TweetThis could be a moment to pause and celebrate something. Not the ethics bill that passed the state Senate yesterday (I’ll let Cindi Scoppe tell you about its inadequacies, as she did in this column and this one), but the fact that both candidates for governor are vocal in calling it inadequate: COLUMBIA, SC — […]
Tweet On Friday, I said I’d post something from the new American Party’s big announcement at the State House, and I meant to; I really did. But it didn’t happen. Not that I didn’t try. While rabbiting away at my day job, I tried twice to upload the video I had shot at their presser, […]
TweetThis is a fascinating piece, good because it dares to be iconoclastic. (We’re not supposed to say, or even think, such things in the post-Watergate world.) I want to quote the whole thing, and you should go read the whole thing, but here are key passages: Having governed by intimidation, punishment, cronyism, patronage, and legal […]
TweetYou may have read about the two rallies regarding health care, on opposite sides of the State House on the Legislature’s first day back. I was just cleaning out email, and noted that, in inviting folks to the pro-Medicaid expansion rally, the SC Christian Action Council invited everyone, whether they could make it or not, […]
TweetTom Davis posted this this morning: I thought Robert Gates was a neocon and MSM reviews of his memoirs seemed to confirm it. I was wrong. This past weekend I read the former defense secretary’s book and was startled to read things like this: “Wars are a lot easier to get into than out of. […]
TweetThe latest release from the often-indignant Rep. Mia McLeod: Must we be hypocrites about everything in this state? I mean…since we wanna wear the “Bible Belt” like a badge of honor, shouldn’t some of our actions reflect it? As we head into the 2014 legislative session one week from today, I pray that our elected leaders will one day practice […]
TweetSee, you can read about it in black and white: The House passed an 2-year bipartisan budget deal Thursday evening, possibly signaling a truce in the spending showdowns that have paralyzed Washington for the past three years. Approval of the budget was the House’s final action of 2013. Earlier Thursday, lawmakers agreed unanimously to approve […]
TweetHere’s a release I received today from Rep. James Smith: There are many good people who care about the future of the City of Columbia on both sides of the debate about our city’s form of government. Please allow me to tell you why I’m VOTING YES for a Strong Mayor tomorrowand I hope you will […]
Tweet Andrew Sullivan embedded this video from the Scottish parliament earlier this week because he saw it as “The Conservative Case For Marriage Equality.” I was impressed with it for another reason: It was so thoughtful, mature and respectful to people who might disagree. We don’t see a lot of that on this side of […]
TweetI just posted something bemoaning the fact that the concept of a “loyal opposition” is fading away, reminiscing about how things were different in the Good Old Days. Which, I know, irritates some of y’all. So, as compensation, I’ll write about a good piece I read this morning by Michael Barone that points out that […]
TweetEva Moore called to interview me about Steve Benjamin the other day, which was a bit awkward for me, because as I told her, she’s followed his mayoralty a lot more closely than I have, so what could I tell her? But we chatted anyway, and she used some of it. I learned this from […]
TweetAt first, I was sort of confused. When I saw this headline on the NYT app Thursday night: “Pope Bluntly Faults Church’s Focus on Gays and Abortion.” … I thought, What focus? Where’s he been going to Mass? Because in my experience, there is no particular focus on those things, in actual Catholic churches. And […]
Tweet I thought this was an interesting contrast. Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin’s re-election campaign sent out the above video, showing the mayor standing before a group of cops — the city’s anti-gang unit — and talking tough about how gangs won’t be tolerated (when he’s not talking about reaching out to troubled youth who are […]
TweetI thought this was an interesting thing for a major running for re-election to do. He sent out a release weighing in on a controversial recent arrest by the city’s police department: Keep Politics Out of Policing July 24, 2013, Columbia, SC Dear friends, As you know, public safety has and continues to be my […]
Tweet This story about the speech in the WSJ this morning summed up the challenge: The remarks, delivered without a teleprompter, were a striking example of America’s first black president seeking to guide the country’s thinking on race without inflaming racial tensions or undermining the judicial system. He managed to do that, and he did […]
TweetI’ve been in meetings all day and haven’t been able even to stop and think about this, but I thought I’d put up a post so y’all can start commenting on it if you choose. Here’s a news story, and below is the release in its entirety: Sheheen Takes Steps to Form Gubernatorial Campaign State […]
TweetI’ve finally found something online backing up what I heard on the radio yesterday afternoon. It was Pope Francis embracing people of all faiths, and atheists as well, as allies in practicing good stewardship of the Earth: VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis extended a hand to those who don’t belong to any religion, urging them […]
Tweet This came in about an hour ago: Sheheen Kicks Off “Back on Track” Tour State Senator will discuss ideas for moving South Carolina forward and his new book “The Right Way” in three-week statewide tour Rock Hill, SC. – Today, state Sen. Vincent Sheheen kicks off the Palmetto State “Back on Track” tour at […]
TweetA blog post at SC Schools Report brings my attention to a letter that Sen. Kevin Bryant received from his fan Howie Rich. Here it is: Dear Kevin, First of all congratulations on the “A+” ranking you received this month from the S.C. Club for Growth. I understand you’ve received the highest score in the […]
Tweet As a young man, Abraham Lincoln fretted that there was no opportunity for his generation to accomplish anything important; gone were the days in which the founders had risen to the great challenge of establishing the nation. Here’s an early passage from Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, which I finally […]