Jefferey Sewell on Jake Knotts' November campaign
Knotts’ party disloyalty
By JEFFREY SEWELL
Guest columnist
Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment was simple: “Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican.”
How far we have fallen from that ideal in South Carolina, where Republican state Sen. Jake Knotts is not only “speaking ill” of Gov. Mark Sanford, but is threatening to launch a third-party campaign against him that could hand the governor’s office over to the Democrats.
I have not always agreed with Gov. Sanford, but I hold him in the highest regard because he stands on principle and fights to protect the taxpayers — even when doing so costs him politically.
With so many “go along to get along” politicians among us, I find it refreshing that our governor refuses to compromise his integrity or surrender his belief that less government and lower taxes leads to more personal freedom and a better economy for all South Carolinians.
Unfortunately, Republican legislators like Sen. Knotts don’t see it that way. That’s why they grew government by more than 20 percent in the past two years. That’s twice as fast as the federal government is growing while fighting a war in Iraq and rebuilding the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, and it’s a level of spending that far outpaces population, inflation and personal income growth in South Carolina.
In contrast, Democrats in Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Arizona and New Mexico are slowing government growth by cutting taxes — which in New Mexico has produced unprecedented revenues for the state.
Yet here in South Carolina we have big spenders like Sen. Knotts threatening to run against the standard-bearer of his own party because he doesn’t think the governor “works well” with the General Assembly.
South Carolinians should read that language carefully. Sen. Knotts is saying the governor doesn’t “work well,” but what he really means is that the governor simply refuses to waste your hard-earned tax dollars on frivolous spending, and because of his courageous refusal to do so, Sen. Knotts is willing to effectively turn the keys to the Governor’s Mansion over to a Democrat.
It seems to me like we need a 12th Commandment in South Carolina politics — “Thou shalt not run against other Republicans for standing up to wasteful spending.”
Of course Sen. Knotts has never been a real Republican. He endorsed Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges in 2002 and was one of only two GOP senators (Sen. Luke Rankin was the other) to join Tommy Moore and the Democrats in blocking income tax relief for working South Carolinians in 2004. He has also been one of the most vocal defenders of our state’s 19th century government structure.
If he runs, Republican leaders should immediately strip Sen. Knotts of his committee assignments and oust him from the GOP. He is an embarrassment to the Republican Party and to South Carolina.
Mr. Sewell is the principal consultant of Sewell Consultancy, a political consulting firm based in Lexington County. He is also co-owner of www.SCHotline.com.
By JEFFREY SEWELL
Guest columnist
Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment was simple: “Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican.”
How far we have fallen from that ideal in South Carolina, where Republican state Sen. Jake Knotts is not only “speaking ill” of Gov. Mark Sanford, but is threatening to launch a third-party campaign against him that could hand the governor’s office over to the Democrats.
I have not always agreed with Gov. Sanford, but I hold him in the highest regard because he stands on principle and fights to protect the taxpayers — even when doing so costs him politically.
With so many “go along to get along” politicians among us, I find it refreshing that our governor refuses to compromise his integrity or surrender his belief that less government and lower taxes leads to more personal freedom and a better economy for all South Carolinians.
Unfortunately, Republican legislators like Sen. Knotts don’t see it that way. That’s why they grew government by more than 20 percent in the past two years. That’s twice as fast as the federal government is growing while fighting a war in Iraq and rebuilding the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, and it’s a level of spending that far outpaces population, inflation and personal income growth in South Carolina.
In contrast, Democrats in Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Arizona and New Mexico are slowing government growth by cutting taxes — which in New Mexico has produced unprecedented revenues for the state.
Yet here in South Carolina we have big spenders like Sen. Knotts threatening to run against the standard-bearer of his own party because he doesn’t think the governor “works well” with the General Assembly.
South Carolinians should read that language carefully. Sen. Knotts is saying the governor doesn’t “work well,” but what he really means is that the governor simply refuses to waste your hard-earned tax dollars on frivolous spending, and because of his courageous refusal to do so, Sen. Knotts is willing to effectively turn the keys to the Governor’s Mansion over to a Democrat.
It seems to me like we need a 12th Commandment in South Carolina politics — “Thou shalt not run against other Republicans for standing up to wasteful spending.”
Of course Sen. Knotts has never been a real Republican. He endorsed Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges in 2002 and was one of only two GOP senators (Sen. Luke Rankin was the other) to join Tommy Moore and the Democrats in blocking income tax relief for working South Carolinians in 2004. He has also been one of the most vocal defenders of our state’s 19th century government structure.
If he runs, Republican leaders should immediately strip Sen. Knotts of his committee assignments and oust him from the GOP. He is an embarrassment to the Republican Party and to South Carolina.
Mr. Sewell is the principal consultant of Sewell Consultancy, a political consulting firm based in Lexington County. He is also co-owner of www.SCHotline.com.
posted by SCGOP at 7:45 AM
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