Rudy visits SC

Social issues will effect Rudy's campaign IF there is a viable Reagan conservative in the field. If the only other choices are Allen,McCain,and Romney, then Rudy's stances become less polarizing.





Social issues unlikely to hurt Giuliani
By LEE BANDY
lbandy@thestate.com
The S.C. Republican Party’s sponsorship of “An Evening Honoring Rudy Giuliani” last week spoke volumes.

It reflected what some said is a shift in attitude toward GOP candidates with more liberal views on social issues.

There’s a greater degree of tolerance and acceptance, party officials said.

Giuliani, who rose to national prominence for his take-charge performance after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, supports gay rights, gun control and legalized abortion, which puts him at odds with most Republicans.

Nevertheless, he has traveled the country extensively on behalf of GOP candidates this year while acknowledging his own interest in a possible 2008 presidential bid.

Although his liberal stance on social issues is likely to disqualify him with religious conservatives, the former New York City mayor remains in great demand as a speaker before Republican groups.

In this visit — his first major political trip to South Carolina — Giuliani attended a fundraiser for conservative GOP congressional candidate Ralph Norman, the one-term state representative who is challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. John Spratt, a 24-year House veteran in a hotly contested race in the 5th District.

Giuliani ended the day in Charleston at a star-studded $2,500-a-couple fundraiser for the state Republican Party.

He packed the place.

“Rudy is a very popular figure,” GOP chairman Katon Dawson said. “We didn’t have any problem with him coming.”

Giuliani, affectionately known as “America’s mayor,” is seen as middle-of-the-road by most voters nationally, according to Rasmussen Reports, an electronic survey company.

It found 36 percent of Americans see him as a political moderate, 29 percent said conservative, and 15 percent said liberal. Twenty percent are not sure.

Former state GOP chairman Barry Wynn said the party needs to take a fresh look at the way it regards new voters, especially those new residents who’ve settled along the coast and are starting to have an impact on state party politics.

Those voters tend to be more progressive in outlook and are more inclined to support someone like Giuliani.

“I think Rudy could be more popular in South Carolina than most people would think,” Wynn said.

The debate in 2008 isn’t going to be about tax cuts, abortion or Social Security reform — Republican favorites.

“The overarching issues this time will be national security and leadership,” Wynn said. “Everything else will fit under that.”

Such a scenario favors Giuliani, Greenville consultant Chip Felkel said.

Francis Marion University political scientist Neal Thigpen, a GOP activist, said Giuliani is in a “special category.”

He’s a “glittering personality” with star quality who can get away with supporting legalized abortion and gay rights.

His position on those social issues “would not hurt him as bad over the long haul as one may think. If John McCain had the same position, it would hurt him a lot worse.”

Needless to say, the hard-core religious right won’t surrender territory on social issues. They’d rather go down in flames than win.

But unless terrorists no longer are a threat to the United States, national security and leadership will be at the top of the issues heap in 2008.

Voters won’t be concerned about gay rights or abortion. What matters most will be their own security in a volatile world.

And the candidate who stands to benefit is Giuliani.

“If your house is on fire,” Wynn said, “you want a guy with the hose.”

McCain visits Myrtle Beach

McCain tackles issues in MB visit

By Zane Wilson

The Sun News

Sounding more like a presidential contender than a politician come to the aid of South Carolina Republican candidates, U.S. Sen. John McCain talked about national and international issues in a series of appearances in Myrtle Beach Friday.

McCain, of Arizona, came to help candidates he has endorsed through his political action committee, Straight Talk America. He attended a fund-
raiser Thursday in Columbia for Adjutant General Stan Spears and came to Myrtle Beach to speak at a fundraising lunch for superintendent of education candidate Karen Floyd.

But he also spoke at a meeting Friday morning with about 100 invited members of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, met with about 100 members of the public later, and after the $1,000-a-plate lunch for Floyd he autographed his latest book for about 30 people.

McCain carried both Horry and Georgetown counties in the S.C. Republican presidential primary of 2000, even though he lost statewide to George Bush, and is quietly organizing for another run in 2008, but he says he wants to focus on this year's elections for now.

The senator was mostly warmly received but some in the public meeting attacked his position on immigration and on a cooperative agreement with Democratic senators on judge appointments.

"Our borders are broken," McCain said when the question of immigration came up in the first meeting, asked by chamber president Brad Dean.

"I know how many illegals are working in Myrtle Beach," he said. But he said employers can't be expected to be immigration agents.

McCain favors a program in which immigrants who have been here five years or more can achieve citizenship, but those who have been here less than five years should go home, then apply for a guest worker program.

The country cannot round up the 11 million illegal immigrants and deport them even though that is what some people want, McCain said.

"I think it will have a real impact on the economy of Myrtle Beach if we don't handle this issue with sensitivity," he said.

There was more anger about the issue in the public meeting. McCain said he understands the anger, but the issue must be handled and not everyone agrees on how to do it.

John Easterling said he approves of legal immigration but not amnesty for illegal immigrants.

