinauguration - like his 2003 inauguration - would feature another barbecue at the State Farmer's Market in place of the traditional black-tie Inaugural Balls favored by his predecessors.

Sanford, who promised angry Republicans in 2003 that he would hold a formal, Inaugural ball if he was reelected to a second term, was greeted by a storm of criticism from lawmakers in the wake of his announcement.

"He told us he would not surprise us and he told us we would have a ball at the second inaugural," said House Ways & Means Chairman Dan "Egg-Tooth" Cooper. "Four years later, all he's done is surprise us and today we find out we won't be seeing any balls from this governor."

"Gov. Sanford's lack of balls is truly astounding," said Mayor of Importantville Bobby Harrell. "We have some philosophical disagreements to be sure, but I've never seen such an absence of balls in my life."

"Screw him," said State Sen. Jakie Knotts (R-Lexington), who endorsed Sanford's opponent Tommy Moore in the general election. "I think I speak for a majority of us in the Legislature in saying I didn't want to see his goddamn balls anyway."

The governor argued that an Inaugural ball would be inappropriate given the fact that state spending in South Carolina continues to far outpace the growth in population and inflation.

"I would simply say this - at the end of the day, when you look at the numbers, what you end up with is a beta that's ultimately unacceptable when it comes to contemplating the notion of holding an Inaugural Ball," Sanford said. "I've said throughout my time in public life that keeping South Carolina home to mine and Jenny's four little boys - and frankly a lot of other kids and grandkids that are out there - starts with the notion of change, even when it comes to our own balls."

"As much as it may from time to time disappoint some folks whose intentions are ultimately good, the ball we've consistently been advancing from day one as an administration has been the ball of change," Sanford said.

"Holy hell, dude, we get it already, you're trying to look like a populist everybody can relate to, again," said House Majority Leader Jimmy Merrill. "What's new?"

No word on whether or not Pork and Barrel would be making an appearance at Sanford's second Inaugural BBQ.

Jim DeMint To The Rescue

2006-11-15T01:13:00.000-05:00

It may just be us, but we think this picture of U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint looks eerily similar to the fictional televangelist Jimmy Lee Farnsworth from the 1989 movie Fletch Lives.

Those of you who have seen the movie, be honest - the thought of Jim DeMint saying "Demons, Be Gone!" while giving personal tours of Bibleland from his golf cart really isn't all that far-fetched, is it?

Anyway, Sen. DeMint's latest big idea is the Secure Port Workforce Act, a bill that would prevent murderers and other serious felons from working at America's ports.

According to DeMint's press release:

A serious felon is a prime target for those trying to smuggle a nuclear device or chemical weapon into our country. Trusting convicted murderers and weapons smugglers with secure access to our ports allows the fox to guard the henhouse and this legislation will put a stop to it.

What can we say? This idea - like anything that pops into Jim DeMint's head - is pure genius, right down to the creative "fox guarding the henhouse" metaphor. Seriously, that's a really unique way to describe the recent rash of murderers and weapons smugglers who have been granted secure access to our ports. Yesterday we were literally sweating bullets over this one, but now that Jim DeMint is on top of things we may be able to get some sleep tonight.

Sen. DeMint's release continues:

Joseph Billy Jr., the FBI’s top counterterrorism official, commented that the FBI is “continuing to look for a nexus,” between organized crime and terrorists and that they are looking at this very aggressively.

Again, we applaud Jim DeMint for flapping his gums about the work of other people who are not only continuing to look for a nexus, but who are in fact continuing to look for a nexus "very aggressively." Our only concern? DeMint probably could have chosen someone better than Joseph Billy, Jr., to quote in his press release.

Why? He's got two first names, and people find it extremely hard to trust people who have two first names.

Think we're crazy? Just ask Karen Floyd and Drew Theodore how crazy we are, friends.

Did Inez Withhold Bad Report Card Release?

2006-11-14T14:14:00.000-05:00

Preliminary details of South Carolina's school report cards were released today by the State Department of Education and the news - as expected - was not good.

Last year, 25.9% of our public schools were either failing or below average. This year, that number has mushroomed to 35.3%. That's one out of every three public schools, people, in the event you were educated in one of those failing S.C. schools and don't do percentages that good.

Rest assured, we'll have something to say about the report card results (once Bill Robinson over at The State has finished putting the Rex-Tenenbaum spin on them, anyway), but the real story here could be the timing of the release - coming as it does one week after an extremely tight race for State Superintendent of Education.

Sources tell FITS that the report card data was ready for release two weeks ago, but was "delayed" until after the election - ostensibly so as not to diminish the prospects of Democrat Jim Rex, who is currently clinging to a 500-vote lead over Republican Karen Floyd.

So, the million dollar question is this: Would outgoing Democratic Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum have done something like this intentionally to bolster Rex's chances?

We certainly wouldn't put it past her.

Everyone knew the Floyd-Rex race was going to be close, although few would have predicted it would actually fall within the 1% threshold triggering the mandatory recount that begins tomorrow. Fewer still would have predicted that it would enter the record books as the closest statewide race in South Carolina history.

There's definitely something fishy going on, but don't count on the mainstream media to pick it up ... after all, that's why we're here.

But before you start calling us Josh Gross and what-not, just remember we've been quite vocal and consistent in our criticism of the Floyd campaign.

Who Will Lead in Sanford II?

2006-11-14T09:32:00.000-05:00

The ink is barely dry on Gov. Mark Sanford's convincing reelection win and speculation is already rampant about who will lead the governor's senior staff during a second term.

Of course we all know who the real Chief of Staff (COS) is, but since the departure of Fred Carter in 2004, Sanford really hasn't had a formal COS in his office, choosing to split the duties among different staffers.

Carter himself was a transitionary COS, never giving up his full-time job as President of Francis Marion University, and oddly enough, the most influential member of Sanford's first administration (other than the First Lady) wasn't a COS, it was his Communications Director, Chris Drummond.

FITS has learned, however, that jockeying for the Chief of Staff position in Sanford's second term is intense.

According to our sources, the person the governor wants to fill the position is Tom Davis, his former Co-Chief of Staff, Legislative Director and a key 2002/2006 fundraiser and campaign advisor. Davis is a rarity in Columbia - he's a Sanford guy who has excellent relationships with the General Assembly, the media and the lobby. Well-known, well-liked and well-respected on both sides of the aisle (and in all corners of the echo chamber), Davis has been been the governor's friend and supporter since the two were in college together at Furman. If Sanford II is going to yield any substantive compromises between the executive and legislative branches, Davis will be the bridge.

The person who wants the job most, according to our reports, is Senior Policy Advisor Scott English, a key 2002 advisor and Sanford's Legislative Director during the governor's six years in the U.S. Congress. English was rumored to be departing the administration following the November election to return to his native Maryland, but the Democratic takeover in D.C. may have soured those plans. Known not-so-affectionately around the State House as "Dr. No," English might as well have "Bad Cop" tatooed on his forehead. If he doesn't get the COS job, FITS hears English will insist on a Cabinet-level position. Loudly.

In looking at Chief of Staff candidates, let's not forget the glue that held a young, inexperienced Governor's Staff together during much of Sanford I, Chief Legal Counsel and Co-COS Henry White. Steady, imperturbable and largely unconcerned with the intrigues and power plays going on around him, White's future aspirations seem more focused on the judicial branch of government than Sanford's executive, however.

Stay tuned ... the first critical personnel decision of Sanford's second term could come within the next 10 days.

Pelosi Ponders "Brit" Look for Speakership

2006-11-13T15:19:00.000-05:00

Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi (you know, the woman most people had never heard of until after the Ralph Norman campaign was over) is rumored to be pondering a "Britney Spears cut" (or "Brit" for short) as she prepares to become the first woman to hold the nation's highest Legislative office.

Sources close to Pelosi tell FITS the Speaker-to-be first noticed the "Brit" during Spears' recent surprise appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman.

We're going to go out a limb here and say that Spears' new haircut is probably not the first thing that most of you are noticing right now. Nor is it probably the second thing most of you are noticing right now.

We're also going to go out on a limb and say that the third thing you're noticing is probably the same thing as the first thing you noticed, and the fourth thing you're noticing is probably the same thing as the second thing you noticed, and that by now your eyes have just decided to split the difference and be happy.

Very, very happy.

Anyway, Pelosi knows that young voters were a key to the Democrats' success last week, and the "Brit" is a way for her to stay hip and relevant with the younger crowd.

South Carolina politicians have employed variations of the "Brit" from time to time, namely Shirley Hinson and perpetual Brit-wearer Joan Brady. Some claim Annette Young is also a fan of the look, although we have been told the feeling is not reciprocated.

Of course, if you want to know what Pelosi is really up to, our bud Chris Cillizza (do you ever take a vacation, dude?) has got your hook up here.

If you want to see more of the "Brit" in all its glory, where else would you go but What Would Tyler Durden Do?

Bachman-Turner Overdrive "Fed Up" With GOP

2006-11-13T09:50:00.000-05:00

FITS has learned that Rock-n-Roll supergroup Bachman-Turner Overdrive is officially "fed up" with the Republican Party.

"BTO," as the band is known to its fans, wrote the classic white collar anthem "Takin' Care of Business" in 1973, a song that was adopted as the GOP's theme during the 1980's under master party strategist Lee Atwater.

The song, now universally regarded as the "GOP anthem," also made a brief resurgence during the aborted Republican Revolution of 1994.

Asked why the group was choosing to disassociate themselves with the GOP, guitarist Randy Bachman said the answer was simple.

"They didn't take care of business," Bachman said. "You can't go around playing our song unless you're actually taking care of business."

Other band members provided additional insights.

"We were optimistic in 1994 when the Republican party appeared to have returned to its core principles of less government and lower taxes, but then the GOP committee leaders refused to abide by their own self-imposed spending caps on the appropriations bills the following year," BTO co-founder Fred Turner said. "That was the beginning of the end of their ability to take care of business."

"The GOP's over-reliance on the immigration issue was the last straw for me," said little known band member Miguel De Francisco Jimenez L'Overdrive. "That's when it became clear to me that they cared more about getting reelected than taking care of their business."

GOP Chairman Ken "Opposable Thumbs" Mehlman, who is resigning in the wake of the 2006 debacle, said a number of other songs were being considered as a replacement, but that he would leave that choice to likely successor Michael Steele.

"We're looking at 'Gimme Somethin' to Believe In' by Poison, 'Oops, I Did It Again' by Britney Spears, 'Loser' by Beck, 'Everybody Hurts' by R.E.M., 'Down In A Hole' by Alice in Chains, 'Cry! Cry! Cry!' by Johnny Cash, 'Year of Tha Boomerang' by Rage Against the Machine, 'Fell on Black Days' by Soundgarden as well as several exceedingly depressing Country songs and some melancholy Lawrence Welk selections," Mehlman said.

Call Me Girl

2006-11-12T20:20:00.000-05:00

We blogged awhile back on the famous Tennessee Senate ad paid for by soon-to-be former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman.

Turns out, the actress who played the "Playboy Party Girl" in the controversial ad is named Johanna Goldsmith and she's a native of Austin, Texas.

How do we know this?

Cause we're cool like that.

Actually, no we're not. Elise Hu is cool like that.

The former WYFF TV reporter (now working at KVUE in Austin) tracked down Goldsmith and broke the story, which is also featured prominently on 67 Degrees, one of the best political blogs we've seen in a long time.

(67 Degrees even links to us here at FITS, which we think is incredibly cool even though we're hoping they'll change the link from "Will" to "All The Girls in Will's Head" or just "FITS," to keep up appearances, you know).

Anyway, according to Elise's report, the actress made up the famous "wink" at the end of the ad herself. Also, it turns out her scenes were shot in Dallas, not in Tennessee. And she's apparently had two marriage proposals as a result of all the publicity, although neither Goldsmith nor Hu would confirm whether one of those proposals was from Sic Willie.

It certainly wouldn't surprise us.

Sanford Denied "Bandate" - Will He Use Mandate?

2006-11-12T17:29:00.000-05:00

Mark Sanford may have won reelection in a landslide, earning a mandate to "stay the course of change" and achieve other oxymoronic objectives, but the ultimate electoral prize in South Carolina politics has eluded him once again.

According to this morning's State newspaper, Sanford was denied the all-precious "Bandate."

And after all, what's a mandate without a "Bandate?"

Lee Bandy, keeper of the sacred "Bandate" designation and perpetual pot-stirrer over at La Socialista for the last four decades, made the argument this morning that Sanford doesn't deserve to claim a "mandate" given the close calls in other races further down the GOP statewide ballot.

These close calls, according to Bandy, shorten the length of Sanford's "coattails," thus depriving him of "mandate" status.

We happen to think Sanford's 10-point win is clearly a mandate, if not a "Bandate," although it remains to be seen whether or not the governor will use it to advance his ideas this go-round as opposed to enhancing his own political security.

For example, the Sanford administration is literally infested with political appointees who do not share the governor's views on critical economic development, education and restructuring issues.

Take RINO-in-Chief John Rainey, who has used the Board of Economic Advisors (BEA) and its liberal economist Bill Gillespie as a vehicle for waging nonstop jihad against income tax cuts, school choice and government restructuring. As if that wasn't enough, Rainey used the BEA again in an unsuccessful "everything but the kitchen sink" effort to discredit Treasurer-elect Thomas Ravenel, who vigorously supported all three of these core Sanford I Agenda items - and a host of other progressive, market-based reforms - during his campaign.

Yet Sanford, like GOP Chairman Katon Dawson, hardly lifted a finger to reprimand Rainey and Ravenel had to fight him off on his own.

Nationally, you can count the number of Republicans who knocked off Democratic incumbents in Congressional or Statewide races on one hand, and Ravenel was one of them. Will the governor risk alienating his key Budget and Control Board ally-to-be and keep someone around who has opposed him on all of his signature issues? Not to mention underestimated revenue in South Carolina by nearly a billion dollars over the last four years?

And what about the anti-free market majority on the State Ports Authority (SPA) Board of Directors? Sanford (or at least Joel Sawyer, anyway) has paid lip service to leveraging private capital in an effort to expand port infrastructure in Charleston, but he has refused to change the makeup of a militant "total state control" majority on the SPA board. As it stands now, the SPA answers to another RINO, Hugh Leatherman, not Sanford - but the governor could change all of that with a single stroke of the pen, just like Rainey and the BEA.

Oddly enough, the SPA situation is another example of Sanford's questionable loyalties.

Consider this: One of the quiet, under-appreciated architects of the Sanford reelection was Beaufort attorney Tom Davis, a former SPA Board Member, Sanford Co-Chief of Staff and tireless advocate for free market port expansion. Davis raised the governor hundreds of thousands of dollars and did the heavy policy lifting behind Sanford's TV blitzkrieg. He even served as the point man in Sanford's poorly-received (but remarkably effective) effort to define Tommy Moore as a political insider back in the dog days of summer, when Moore had no money to combat the charges.

It was a thankless job. But Davis did it because the governor "couldn't be the bad guy" and needed someone with Davis' credibility to raise the issues.

Like Ravenel, Davis went to the mat for the governor's issues. Now secure in his second term, will Sanford finally show some intestinal fortitude and go to the mat for those issues himself?

And what about school choice? As Cindi Ross Scoppe reported this morning, getting the governor to talk about his former passion these days is a lot like getting a room full of three-year olds to eat their vegetables. Sanford says he'll focus "one-sixth" of his energy in a second-term on school choice, not exactly a reassuring percentage given the entrenched institutional opposition he faces on this polarizing issue in both the legislature and the press.

President John F. Kennedy loved to tell the folk story of a group of Irish lads crossing the fields who one day came upon a wall seemingly too high to scale. Rather than turn back, they threw their caps over the wall - leaving them no choice but to follow.

Sadly, at the midway point of his career as the chief executive of our state, Sanford's hat remains in his hands.

Yes, the governor has a mandate. And yes, his announcement Tuesday that this was his "last election" gives him even greater freedom to act decisively.

Will either matter, though?

The people of South Carolina are behind you, governor. And the people who fought in the trenches for your ideas are waiting for you to show us the leadership you promised.

Instead of scaling back, why not scale the challenges in front of you?

Simply put, it's time to throw your cap over the wall, governor.

LT2 Killin' It For Sic Willie's Fantasy Football Squad

2006-11-12T16:56:00.000-05:00

Okay, it's pretty obvious who's taken control of the blog this weekend ...

His name is Ladainian Tomlinson (a.k.a. "LT2"), the star running back for the San Diego Chargers who is single-handedly responsible for keeping Sic Willie's "No Corn, No Nuts" fantasy football franchise alive.

Anway, for the third time in four weeks, LT2 was responsible for four - count 'em, four - touchdowns in the Chargers' 49-41 win over the Cincinnati Bengals today, registering a total of 42 fantasy points.

