You may have seen PPR’s regular feature On Record, which lets South Carolina policy-makers speak out about the issues most important to them. Today’s column is from John Ruoff of the Ruoff Group, and takes a look at the “foolish inconsistency” of embracing Keynes on the military, but Hayek on other spending. If you’re interested in guest-blogging for Palmetto Public Record, email Editor Logan Smith.
Now on to the headlines:
Republicans’ “zombie voters” myth is falling apart – When DMV Director Kevin Shwedo testified earlier this month that over 900 South Carolinians appeared to have voted in recent elections after they died, Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson quickly paraded the claim in front of a national audience as evidence of “massive” voter fraud in the state, Palmetto Public Record reported on Friday. But on Wednesday, Election Commission Director Marci Andino testified that of the six names the commission was allowed to examine, all six were perfectly eligible.
State’s lawsuit over voter ID could cost more than $1 million – South Carolina taxpayers will be on the hook for a high-powered Washington attorney’s $520-an-hour rate when the state sues the federal government this week to protect its voter ID law, litigation could cost more than $1 million, according to the Charleston Post & Courier’s Renee Dudley. Attorney General Alan Wilson has more than five dozen staff attorneys to handle the state’s legal affairs, but Wilson hired a former U.S. solicitor general to litigate the voter ID case at a rate of $520 an hour, a contract obtained last week reveals.
Women’s consulting firm key player in Gingrich’s S.C. victory – The biggest winners in last weekend’s S.C. Republican Primary may have been political consultants Leslie Gaines and Ruth Sherlock, according to The State’s Gina Smith. Within four months of joining up with Newt Gingrich’s campaign in the Palmetto State, Gaines and Sherlock were garnering political kudos that would make any consultant salivate: winning a presidential primary.
Study to focus on distribution needs in S.C. – Economic development officials say a logistics and distribution study is needed to help South Carolina plan for its future, according to the Orangeburg Times & Democrat’s Gene Zalesky. The Department of Transportation is leading efforts to develop a 20-year statewide multimodal plan to move freight from the Port of Charleston throughout the state. The goal is to analyze infrastructure requirements, prioritize future transportation infrastructure needs and serve as a tool to spur job creation, business expansion and education.
What’s the value of an endorsement? Not much – Last week’s Republican primary has convinced The State Newspaper that endorsements may make good headlines, but don’t matter much in the long run. The State takes a look at how Mitt Romney, who was endorsed by 2008 GOP nominee John McCain and SC Gov. Nikki Haley, was massacred in South Carolina by thrice-married Freddie Mac historian Newt Gingrich, the onetime Georgian who was fined $300,000 for ethics violations while speaker of the U.S. House.
One more thing: Someone is mailing out bumper stickers reading “export Haley,” according to FITSNews, emphasizing criticism that the governor has prioritized Georgia’s interests over South Carolina’s in return for political gain. FITS doesn’t seem to know the source of the stickers, however — so if you know who it is, tell them to send us one.