"It really isn't fair to call it amnesty," McCain said. Amnesty means total forgiveness and he favors a program allowing those who have been here long enough to apply for citizenship if they meet the requirements, he said.

Nor should Republicans be tearing each other apart over immigration, McCain said.

"We want to negotiate," he said. "We are patriotic Americans, and for us to impugn the character of each other over this issue is reprehensible."

As for joining with some Democrats to prevent filibusters against judicial nominees, which some conservatives see as improper, McCain said it is "crazy" to think that the Senate can conduct any business without cooperation between the parties. "If you believe that all we should do is fight and beat down the Democrats, fine," McCain said. But if that were so, no legislation would pass, he said.

"My constituents in Arizona sent me there to get things done," not just to fight with Democrats, McCain said.

Offshore oil drilling was on the minds of some. North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley asked his position on the issue.

He said the states should decide.

"I don't think it should be dictated by the federal government," he said. Alternatives such as nuclear energy and ethanol should be pursued more aggressively, he added.

"I believe that climate change is real," and it is also a national security issue that the nation is dependent on oil from unstable countries, he said.

McCain also said Congress is overspending and that special allocations, what some call pork, are feeding the red ink. The practice is one reason that worthy projects such as Interstate 73 can't get as much money as they need, he said.

What is needed to end that practice is to veto bills that include the special allocations, he said.

At the Floyd luncheon, attended by about 20 paying guests, McCain said the nation's future rests on having an educated workforce.

"We need a lot of progress in the state of South Carolina," and Floyd has the right program for getting there, he said.

McCain said this was his first visit to Myrtle Beach since the 2000 campaign.

"I love this state and I love Myrtle Beach and I'm happy to be back," he said.

Senator stops to talk security

By Megan Nichols
Anderson Independent-Mail
August 10, 2006

U.S. Jim DeMint stopped in Anderson Thursday to talk about securing the homeland, along with its prosperity and its values.

Sen. DeMint began his two-and-a-half-week tour of South Carolina at the Anderson Area Realtors legislative luncheon Thursday afternoon. During his "South Carolina on the Move Tour," the senator said he wants to talk about the future and the good things happening in the nation and in South Carolina.

But Sen. DeMint had strong words about the war in Iraq and his opposition to removing U.S. troops too quickly.

"Sometimes I just want to shake my colleagues who think we can go home and everyone will be nice," Sen. DeMint said.

He said President George W. Bush was the right person to be leading the nation right now, no matter what his approval numbers say.

"He’s going to fight unpopularity probably until he’s old and gray, but then people will look back and say that we did the right thing," Sen. DeMint said.

The senator also touched on securing the prosperity of the United States and said a key part of that is ending the nation’s reliance on other countries’ oil. Sen. DeMint said the United States should drill for oil in Alaska, a topic that has been hotly debated in Congress, and should look for natural gas off the South Carolina coast.

"We can’t keep blocking our own supply of oil and holding ourselves hostage to countries like Saudi Arabia," he said.
He did not mention seeking alternative sources to oil as a solution to the problem.

Sen. DeMint said securing the nation’s values is important for the future, during a time when he said many Americans are getting away from the value system he said the United States was founded on.

"Everything rests on a value system in this country and we can’t forget that," Sen. he said.

The senator said legislation banning flag burning and making it illegal for teens to cross state lines to have abortions without their parents’ consent would help uphold the nation’s values.

Also at the Realtors’ luncheon, Sen. DeMint presented an S.C. on the Move award to Peggy Hill, president and chief executive officer of the Anderson Association of Realtors. He will present several of these awards during his statewide tour.

Megan Nichols can be reached at (800) 859-6397 or by e-mail at nicholsmg@IndependentMail.com.

Political spotlight to shine brightly on S.C.

By LEE BANDY
lbandy@thestate.com

South Carolina will be the center of the political universe the next two years as the 2008 presidential campaign heats up.

The state got a huge boost two weekends ago when the Democratic National Committee’s rules and bylaws panel recommended the party move South Carolina higher in the pecking order of 2008 presidential primaries.

“It gives us a great opportunity to play an important role in picking a candidate,” said state Democratic chairman Joe Erwin of Greenville.

In 2004, South Carolina Democrats shared the spotlight with four other states.

“This time, South Carolina will be the only state in play,” Erwin said.

“That’s a big deal,” said former state party chairman Dick Harpootlian, who fought hard for a stand-alone primary three years ago. “This will be the defining moment in the Democratic presidential contest.”

S.C. Republicans hope to share in that moment. The state GOP executive committee will meet in September 2007 to select a date for that party’s S.C. presidential primary. The only thing certain is that date will be the first GOP contest in the South, S.C. GOP chairman Katon Dawson said.

Democrats envision a 2008 lineup that begins with Iowa’s caucuses on Monday, Jan. 14, followed by Nevada’s caucuses, probably on Saturday, Jan. 19.

New Hampshire would hold its first-in-the-nation primary on Tuesday, Jan. 22. South Carolina’s primary probably would come a week later on Tuesday, Jan. 29.