It's also the third time in four weeks LT2 has broken the 40-point barrier, which is amazing considering that anything over 15 points is generally considered a solid fantasy outing for a running back.

"Yeah-ya, boy-eee," said Sic Willie. "That's my mo-fo."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Geez ... fantasy football, Kevin Federline and Espadrille articles. We promise we'll make our favorite bad boy start taking his Ritalin again.

Heartbreaker

2006-11-12T00:57:00.000-05:00

Five losses.

All to Top 20 teams. Four of them by a touchdown or less. Three on tipped passes. And one of them - today's emotionally-draining 17-16 loss to No. 5 Florida in "The Swamp" - by a fingertip.

South Carolina's 2006 football season would appear at first blush to resemble the history of the program - the definition of mediocrity.

Closer inspection, however, reveals a team that is playing on the same level (if not better) than the finest teams in the finest conference in all of college football.

Gamecock football is at long last making the leap to competitiveness in the upper echelon of the Southeastern Conference, and head coach Steve Spurrier is just getting started.

Keep your chins up, Gamecock fans ...

How the Consultants Fared

2006-11-10T19:51:00.000-05:00

Easy TFC, we're not grading Sic Willie so you can all relax and go back to hastening the self-inflicted demise of mid-level politicos in Horry County or whatever it is you're doing with your ample free time these days.

In fact, Ol' Wilbur will be the first person to tell you that all he did this election cycle was lend a little late-inning relief pitching to Election 2006's biggest winner amongst the top-tier Palmetto political consultants.

To the grades ...

ROD SHEALY - A+

Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer's "Miracle on Lincoln Street" over Robert Barber and his come-from-behind primary win over Mike Campbell are already the stuff of legend in South Carolina politics. There is simply no way Andre should have even gotten out of the primary, let alone get reelected, but somehow he and Rod did it. Shealy also guided Richard Eckstrom past a formidable (not to mention vicious) challenge from Drew Theodore and helped T-Rav send a nine-term incumbent packing from the Treasurer's Office (this after Ravenel crushed a guy who spent $2 million in the GOP primary). Speaking of the GOP primary, let's not forget about political unknown Oscar Lovelace scoring 35% against an incumbent governor. After sub-par years in 2002 and 2004, Shealy is back in the saddle again.

RICHARD QUINN - A

Attorney General Henry McMaster is hugely popular had no opposition in either the primary or general election this go-round - quite a feat in and of itself, and Adjutant Stan Spears coasted in his statewide race, too. Quinn and his son, Rick Quinn, also masterminded Jim Harrison's landslide win over potent challenger Boyd Summers in a House District where all the other Republicans got their hats handed to them. With dozens of establishment political figures already flocking to U.S. Sen. John McCain's Straight Talk Express for 2008, things are definitely looking up again at the Quinndom.

JON LERNER - D+

Sure, Mark Sanford won in a landslide, but how much of that is the consultant and how much of it was the candidate's pre-existing cult of personality (pigs in the State House, etc.)? Sanford ran a shaky campaign against a second-tier challenger who couldn't even raise half of the money he raised -and who ran an even shakier campaign himself. And now the bigger question: How good is Lerner independent of Mark Sanford in South Carolina? Here's a hint - look for the answer among the stacks of provisional ballots Karen Floyd supporters are currently combing through in search of enough votes to put her over the top against Jim Rex.

WARREN TOMPKINS - I (Incomplete)

The former grand pooh-bah of political consulting in South Carolina couldn't even get a statewide candidate out of the primary this year, with two well-funded horses in the GOP Superintendent of Education and Treasurer's races both getting unceremoniously trounced. Tompkins' evil hordes did get RINO artifact Bill Cotty reelected against everything SCRG could throw at him in a State House race, but the former Bush "S.C. architect" was so thoroughly not a factor at the statewide level this cycle that he gets an "incomplete" grade. Tompkins will be looking to reclaim his former dominance in 2008 at the highest possible level, but signing onto Mitt Romney's soon-to-be-announced Presidential campaign is probably not the answer. Word is the same pin (pen) that popped the Ryberg balloon with social conservatives in South Carolina is poised to do the same thing - albeit on a much bigger stage - to the Massachusetts governor.

WALTER WHETSELL - F

We don't care how many State House or City Council races Walter may have won this year. He could have personally elected every Republican in the House of Representatives and still gotten an "F" for the phantasmagorically pathetic performance of Ralph Norman. Whetsell has some talented and energetic youngsters in his employ like BJ Boling (who helped Lewis Vaughn win the only State Senate seat up for grabs this cycle) and Eliot Peace (who guided Hugh Weathers through the hard part of his successful reelection bid for Commissioner of Agriculture), but again, none of it makes up for the Norman debacle.

Alright kids, let the comments rip! We're big girls! We can take it!

Somebody Needs To Get This Guy in Politics

2006-11-09T23:21:00.000-05:00

No, we're not talking about Kevin Federline, the soon to be ex-husband of Britney Spears, we're talking about the writer of the blog "What Would Tyler Durden Do?"

We linked to WWTDD awhile back and have since become hopelessly addicted to it, much like our Natalia Espadrilles and our Starbucks' Venti Blended Mocha Frappucinos (with the chocolate drizzle).

There's simply nothing funnier on available on the Internet these days, unless of course your name happens to be Kevin Federline and you're getting served left and right all the time, in which case it probably isn't all that funny.

Anyway, WWTDD demonstrated again the other day why nobody even comes close when it comes to making fun of famous people. Here they are describing the chart-bottoming performance of Federline's debut "rap" album, Playing With Fire:

"(Federline's album) is now number 5,345 on the Amazon sales chart, after opening this time last week at number 4,143. Which is even more amazing, because I don't think there even are 5000 albums. Like, total. I think there's only been like 4,000 albums since the beginning of time, and yet Kevin can't outsell any of them. Those god damn dogs who bark Christmas Carols were in the top 10 last year, and those aren't even real dogs. I think they're just on a computer. So Kevin made a record, and some pretend dogs made a record, and the pretend dogs whopped his ass. Way to go Kevin. You must be very proud."

Seriously, if you haven't checked out WWTDD yet, you're missing out. It's the funniest thing we've seen since Rick Quinn showed us Charlie Murphy doing the Star Trek Cribs (especially the Captain Kirk Non-Fat Latte) on YouTube.

FITS Long-Awaited Ralph Norman Blog

2006-11-09T16:16:00.000-05:00

We told you.

Then we told you again.

Then we told you one last time.

Walter Whetsell, Jon Lerner and the rest of the Katon Dawson A-Team running Ralph Norman's Congressional challenge against John Spratt had perhaps the best candidate the GOP has fielded in years in the 5th District, which was incidentally also trending more Republican than it had in years.

There's really not much else to say except that this one could go down as the worst-managed campaign in state history.

Yes, We're Going to Blog on K-Flo and Ralph Norman ...

2006-11-08T23:32:00.000-05:00

... because we think this is a really nice picture of K-Flo and we've written too much on Norman's campaign not to do a post-mortem.

Don't worry. The Norman blog will be short.

And no, we're not kidding. This is a really nice picture of K-Flo (probably the only favor The State newspaper did Karen during the whole campaign was running this picture). We're even sitting here listening to Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O'Connor trying to picture Karen with no hair and she's still hot.

(Useless Music Trivia: It was the 1990 video for O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" than convinced R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe to try lip-syncing for just the second time in his career in the 1991 "Losing My Religion" video. Stipe had previously lip-synced just once - in the band's 1982 video for "Wolves, Lower" off the Chronic Town EP, but had vowed never to do it again because he felt it made him look foolish. R.E.M.'s breakthrough 1983 "Murmur" album, incidentally, was co-produced by Lancaster, S.C. native Don Dixon and the town of "West Columbia, South Carolina" is specifically referenced in the B-Side Classic "Voice of Harold" off of the 1984 "Dead Letter Office" compilation album. Any commenter who can correctly identify the R.E.M. song title - and album - that first included the alternate-lyrics version of what would later become "Voice of Harold" gets a free hug from Heather S.).

Okay, knowing that some poor secretary in Anderson probably just read all that to John Rainey is priceless.

And knowing that far too many of you are scouring R.E.M.'s Wikipedia page in search of the correct answer is also priceless.

Moving on ... like we said until we interrupted us, we were going to blog on Norman and K-Flo tonight, that is of course until we came upon this story chronicling the breakup of Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Whatever His Name Is.

The basic premise of this article is that by examining Reese and Ryan's split, we can divine some relationship wisdom that might come in handy in our own lives.

We're going to link to it again here in case you are attempting to imagine the most ridiculous thing you've ever read in your entire life and need something to remind you of it.

Ballin' on a Budget (& Control Board)

2006-11-08T17:49:00.001-05:00

Give it up for Richard Eckstrom.

The so-called "Endangered One" on the Statewide GOP ticket turned out not to be so endangered after all, posting a convincing win over Democrat Drew Theodore.

Turns out running an entire campaign (as Theodore did) based on one minor deviation from a career of taxpayer protection (a deviation Eckstrom admitted and apologized for) wasn't a winning formula after all.

Eckstrom was by far and away one of the most qualified and accomplished candidates on the 2006 ballot, but an incessant barrage of negative attacks (most of them untrue) from the Theodore campaign had many experts thinking he was in serious trouble.

As it happened, the voters weren't as stupid as Theodore (had hoped).

Ordinarily, the day after an election is a time of extending olive branches here at FITS. There's something about patting your opponent(s) on the back after a hard fight and saying "you worked hard, let us buy you a drink."

Trav Robertson and Lachlan MacIntosh are two perfect examples of good guys who fall into that camp. They worked hard, they fought fair but their candidates came up short. That doesn't make it any less of an honor to shake their hands and congratulate them for all the hard work they did on behalf of their respective campaigns.

But Phil Bailey?

He's the guy you want to pour a drink on, until you realize he's just not worth it.

Guess we should have expected as much from the "man" who gutlessly attempted to post anonymous comments trashing former Gov. Carroll Campbell the day after he died.

Aftermath Central

2006-11-08T12:35:00.000-05:00

And you thought we meant the aftermath of last night's elections ...

Nope, as it turns out all Sic Willie wanted to talk about last night (and this morning) was pop sensation Britney Spears filing for divorce from her wanna-be rapper husband, Kevin Federline.

"It's like Christmas," Folks said. "Last week it was Reese Witherspoon ditching Ryan Phillipi or whatever his name is and today it's Britney dumping K-Fed."

In fact, our favorite bad boy was so ecstatic about the news of Spears' break-up that he decided against mounting a legal challenge to Republican Mark Hammond's victory in the Secretary of State's race, a contest in which Sic Willie emerged as a last-minute write-in candidate.

"The lawyers say we've got a good case but after a lot of prayer and introspection I've decided to let the Bean (Hammond) have it," he said. "I'm grateful for all the thoughts and prayers I received from so many good friends over the course of my six-minute campaign, but the people have spoken and I hope my supporters will now join me in facing the challenges of tomorrow - like getting Reese and Britney to move to Utah with me. At the end of the day, our campaign for change was all about keeping Utah home to me and polygamy."

In addition to banning gay marriage (which was already illegal), South Carolina's ballot referendum yesterday also made it technically impossible for Folks to marry both Spears and Witherspoon simultaneously in South Carolina.

"I think Britney, Reese and I were all hoping that an activist judge somewhere - New Jersey maybe - would be able to establish the validity of our union here in South Carolina," Folks said. "Now it's looking like Utah is going to be the last resort."

"The Era of Wasteful Spending in Columbia is Over"

2006-11-08T03:52:00.000-05:00

The "Quote of the Night" definitely goes to T-Rav.

True, it wasn't quite as cool as saying "That's just how I roll," but South Carolina's Treasurer-Elect put a clever, fiscally conservative twist on Bill Clinton's famous "Era of Big Government is Over" quote from the 1996 State of the Union address.

Combined with the reelection of Gov. Mark Sanford and Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, Ravenel's victory means fiscal conservatives now hold a 3-2 majority on the powerful State Budget and Control Board, drawing a curtain on the wasteful spending votes that became so rampant under the Harrell-Leatherman-Patterson "Axis of Pork."

Ravenel also showed a lot of class in praising his opponent, Grady Patterson, for the incumbent's lifelong service to the state, even though Patterson refused to debate him and attacked him repeatedly during the campaign.

"We can disagree on politics all day long, but anyone who’s fought in two wars and given his so much of his life to the service of South Carolina deserves our respect, our admiration and our thanks," Ravenel told supporters in his victory speech.

Not only did T-Rav win, so did one of his signature issues - the ballot initiative to allow for international investment of our state retirement fund assets.

And capping off a solid night for T-Rav, his father Arthur Ravenel, Jr. was also elected to the Charleston County School Board.

Glare From Head of Josh Gross Causes Cornea Burns

2006-11-08T03:30:00.000-05:00

SCETV's experiment to include S.C. political bloggers in its election night coverage went tragically awry last night when the glare from the head of Joshua Gross burned the cornea of ETV host Andrew Gobeil and fellow bloggers Sunny Philips and Roxanne Walker.

Gross, Philips and Walker were on-set with Gobeil last night covering the election returns.

"We tried to take some of the shine off with makeup but the light was just too bright," said SCETV board member Chris Drummond. "The exposure was simply too much for those who were in close proximity to Mr. Gross, not unlike what you'd see in someone who opened their eyes in a tanning booth."

Gobeil, Philips and Walker were all recovering from their injuries nicely this morning however, and the effects of the burned cornea should subside within the next 24-48 hours.

Nice Guys Do Finish First

2006-11-08T02:45:00.000-05:00

Of all the races decided tonight, it's hard to think of a guy who deserved to win more than Jim Harrison, a five-tour Army veteran, devoted father, bipartisan leader and one of the most principled legislators it's ever been FITS' pleasure to know.

Jim soundly defeated a well-funded and well-organized Democrat, Boyd Summers, in House District 75 - a district where Mark Sanford and the rest of the GOP ticket got thrashed.

We published Will Folks' article about the contrast between these two candidates awhile back - and were so passionate about this contest that we even included Jim in our statewide endorsements - but seeing his returns come in was truly one of the evening's most gratifying moments.

And while the residents of District 75 may be the direct recipients of Jim's victory, South Carolina as a whole should count itself as blessed that a truly selfless statesman will remain in a key leadership position in the House.

We hate that we missed Jim's celebration at The Back Porch this evening, but before we started blogging any further on the massive fallout from tonight's election we wanted to send Jim our heartfelt congratulations on the splendid work he's done, the brilliant campaign he ran and the decisive victory he so richly deserved. WAY TO GO JIM!!!

Sanford Reelected in Landslide

2006-11-07T23:47:00.000-05:00

Gov. Mark Sanford won reelection tonight in a landslide, becoming only the third South Carolina governor in history to win a second term and the first since Carroll Campbell did it sixteen years ago.

Polls Have Closed

2006-11-07T19:19:00.000-05:00

"The waiting is the hardest part."

-Tom Petty

Polls have closed across South Carolina, and now there's nothing to do but wait ...

Down in the Columbia Vista, the atmosphere is electric.

There are TV satellite trucks everywhere, and reporters. staffers and supporters are running around like crazy.

Nothing's left of Campaign 2006 but to watch as the results come in.

Good luck!

Surprise Sanford Announcement on Election Day

2006-11-07T16:30:00.000-05:00

Lost in the CNN attention Gov. Mark Sanford is getting for leaving his voter registration card at home was another unexpected development.

Sanford told reporters earlier today that this would be his "last election."

Two years ago, with his approval ratings consistently scoring in the mid-to-low 70's, Sanford was rumored as a possible 2008 Presidential contender.

That talk dissipated following a relatively poor showing against a political unknown during the 2006 GOP Primary, but with polls showing Sanford well ahead of Democrat Tommy Moore heading into today's vote, his announcement earlier this morning came as something of a surprise.

It was especially interesting considering the widespread speculation that Sanford might one day run for the U.S. Senate, given his stated affinity for the federal legislative process.

What do you think? What are we to make of the governor's announcement today?

Add your comments below and stay tuned to FITS for more Election Day updates ...

Election Day Updates

2006-11-07T14:30:00.000-05:00

At first glance, the experts appear to have been dead wrong on the turnout question as bad weather doesn't seem to be keeping voters away from the polls.

Both the Greenville News and WYFF are reporting "busy" turnout in Greenville County, which is obviously good news for the Republican slate of candidates, particularly if it holds true during the evening hours when the vast majority of people cast their ballots on the way home from work.

How good is Upstate turnout?

Greenville's head election honcho is predicting 65%, which is astronomical in a non-Presidential year.

The Spartanburg-Herald is also reporting that turnout is high in that predominantly Republican county, which would also bode well for the GOP.

