|  

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Putting S.C. In Charge of GOP Reform? Bad Idea.

Posted by Greg Hambrick on Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 12:58 PM

unknown.jpg

In this week's dead-tree City Paper, we look at the potential for South Carolina's Republican leaders (Katon Dawson, Sen. Jim DeMint, Gov. Mark Sanford) to lead the party out of the wilderness — and how that sounds like a really, really bad idea.

College of Charleston political science professor Bill Moore has his doubts.

"If the southern conservatives win the battle, they may end up losing the war," he says. "South Carolina's brand of conservatism plays well in small communities in the South, but I don't think it would play well nationally."

What comes to mind first when imagining a President Sanford or a Vice President DeMint are the uncomfortable lessons that South Carolina can impart on the rest of the nation. First, Republicans without strong opposition turn on themselves. Sanford has railed against legislative spending, and the General Assembly has criticized Sanford's tendency to shirk cooperation or compromise. And the one issue they can all agree on — lower taxes — has put state spending on the ropes as the sales taxes that state coffers rely on have dried up.

"One of the biggest reasons we're in the situation we're in is because we've cut taxes so much," Moore says.

A reader suggested that we were calling for a single-party system. That's not our intent. What we're suggesting is that the Republican Party has two arms. One is broken (far right) and the other is only sore (center right). We're saying the party shouldn't try to use the broken one to get things done.

If the future of the party can't be driven by South Carolina leaders, it may take people like Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. He told his fellow Republican governors last week that the GOP needs to look at issues like health care and alternative energy to attract minority and middle class voters.

"We have a large deficit with women, Hispanics, African Americans — people with modest financial circumstances. That is not a formula for a majority," he said.

Which philosophical direction the national party takes — either by emulating or rejecting the South — could determine the fate of the party in 2010 and 2012. Considering the shrinking successes of the Republican Party, a path that focuses on the South could lead to a national GOP convention being held in your nearest phone booth. It's only with a hint of irony that we note there aren't many phone booths left either.

Tags: , , ,

Comments (2) RSS

Showing 1-2 of 2

Add a comment

Generic user icon

We're in this situation because 'we' cut taxes too much? You got to be kidding me. We're in this situation bc. government and individuals spent money they didn't have due in part to over-taxation. There needs to be more study in Free Market Economics, less in fabian socialist Keynesianism. "No society can exist unless the laws are respected to a certain degree...When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law. These two evils are of equal consequence, and it would be difficult for a person to choose between them." - Frederic Bastiat, The Law Sorry but I'll choose morality over governmental force of taxation anyday, and may have to weather the immoral and unjust consequences just as Thoreau did 150 years ago, and many others today. But I would do so knowing that I have been imprisoned unjustly on the morally bankrupt concept of everybody plunders everybody.

Posted by RsLudlum on November 24, 2008 at 10:12 PM | Report this comment
Generic user icon

We're in this situation because 'we' cut taxes too much? You got to be kidding me. We're in this situation bc. government and individuals spent money they didn't have due in part to over-taxation. There needs to be more study in Free Market Economics, less in fabian socialist Keynesianism. "No society can exist unless the laws are respected to a certain degree...When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law. These two evils are of equal consequence, and it would be difficult for a person to choose between them." - Frederic Bastiat, The Law Sorry but I'll choose morality over governmental force of taxation anyday, and may have to weather the immoral and unjust consequences just as Thoreau did 150 years ago, and many others today. But I would do so knowing that I have been imprisoned unjustly on the morally bankrupt concept of everybody plunders everybody.

Posted by RsLudlum on November 24, 2008 at 10:12 PM | Report this comment

Add a comment

Greg Hambrick
News Editor

Press Time Tweets

Recent Comments

City Paper Blogs

RSS Links

Classified Listings
  • Tokyo Bistro Just ate lunch there this week and it was great! They have a trendy, but… -CHS291
  • Il Cortile Del Re We went to Il Cortile after the Mike Moran Furniture show at Rebekah Jacob Gallery… -project_runwayHottie
  • Baked Heaven!!! The service was friendly & suggestive not to mention knowledgable on all the incredible… -alicia66
  • A.C.'s Bar and Grill Love A.C.'s brunch. Chicken and waffles are the best cure for a hangover. If you… -chaslovah
  • Tokyo Bistro The Sushi is AWESOME, their Dancing Dragon Roll is the best sushi I have ever… -Megan
Most Viewed


Powered by Foundation   © Copyright 2009, Charleston City Paper   RSS