Picking up on the theme that I was sorta hitting on back on the anniversary of D-Day (“Don’t vote with your emotions, people. THINK!“), the Sheheen campaign has released an ad entitled “THINK,” urging voters to do just that with regard to Nikki Haley.
My overall impression is that the ad is too soft, too diffident, too uncertain. It concludes with average-voter types saying “Makes me think… Nikki Haley isn’t who she says she is.”
Well, duh. Of course she isn’t.
I realize Vincent’s campaign is trying not to be shrill. I realize it’s trying to take voters who may NOT have been, well, thinking, or even paying attention, by the hand and walking them oh so gently toward an inescapable conclusion.
Back when I urged voters to THINK (as opposed to going all touchy-feely over the chance to elect the first woman as governor) before doing what they were bound and determined to do in the GOP primary, we didn’t know what we know now about her dismal record as a taxpayer and as an accountant. Now that we do know these things, I’m more in the mood to grab and roughly shake back and forth (figuratively, of course) any voter who would even consider still voting for her. But that’s me. Vincent’s taking the kinder, gentler approach, which is more his style. In fact, it’s the South Carolina way. Shows the boy was brought up right in Camden. (I’m a South Carolinian, too, but I suppose growing up in Florida, Virginia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Ecuador and gasp! New Jersey, not to mention those years I worked in the newspaper biz in Tennessee and Kansas, coarsened me. I’m more direct.)
So good for him, I guess. Whatever gets the job done. IF this gets the job done.
FYI, here’s the release that goes with the video:
Brad,
If the last eight years have taught us anything, it is that we cannot afford to elect anyone else to high office that lacks two basic qualifications: integrity and competence.
Representative Haley claims she should be elected governor because she’s a champion of transparency and because she’s an accountant. But, she is not credible on either.
Not once in the last five years has Representative Haley paid her personal income taxes on time. Twice it took her over a year to even file her tax returns. Representative Haley boasts about keeping the books at her family business, but twice it failed to pay corporate income taxes and also kept its employees’ money, rather than forwarding it as employees’ withholding tax. Now we learn that in 2008, she was also penalized for failing to pay her property taxes.
She has been forced to pay thousands of dollars in fines and penalties because she has consistently violated the law. These are not insignificant amounts and these are not isolated oversights. This is a troubling pattern of behavior. Representative Haley has consistently refused to meet her obligations and appears unable to exercise the basic standards of her profession.
I would expect someone with an accounting degree to be competent enough to pay her taxes. I would expect someone running for governor to have the courage to accept responsibility for her mistakes. But like her mentor Mark Sanford, Representative Haley believes the rules should not apply to her. Mark Sanford advocated saving state government money but liked to take personal trips with tax dollars. Representative Haley argues for government accountability but makes excuses when her own actions are called into question.
Representative Haley couldn’t get a job at the Department of Revenue with her resume. Yet, she expects South Carolina to trust her to run state government.
I believe when the public elects someone to office, they are giving a sacred trust. He or she should be worthy of that trust. Representative Haley’s record shows that her actions do not match her rhetoric. I am tired of hypocrisy by our state’s leaders and today, my campaign will begin running a new commercial pointing out the real Nikki Haley. After the last eight years of deceit and scandal, we must elect a governor we can trust. Here’s my message to all South Carolinians: You can trust me.
Very truly,
Vincent Sheheen
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Another day, another Sheheen message about Haley.
I notice they geared most of the message as “women who don’t like Haley”. There must be some internal focus group that shows Haley is taking a bigger chunk of the female vote than expected despite all the rumors and innuendo.
Who exactly is Vincent Sheheen and why should I vote for him? The world may never know.
Vincent is a small-town fella who likes to hunt. Pay attention, Doug…
Oh, and at the 11 second mark in the commercial, it shows a news article with the headline “Nikki Haley Displays Trademark Hypocrisy”. You know where that “article” came from?
That bastion of journalistic authority:
The Daily Gamecock.
http://www.dailygamecock.com/viewpoints/in-our-opinion-nikki-haley-exhibits-trademark-hypocrisy-1.1493881
Was there no article available from the Irmo Feed and Seed Report?
Seriously, who is running the Sheheen campaign? Rejects from Alvin Greene’s staff?
May be cramming too many points into one 30 second spot. He could make several commercials on Haley’s shortcomings.
…and someone please give Mr. Ross the website link to Vincent’s campaign so he will stop asking who is Sheheen.
@Doug T
I’ve been to his website many times. His issues page is weak and hasn’t been updated in months. It’s full of meaningless political speak. His entire education plan consists of two paragraphs. Same for government reform. Here’s his entire plan for taxes:
“As governor, Vincent will continue to push for a complete overhaul of our tax system to encourage the business development necessary to create new jobs and grow our economy.”
Good luck with that, Mr. Sheheen. How about some details of exactly what you would reform?