Of course, we've heard turnout is steady across the state, so it could be six of one, half-dozen the other.

SANFORD FORGETS VOTER ID CARD

The Associated Press is reporting that South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was turned away from his Sullivans Island polling place because he forgot his voter registration card.

Wow.

Apparently, the governor returned an hour and a half later with his card and successfully voted.

This shaky finish comes on the heels of Sanford burning his cornea in the bright lights at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Christian TV Station on Sunday - putting him out of action for Monday's final Get Out The Vote (GOTV) swing. None of the other participants at the ceremony suffered similar eye injuries, according to the Greenville News, and many bloggers - including Laurin Manning - are speculating that Sanford's eye problems were instead the result of a tanning booth incident.

If polls are to be believed, Sanford is cruising toward reelection and these missteps are unlikely to dampen his victory margins, but he certainly could have finished the race on a better note than this ...

SUMMERS VIOLATES ELECTION LAWS?

Boyd Summers, the Democrat who's challenging Jim Harrison for House District 75 reportedly brought his children into a polling place this morning wearing shirts that said "VOTE FOR MY DAD."

Is it cute? Absolutely.

Is it legal? Absolutely not.

Candidates are allowed to be at polling places, but they can only wear a 4"X4" button.

KEEP THE FEEDBACK COMING

Thanks to everybody who's commented on what they saw at the polls today. Please keep it up, especially those of you who go to cast your votes after work when the evening rush begins.

Oh, and stay tuned to FITS throughout the day for more Election 2006 updates ...

Turnout Turnabout?

2006-11-07T11:13:00.000-05:00

Most political experts agreed that turnout in the 2006 General Election would be low, a prevailing mindset that was reinforced when forecasts showed Election Day would be cold and rainy throughout South Carolina.

But is that what's really happening?

We won't know until later, but FITS has received reports from Spartanburg, Greenville, Lexington and Charleston counties that would seem to indicate turnout may be brisker than initially anticipated.

Greenville's morning TV stations were all reporting heavier-than-expected turnout.

Also, we know that the Election Commission is reporting that more absentee ballots have been cast this year than last year - just over 80,000 this go-round compared with 77,800 in 2002.

Voters are also spending more time than usual behind the curtain, a result of the multiple Constitutional questions (gay marriage, international investing, reassessment caps, eminent domain, etc.) on this year's ballot. That means longer lines, which could make things very interesting when the 5 p.m. blitz comes.

Remember, the majority of voters cast their ballots after work, so the real rush on polling places has yet to begin.

Tell us what you're seeing and hearing out there in the comments section below ...

It's easy - just type in your comment, your name and tell us what you saw in your neck of the woods when you went to vote!

And The Magic 8-Ball Sez ...

2006-11-06T21:24:00.000-05:00

You may think we're political experts here at FITS. Unfortunately, given the demands placed on our time by various international modeling agencies, we don't spend nearly as much time thinking about politics as you might suspect.

In fact, to come up with our predictions for tomorrow's election, we busted out the trusty FITS Magic 8-Ball.

Here's what it told us ...

GOVERNOR
Mark Sanford 54%, Tommy Moore 46%

LT. GOVERNOR
Andre Bauer 52%, Robert Barber 48%

SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION
Karen Floyd 52%, Jim Rex 48%

TREASURER
Thomas Ravenel 54%, Grady Patterson 46%

COMPTROLLER GENERAL
Richard Eckstrom 52%, Drew Theodore 48%

SECRETARY OF STATE (Upset Special)
Will Folks (Write-in) 99.9%, Mark Hammond .05%, Whoever the Democrat Running for Secretary of State Is, .05%

Romney Retaining Tompkins

2006-11-06T13:34:00.000-05:00

It's not confirmed yet, but Columbia-based RINO consultant Warren Tompkins will be the brains behind Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's South Carolina campaign.

Tompkins, who pulled a nice delaying action while pretending to court U.S. Sen. John McCain, also held conversations with N.Y. Gov. Rudy Giuliani and other prospective 2008'ers before apparently settling on Romney.

Tompkins, whose consulting firm took it on the chin in the 2006 GOP Primary (Staton, Ryberg losses), was nonetheless the architect of Bush's brutal 2000 victory over McCain.

Romney's decision sets up another showdown between Tompkins forces and the "Quinn-dom" (Richard Quinn & Associates) which is once again managing McCain's South Carolina efforts.

This time it seems McCain has the upper hand, however. The Arizona Senator has a huge Name ID advantage, and every week his Straight Talk America organization has been rolling out a prominent in-state endorsement - including former Bush-backers like social conservative Upstate Sen. Mike Fair.

Buckle your chinstraps, kids ... this one could get nasty!

EndorseFITS

2006-11-05T16:43:00.000-05:00

It's that time again, when all the political commercials have been aired, speeches given, polls taken and lesser endorsements awarded.

With less than 48 hours remaining to D-Day, Campaign 2006 in South Carolina now boils down to a simple question: What Would FITS Do?

We're calling them our EndorseFITS, because that word sounds like a lot like "endorsements" and includes our name, which for just a moment made us feel mildly clever and creative until we realized how cheezy it actually is.

Tomorrow we'll be issuing our long-awaited predictions (who we think will win), but today we're talking about who we think should win:

GOVERNOR - Mark Sanford

Despite the occasional political missteps and a pathetically-managed reelection campaign, Sanford remains one of the best things that's ever happened to this state. He's as solid a fiscal conservative as you're going to find anywhere in the country, and his consistent record of protecting the taxpayers and fighting for long-overdue structural changes to government is admirable given the entrenched opposition he faces on a daily basis in Columbia. Hopefully, he'll learn how to use his popularity during a second term to achieve more of his goals, maybe learning a "carrot and stick" approach when dealing with the Legislature that will allow for some compromise on smaller issues. Ironically, he's been far too willing to compromise on the big ticket items.

We've had our issues with Sanford in the past, and by now it's pretty clear that he's nowhere near as pure as his cult of personality would suggest, but Tommy Moore as governor would be an unmitigated disaster for our state. Thankfully for those of us who care about free market reforms, Moore has run an even worse campaign than Sanford has.

LT. GOVERNOR - Andre Bauer

Given up for dead after finishing a distant second to Mike Campell in the June 13 GOP primary, Andre battled back in the runoff and pulled one of the most amazing political comebacks in recent memory. Since then, he's run a steady campaign, kept his nose clean and showed a lot of political courage by supporting expanded school choice, among other things. His opponent, Robert Barber, seemed to offer a lot of promise early on but never really came out with any defining ideas. As a result, he's now being defined as a cockfighting lobbyist, which unless you're a member of a cockfighting ring isn't a good thing. Barber's attempt to keep this affiliation hidden also hasn't helped him build up any points in the integrity department.

TREASURER - Thomas Ravenel

Insiders can say what they want about T-Rav, but he's run one of the best general election campaigns in recent memory and more than demonstrated his competency for the state's top financial post. With a commanding knowledge of what needs to be done to fix our state's antiquated investment system and a true conservative zeal for cutting taxes and spending, Ravenel is the future of the South Carolina Republican Party. His opponent, incumbent Grady Patterson, has spent four decades in office and yet couldn't come up with anything to run on except negative ads and the incessant blathering of RINO-in-Chief John Rainey.

Ravenel deserves perhaps the most credit for defying political wisdom and directly engaging the irascible "Seersucker Kingfish." Every other Republican in the state is petrified of Rainey's money and influence, but Ravenel took the fight directly to the liberal BEA Chairman and has effectively marginalized him for the foreseeable future. Before Thomas Ravenel, Rainey's outbursts made statewide headlines. Today, the Hotline doesn't even publish his rants.

SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION - Karen Floyd

We wish Karen had stuck to her school choice guns during the general election campaign but we remain convinced she's the best person for this job. We like Democrat Jim Rex, but he's basically advancing all the same ideas that have kept South Carolina's public education system in the toilet for decades. Floyd would challenge the status quo and work with the governor to reform PACT, streamline more funding to the classroom and yes, expand choices for parents.

Our hope for Karen is that she runs the State Department of Education with the same passion and purpose that she showed in announcing for the office and running her primary campaign, where she throttled RINO Bob Staton.

COMPTROLLER GENERAL - Richard Eckstrom

For all the money Richard Eckstrom has saved the taxpayers of this state, we ought to pay for him to take a vacation every year. True, Eckstrom's jaunt to Minnesota was a mistake, but his strong fiscal conservative leadership has saved this state millions of dollars and no one (not even Sanford) has done more of the heavy lifting when it comes to looking out for the taxpayers' bottom line. Eckstrom's opponent, Drew Theodore, is a joke. His entire campaign has been built around attacking Eckstrom for taking the van ride, and he literally can't put together a complete sentence (unless he's making strange and inappropriate comments on automotive websites).

Eckstrom is indispensible to state government, especially on the Budget and Control Board, and his leadership during BRAC helped preserve one of our state's most important industries - the military. This one is a no-brainer.

SECRETARY OF STATE - Nobody

Seriously, we could elect a barstool to this position and it wouldn't matter. The fact that this office appears on the ballot at all is an embarassment to South Carolina. Our advice here is to write in Sic Willie. His campaign pledge? To transer the office's limited clerical responsibilities to the Governor's Office of Executive Policy and Programs and let the First Lady's office handle the annual "Scrooges and Angels" charity review.

Honestly, there are janitors at DHEC with more responsibility than South Carolina's Secretary of State.

COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE - Emil DeFelice

Yeah, we're endorsing a Democrat. Republican Hugh Weathers is a nice guy, but DeFelice brings youth, new ideas and a passion for cultivating South Carolina's home-grown assets into a formidable economic force. "Put Your State On Your Plate" is a brilliant idea, and DeFelice has run one of the best campaigns you've probably never heard of. This is another office that should clearly be appointed, and there's no doubt either Weathers or DeFelice would make a great appointment. Until the Legislature wises up and allows the people to choose whether we should waste another ballot spot on this office - DeFelice gets the nod.

ADJUTANT GENERAL - Nobody

Stan Spears is a nice guy. So's his son, Stan, Jr. But this is just another example of an office that has no business being on the ballot. In fact, we're the only state that has it on the ballot. 'Nuff said.

STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 75 - Jim Harrison

Harrison is an Army veteran who's served five tours of duty and been a leader in protecting the most vulnerable South Carolinians during his 18-year career in the House. His opponent is a jerk, and his entire campaign has been based on stuff that Harrison has already accomplished. We know this one isn't a statewide contest, but you're not going to find anybody in Columbia with more integrity than Harrison, and we couldn't let an endorseFITS article go by without showing Jim the love he deserves.

LOOK FOR FITS EXCLUSIVE ELECTION PREDICTIONS TOMORROW ...

WIS Refuses to Air New SCRG Ad

2006-11-04T13:13:00.000-05:00

WIS-TV is refusing to air a new television ad by South Carolinians for Responsible Government (SCRG), sources close to both organizations tell FITS.

The ad, which you can watch by clicking here, accuses The State newspaper of being under the thumb of a "liberal, out-of-state corporation" that is "trying to influence our elections" and "spiking stories in the news department just like the New York Times."

The State, according to the ad, is "liberal, biased and just plain wrong."

Allegedly penned by SCRG communications director Denver Merrill and Joshua Gross of the S.C. Club for Growth, the ad is currently running on Columbia stations WLTX and WOLO.

It was initially refused airtime on WIS late Friday by the station's General Manager, Mel Stebbins, who vehemently objected to its content.

Sources tell FITS that attorneys for both WIS and SCRG have been in communication and that a meeting is scheduled for Monday between the groups to discuss the matter further.

As far as FITS can tell, this is the first time a television advertisement has specifically gone after a news outlet here in South Carolina.

The State's Lee Bandy, a forty-year veteran of South Carolina politics, says "numerous candidates and groups have spoken critically of the media" in the past, but this is the first time he can recall an ad specifically targeting an individual news outlet.

We're very interested in your thoughts on this issue ... is the ad accurate? If so, is it appropriate? Is it strategically a smart thing to do?

Tell us what you think ...

To Sin By Silence

2006-11-03T14:20:00.000-05:00

In case anyone missed it this morning, The State newspaper "endorsed" the gay marriage ban that appears on next Tuesday's statewide ballot.

After dismissing the amendment's moral and Constitutional legitimacy, the paper's argument boiled down to the fact that it wants the issue to "go away" and that voting "Yes" on the Amendment would accomplish that objective.

Oddly enough, so would voting "No."

Unlike The State, FITS took a clear and unambiguous position on this amendment months ago, and didn't hide behind Pringles-thin logic in an attempt to sidestep what we believed in the name of popular expediency.

You can read our column on the subject here.

Our argument then - and now - is that while we believe homosexuality to be a sin, we do not believe it falls under the purview of government to regulate that sin.

You can call us libertarian if you'd like, but on this issue - like eminent domain, flag burning, primary seat belt enforcement and other issues - we'll take that label gladly.

Incidentally, Ernst Rohm, the socialist head of Hitler's brown-shirted SA death squads, was a homosexual. Also a notorious murderer, Rohm was killed by Hitler during the "Night of the Long Knives" on June 30, 1934. Like his boss, it's our belief that if anyone deserves to perpetually roast for their sins, it's Rohm.

But that's not for us to judge. The holder of that responsibility has already exercised it in Rohm's case (and in Hitler's, for that matter, eleven years later), just as one day He will exercise it with respect to each one of our lives.

Our nation justifies itself to the world as a protector of freedom. And whatever our colleagues in conservative circles may think of us, we believe this amendment to be an unlawful infringement of those freedoms.

That position may not be popular - and it will likely not be the one that prevails Tuesday - but at least we're not afraid to say it.

State's Sheinin Hosting Monday Web Chat

2006-11-03T03:15:00.000-05:00

Usually, State newspaper reporter Aaron Sheinin is the person asking the tough questions, much as he did during the recent gubernatorial debate between Mark Sanford and Tommy Moore.

Next week, however, the tables will be turned.

Sheinin is hosting a pre-election "Web Chat" on TheState.com this coming Monday afternoon, taking live questions over the Internet about next Tuesday's elections.

For the better part of the last four months, Sheinin has been living, eating, breathing and sleeping the 2006 horseraces, traveling to all corners of South Carolina with the different campaigns as they've crisscrossed the state in search of votes.

He's seen all the polls, heard all the debates, watched all the TV commercials and interviewed most all of the candidates, which in addition to making him a likely candidate for post-election therapy, also happens to make him one of the most knowledegable people out there when it comes to the veritable smorgasbord of issues, intrigues and idiosyncrasies of Campaign 2006.

Sheinin's going live "without a net," so to speak, meaning he won't be picking and choosing the questions in advance, he'll be answering them straight from you as they come in.

Basically, what that means is if your name is Drew Theodore, you might consider keeping your question PG-rated. Or if your name is John Rainey, you might consider keeping it under 10 pages. Or if your name is Laurin Manning, you might consider keeping the number of Howard Rich-related questions to 20 or 30. Or if your name is Phil Bailey, you might consider not participating - if not giving up computers altogether.

As for the FITS girls, all we want to know is what impact Sheinin's shortened sideburns have had on his Elvis impersonation? And maybe how the Orioles are going to handle their bullpen in the offseason ... if there's time.

Sheinin's live "Web Chat" will begin on Monday, November 6, at 12:30 p.m., and participating is easy. All you have to do is click on this link, and then click on the "SC Politics" tab.

So come Monday ... log on and fire away!

Rainey Inadvertently Sparks Hip-Hop Fad

2006-11-02T17:32:00.000-05:00

South Carolina Board of Economic Advisors Chairman John Rainey accidentally sparked a global Hip Hop phenomenon this week by arriving for a revenue meeting in a pair of low-top Seersucker Converse All-Stars.

"Yo, these sneaks is dope," said rapper Big Boi of the group Outkast, who sported an identical pair out on the town Tuesday night in Atlanta.

By Wednesday morning, the limited edition Chuck Taylors were everywhere.

Rappers Jay-Z, Eminem, Ludacris, 50 Cent, and others were spotted wearing the shoes, and a spokesman for Converse - which manufactures the Chuck Taylor line - confirmed that all 36 Chambers of the Wu-Tang Clan had purchased a pair for themselves as well.

Rainey, who said he was merely trying to keep his feet comfortable while grossly understating South Carolina's revenues (again), appeared oblivious to the international craze his footwear had instigated.

"First of all that young man's name should be spelled Big Boy - with a Y - and the correct term for that other young man's name should be Fifty Cents," he said. "That is the correct plural form. There can be no fifty cent, there can only be fifty cents. The only time the term 'cent' is used is when one is dealing with a single cent. Once another cent is added, the term becomes plural - cents."