The Democratic National Committee meets in Chicago Aug. 17-19 to ratify the primary calendar.

There had been some hope Republicans and Democrats would get together and hold primaries on the same day.

“It certainly makes sense,” Erwin said. “There’s certainly a lot of logic behind it. It would cut costs in half.”

Dawson, however, balks at that idea.

“We like to have our primary by itself and showcase our candidates,” he said. “We’re not making our plans because of what the DNC has done.”

Cost estimates of putting on a primary range between $250,000 and $350,000.

Both parties are expected to have crowded and hotly contested races in 2008, the first presidential primary campaign since 1952 without a sitting president or vice president running.

While it may be early for the candidates to be lining up firm commitments, it’s not too early for stepping out.

Potential candidates have visited the state as many as three or four times this year.

U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, was here two weeks ago and attracted large crowds.

Other potential Democratic presidential candidates who have visited this year include U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana; former U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2004; Iowa Gov. Thomas Vilsack; and former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner,.

Republicans have made appearances, too.

U.S. Sens. George Allen of Virginia, Bill Frist of Tennessee and John McCain of Arizona have been in the state.

So has U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, New York Gov. George Pataki and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

“The focus of the nation will be on South Carolina,” Harpootlian said. “I think the next president will be picked here.”

State spending must be held to sustainable pace

By MARK SANFORD
Guest columnist
I appreciate Cindi Scoppe’s commitment to ideas — many of which have helped make South Carolina a better place. Nonetheless I must respectfully but very strongly disagree with her recent column, “Spending beyond arbitrary limits doesn’t equal risky spending.”

I base my disagreement on four premises:

One, it is at best a Columbia, or government-centric, viewpoint to say that attempting to tie the growth of government to the growth of people’s pocketbooks or wallets is “arbitrary.” We think it is common sense not to have government grow faster than the underlying economy. A glance at how unsustainable this is not only shows up in year-to-year spending around which budgets are based, but also shows up in the growth of our debt load. South Carolina’s debt is fourth highest in the Southeast on a per-capita basis and has more than tripled over the past five years.

Two, there has been much debate on how fast government is growing. On this point I think it’s most helpful to look outside of South Carolina, to someone with no particular ax to grind. The National Association of State Budget Officers recently released its “Fiscal Survey of the States” and in it said that South Carolina government will grow at 11.7 percent for the upcoming year.

This report showed that South Carolina government had expanded by roughly 25 percent over the last two years, which ranked us third in the nation! It also showed that state budgets, on average, grew 6.8 percent annually, about half South Carolina’s approximate 12.5 percent growth rate over the last two years.

On this point alone I think strong arguments could be made to show South Carolina is on an unsustainable spending course relative to other states. But as significant as those increases may be, they in some ways divert us from a stack of political promises not included in today’s spending.

Because of a new Financial Accounting Standards Board ruling, beginning next year we will have to start listing on our financial books $9 billion in unfunded liabilities related to the state employee health care plan, or about $500 million a year for the next 20 years. If we are not beginning to set money aside when times are good, what happens when times are bad?

If these numbers don’t point toward an unsustainable spending trend, then it is beyond my imagination what would be considered unsustainable. David Walker, the U.S. comptroller general, has traveled the country discussing the unsustainability of the growth in Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. He’s said that if nothing is done, the future tax increases required to sustain those programs will cripple America’s ability to compete.

We have similar problems here in South Carolina because there is always unlimited demand to spend someone else’s money in the world of politics, particularly if you can deliver promises now and pay later.

Three, this budget opens the door to a relatively long list of new constituencies previously not served by state government, such as local libraries and museums. Again, this points to a pattern of unsustainable spending because it increases the appetite for future government expenditures because of the new constituencies served by government.

New constituencies, budget growth at rates faster than the underlying economy and unpaid obligations ultimately raise the question of which part of our economy will grow faster in the future — government or the private sector. I believe to have a vibrant and sustainable economy, and therefore budget, it is important that more resources go to the private sector, because it can be redirected and reallocated faster than money going into the public sector. Speeding our economy’s rate of change is vital to our state’s budget sustainability.

Fourth and finally, economic history suggests that our present rate of spending is not sustainable. People in the real world know that trees don’t grow to the sky, and I believe it is simply unrealistic to assume that the economy only moves in one direction — upward. To think otherwise is certainly at odds with the history of the business and economic cycle — going back to the time of Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s dream of seven fat cows and seven skinny cows coming out of the Nile River.

So for the reasons outlined I think it’s prudent to do what we’ve been calling for the past couple of years and slow down spending in Columbia.

Or to put it in simple South Carolina terms, I maintain that it does not make good sense for government to be growing faster than the growth of people’s pocketbooks and wallets across our state.

minimum wage

"I believe Americans will remember that Republicans worked hard to reach a true compromise here that would raise the standard of living for all American families," Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said. "I think they will remember that after years of rhetoric, Democrats proved they were all talk and no action."


Abolishing the estate tax is simply not worth a raise in the minimum wage.Total repeal of the death Tax is something our conference should be able to accomplish without compromise.