Failed CNN host Kathleen Parker took to her Washington Post column today to bash Palmetto Public Record’s reporting on possible investigations into Gov. Nikki Haley and the Sikh temple run by her father. But instead of adding anything new to the story, Ms. Parker simply rehashed Monday’s New York Times story on the incident and then called me a bunch of names.
In the space of her column’s first two paragraphs, Parker appears to call me (though without actually using my name) a “twit” and an “idiot” who erects virtual temples to himself. Luckily I haven’t been bothered by name-calling since middle school, and the only virtual temple-building I’ve done has been in Minecraft.
While I won’t stoop to calling Ms. Parker mean names in return (we’ve never met, but I’m sure she’s a delightful person), it’s worth noting that she seems to know a lot about spreading untruths about Gov. Haley. In fact, she’s done a bit of that herself — only in Parker’s case, the lies came out of the governor’s own mouth.
When Gov. Haley unceremoniously sacked wealthy University of South Carolina donor Darla Moore from the board of trustees last spring and replaced her with a campaign donor, the blatantly political move angered many in the Palmetto State. In her column, Parker called Gov. Haley’s move “stunning” and “jaw-dropping” — though anyone who actually lives in South Carolina shouldn’t have been surprised by a governor whose vindictive streak runs as wide as the Congaree River.
Nevertheless, Gov. Haley’s stated reason for sacking Moore (exclusively reported by Ms. Parker after no other reporter would take the bait) instantly put our B.S. detector on red alert:
As Haley explains events, Moore lost her seat basically because she didn’t express sufficient interest in keeping it. She didn’t return Haley’s calls, as the governor tells it, and when Haley tried to meet with Moore, there was a three-week wait.
The governor told me she couldn’t wait. She has only one voting member on the board and, says Haley, “I have to pick one who will report to me and return my calls.”
However, emails and letters obtained from the governor’s office by The State’s Wayne Washington show that Gov. Haley flat-out lied to Parker about when she fired Moore:
Rather than confirm that Haley tried unsuccessfully to meet with Moore, the documents lay out a timeline that indicates Cofield had been her choice weeks before she wrote Moore a letter telling her that her successor had been chosen.
That letter, dated March 3 and included in the documents provided to The State, marked an unceremonious and stunning end to Moore’s 12-year tenure on the board.
Parker never discussed her reaction to being lied to by the governor, but she certainly seems to be in Haley’s corner now. So to recap Ms. Parker’s opinion: reporting untruths that others tell about the governor? Horrible rumor-mongering narcissistic blogger! Reporting the governor’s own lies? Award-winning Washington Post columnist!
My, my. Upset with Kathleen Parker? What for, definition of character?
You started the lie, and now you’re upset about being called on it. If your credibility took a hit it wasn’t Ms. Parker that torpedoed it. Look in the mirror for a clue as to who scuttled your credibility