Informed that the rapper's name was pronounced "fiddy cent" or just "fiddy" for short, the Seersucker Kingfish became visibly irritated.

"This is grammar class!" Rainey bellowed to reporters. "I don't care who he is, there is no such thing as fifty or fiddy cent. There is only fifty cents. And the name of that Ludicrous fellow is spelled incorrectly as well."

Rainey said he had planned to wear the shoes on a walking tour across his gated community to drum up last-minute support for Treasurer Grady Patterson's flagging campaign, but that "the generational chauvinism displayed by this flagrant violation of the plural form of the English language" forced him to change his mind and purchase a pair of red, white and blue New Balance shoes instead.

When informed that his boss, Gov. Mark Sanford had endorsed Patterson's opponent Thomas Ravenel earlier in the day, Rainey threw his hands in the air in disgust and told reporters Sanford could "find him in 'da club, bottle full a bub."

Incidentally, Rainey estimated South Carolina's revenue growth for the coming 2007-08 Fiscal Year at 6%.

FITS & "The Fix" - Great Minds Think Alike

2006-11-02T14:27:00.000-05:00

"The Fix" by Washington Post reporter Chris Cillizza has long been one of FITS' favorite blogs.

That's why we thought it was pretty cool when Cillizza published this post on the ten worst incumbent campaigns of 2006, coming as it did so swiftly on the heels of FITS' Five Crappiest Campaigns of the South Carolina election cycle.

So what do you gals and guys think?

Who's run the best campaigns here in South Carolina? Who's run the worst?

We'll even open the field to include the primaries, which our original post did not take into consideration ...

McConnell Announces Yellow Submarine Tour

2006-11-02T12:23:00.000-05:00

State Sen. Glenn McConnell (Dixiecrat - Charleston) has announced an ambitious new GOTV (Get Out The Vote) campaign along the South Carolina coastline called the "Yellow Submarine Tour."

"Sanford can have his 'Fiscal Responsibility' tour, Moore can do his 'One South Carolina' thing all day long and Karen Floyd can 'Ride for Reform' for as long as she jolly well pleases," said McConnell spokesman John Hazzard. "Our tour is going to put the rest of them to shame."

The Yellow Submarine Tour, which consists of McConnell and the exhumed remains of the H.L. Hunley crew (a.k.a. Henry Brown) traveling South Carolina's 180 miles of shoreline in a yellow Hunley replica, sets off this afternoon from Charleston Harbor.

Political scientists immediately questioned the tour's prospects for success.

"First of all, McConnell's not even running again until 2008," said College of Charleston political scientist Bill Moore. "Second of all, it's late Fall - not mid-Summer - and there's not going to be a soul out on the beaches to see this thing. Third of all - Henry Brown?"

The State's "news columnist" John Monk also filed a Freedom of Information Act request to determine if any state funding was being used for the tour, and began goading longtime McConnell allies at Clemson University by informing them that the submarine was indeed yellow and not "Tiger Orange."

McConnell bristled at his critics, and replied by spontaneously bursting into a Tina Turner song as he and Brown's submarine floated beneath the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge.

"And I wonder if we - are ever gonna cha-a-a-a-nge. Living under the fear - till nothing else rema-a-a-a-a-ins," McConnell sang. "We don't need another hero. We don't need to know the way home. All we want is life beyond the Thunderdome."

Look for McConnell and Brown's "Yellow Submarine Tour" - coming soon to an empty beach near you.

Spinning Kerry's "Joke Malfunction"

2006-11-01T18:37:00.000-05:00

Former Democratic Party standard-bearer John Kerry has found himself in some hot water after making a joke that many interpreted as a slap against American military personnel serving in Iraq.

"You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq," Kerry told a California crowd on Monday.

The spin on this one is pretty simple: Republicans attack Kerry for saying our soldiers are stupid, Democrats attack Republicans for fighting a war they think is stupid.

Which spin you take depends on who you believe the joke was targeting. Was Kerry was cracking on our soldiers (as Republicans believe), our President (as Democrats insist) or both (as U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson has said)?

Of course, Wilson immediately put out a press release demanding that Kerry apologize, but then again Wilson immediately puts out a press release demanding an apology every time a Democrat opens his or her mouth, about anything.

The difference is that this time Wilson was joined (or rather eclipsed) by credible criticisms of Kerry's remarks coming from President Bush, John McCain, Lindsey Graham and basically every other Republican with a pulse. Bush even timed his criticism to coincide with the nightly news, and tipped off reporters that it was coming - a clear sign the GOP is looking to make Kerry's "joke malfunction" a bigger deal than it ordinarily might have been.

There's no doubt what Kerry said was incredibly stupid on multiple levels.

That stupidity was then compounded by a ridiculous news conference where Kerry sounded a lot like Justin Timberlake trying to explain what happened with Janet Jackson's bra during their Super Bowl duet.

But the fact that Republicans are treating the fallout over Kerry's "botched" joke like manna from heaven shows how desperate they are to get their core voters engaged in swing states.

We blogged recently about this dynamic, which was epitomized by Ken Mehlman's RNC recently reverting to the "Southern Strategy" in a Senate race in Tennessee - employing a less-than-deft and uniquely 20th Century method of campainging that basically consists of scaring white people silly.

Fortunately for Republicans here in South Carolina, the big-spending, race-baiting, agenda-deficient national GOP has kept its moronisitude out of our state. Well, with the exception of Ralph Norman's race, anyway.

Which effectively makes all of this a wash.

Just as the sordid details of the Foley page scandal didn't really do anything to hurt Palmetto State Republicans, it's doubtful Kerry's ill-conceived joke is going to do much to help them, unless of course you make your residence somewhere inside Joe Wilson's cerebellum.

The good news is that in about 120 hours, the people finally get a chance to speak for themselves.

T-Rav, Eckstrom Pick Up Additional Endorsements

2006-11-01T15:54:00.000-05:00

The Charleston Post and Courier unveiled a fresh batch of editorial endorsements this morning, including this article on GOP Treasurer nominee Thomas Ravenel and this article on GOP Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom.

T-Rav and Eckstrom have now both been endorsed by three of the four largest papers in South Carolina, with Ravenel getting the nod from all four publications - The State, The Post and Courier, The Greenville News and The Spartanburg Herald-Journal.

Of course the endorsements that really matter - ours - won't come out until this Sunday, but it is nice to see so many of the major editorial boards endorsing strong fiscal conservatives.

Ken Mehlman's Aryan Nation

2006-10-31T20:28:00.000-05:00

For whatever reason, national GOP chairman Ken Mehlman keeps popping up on our radar here at FITS.

Maybe it's because of facial expressions like this one, or maybe it's because Mehlman just sucks so bad.

Seriously, sign us up for whatever group of political operatives is waiting in the tall grass for this jerk.

Mehlman got served in this morning's USA Today, and with good reason.

He's funding perhaps the most overtly racist ad since South Carolina's own "Pitchfork Ben Tillman" actually stuck a black guy on a pitchfork and said "Hey White People, Look at Me!"

Okay, that last part didn't actually happen, but Tillman (along with David Duke, James Earl Ray and the first incarnation of George Wallace) would no doubt have loved the ad currently running against Democrat Harold Ford, Jr., in the Tennessee Senate race.

Mehlman, although his RNC is funding the ad, denies any responsibility for or foreknowledge of it.

Of course he does. Race-baiting isn't good PR for a party that's still desperately trying to peddle its "compassionate conservative" schtick.

We have no doubt that Harold Ford, Jr., is a big government liberal who wants to run our economy into the ground by raising taxes to pay for thousands of new government programs. Of course with the way Republicans have been spending money in D.C. over the past six years, Ford would hardly be the exception to the rule in either party.

But rather than make the case against Ford on the issues, the ad Mehlman's paying for attacks him for, wait for it ... liking white girls a little bit too much.

That's right. Forget taxes, spending or Social Security, let's make Jungle Fever the issue and see where that takes us.

Memo to Mehlman: It's 2006, not 1956.

Hall's Investment E-mail Backs GOP Candidates

2006-10-31T18:23:00.000-05:00

FITS' mailbox received a Halloween e-mail this evening from Kevin Hall, former Chairman of the South Carolina Retirement System's Investment Panel and rumored challenger to current SCGOP Chairman Katon Dawson.

No, he wasn't asking us for candy.

Hall's e-mail - which FITS has since learned went out to just under 50,000 Republicans across the state - did ask us to go to the polls next Tuesday to support Republicans Mark Sanford, Thomas Ravenel and Richard Eckstrom ... and to vote "Yes" on the International Investment Amendment to the State Constitution (Question 3).

If Hall is indeed running for the Party chairmanship, it was an especially shrewd move, particularly the section in which he praises T-Rav, the GOP nominee for State Treasurer.

"A conservative businessman, Thomas is leading the fight to modernize our state’s woefully-underperforming investments, which under incumbent Democratic Treasurer Grady Patterson rank in the bottom 1% of large public pension funds in the nation," Hall writes.

That endorsement contrasts nicely with the middling support T-Rav got from current SCGOP Chairman Dawson when the latter was attacked by RINO-in-Chief John Rainey.

Given that U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham's forces would likely align behind Hall in the event he runs, Hall's courting of T-Rav Republicans (many of whom are disenchanted with Graham) makes good political sense.

In another interesting twist, staunch Dawson supporter, GOP fundraiser and blogger extraordinaire Sunny Philips even gave Hall some love this week ... albeit accidentally.

Philips, who to her credit has made no bones concerning her unswerving loyalty to Dawson, devoted this post on her popular blog Sunday to an oped published in The Sun News last week supporting Sanford, Ravenel, Eckstrom and passage of the international investment amendment.

Sunny, like the rest of us, assumed the oped had been written by the person whose name appeared on it - Reynolds Williams, the current Chairman of the S.C. Retirement System Investment Board.

If only The Sun News editorial board knew how to copy and paste.

As its correction the next day noted, the oped was actually written by ... you guessed it, Kevin Hall.

We've already endorsed Kevin's candidacy in the event he runs. He's pretty much a bad ass and besides, Heather S. thinks he's hot. But we were reminded of the real reason we did that (even though he hasn't said he's running yet) when we read the closing line of his e-mail:

"Mark Sanford, Richard Eckstrom and Thomas Ravenel all support bringing South Carolina’s investment strategy into the 21st Century. They also support tax cuts to spur economic growth, strict limits on new state spending and restructuring reforms that will save money and make government more efficient and accountable to the taxpayer. As Republicans, I think we can all agree those are ideas worth fighting for."

Amen, brother. Amen.

Now if we can just get the Republican Party to actually believe those things ... and get a Chairman who actually supports candidates who believe those things ... South Carolina may be in business.

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T14:42:00.000-05:00

Sic Willie (Jack-O-Lantern on the left) and Trav Robertson (Jack-O-Lantern on the right) took a break from campaigning today to wish all of you a Happy Halloween!

The Greenville News didn't take a break, though, offering this endorsement of GOP Treasurer nominee Thomas Ravenel.

T-Rav has now been endorsed by the News, the Spartanburg Herald-Journal and The State newspaper.

"Generalissimo" McMaster

2006-10-30T16:19:00.000-05:00

South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster quietly overthrew state government earlier today, declaring martial law throughout all 46 counties and installing his English Bulldog, Barnwell Junior, as the state's "puppet governor."

Running unopposed for reelection as Attorney General in both the June GOP primary and November general elections, the popular McMaster succeeded in siezing control of the legislative, executive and judicial branches of state government in a bloodless coup precipitated by voter apathy and his own internal inertia.

"With no campaign to run, Henry just got bored," McMaster spokesman Trey Walker told FITS. "And this is what happens when Henry gets bored."

At a hastily-arranged ceremony in the upper lobby of the South Carolina State House, McMaster's bulldog was sworn in by Chief Justice Jean H. Toal seconds prior to to affixing his paw print on an emergency decree that transferred all state power to the AG's office.

The bulldog then drooled on a WIS-TV microphone, bit State newspaper reporter Aaron Gould Sheinin on the buttocks and went "No. 2" on the carpet outside of the State House of Representatives chamber.

McMaster, who gave himself the title "Generalissimo," was unavailable for comment, but allowed himself to be photographed alongside Barnwell Junior on a reviewing stand as a parade of tanks and soldiers passed by on nearby Gervais Street.

"Viva Nacho Libre!" McMaster shouted as he saluted the passing troops.

"Viva La Generalissimo!" Shouted the troops in reply.

Walker said McMaster would permit the November 7 elections to continue, but that the emergency decree would remain in place no matter which party triumphed.

"Los Ejercitos, C'est Henry," Walker said.

UPDATE - AG Deputy Communications Director Mark Plowden now tells FITS the entire takeover was a "Trick-or-Treat" joke.

Five Crappiest Campaigns of 2006

2006-10-29T16:55:00.000-05:00

It was fitting that President George W. Bush and White House master strategist Karl Rove were both in the Palmetto State this weekend.

Why? Because both men get honorable mentions in our compilation of the crappiest South Carolina political campaigns of 2006.

To be sure, Rove snuck Bush across the goal line against John Kerry (the Tommy Moore of American politics) in 2004, but this year's cycle is showing the extreme wear apparent on the duo's "bomb the Muslims, blockade the Mexicans" strategy.

In addition to placing Republican control of the House - and possibly the Senate - in jeopardy, Bush and Rove are big contributors to the chart-topper in FITS "Five Crappiest Campaigns of 2006" list:

1. Ralph Norman, Republican, U.S. Fifth District

Ralph Norman is one of the most honest-to-God, nice guys you'll ever meet in your life. He's also got a spotless record when it comes to protecting your tax dollars, in stark contrast to his opponent John Spratt, the consummate Washington insider. Unfortunately, Norman got himself hitched up with the biggest collection of losers since Bob Peeler got his hat handed to him in 2002. These DC and SC morons proceeded to play inside political baseball, pander to social conservatives and make immigration the number one issue of the race - despite the fact that illegals have worked on some of the work sites tied to Norman's development company. Can anybody say "Ryberg and Gambling?" Stupid, stupid, stupid. Norman's campaign is the runaway winner here, especially given the amazing candidate they had to work with.

2. Tommy Moore, Democrat, Governor

Who is Tommy Moore? Well, the fact that polls taken just last week show only half of South Carolina's registered voters can answer that question pretty much says it all. On June 13, Moore trounced his Democratic primary opponent by a 2-to-1 margin and watched Gov. Mark Sanford give up 35% of the GOP vote against a political unknown. Then, as far as we can tell, Moore basically sat on his ass for about two months. Sanford's record was ripe for the picking, his campaign was bumbling through an ill-conceived negative attack and polls showed a single-digit race emerging. Seriously, Eldridge Emory could have been the Democratic nominee and still raised $5 million under those circumstances, but Moore didn't even get half of that when it counted. As a result, Sanford stayed on TV unanswered for months and when Moore finally did show up, it was amateur hour.

3. Karen Floyd, Republican, Superintendent of Education

The first of our Crappy Campaign honorees that will actually end up winning on November 7, Floyd's 2006 effort has nonetheless been a disaster. Her TV ads are awful, she's underperformed in both debates, she's backpedaled on the school choice issue and Jim Rex has eaten her for lunch in the earned media department. Anytime one of your press releases reads "I’m going to travel the state on a bicycle to discuss my comprehensive plan for a zero tolerance policy which includes innovative solutions like putting cameras in the classroom and linking drivers’ licenses to behavior," you know things are bad. From holding a dove hunt fundraiser on 9/11 to a flubbed law enforcement endorsement, Floyd has done everything possible to lose this race. Fortunately for her, Rex only has $4,000 cash on hand.

4. Grady Patterson, Democrat, Treasurer

Anytime The State newspaper endorses a fiscally conservative Republican, you know you've run a pathetic campaign. Team Grady has done nothing but attack GOP nominee Thomas Ravenel, and even then it had to rely on a RINO like John Rainey to do its dirty work. Camp Patterson thought it could hammer T-Rav endlessly on the possibility that he might run for U.S. Senate in 2008, but when Ravenel took that card off of the table the walls in Trav Roberston's world started closing in.

5. Mark Sanford, Republican, Governor

Mark Sanford was born under a lucky star, and in 2006 that star just happened to be named Tommy Moore. In 2002, Sanford was a principled leader, not a politician. This go-round he was the consummate politician. In 2002, Sanford ran a passionate campaign of ideas. This go-round he ran a pedantic campaign of insider intrigue. With a well-established cult of personality and $8 million to promote it, the governor is understandably on cruise control - and has been for months. But it helps when only 1 out of 2 registered voters can identify your opponent. Fortunately for the governor, the ineptness of campaign manager Jason Miller was eclipsed by the inertia of the entire Moore campaign. Oh, and Sanford still looks pretty good - if not as convincing this time -on television.

