South Carolina

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I Just Love (Southern) Politicians

May 25, 2012 by 2 Comments

I thought the days of the old-time Southern politician in the mold of Huey Long or any of the other rascals like him were long gone. The type of politician who would portray himself in public as a God-fearing, tea-drinking, gun-owning, pro-American family man with a pretty wife and cute kids while in private he wasn’t above having a nip or two and consorting with college co-eds.

SC State Rep. Ted Vick (Chesterfield Cty) has restored my faith in Southern politicians. He is was running for Congress in the new 7th District of South Carolina. On his campaign website, he notes that he is “a businessman, a farmer, a pastor, a sportsman, a soldier and a state representative” who is seeking to return values like “hard work, common sense, and bipartisanship” to Washington. Vick is also a Lt. Col. in the SC National Guard.

He was considered one of the leading candidates in the race. He was even mentioned in an article in the Washington Post about possibly being one of the surprises of this election cycle. However, that was before his little escapade early Thursday morning.

Rep. Vick was stopped in Columbia for doing 44 mph in a 30 zone. A little over the limit but nothing major except:

  • He had been bar hopping.
  • He refused the sobriety test and was charged with DUI.
  • He was carrying a Kel-Tec .380 pistol in his pocket.
  • His concealed carry license expired in 2007.
  • He had a woman in the car with him.
  • The woman was not his wife but a 21-year old recent graduate of USC whom he met in a bar.

Ooops! Rep. Vick has been charged with DUI, speeding, and for the unlawful carrying of a firearm without a permit. He also spent the night in the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and was released on his own recognizance.

Vick announced just a litle while ago that he is ending his campaign for Congress.

“After spending time with my family, my pastor and my friends, I have decided to end my campaign for the United States Congress.

While I have full confidence that the legal system will clear much of this up, it will not change the fact that I made some serious mistakes that I alone am responsible for. I realize that I have caused pain to those who love and support me and it’s my responsibility to make this right.

Now is the time to allow the legal system to work, time for me to concentrate on my family and time for me to focus on the needs of my State House constituents.

I look forward to spending more time at home with my family and constituents. I will humbly seek re-election to the State House in November. If re-elected I will continue to work across party aisles to seek consensus and progress.”

Now have I left anything out? Hmm. The 21-year old not-his-wife woman was blond (his wife has brown hair) and Mr. Vick is a Democrat who recently made news when he quit the American Legislative Exchange Council or ALEC.

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“Let’s You Take Your Safety Into Your Own Hands”

November 6, 2011 by

Sheriff Chuck Wright of Spartanburg County, SC made national news with his call for women to get their concealed carry permits. And it sounds like the women of South Carolina listened.

According to the report from WSPA in Spartanburg, Jennifer Reeves was home alone with her kids when a shooting happened in her neighborhood. While she had a gun, she didn’t know how to use. In response to the shooting and to Sheriff Wright’s call for women to get concealed carry permits, she organized a class for women in her neighborhood.

What is perhaps surprising about this report was the pro-gun tone throughout. Christine Scarpelli of WSPA concludes her report by saying it “let’s you take your safety into your own hands.” She is absolutely correct and is to be applauded for stating the truth on the air. And from the comments on her Facebook page, it sounds like she may have participated as well.

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South Carolina Considers Constitutional Carry

February 18, 2011 by 3 Comments

Rep. Mike Pitts of Laurens, a former Greenville police officer, has introduced House Bill 3292 which would make South Carolina the newest state to authorize constitutional carry.

In addition to Rep. Pitts, the bill has 37 co-sponsors. The SC House Judiciary Committee held hearings on the bill today. According to an article in The State, the bill has been delayed due to amendments meant to improve the law.

“It’s unfortunate that that there’s so much in this bill that needs to be fixed,” said Robert Butler, a lobbyist for South Carolina GrassRoots GunRights, which asked for more than a dozen amendments.

But state Rep. Thad Viers, a Myrtle Beach Republican, said many amendments would doom the bill to reduce the need to get a concealed weapons permit.

“It gives us time to make corrections – necessary corrections,” said state Rep. Mike Pitts, a Laurens Republican. “I have no problem with us taking the time to make sure we get it right.”

Just like when Arizona was passing constitutional carry, a concealed carry instructor who feels his livelihood is in danger has come out against the change. Ted Landreth of Shooterszone Tactical makes the usual – but erroneous – comparison to getting a driver’s license and the need for training. The difference is that driving is not an enumerated constitutional right. I would wager that those instructors in Arizona who supported constitutional carry have all the business they can handle.

UPDATE: House Bill 3292 was approved unanimously by the SC State House Judiciary General Laws subcommittee on Feb. 24th. It now goes to the full Judiciary Committee. Three more members also requested to added to the list of co-sponsors for the bill.

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Nikki Haley of South Carolina

June 8, 2010 by

If you live in Western North Carolina two of your three major television stations come out of the Upstate of South Carolina. As a result, I haven’t been able to turn on the TV for the last few months without seeing a political ad for the South Carolina gubernatorial race. You get the occasional Democrat but most of the ads have been for one of the Republicans – Nikki Haley, Gresham Barrett, Henry McMaster, or Andre Bauer.

Thus, I “know” that Gresham went to the Citadel, that Henry will assert South Carolina’s state’s rights, that Andre has been endorsed by Mike Huckabee, and that Nikki is against the power of the legislature and has been endorsed by Sarah Palin.

South Carolina Republican politics are also some of the most brutal in the country. Nikki Haley has been accused of having an affair with a blogger and a consultant for Andre Bauer (which she has strenuously denied), Gresham Barrett has been dumped on for voting for TARP, Henry McMaster has been accused of being a professional politician, and Andre Bauer is just a weasel. Oops, that last comment was mine but appears to be true.

However, this is a gun blog so where do they stand on the Second Amendment is important to me. The NRA has not endorsed any of the candidates nor has published their current grades. However, having examined the websites for all four, I’d guess that they would all get an A or A+ from the NRA. Of the four, the one that impresses me the most is Nikki Haley. She not only has a concealed weapons permit (CWP) but thinks that the South Carolina laws are too restrictive on where you can or can’t carry.

I find Haley’s response to be refreshing.

By the time this is published, voting in the SC Primary will be almost over. Polls have shown that Haley is the clear leader and that the other three are hoping to force her to a runoff. The accusations of infidelity have not hurt Haley but have, in fact, rebounded in the opposite direction. If Haley is forced to a runoff by failing to get 50% (a tough standard – most states now use the 40% rule), I am guessing that it will be either McMaster or Barrett and not Bauer.