Not-so-honorable mention: Democrat Drew Theodore (Comptroller General), Republican Hugh Weathers (Agriculture Commissioner), Democrat Jim Rex (Superintendent of Education).

Yeah, It's the Silly Season

2006-10-27T11:30:00.001-05:00

We had to take a break from politics yesterday.

Seriously, there's just too much silliness going on.

At the top of the ticket, Gov. Mark Sanford is cruising to a decisive victory, but his intellectual lightweight campaign manager Jason Miller continues to throw amateurish "Hillary Clinton" jabs at Tommy Moore.

Remember the "Thrilla in Manila?" The punch Ali never gave Foreman?

This one's over, Team Sanford. Time to dial down Mr. Miller's testosterone a couple notches and start acting like it.

COMPTROLLER GENERAL

In the Comptroller General's race, Democrat Drew Theodore is running an especially harsh new attack ad against Republican Richard Eckstrom.

Ironically, the same man who's authored Internet posts about husbands cheating on their wives and the feasibility of having sexual intercourse in luxury automobiles claims he will "restore honor and integrity to the Comptroller General's office" in his new ad.

Right.

And Don King is going to restore honor and integrity to Las Vegas.

Incidentally, three weeks later we're still waiting for "DrewT" to provide a shred of evidence supporting his debate statement that Sic Willie "attacked his family" and "attacked his father."

What say you, DrewT? We're still waiting ...

SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION

In the Superintendent of Education race, Jim Rex has no money with which to attack Karen Floyd, so The State newspaper and Laurin Manning are doing their best to pick up the slack. We've always found Laurin to be incredibly objective and fair-minded in the commentary on her blog, which is why reading her rants over the last few weeks has been especially disappointing.

Miss Manning seems to have converted to the belief that all of us who support school choice are "cancers" who are under the thumb of New York millionaire Howard Rich.

She even accuses school choice backers of wanting to turn South Carolina's kids into "guinea pigs."

We can't speak for anybody but ourselves here at FITS, but we happen to support school choice because we've seen it work in other states and believe it's worth trying here, especially in historically underperforming districts. Obviously doubling per pupil funding, doubling the education bureaucracy, raising teacher salaries above the Southeastern average and implementing monumental new governmental "accountability" standards hasn't done the trick.

Seriously, more money hasn't produced the desired result, so why not try something new?

We don't always approve of SCRG's tactics, nor have we been particularly impressed with K-Flo's campaign - and we've said so on multiple occasions.

We even have a great deal of respect for Jim Rex on a personal level, and although we disagree with him on this issue, we think that his conduct over the course of this race has by and large been emblematic of what the political discourse should be about in South Carolina.

We wish the same could be said for Miss Manning.

TREASURER

As the Silly Season goes, this race probably takes the cake.

Democratic Treasurer Trav Robertson - scratch that, Grady Patterson - has launched yet another salvo against GOP nominee Thomas Ravenel, this time on the issue of a $19,500 fine from the Federal Election Commission from Ravenel's 2004 Senate race.

Ravenel, who simply paid the fine rather than spending thousands more to fight the validity of a completely innocuous charge, has to be pleased that this is what Patterson is running on after four decades in the Treasurer's Office.

Patterson's campaign had previously dug up decades-old liens filed against Ravenel's business partner after a sub-contractor failed to pay bills that Ravenel had already given them the money to pay.

Accordingly, Ravenel paid the bills a second time.

Given Grady's stretching of the truth the last go-round, media outlets in South Carolina have been far less inclined to bite on this latest attack.

Ah, the Silly Season ... you gotta love it.

The Big Game

2006-10-26T12:53:00.000-05:00

In his entire career at the University of Tennessee, you could count the times that All-Pro Quarterback Peyton Manning was held to under 200 yards passing on one hand.

Two of those games just happened to come against the University of South Carolina, back in the era when future NFL defensive backs like Arturo Freeman and Lee Wiggins roamed the Gamecock secondary.

And while South Carolina never managed to translate its ability to contain Manning into a "W" during his four years on Rocky Top, last year in Knoxville the Gamecocks finally broke through against Tennessee, beating the Volunteers for the first time in over a decade.

Saturday night, eighth-ranked Tennessee (6-1) comes to Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia looking for its revenge in a game that will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Can Carolina (5-2) pull out a win against its nemesis in this pivotal SEC East showdown?

Possibly.

The Gamecock offense, which got off to a horrendous start, finally seems to have the right personnel on the field.

Most notably, senior quarterback Syvelle Newton has emerged as its undisputed leader - a multi-threat playmaker who has hit his stride running Spurrier's evolving offense and developed a potent chemistry with All-America wideout Sidney Rice. Running back Cory Boyd has also eclipsed the 100-yard mark in his last two games, which says as much about Boyd's abilities as it does about the improved performance of the Gamecocks' offensive line.

Defensively, Carolina has played well enough to win every game it has suited up for this season and boasts one of the fastest, hardest-hitting units in the SEC. Anchored by the Brinkley twins (Casper and Jasper) and veteran defensive back Fred Bennett, the Gamecock defense ranks fourth in the SEC (and second against the pass).

But can Carolina withstand the intensity of the Volunteer's offensive onslaught, which has improved by leaps and bounds this season with the return of legendary Offensive Coordinator David Cutcliffe?

After a disastrous 2005 campaign, Tennessee has returned to form under Cutcliffe and ranks second in the SEC this season in total offense.

Even more impressive, the Tennessee offense is at its best when it matters most, leading the conference in third-down conversions and scoring in the red zone. Only twice in 26 tries have the Volunteers gotten inside their opponents' 20-yard line and not walked away with points - including an SEC-leading 18 touchdowns.

That could spell trouble for a Gamecock defense that has built its success on a "bend, don't break" philosophy.

Saturday's game has huge implications.

For Tennessee, it's a "payback" game as well as a chance to keep its slim national title hopes alive. For the Gamecocks, it's a chance to become bowl-eligible, crack the AP Top 25 and prove that last year's upset win in Knoxville wasn't a fluke.

FITS will be following all the action live at Williams-Brice Saturday, but don't forget to tune into ESPN if you can't get your hands on some tickets.

The State Newspaper v. K-Flo, Pt. II

2006-10-25T13:20:00.000-05:00

We'll be the first to admit that Spartanburg businesswoman Karen Floyd didn't exactly knock it out of the park in her two debate performances this week.

Nor are Floyd's latest television ads particularly impressive.

And we're still not entirely pleased with her recent backpedaling on the issue of school choice. It's made her look indecisive and evasive, two qualities you don't want prominently displayed on the eve of the fight of your political life.

All in all, whatever retainer Floyd's paying Sanford advisor Jon Lerner, she's obviously not getting the highly-regarded consultant's best effort in this race.

Having said all of that, Floyd has done absolutely nothing to deserve the continuing journalistic mugging she's receiving at the hands of The State newspaper.

This morning's front-page story focuses on a $100 contribution made by Floyd's step-mother to the campaign of her opponent, Jim Rex. It follows another front-page story two days ago that revealed (shock) that 33 of 34 local superintendents (in a poll conducted by The State) were supporting Rex over Floyd.

Let's play devil's advocates, shall we?

Assume that the Floyd campaign put our a press release highlighting the fact that 33 of 34 leading school choice advocates were endorsing her candidacy.

Would The State have run a story on that? Let alone put it on the front page with a screaming headline?

Of course not.

In all likelihood, reporter Bill Robinson would have politely called Floyd spokesman Hogan Gidley back and informed him that, in The State's opinion, school choice supporters endorsing Floyd "isn't news."

In fact, the only way such a hypothetical endorsement would have ever make it into the pages of The State were if Robinson needed a "hook" to write yet another hit piece attacking Floyd for the contributions she has received from school choice supporters.

They might have published it then, and if so, the endorsement might have made the last paragraph of Robinson's one-sided story.

Ready for another hypothetical?

Now let's suppose that The State obtained conclusive evidence that Jim Rex's step-father (in the event he even has one) had written a $100 check to the Floyd campaign.

Would The State have written a story about that? Much less plastered it on the front page with another screaming headline - this time above the fold?

Of course not.

If anything, Aaron Sheinin and John O'Connor (both of whom FITS considers diligent, unbiased reporters, by the way) might have included the item in The State's Sunday "Buzz" section - a humorous, informal collection of weekly political briefs that are read by Rusty DePass, a staffer in Joe Wilson's office and maybe a half-dozen other political junkies.

Go ahead and tell us we're wrong. We're used to hearing that, and occasionally we are wrong.

But honestly, if the two campaigns were reversed in this situation we'd bet every penny in our pockets against every penny in all of your pockets that things would have gone down exactly as we just described them.

That, friends, is the definition of a double standard, and the embodiment of a biased, irresponsible form of agenda-driven journalism that has absolutely no place in a free-thinking society.

Since we railed quite extensively on The State's fundamental abdication of its First Amendment responsibility two days ago, we'll spare you another Dennis Miller-esque rant today.

Just know that as far as the Superintendent of Education race is concerned, The State newspaper might as well be Jim Rex campaign headquarters.

Michigan Governor Flubs Vulcan Salute

2006-10-25T09:33:00.000-05:00

Since the South Carolina governor's race is pretty much a snoozer, we figured we'd go North to lovely Michigan, home of the automobile, the "Big House," the Great Lakes and hottie Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

According to FITS' friend (and Washington Post reporter/blogger extraordinaire) Chris Cillizza, Granholm currently holds a "high single digit lead" over Republican businessman Dick DeVos.

After weathering a storm of negative ads trying to link her to Michigan's "South Carolina-esque" unemployment rate, Granholm appears to have momentum on her side as the race enters its final two weeks, and DeVos (though still well-funded) is running out of time to find an issue that resonates with Wolverine State swing voters.

Enter the "Trekkies."

FITS has learned that fans of the famous Star Trek television and film series are enraged with Granholm over her apparent inability to properly deliver a Vulcan Salute (see photo above).

"We're trying to live long and prosper up here and she can't even get a simple hand gesture right," said Phillip Seymour, an Ann Arbor resident and President of Trekkies for DeVos. "That's not leadership, gosh darnit, that's the Vulcan symbol for 'Bite Me' she's flashing in that picture."

Granholm aides were quick to downplay the gesture's significance in the race.

"The governor intended the gesture as a warning to any Romulans or Klingons who may have been watching," Granholm spokeswoman Heidi Watson told FITS. "Michiganians should know she's a Star Trek freak at heart, and often gives the Vulcan Salute on the campaign trail as a way of identifying with her fellow Trekkies."

Seymour dismissed Watson's assertion as "illogical" and challenged Granholm to prove her loyalty by properly giving the Salute at an upcoming Star Trek Convention in Detroit.

"Either she lacks the manual dexterity in her fingers or she's lying," Seymour said. "Either way, Trekkies should demand that Gov. Granholm come clean on this critical election issue."

Not since President George W. Bush flipped the bird into a camera while he was still Governor of Texas has a hand gesture by a politician been this scrutinized.

"Bush's finger malfunction did not cause lasting harm to his candidacy, but this is a knuckle of a different color because Trekkies are important swing voters in states like Michigan," said Dr. Rudolph U. Seerious, Director of the University of South Carolina's Center for the Interpretation of Hand Gesticulation in American Politics (CIHGAP). "If Trekkies believe Granholm is against them because of this incident, they may start 'beaming' new registered voters directly to their local polling places to vote against her."

Dr. Seerious said his office has yet to formally review the film of Granholm's flubbed salute, citing a barrage of incoming calls from in-state reporters about SCGOP Superintendent of Education nominee Karen Floyd's excessive hand movement in two recent debates.

"We will obviously review the Granholm tape in detail at some point but right now the frame-by-frame analysis of Karen Floyd's gratuitous gesticulation at the SCETV and WIS-TV debates is consuming all of our resources," Seerious said. "Perhaps some additional funding for higher ed in South Carolina could enable us to complete this vital research."

What's Up With Sanford, Burroughs & Chapin?

2006-10-24T10:56:00.000-05:00

We here at FITS used to love Burroughs & Chapin, the Myrtle Beach real estate conglomerate that, well, owns the Grand Strand for all intents and purposes.

Of course that was before they tore down our favorite mini-golf course - the Jungle Caverns on Kings Highway - to build a bunch of condos.

Bad move, B&C.

Now it appears as if Burroughs & Chapin is backing Tommy Moore in the upcoming gubernatorial race.

Another bad move, in our opinion.

How do we know this is true?

Well, it turns out "Republicans for Tommy Moore" 4X8 signs (complete with the GOP logo) have been popping up by the dozen all along heavily-populated areas on the Grand Strand - and that the overwhelming majority of these signs have been placed on property owned by Burroughs & Chapin.

And what about Sanford signs?

Two sources have independently confirmed to FITS that Burroughs & Chapin specifically refused to allow Sanford for Governor signs on its property. One even indicated that First Lady Jenny Sanford asked Burroughs & Chapin to allow her husband's signs on its properties and was rebuffed.

Hmmm ...

So what, exactly, does Burroughs & Chapin have against Gov. Mark Sanford?

It's hard to say. Sanford has, after all, been one of the most aggressive governors in South Carolina history in terms of promoting our state's $15 billion a year tourism industry, and he even named one of the Strand's favorite sons (Chad Prosser) to lead the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

Sanford has also gone to unprecendented lengths to involve coastal municipalities in his hurricane preparation and evacuation planning, which paid big dividends when his Department of Public Safety expertly managed a limited evacuation of the Strand two years ago.

So what gives with Burroughs & Chapin? Why are they permitting "Republicans for Moore" to blanket their properties with signs while refusing to allow the governor's campaign to do the same?

Maybe reporters Zane Wilson or Travis Tritten at The Sun News will do some digging and we can find out.

One Republican who is benefitting from the massive visibility afforded by placing signs on B&C property is none other that State Rep. Tracy Edge. In fact, if signs on land owned by Burroughs & Chapin were the sole indicator, you'd think Moore and Edge were running on a ticket (see one of many examples of the Moore-Edge sign clustering in the photo above).

Of course Edge is employed by B&C, so it's not surprising he's using his connections there to get dozens of signs placed in high-traffic areas. What is surprising is that most of these signs - as the photo above indicates - are right next to Republicans for Tommy Moore signs.

Not exactly the best placement plan for someone who claims to be a Sanford supporter.

B&C is by far and away the Strand's most influential corporate concern. They basically own the coast and are very aggressive politically.

Siding with Moore at this late stage of the game, however, would seem to represent a rare error in political judgment on the company's part - if that's indeed what's happening here.

Sanford's campaign is on cruise control, with $3 million in the bank heading into the final two weeks of the campaign.

What's the point of B&C alienating a governor who's clearly going to be around for another four years? Not to mention one who has treated the coast pretty well all things considered?

Burroughs & Chapin could score some easy points here by allowing Sanford signs on its property (to go with the Moore-Edge barrage).

Oh, and while they're at it, they could bring back our beloved mini-golf course.

Nothing Proper About This Propaganda

2006-10-23T10:03:00.001-05:00

If there were any lingering doubts that The State newspaper (a.k.a. La Socialista) is engaged in a full-scale effort to undermine the Karen Floyd for Superintendent campaign, look no further than the front page of today's paper, which blares the headline "District Leaders Prefer Rex in Poll."

Are you kidding us? This is front-page news?

Of course it is - or at least it is in parts of the world where the press exists solely to perpetuate a specific ideology, like North Korea or Communist China ... and apparently, Columbia, S.C. on this cool October morning fifteen days before an election.

The "news" that 33 out of 34 District Superintendents preferred Democratic candidate Jim Rex to Ms. Floyd is indeed shocking. But that's only because it wasn't 34 out of 34.

Let's see, The State polled the principal architects of the nation's worst education system to find out if they are a) supporting a candidate who will demand a better return on our multi-billion state investment, or, b) supporting a candidate who will continue pouring endless gobs of additional money into their fiefdoms no matter how poorly they continue to perform.

Hmmmm ...

Seriously, this is like going into the Gamecock lockerroom right before the Clemson kickoff and asking the Carolina players who they want to win the game. It's like polling an NRA convention on gun rights, or Planned Parenthood lobbyists on abortion, or asking Mothers Against Drunk Driving for their thoughts on, well, drunk driving, as if the name of the group didn't give it away.

Predictably, former Tenenbaum Deputy and Rex Campaign Manager Zeke Stokes called the results "pretty significant."

Only if you're writing your term paper on The State newspaper's interminable drift toward socialism.

Aside from that, let's call this article what it is - the latest manifestation of The State newspaper's transparent vendetta against school choice.

What's next? The State hires a former Inez Tenenbaum Communications Director under the pretense of providing us with "objective" news coverage of education issues? Oh wait - THEY DID THAT ALREADY!

It's one thing if educrat sycophants like Brad Warthen and Cindi Scoppe want to sit on the sidelines and blather incessantly against school choice from the ivory tower of their editorial boardroom.

As columnists, Warthen and Scoppe don't have a journalistic obligation to be impartial, and absent such an obligation they can openly call school choice supporters a "cancer" all day long if they want to. Come to think of it, THEY'VE DONE THAT ALREADY, TOO!

But reporters and news editors do have an obligation to impartiality. And to brazenly ignore that obligation in a blatant attempt to advance a specific agenda - right or wrong - is to make a mockery of the First Amendment and their chosen profession.

The freedom of America's Fourth Estate is unrivaled in the annals of history. It is absolutely essential to our liberty as individuals and as a nation - a vital check against corruption and involuntary compulsion, and a wall of truth separating us from tyranny and subjugation.

As such, it comes with a huge responsibility.

This morning - as it has done on numerous occasions in the past - The State newspaper willfully sacrificed that sacred responsibility on the altar of its own narrow political agenda.

In communist states, there's a word we use when we see internally-manufactured stories splashed all over the front pages of major newspapers.

We call it "Propaganda."

Salt-N-Pepa Endorses Shoopman

2006-10-23T09:09:00.000-05:00

In a rare foray into South Carolina politics, members of the popular 1990's R&B/hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa have endorsed Republican Phil Shoopman in the House District 18 race in Greenville County, calling his election to the seat "Very Necessary."

"Shoop. Shoop-a-doop, Shoop-a-doop, Shoop-a-doopa-doopa-doop," said Cheryl James, a.k.a. Salt.

"Whatta man, whatta man, whatta man, whatta mighty good man," said Sandy Denton, a.k.a. Pepa.

Salt-N-Pepa encouraged Shoopman to "Push It" in the two weeks remaining before Election Day.

"Phil needs to Push It," Salt said. "Push It real good."

Shoopman, who was also endorsed by the Greenville News Friday, is running for the seat formerly held by FITS fave Lewis Vaughn.

"Near Parity in Intensity"

2006-10-23T07:02:00.000-05:00

FITS was surprised yesterday to open our mailbag and find an e-mail from Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman (pictured left, showing off his opposable thumb).

Okay, okay, we didn't exactly get an e-mail from Ken Mehlman. We were forwarded one. And the person we got it from didn't exactly get an e-mail from Ken Mehlman, either. They just happened to be on his Republi-spam e-mail list.

Anyway, the RNC chair and former Bush-Cheney '04 campaign manager - not to mention one of the brains behind the wildly-popular "Ralph Norman strategy" - had some interesting thoughts to share.

According to Mehlman, national polling research shows "near parity in intensity" among Republican and Democratic voters heading into the November 7 elections.

"In recent days and weeks, the mainstream media have repeatedly claimed that the Republican base is suffering from low voter enthusiasm," Mehlman writes. "It is easy to believe a story that is repeated so frequently, but in fact there is ample evidence to the contrary."

Mehlman then proceeds to wax scientific about three recent polls that he claims support his assertions - one of which just happens to be an internal RNC poll.

All we can say is, "Congratulations," Ken. We hear you've also got some polling that confirms Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas is attractive, or that there was parity in Saturday's Clemson-Georgia Tech game, or that monkeys might fly out of our butts.

Thankfully here in South Carolina - which aside from the impending disaster up in the Fifth District has been spared the "Mehlman treatment" - voter enthusiasm among Republicans actually is high.

That's because our state's GOP candidates aren't following the RNC's "Nancy Pelosi-Immigration-War on Terror" playbook, they're talking about taxes and spending and how we could benefit from both of them being lowered.

In fact, the two candidates who have honed this message most sharply - Gov. Mark Sanford and GOP Treasurer nominee Thomas Ravenel - are also the two S.C. Republicans with the most encouraging poll numbers.

So thanks but no thanks, Ken. With the notable exception of the one race your D.C. buffoons came down to "manage," Republicans in South Carolina appear to be in pretty good shape for the fall.

S.C. Club for Growth Looking for New Fundraiser

2006-10-21T17:43:00.000-05:00

The South Carolina Club for Growth, the state arm of the powerful national conservative advocacy group, is in the process of selecting a new statewide fundraiser.

S.C. Club for Growth officials confirmed to FITS late Friday that a change was being made, and that a number of top Palmetto State fundraisers were being considered for the position.

Led by Charleston businessman and former Sanford Deputy Chief of Staff Chad Walldorf, the Club has been a vocal supporter of the governor and other fiscal conservative candidates running for office in South Carolina.

Club officials would not discuss specific candidates with FITS, but Sunny Philips, Drea Byers and Leslie Gaines would seem to be logical candidates for consideration.

Stay tuned for additional info ...

BEA Fax Machine Attacks Rainey

2006-10-20T00:47:00.000-05:00

Liberal BEA Chairman John Rainey was treated for minor head injuries this morning after a fax machine in his office unplugged itself from the wall and began attacking him.

"I am relieved it was not one of those fax machines with the phone and the cord attached or I guarantee you I would not be speaking with you here today," the Seersucker Kingfish told FITS. "That monstrosity reared its head and came at me with clear generational chauvinism and malicious intent in its eyes."

Rainey, who suffered some minor bruises and a slight concussion during the incident, nonetheless appeared not to have had any sense knocked into him.

"I will continue to inaccurately estimate our state revenues by hundreds of millions of dollars so as to reduce the likelihood of income tax relief for working South Carolinians," he said. "This unprovoked attack against me will not deter my efforts on behalf of larger, more wasteful and less efficient government."

The BEA fax machine is currently being held in the Will Folks Wing (maximum security area) of the Alvin Glenn Detention Center outside of Columbia.

"The fax machine isn't talking but we've been able to uncover evidence that suggests a massive conspiracy may exist among the various office supplies over at the BEA," said SLED spokesman Carlos Perezifino. "According to eyewitnesses, several blank pages of BEA stationary attempted to inflict paper cuts on Mr. Rainey just prior to the fax machine's alleged assault."

Rainey, who is seemingly pumping out at least one multi-page fax assault against GOP Treasurer nominee Thomas Ravenel per day lately, denied that his office supplies are rebelling because they have had enough of his publicity-seeking histrionics.

"This is math class," Rainey said. "And math class is dismissed when I say it is, not when my office supplies attempt to usurp my authority."

Good Versus Bad in House District 75

2006-10-19T15:40:00.000-05:00

Editor's Note: We tried to talk Sic Willie out of it, but he was so ticked off after The State (a.k.a. La Socialista)'s endorsement in this race that we had to demur ...

Very rarely in politics does a contest come along that pits good versus bad as clearly as the House District 75 race between Republican Jim Harrison and Democratic challenger Boyd Summers.

On the surface, both candidates come across as good guys, but what lies beneath?

Last fall, I attended a party at Dianne’s restaurant on Devine Street following the Junior League of Columbia’s Annual Holiday Market fundraiser. Hundreds of prominent young Columbia couples were present, decked out in their tuxedos and formal evening gowns, dancing, drinking and partying well into the early morning hours.

It was at this event that I happened to meet Boyd Summers, the Democratic candidate recruited by former House Minority Leader Gilda Cobb-Hunter to run against Jim Harrison.

I remember my encounter with Mr. Summers very clearly for a variety of different reasons.

First of all, he was positively inebriated – in other words, drunk to the point he could hardly stand up. Second, he had a political potty-mouth the likes of which I hadn’t heard since the last time I ran into DeMint/ Ryberg campaign manager Terry Sullivan.

Mr. Summers actually offered me a job less than two minutes into our conversation, although I'm sure the alcohol had something to do with that.

Astounded to learn that I work for Democrats from time to time, he told me he was running for the State House and could use my help.

“What district?” I asked him.

“Seventy-five,” he told me.

“Who’s the incumbent?” I asked him, honestly not knowing.

“F---ing Jim Harrison.”

At this point, I told Mr. Summers I appreciated the drinks he had bought for me and thanked him again for his interest in my abilities, but told him I couldn’t help him out. I told him that Jim Harrison was a friend of mine, and one of the few legislators I not only respected politically, but personally as well.

Mr. Summers proceeded to launch into a visceral, profanity-laced tirade about how badly he was going to “f---ing kick Harrison’s ass” and tried to convince me that Harrison was opposed to all of the governor’s reforms. In the same breath, however, he indicated that he was going to take Harrison’s conditional support of Sanford’s Put Parents in Charge bill “shove it up his f---ing ass,” this despite the fact that at least one of Mr. Summers’ children has attended Hammond School, one of Columbia’s most prestigious, formerly segregated private academies.

(True to his word, Mr. Summers criticized Rep. Harrison’s endorsement of a modified PPIC bill at a recent State newspaper editorial board meeting, calling it just one example of Harrison’s “radical” views. When pressed to provide another example, Mr. Summers was forced to admit he didn’t have one).

By the time I managed to withdraw from the conversation, I felt like I needed delousing.

I’ve met plenty of trash-talking politicos in my life, and truth be told I’ve probably acted like one myself at one time or another, but I can’t recall having ever seen a candidate for public office as drunk, obscene or insulting as Boyd Summers was on this particular evening.

Never mind that he was directing his vitriol at a man who has served five tours of duty in the U.S. Military, traveling to faraway places like Bosnia, Haiti and Iraq to fight for democracy.

I’m sure that if Mr. Summers is asked about any of this, he will deny ever having met me, let alone being as drunk as he was or saying all the foul things he said about Jim Harrison.

Perhaps he’ll even make up something nasty to say about me, which wouldn't be the first time that's happened.

In all fairness, it could be that the outburst I witnessed was not at all reflective of Mr. Summers’ character. I hope it wasn’t.

What I can say definitively is that in my brief time in politics, I’ve never met someone whom I hold in higher regard than Jim Harrison, which is saying a lot coming from someone like me who helped turn bashing the General Assembly into an art form.

Jim is one of the most courageous legislators I’ve ever seen, someone who follows his conscience and isn’t afraid to buck the Governor’s Office or his fellow Republican leaders when he believes strongly that something is the right thing to do. His leadership of the House Judiciary Committee is a testament to what the legislative process in this state should be, and his record of fighting to protect the most vulnerable South Carolinians among us is second-to-none.

Jim’s also stuck his neck out on a number of occasions lately in opposition to the gravy train of pork barrel spending coming out of Columbia these days, a rarity among legislators of either party.

Aside from his multiple legislative accomplishments and his long history of service to our state and nation, who can forget the class Jim showed in bowing out of the Speaker’s race in 2005, a race he was within a handful of votes of winning?

Anyone who missed Harrison’s floor speech endorsing then-Ways and Means Chairman Bobby Harrell as the next Speaker of the House missed one of the most gracious, selfless, statesmanlike acts in South Carolina’s storied political history.

With Jim, what you see is what you get. Whether it’s presiding over a heated committee vote, volunteering as a Guardian ad Litem for neglected and abused children, or tailgating with family and friends in the parking lot at Carolina football games, he’s as honest and decent a person as you’re ever going to come across in a business that seldom rewards those qualities.

No wonder Democrats and Republicans unanimously re-elected him as Judiciary Chairman last session.

I don’t live in House District 75, and so I won’t have the privilege of voting for Jim.

I wish I could, though. In a political environment ruled by back-slapping, glad-handing opportunism, he is one of the few remaining genuine articles.

Not to mention the polar opposite of his opponent, based on what I've seen anyway.

That's The Way You Do It ...

2006-10-18T22:44:00.000-05:00

There's a compelling new radio ad poised to hit the South Carolina airwaves this week from a group called No Home Tax.

In case you've never heard of them before, No Home Tax is a grassroots property tax relief group that started making a name for itself during this year's legislative session.

The group's new ad isn't for any specific candidate, it's in support of the November 7 statewide ballot referendum to cap property tax reassessments at 15% (Question 4).

Yeah, we didn't know it was on the ballot until now either.

The ad, which you can listen to here, is a clever dramatization of a phone call between a property owner and a local auditor - shortly after reassessment notices were mailed out.

Sound familiar? It's supposed to.

FITS has since learned that the ad was produced by none other than former Sanford Communications Director (and avid Peter Cetera fan) Chris Drummond, the man most directly responsible for the stratospheric approval ratings the governor enjoyed during his first two years in office.

Since Drummond doesn't like to brag on himself (unlike our boy Sic Willie or current Sanford blabber Joel Sawyer), we figured we'd show him a little love for an ad well done.

Nice work, Chris!

Hopefully your ad buy will include plenty of airtime on all your favorite easy listening stations ...

The Best Thing About Getting a Joe Wilson Keychain, Etc.

2006-10-18T10:50:00.000-05:00

What's the best thing about getting one of U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson's ubiquitous keychains?

Getting your hands on one without having to encounter U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson.

Long revered as a sacred relic of South Carolina politics, the Wilson keychain endows its bearer with supernatural powers, inestimable prestige and a mystical infusion of the Congressman's transcendental, metaphysical wisdom.

The keychain is also a status symbol - denoting that its recipient has scaled the seemingly interminable ladder of importance and sashayed him or herself past the velvet rope of influence that surrounds Rep. Wilson wherever he goes.

Many dream of touching greatness, of finding themselves in such close proximity to the fount of all knowledge and understanding, but without the Wilson keychain they are little more than camels attempting to thread the eye of a needle.

Like the lamb's blood painted over the dwellings of the Israelites, or Ralph Lauren Madras pants at the Carolina Cup, Joe Wilson's keychain is a talisman of destiny.

It is in fact "The Sign" of which Ace of Base spoke, and could very well have been the driving force behind Chicago's 1984 hit "You're the Inspiration," particularly when one considers the keychain's dominion over the space-time continuum.

Think about it: "You're the meaning in my life, you're the inspiration. You bring meaning to my life, you're the inspiration."

Based on these lyrics, what else could the song have been referring to other than a Joe Wilson keychain?

"JACKIE O" COOL

The FITS girls were eagerly devouring our Blended Venti Mocha Frappucinos (with the chocolate drizzle) at the local Starbucks this morning when we happened upon one of our favorite people in the whole world, petroleum lobbyist Kay Clamp.

We knew it was her because, as usual, for a split-second we thought that Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis had come back to life and decided to pay a visit to Columbia, S.C.

Seriously girls, you can dream of growing up to be this classy, cool and stylish, but don't count on it.

Kay Clamp is a trendsetter. She could wear RUN-DMC Addidas shoes to the State House lobby next January and every female lobbyist would show up the next day with a pair of their own.

Plus she knows who John Mayer is, which we find exceedingly hot, and she even knew that his new album is called "Continuum" (inspired by the Joe Wilson keychain, no doubt).

PIPER-STRAVINAKIS

The race to replace John Graham Altman in House District 119 is going to go down to the wire. Polls leaked to FITS show Republican Suzanne Piper with a slight lead, but we have also learned that Democrat Leon Stravinakis is planning to drop some serious dollars on television advertising.

FITS has also learned that Stravinakis (whose name sounds an awful lot like an expensive violin) is not a violin player.

More importantly to the outcome of this hotly-contested race, we are looking into reports that John Graham's amazing wife Charm may have been named after ... you guessed it ... a Joe Wilson keychain.

Sanford's FOIA Cost Dwarfed

2006-10-17T15:12:00.000-05:00

You may recall Queen Laurin getting all hot and bothered a few weeks back when it was revealed that Gov. Mark Sanford's office set a $31,000 price tag on a wide-ranging Democratic Party Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

Well Laurin, you ain't seen nothing yet.

According to documents obtained exclusively by FITS, Sanford's $31,000 price tag is a mere drop in the bucket compared to the $434,250 the South Carolina Worker's Compensation Commission recently cited in responding to a FOIA request by the South Carolina Civil Justice Coalition, a pro-Worker's Comp Reform group.

You read that right. $434,250.

And here's the best part: That astronomical price tag doesn't even include the 25-cent per page printing costs!

Furthermore, the FOIA reply - written by Workers' Compensation Commission Executive Director Gary Thibault - only addresses one of the four categories of documents being sought by the Coalition.

Great Googily Moogily ... those are probably the words you were looking for.

Or perhaps "There stands Thibault, standing like a Stone Wall ..."

Look for advocates of Workers' Compensation Reform (and open government, for that matter) to have a field day with this one, and look for Team Sanford to take full advantage of the fact that its recent FOIA response looks perfectly rational by comparison.

After all, freedom's just another word for $434,250 to lose ...

Dawson, Sanford and the GOP's Fortune Cookie Intrigue

2006-10-17T09:01:00.000-05:00

“Your principles mean more to you than any money or success.”

-Fortune Cookie Proverb

Miyo’s restaurant in downtown Columbia is the “It” spot for political power lunches ... and telling fortune cookies.

A half-block from the State House on South Main Street, Miyo's is where all the Jokerville insiders go to “see and be seen” between gavels, and on most legislative days you could literally call a quorum of both the House and Senate there.

Not coincidentally, a parade of short-skirted lobbyists, ambitious government staffers and quote-hungry reporters dot the restaurant’s lunch-scape, cozying up to the various powerbrokers for a favor when they're not whispering secrets about them behind their backs.

Ironically, on our last visit to Miyo's we got the fortune cookie proverb quoted above – a little crackle of honesty in an establishment that could probably cook its food in the dining area given all the hot air emanating from its regular patrons.

Sadly, far from meaning “more than any money or success,” principles are anathema to the vast majority of individuals constituting the Columbia establishment. They are akin to faded images from an old family photo album, scarcely-recognizable relics of a past that was sacrificed long ago on the altars of power, greed and convenience.

Take SCGOP Chairman Katon Dawson, for example.

Just this morning, Dawson, performed another “see no evil” jig of Swiss Diplomacy in the ongoing spat between GOP Treasurer nominee Thomas Ravenel and liberal philanthropist John Rainey.

Once again, the man most responsible for electing Republicans to statewide office in 2006 allowed a left-leaning, anti-tax cut, attention-seeking blowhard to blister his party’s nominee for one of the most critical elected offices in the state – and get away with it scot-free.

Why?

Like most things in politics, it all boils down to the twin corrosives of personal power and the almighty dollar.

Katon Dawson desperately wants to become an ambassador, to trade in the pedestrian desk at his West Columbia auto parts store for the aristocratic trappings of a faraway embassy.

But to curry favor, he must continue appeasing “Bush Gods” like Karl Rove and David Wilkins, which is why doing his duty to the state party and defending Ravenel against John Rainey just won’t do.

Rainey, after all, has raised significant sums of money for the Bushies, and was recently rewarded for his efforts with a Presidential appointment to the Board of Visitors at West Point. Rainey is also the governor’s Board of Economic Advisor’s Chairman, another bought-and-paid-for honorarium he has parlayed into solidifying his GOP “untouchable” status.

Is that status deserved? We'll let you decide.

In three-plus years at the helm of the BEA, Rainey hasn’t even come close to accurately predicting South Carolina’s incoming revenues. In fact, he’s missed the mark by $800 million.

Rainey defends himself by citing the gross overstatements of revenue that were epidemic during the Hodges administration, but there’s clearly an ulterior method to his misinformed madness.

Had Rainey’s revenue estimates been on the mark, Gov. Mark Sanford would have had a slam dunk case for the job-creating income tax cuts that he pushed so aggressively during the first two years of his administration.

Instead, the Rainey-led BEA low-balled the numbers, and unleashed supposedly neutral State Economist Bill Gillespie to wage nonstop warfare against the governor’s proposed tax cuts.

Gillespie’s weapon of choice? The class warfare argument so frequently employed by the liberal establishment any time conservative Republicans seek to stimulate the economy by cutting taxes. Lapped up eagerly by The State newspaper’s Jennifer Talhelm, every utterance from Gillespie merited another front page story attacking the governor’s wisdom in reducing what is effectively the highest income tax rate in the Southeast.

With the media marching in goose step with Rainey’s BEA, Democrats and anti-Sanford Republicans in the General Assembly, the governor’s tax cuts never had a chance.

One would think that the governor – who desperately needs Ravenel’s vote on the State Budget and Control Board (not to mention another pro-growth Republican in statewide elected office), would have long ago figured out “Who’s Zooming Who?” in this insider intrigue.

Inexplicably, he hasn’t.

In fact, the deafening silence coming from the governor’s office throughout the Rainey-Ravenel exchange is even more disheartening than Chairman Dawson’s tepid support.

Does the governor want to continue going it alone, ramming his head against the institutional wall in Columbia with nothing to show for it? Or could it be that the prospect of another strong fiscal conservative with a statewide bully pulpit somehow threatens the “Maverick Monopoly” he’s carved out for himself?

Despite a double-digit lead in the polls and a nonexistent Democratic challenger, Sanford continues to cite the November election as the root of his lethargy, promising to make things right once his second term has been secured.

Dawson has no such crutch to lean on.

November 7 will soon have come and gone, but no matter what the outcome, Dawson and Sanford have proven that when the rubber hit the road, money and success appear to have meant more to them than their principles.

As a result, we continue to have a government that spends too much, gives back too little and encourages a cycle of dependency that keeps our state at the bottom of the national barrel.

Turnout

2006-10-16T12:45:00.000-05:00

There are 2.4 million registered voters in South Carolina, but there won't be 2.4 million ballots cast in the election on November 7.

How many ballots will be cast?

That's the 2.4 million dollar question.

Most political observers insist that only half of South Carolina's registered voters - about 1.2 million - will cast ballots three weeks from now.

That's low for a general election, but on the heels of dismal turnout for the 2006 GOP and Democratic Primaries, it's not surprising.

Democrats have put a lot of energy into registering more African-American voters this cycle, but it remains to be seen whether that effort will pay dividends on Election Day.

So FITS is interested ... what do you think turnout will be on November 7?

It's Boss Appreciation Day!

2006-10-16T12:15:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder in case you haven't gotten the memo - today is National Boss Appreciation Day!

To commemorate the occasion, Heather S. took Sic Willie out to a very nice lunch at Yesterday's restaurant in Columbia's downtown Five Points district this afternoon.

Did Sic Willie deserve it? Hell no.

Does your boss? Probably not.

Anyway, if you forgot to do something nice for your boss today, there's still time!

Why, Warner?

2006-10-13T08:40:00.000-05:00

In addition to breaking Laurin Manning's heart, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner left a gigantic void in the 2008 Democratic Presidential field with his abrupt departure from the race yesterday.

Sure, we've poked our fair share of fun at Warner in the past, but this guy was without question one of the frontrunners for the Democratic nomination, an electable alternative to Hillary Clinton and a Southern moderate with tremendous cross-party appeal.

Warner was also well ahead of most other 2008 Dems in erecting the massive institutional edifices necessary to mount a successful White House bid, and our assessment was that the pivotal South Carolina Democratic Primary was his to lose.

As we speak, Dems like Evan Bayh, John Edwards and Bill Richardson are scurrying to pick up Warner's people and fill the void left by his sudden exit.

So why did Warner drop out?

No one knows for sure.

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Warner's decision - which was based on a desire to spend more time with his family - was reached just this week, and his staff was informed only 24 hours ahead of time.

"I understand that folks in the political world will question it," Warner told the Richmond paper of his unexpected exit.

Of course we will. People in Warner's position don't just drop out on a dime. His PAC had raised $9 million, he'd visited 28 states, he'd been on the cover of the New York Times Magazine and Newsweek ... even Lee Bandy had started showing him some love.

It just doesn't make sense ...

Patterson Interview Available on Warthen's Blog

2006-10-11T18:13:00.000-05:00

If you haven't yet seen the video of Treasurer Grady Patterson's editorial board interview with The State newspaper, click here.

You may never see anything quite like it again.

"He makes up stuff," Patterson says of GOP nominee Thomas Ravenel, but then fails to offer any examples.

"I don't have a list of it or anything," Patterson says.

Eventually, Patterson refers to the already debunked arguments of John Rainey, which it appears from the tape he may have been prompted to do by an aide.

Patterson also reiterates his refusal to debate Ravenel (despite the fact Ravenel has met his one condition for debates by pledging to serve a full term) and suggests that he will refute the Republican's well-documented claims "later - at some other forum."

Asked if that meant after the election, Patterson says "we won't have to deal with him after the election, I don't think."

Since we're already getting accused of everything under the sun here at FITS, we'll refrain from any further commentary at this point and let you decide for yourself how Patterson performed.

Hotline Pulls Letter at Lobbyist's Request

2006-10-11T16:15:00.000-05:00

This afternoon, the popular political blog SC Hotline removed Will Folks' response to John Rainey's latest attack against GOP Treasurer Nominee Thomas Ravenel.

Several hours later, the website followed suit and removed Rainey's letter.

According to SC Hotline owners Jeffrey Sewell and Mike Green, the letter was pulled at the request of a registered lobbyist in the employ of Richard Davis.

Davis, one of the most successful lobbyists in South Carolina, recently confided to FITS that he was considering running for State Senate in Horry County in 2008 in the event incumbent Democrat Dick Elliot decides not to seek another term. Previously, Davis was a longtime aide to former Democratic Congressman John Jenrette.

It remains unclear what the lobbyist's motivations were in requesting that the post be pulled, or whether Davis knew that someone on his staff had taken such an action.

Ravenel recently delegated responsibility for responding to Rainey's repeated assaults to Folks, who is also advising the campaigns of Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, and who has extensive experience with the "Seersucker Kingfish" dating back to his time in Gov. Mark Sanford's office.

Say It Ain't So

2006-10-11T14:29:00.000-05:00

This is one of the most difficult posts we have ever had to write.

South Carolina has just lost one of its most faithful public servants, and like so many of you who are reading this, we here at FITS have lost a true brother in the struggle.

We have learned that longtime Second Amendment advocate and Comptroller General advisor Rick Daniel (shown with Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee) collapsed and died earlier this afternoon while having lunch.

Rick was 45 years old, and was truly one of the most honest, humble and hard-working people we have ever had the privilege of knowing.

His loss will be felt tremendously.

An advisor to four different statewide elected officials, Rick's record of service to his state, his party and his country could fill an Encyclopedia.

We ask that you join us in praying for Rick's family and his many friends. May God grant them each peace and comfort as they cope with this unexpected tragedy.

Still Waiting, Drew

2006-10-11T10:23:00.000-05:00

One day later, Drew Theodore's campaign has yet to present any evidence supporting the candidate's claim that Will Folks "attacked his family" and "attacked his father," either here on FITS or anywhere else for that matter.

Theodore's assertion, made during Monday night's Comptroller General debate, has since been picked up by dozens of news outlets across the state, including an editorial in this morning's Sun News.

We'll be the first to admit it's easy to hate Will.

In fact, Heather S. finds him positively intolerable prior to his daily Blended Venti Mocha Frappucino (with the chocolate drizzle) treat from Starbuck's. We're pretty sure David Wilkins, Dan Cooper, Hugh Leatherman, Bobby Harrell and John Rainey aren't big fans, either, to say nothing of Greg and Betty Ryberg. Apparently, Will's mother still loves him, but based on our conversations around town the circle of trust doesn't extend that much further.

Accordingly, it's completely natural to assume that any nefarious and diabolical accusation made against Will must be the truth, which is precisely why Drew Theodore said what he did in Monday's debate.

There's just one small problem.

It's not true.

We've scoured this blog from top to bottom and there's absolutely nothing - zero, zip, zilch, nada - that we've written about either Theodore's family or his father.

Now FITS has suggested that Theodore himself bears an uncanny resemblance to actor Chris Sarandon (pictured above). And we've also had a lot of fun with his strange (and since-removed) posts from several automotive blogs. We may have even slipped up every once in awhile and called him a "liberal" or a "Democrat."

But attacking his family? Attacking his father? Please.

So once again, in the interests of fairness, we're asking Drew Theodore to prove the claim he made in Monday's debate. If he can't, he needs to admit that the statement was untrue and apologize.

Show us, Drew

2006-10-10T12:13:00.000-05:00

In last night's Comptroller General debate, Democratic candidate Drew Theodore singled out our own Sic Willie (and the rest of the FITS girls, for that matter) for "attacking his family" and "attacking his father."

We're not exactly sure what Mr. Theodore is talking about.

Perhaps it was a deflection technique given that during last night's debate, voters learned for the first time that two of Mr. Theodore's businesses have been dissolved by the Secretary of State's office.

Mr. Theodore called the charge a "lie," but the Eckstrom campaign has the documentation to prove it.

In that spirit of fairness, we'd now like to give Mr. Theodore a chance to show us he's actually telling the truth for a change. Specifically, we'd like to know when and where we have written anything on this blog (or anywhere else, for that matter) specifically attacking his family.

Seriously, Drew, show us. You went on television last night and accused us of doing just that, so we naturally assume you've got some proof to back that claim up.

Hopefully, you weren't speaking to a statewide audience and making stuff up about us with no supporting documentation, because that would be the definition of a "reckless disregard for the truth" and our lawyers really don't appreciate that sort of thing.

There's no doubt that we've had some fun at "Drew T's" expense, but we've also had some fun at Gen. Eckstrom's expense too. In case you haven't noticed, we have fun at everybody's expense. That's the purpose of entertainment.

So show us, Drew.

And in the event you can't, how about doing us all a favor and putting a sock in it.

Post Office Considering Boycott of John Rainey

2006-10-09T17:21:00.000-05:00

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is considering a boycott of South Carolina "Blowhard-in-Chief" John Rainey, telling FITS this afternoon that the sheer volume of mail being produced by the "Seersucker Kingfish" is placing an unnecessary strain on the agency's ability to fulfill its mission to the taxpayers.

"You want to talk about people going postal?" said USPS spokesman Jonathan Eastwood. "We're getting to that point with Mr. Rainey."

The Postal Boycott could be a huge blow for Rainey, who is not proficient at using e-mail and has difficulty properly operating fax machines.

"It is the essence of generational chauvinism to accuse me in such a naked manner," Rainey reacted angrily when asked whether or not he knew how to operate electronic mail. "This is science class. I was here when electricity was invented, young lady."

Rainey, who has bombarded GOP Treasurer nominee Thomas Ravenel with letter after letter over the past few weeks, has faded into obscurity recently, prompting him to unleash additional anti-Ravenel rhetoric on unsuspecting individuals like the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, the governor's press secretary, or the maid at his Colorado home.

"This seersucker is not pressed to my satisfaction!" Rainey was reported to have bellowed recently to his maid. "And did I mention that Thomas Ravenel is unfit for public office?"

With the media no longer publishing his rants, Rainey has become dependent on the Postal Service as the primary outlet for his increasingly impotent rage. A boycott could severely hamper his ability to communicate with the outside world, perhaps even forcing him to learn how to use a computer.

Rainey dismissed the likelihood of a boycott, and said there was "a perfectly logical explanation" for the criticism.

"The first Postmaster General was appointed on September 26, 1789," Rainey said. "Precisely one hundred and eighty five years later, Will Folks was born. This proves conclusively that South Carolina's investments are performing exactly as they should be under Treasurer Grady Patterson and that Thomas Ravenel, not I, is the one who is nuts."

Rainey added that he would sue anyone, anywhere who disagreed with his assessment, including the Post Office.

All About Cash

2006-10-09T09:18:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow we'll have a much better picture of who will and who won't have the dollars to get their message out to voters this election cycle.

It's "Cash Day," and you'll be able to view reports from all the statewide campaigns right here on the State Election Commission's home page.

How much money will Tommy Moore have raised in his effort to unseat Gov. Mark Sanford?

That's the question on most people's minds.

Moore's name ID is currently hanging in the low to mid-50's, not a good spot for someone taking on a popular Republican incumbent who has been on the airwaves virtually uninterrupted since May.

It'll also be interesting to see how much the governor has spent out of his $4 million-plus warchest ...

Bottom line, if Sanford retains a cash-on-hand advantage after months of being on television, Moore's goose is probably pretty well cooked heading into the final four weeks of campaigning.

Stay tuned to FITS for more "Cash Day" analysis tomorrow ...

UPDATE - Wow.

We truly are morons sometimes. Turns out that October 23 is the date of the final pre-election disclosure, so looks like we got you all hopped up there for nothing. Sorry about that.

On the bright side, all you haters out there who love to call us 'idiots' on the comment pages can do so today without fear of contradiction.

Immigrant Song

2006-10-06T16:30:00.000-05:00

We hold the implosion of the Ralph Norman for Congress campaign to be self-evident, but in all the breaking furor over a potential immigration scandal (and Norman's deer-in-headlights response), we found this quote from some D.C. insider in this morning's Charlotte Observer quite interesting:

"Employment is a paramount goal for a large share of illegal immigrants," said Steve Camarota, with the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington-based think-tank advocating controlled immigration. "So we have to make an effort to cut them off as much as possible from jobs."

Yup. Read it again and it'll hit you. It's like this guy is the Love Child of Captain Obvious and Frau Farbissinna, with a little Social Darwinism mixed in for good measure.

Now we don't know much about the Center for Immigration Studies. Ordinarily, we would go look their website up but that would mean missing out on Paris Hilton updates over at What Would Tyler Durden Do?

What we do know is that Norman has allowed Washington insiders to run his campaign into the ground.

First we had the Nancy Pelosi strategy, then the silly "Dear John" letters and now we have TV advertisements based on the supposed "hot button" issue of immigration, which it just so happens to turn out Mr. Norman has a bit of a problem with himself.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. And all so unnecessary given Norman's stellar credentials as a fiscal conservative.

In a supreme twist of irony, Norman's latest TV ad - which attacks Rep. John Spratt on immigration - started today, the same day the Observer story broke.

Sad. This guy could've been one of the best fiscal conservatives Washington D.C. ever saw - a Tom Coburn-size hero.

Now he's going the way of the Gullick.

You Down Wit AYP (Yeah You Know Me)?

2006-10-06T07:09:00.000-05:00

It's called Adequate Yearly Progress, and not a single South Carolina public school district made it this year.

That's right, not one.

A central component of No Child Left Behind, AYP is supposed to tell us whether schools are meeting specific proficiency goals year-in, year-out.

This morning's Charleston Post and Courier has an interesting article by reporters Diette Courrege and Mindy Hagen explaining AYP and giving substantial ink to its detractors.

Critics say South Carolina's standards are much higher than the rest of the nation, thus making it more difficult for schools to achieve AYP.

"We continue to feed ignorant regional bias against our state and our public schools by participating in this farce," Berkeley County Assistant Superintendent for Learning Services Mike Turner told the Post and Courier.

"I don't think the measuring stick is measuring effectively," said Dorchester superintendant Joe Pye.

And from our State Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum in this morning's edition of The State: "No Child Left Behind says that every school in America must be perfect, and that's not going to happen."

To be fair, South Carolina's standards are among the toughest in the nation, but that's probably a good thing in a state with the worst graduation rates and SAT scores in the country. Tenenbaum has petitioned the federal government for a uniform measuring stick, but let's be honest - is setting up a system where more schools make a less-stringent AYP standard really a victory?

One of the quotes we found most interesting in this morning's coverage was from Colleton County superintendent Charles Gale, who said that No Child Left Behind was a "political move to make public schools look bad."

Actually, South Carolina's public schools already looked (and were) pretty bad prior to No Child Left Behind, and the progress we've made in the intervening years has failed to even remotely keep pace with the increased taxpayer investment.

There's a reason AYP gets tougher every year, it's because every year the world we live in gets that much more competitive.

So let's have the annual debate over standards. And let's watch as both sides spin the isssue as either another indictment of our public schools or an indictment of No Child Left Behind itself.

But as we argue over AYP, let's not lose sight of the fact that one out of every two South Carolina schoolkids isn't graduating.

We are leaving thousands of kids behind - and we're doing it every year.

Sure, we'll pour another couple hundred million dollars into our public schools again next year, just like we poured another couple hundred million in this year, and last year, and the year before that. Every year it's the same thing, and if you happen to oppose these massive funding increases or support any proposal that veers from the monopoly view, then expect Inez, The State newspaper, the SCEA, the S.C. School Boards Association, the S.C. Association of School Administrators and the rest of the educrat establishment to put out press releases saying you hate public schools.

Maybe one day we'll realize that if we want our kids' test scores to go up by any yardstick, we've got to accompany all that new money with real, market-based accountability.

And maybe one day we'll also realize that supporting that kind of thing doesn't mean you hate public schools, it just means you're ready to try something new to help them.

The old formula - by any standard - isn't doing the trick.

Mudslide

2006-10-06T00:29:00.000-05:00

Never seen the movie "Mean Girls?"

Don't worry, just wait for the torrential downpour of negative TV ads about to flood the South Carolina airwaves.

It won't be all that much different.

"Everybody's stupid during election years," a West Wing character once remarked to a colleague.

"No, everybody gets treated like they're stupid during election years," the colleague fired back.

Exactly.

We are slowing descending into the greatest issue-less campaign in state history, and we're still a few weeks away from seeing the heavy artillery emerge. Forget the Peeler-Hodges "Neg-a-Palooza" of 2002, or the Inegative Tenenbaum U.S. Senate campaign of 2004.

2006 is shaping up to be the muddiest race South Carolina has seen in a long time, and it's the issues that are going to suffer the most.

Concerned with minority small business ownership? Let's argue instead about where the NAACP debate is going to be held.

Want to talk about our state's Triple-A credit rating, multi-billion unfunded liability or anemic investment returns? Bor-ing. Instead, let's falsely accuse Richard Eckstrom of remodeling his current office or worry about what future office T-Rav may run for.

Want to have a real debate over school choice and whether it would actually improve our public school graduation rate? Let's not, but claim that Karen Floyd was complicit in a vehicular homocide instead.

Looking for a merit-based discussion on immigration? Instead let's ... actually, come to think of it, Ralph Norman walked right into that one.

Now we're not without sin here at FITS ... far from it, in fact.

Part of politics is entertainment, though, and making people laugh is often the first step in making their hearts and minds more accessible to new ideas.

But the nation's worst graduation rate is no laughing matter. Nor is the Southeast's highest income tax, or second-highest unemployment rate, or the astronomical 22% spending increase we've seen over the last two years, or South Carolina's $24 bilion in unfunded liabilities, or the fact we rank in the bottom 1% nationally in getting a return on our state's investments.

It's not funny at all that our General Assembly would put a question on the ballot asking voters to outlaw something that's already illegal but then refuse to give citizens the power to restructure their government or decide how fast it should grow.

Yeah, that makes sense.

In the final analysis, we get the government we deserve. And we get the campaigns we deserve, too.

As for us, we'll take Lindsey Lohan, Rachel McAdams and the rest of the "Plastics" any day.

All About Natalia

2006-10-05T19:01:00.000-05:00

It's that time! It's getting a little cooler out there so you know what that means girls!?!?!?!?! ... ESPADRILLE SALES!!!

We like the Mia Gwen's (pictured) but oh my God you have got to check out the Natalia florals. Sadly our favorite Prada gold woven leather pair is sold out, but all Bo'em's are on sale (jade suede, sand suede, chocolate suede) if you are girls like us and are on a budget.

LET'S GO SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sex, Lies and Text Messages, Etc.

2006-10-05T14:52:00.000-05:00

One of FITS favorite bloggers, Washington Post reporter Chris Cillizza, has an excellent post today on the Mark Foley sex scandal that's literally consumed American politics these days.

Rather than focusing on the sordid details surrounding Foley's sudden fall from grace, Cillizza's post looks at the political ramifications - specifically comparing the situation currently faced by House Speaker Dennis Hastert to the furor that surrounded former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott in 2002.

Those of us here in South Carolina need no refresher on Lott's remarks - they were made at a birthday party for one of our state's favorite sons, the late U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond.

Cillizza's blog raises a number of interesting parallels, though, so be sure to check it out if you're interested.

PATAKI, PATAKI

How do you say this guy's name anyway? Puh-TACK-ee? Pa-TOCK-ee?

Either way, it makes us want to order some lunch meat - which is a good thing.

As it turns out, the New York Governor is in the Palmetto State today, hanging out with former S.C. Gov. David Beasley and current GOP Treasurer nominee Thomas Ravenel, among other notables.

Unlike the overtly-fawning Mitt Romney and George Allen, Pataki seems to be flying mostly under the radar during his visits, focusing more on building relationships than nailing down the ever-mercurial early commitments.

Given that Allen's Presidential prospects are pretty much D.O.A. given his monkeying around in the Virginia Senate race, Pataki is one of several candidates who seem poised to fill the void.

AND FINALLY ... "JIM DEMINT"

We just wanted to say the name "Jim DeMint."

Mind you, we've got absolutely nothing to say about him today, good or bad, which makes today no different than most days here at FITS, or at any other news outlet in South Carolina, for that matter.

We just wanted to say his name, and now that we have, we feel a little more hopeful about the world for some reason.

Plus, it's just priceless to know that right now, somewhere in Washington, D.C. or Greenville, S.C. (or more likely, both), some bow-tie wearing poly-sci flunkie with a U.S. Senate pin on his lapel is running down the hallway to tell another bow-tie wearing poly-sci flunkie with a U.S. Senate pin on his lapel that we said "Jim DeMint."

Relax, guys.

You'll be snug under your blankets again soon, sipping from a glass of single malt Scotch watching The Rockford Files on DVD.

Theodore Takes "King of the Ladies" Title From Folks

2006-10-04T15:26:00.000-05:00

Look how mad Sic Willie is.

Long regarded as the undisputed "King of the Ladies" in the South Carolina political sphere, our favorite bad boy has been asked to give up his crown for just the second time in five years owing to the sudden and unexpected emergence of Democratic Comptroller General Candidate Drew Theodore as a challenger.

"I mean, it's like this guy is Will Ferrell from Wedding Crashers or something," Folks said in relinquishing his title to Theodore. "The innovation is simply astounding. I mean seriously, who would have thought you could use an online automotive forum to scope out hot housewives looking to cheat on their husbands?"

Folks also cited Theodore's impressive garage of vehicles as another contributing factor.

"Chicks dig cars," he said. "I know my '97 Pimpfiniti is a decent ride, but I just can't compete with a guy who's got two Beamers and a Porsche."

And although he disagrees with Theodore's liberal status quo approach to state government, Folks said he found much wisdom in "Drew T's" assessment that automatic transmissions were better than manual ones because, in Theodore's words, "you have other things you want to do with your right hand."

"Oh yeah, baby," Folks said. "I know exactly what he's talking about there. I'm all about automatic transmissions when I'm cruising for Audi-driving housewives."

Folks surrended his title once before - to Chamber of Commerce lobbyist Mark Sweatman in 2004.

"Me and Sweat-dawg really need to go back to the drawing board," Folks said. "This Theodore guy is rewriting the rule book as we speak."

Folks said his first order of business in recapturing the "King of the Ladies" crown would be locating all of the "Drew-T" comments that mysteriously disappeared from Internet after WIS-TV reported on Theodore calling Columbia "the arm pit of the South" in one of his nearly 700 posts.

"Like the wisdom of Solomon, this visionary material must be tracked down and preserved for posterity," he said. "We single guys need all the help we can get."

Last Again

2006-10-03T22:34:00.000-05:00

It's official.

The final state in the nation to invest in the U.S. stock market is now the only state in the nation that doesn't invest in international equities.

Yup, South Carolina is last again.

According to new information from the National Association of State Investors, South Carolina is the only state in the nation that doesn't invest at least a percentage of its retirement assets in international markets.

Our only company? A Nevada Public Safety retirement fund and a Texas Municipal retirement fund.

Not coincidentally, South Carolina's retirement system ranks in the bottom one percent of all large public pension funds in terms of its return on investment.

Fortunately, South Carolina voters have a chance to partially rectify this situation on November 7 by approving a referendum that would allow us to join the rest of the country in investing internationally.

For those of you voting, it's Question 3-A and a "Yes" means you support going global.

SC Democratic Chairman Calls Sic Willie a "Thug"

2006-10-03T21:38:00.000-05:00

South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin refers to our favorite bad boy as a "thug" in this press release from the State Party.

Geez. And Joe Erwin looks so nice, doesn't he?

Seriously, this is like Mr. Rogers going all gangsta' and s--- on us.

Sun News: Warrant Issued for Rep. Thad Viers

2006-10-02T19:38:00.000-05:00

The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News is reporting this evening that an arrest warrant was issued last week for Horry County Rep. Thad Viers, but that the warrant was later recalled.

The initial Sun News bulletin can be found here.

According to an incident report filed by James (Jon) Zeigler of Columbia, Rep. Viers and individuals purporting to represent him are alleged to have threatened Zeigler, his parents and his vehicle with physical harm.

Zeigler, a former advance team member for U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, had been dating Rep. Viers' estranged wife, Natalie McKelvey, according to the newspaper.

McKelvey is currently residing in Texas with her family.

Rep. Viers has personally denied making the threats, calling the incident report a "political hit job."

Rep. Viers, 28, is running unopposed for a third term in the South Carolina House of Representatives (District 69).

In the interest of full disclosure, FITS is friends with all three of the individuals involved in this situation.

Our hope is simply this - that the matter can be quickly resolved in the best interest of all concerned.

Offensive Theodore Posts Pulled From Porsche Website

2006-10-02T16:18:00.000-05:00

FITS has learned that posts made by Democratic Comptroller General candidate Drew Theodore on a Porsche enthusiasts' blog - posts calling Columbia the "arm pit of the South" and urging his fellow Porsche owners to "leave the spouses behind" for one of their proposed gatherings - have been pulled from the site.

The posts, uncovered by the blog S.C. Solon and reported on over the weekend by WIS-TV, are just two of nearly 700 comments Theodore has submitted to the blog.

Let's see ... removing offensive posts from a blog (Theodore), invoking the Willie Horton strategy (Jim Rex) and dredging up decade-old financial records of a candidate's one-time contractor (Grady Patterson).

Yup, Joe Erwin's got a really classy slate of candidates this go-round.

More SC-based SNL Skits Coming

2006-10-02T07:05:00.000-05:00

Think Richard Eckstrom's inclusion in a Saturday Night Live skit this weekend was shocking?

Just wait to see what the late night comedy team has in store for South Carolina next.

According to an exclusive interview with the show's founder, Lorne Michaels, the Palmetto State will soon be a fixture in the weekly lineup.

"We're very excited about our 'Toonces the Driving Treasurer' series," Michaels told FITS. "We're also pleased to announce a new Wayne's World spinoff called 'Dre's World' featuring Andre Bauer and Mark Hammond."

Additional skits contemplated by Micheals include Mark and Jenny Sanford reprising the famous Craig and Arianna cheerleading duo, Hugh Leatherman and Harvey Peeler portraying the Roxbury boys, Bobby Harrell and Dan Cooper dressing up as Hanz and Franz (proceeding to pump up each other and the budget) and last but not least, Sic Willie anchoring the 'Weekend Update' desk alongside Laurin Manning.

"This state is just a gold mine," Michaels said.

Just Because

2006-10-01T16:49:00.000-05:00

Sure, there's a lot going on in politics these days, but we figured we'd get to that tomorrow.

After all, Laurin got the scoop on the Sanford FOIA response to the South Carolina Democratic Party, not to mention her website's first paid advertisement (from Mark Warner of all people), and Warner himself got a big fat kiss on the lips from The State newspaper's Lee Bandy.

SC Solon also got the scoop on Comptroller General candidate Drew Theodore calling the City of Columbia the "arm pit of the South," one of 683 comments Theodore has apparently made on a blog devoted to Porsche owners.

None of that, of course, has anything to do with our picture of Janel Maloney, but hey, Sic Willie insisted.

Will Jim DeMint Seriously Please Just Shut Up?

2006-09-29T21:54:00.000-05:00

Honestly, it seems like every time we go on Sunny Phillips' blog these days, Sen. Jim DeMint is blathering on about this, that or the other.

First, he was telling us not to weigh in on the upcoming SCGOP Chairman's race (which he then proceeded to do himself in the same friggin' statement). Now, he's telling us not to pick a 2008 Presidential favorite.

Look, all of us here at FITS love Sunny (especially Sic Willie), but we really do wish all the DeMintedness would stop.

Jim DeMint should go back to doing the only two things he's proven remarkably good at: Sitting very still and staying very quiet.

One Degree of Kevin Bacon

2006-09-29T16:23:00.000-05:00

"Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon," the pop culture phenomena by which virtually anyone in the world can be linked to the actor Kevin Bacon within six steps, is expanding its tentacles even further into South Carolina this week.

Bacon is in Columbia shooting a new movie, and just last night its filming location actually blocked the FITS girls from passing through Five Points on our daily carpool ride home.

Lordy, Lordy what a commotion!

Anyway, here are some guesses as to what movie Bacon is filming here in the Palmetto State (and his star character):

-"That's How I Roll" (as Thomas Ravenel)

-"The Quinndom of Heaven" (as Rick Quinn)

-"Mark Hammond - International Man of Mystery" (as reporter at "Scrooges and Angels" press conference)

-"The Taxpayer Pit" - (As Grady Patterson, forty years ago)

-"Thaddeus Maximus" (As Rep. Thad Viers)

-"Training Day - The Utility Workers' Version" (As Rep. Wallace Scarborough)

-"Anger Management" (As Will Folks)

-"Darlington Nights - The Legend of Andre Bauer" (As Andre Bauer)

-"8 Mile - Southern Style" (As Joel Sawyer)

-"The Alvin H. Glenn Detention Center Redemption" (Also as Will Folks)

-"The Seersucker Proxy" (As John Rainey)

-"Pimp My Budget" (As House Speaker Bobby Harrell)

-"She Wears the Pants - The Jenny Sanford Story" (As Mark Sanford)

-"Stir of Vetoes" (As Sen. Phil Leventis)

-"Under the Bridge to Nowhere" (Animated, voice of an endangered Owl in Sparkleberry Swamp who opposes the Clyburn Connector)

-"Bringing Sexy Back - Metro Style" (As Larry Marchant)

Well, that's our list - Send us your ideas!