Nine “Republican in Name Only” members of the South Carolina Senate were slammed by one of the Palmetto State’s leading limited government groups this week after voting to reject proven free market academic reforms in favor of U.S. President Barack Obama’s signature education initiative. Meanwhile a national group also took them to task for their support of the Obama education plan.
“These nine Senators decided to keep school choice out of South Carolina, making us one of the only states in the South where children are stuck in failing government schools,” S.C. Club for Growth executive director Phillip Cease said in a statement.
Failing? That’s putting it kindly …
For those of you needed a refresher on the names of these nine Senators, they are as follows: Thomas Alexander (RINO-Oconee), Paul Campbell (RINO-Berkeley), John Courson (RINO-Richland), Ronnie Cromer (RINO-Newberry), Wes Hayes (RINO-York), Hugh Leatherman(RINO-Florence), Larry Martin (RINO-Pickens), Billy O’Dell (RINO-Abbeville) and Luke Rankin (RINO-Myrtle Beach).
Cease’s group also ripped eight of these Senators (all of those named above, minus O’Dell) for their support of Obama’s signature education initiative – universal government-funded preschool.
The Club for Growth isn’t the only organization ripping these so-called “Republicans.”
FreedomWorks, a national conservative grassroots organization, put out a statement this week condemning the leftward lean of this “GOP-controlled” chamber.
“The Republican South Carolina Senate needs to stop pushing the Obama administration’s Big Government agenda,” the group’s grassroots coordinator Whitney Neal said. “Just because they call themselves Republicans does not mean they support conservative ideas. South Carolina children need a real education. They don’t need liberal Republicans to steal your money for failed political programs.”
Indeed …
As we noted in our coverage of the school choice vote, four of these Senators (Leatherman, Martin, O’Dell and Rankin) are former Democrats who switched parties when it became politically expedient for them to do so.
But the others?
“We are especially disappointed that Senator Courson and Senator Cromer voted against school choice,” Cease noted in his group’s release. “In the past, Senator Courson proudly touted his support for the Reagan presidency in 1980 and 1984 but no longer does. Senator Cromer claimed to support school choice, but balked when the chance came up to implement a very basic version of it.”
Cromer isn’t the only “Republican” claiming to support choice who voted against it this week. S.C. Sen. Paul Campbell (RINO-Berkeley) also fits that bill.
Obviously we concur with the Club and FreedomWorks in their assessments of these hypocrites. However, we are hopeful these lawmakers will rethink their position when the final votes are cast in what has been an unusually long, arduous and acrimonious budget process.
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29 comments
Did they rip FITS too? Because FITS is pretty left-leaning.
Trey Gowdy is conspicuously absent from the ‘reporting.’
We should be proud that our legislature decided not to join the Koch brothers’ little band of jackbooted red state legislators who have entered into some of the most corrupt crony capitalism education schemes to come down the pike.
And, who are smart enough to know we don’t have the money to fund 2 school systems. Who woulda thunk it?
We still need to stop state money from going to on-line charter schools which are totally unaccountable for everything. How about an FOIA on that, FITSNEWS?
We should be proud that our legislature decided not to join the Koch brothers’ little band of jackbooted red state legislators who have entered into some of the most corrupt crony capitalism education schemes to come down the pike.
And, who are smart enough to know we don’t have the money to fund 2 school systems. Who woulda thunk it?
We still need to stop state money from going to on-line charter schools which are totally unaccountable for everything. How about an FOIA on that, FITSNEWS?
News Flash! These Senators answer to the voters in their districts not some cabal. If their constituents don’t like how they are performing, then they will replace them at the next election.
This is South Carolina, voters rarely hold politicians accountable for anything.
News Flash! These Senators answer to the voters in their districts not some cabal. If their constituents don’t like how they are performing, then they will replace them at the next election.
This is South Carolina, voters rarely hold politicians accountable for anything.
Guess what. FeudalWorks and Club for Greed don’t own the name Republican yet.
Guess what. FeudalWorks and Club for Greed don’t own the name Republican yet.
See Fits got his check from Howie.This is the first time we’ve heard this non issue for awhile.Truth is this whole “school choice” issue is of little interest to many people,except a rather small,dedicated group of zealots whose main goal is to destroy the public school system Its even too much for these so called “Rinos” Fits lists who ,despite his hyperbolic mischaracteriztion are all well to the RIGHT of of even former REPUBLICAN presidential candidate Mitt Romney!
See Fits got his check from Howie.This is the first time we’ve heard this non issue for awhile.Truth is this whole “school choice” issue is of little interest to many people,except a rather small,dedicated group of zealots whose main goal is to destroy the public school system Its even too much for these so called “Rinos” Fits lists who ,despite his hyperbolic mischaracteriztion are all well to the RIGHT of of even former REPUBLICAN presidential candidate Mitt Romney!
School choice is not the way to straighten the public schools out (it can be a tool used sparingly and judiciously). Joe Clark, a principal in a New Jersey high school, and George McKenna, a Los Angeles high school principal, greatly improved their school’s performance by making the students responsible for their behavior and enforcing discipline and by making the teachers responsible for teaching the students properly and holding them accountable. Sadly no one wants to do the hard dirty work of making the schools better. They want to throw a quick fix and a boatload of money at the problem so they can say “we did something”.
School choice is not the way to straighten the public schools out (it can be a tool used sparingly and judiciously). Joe Clark, a principal in a New Jersey high school, and George McKenna, a Los Angeles high school principal, greatly improved their school’s performance by making the students responsible for their behavior and enforcing discipline and by making the teachers responsible for teaching the students properly and holding them accountable. Sadly no one wants to do the hard dirty work of making the schools better. They want to throw a quick fix and a boatload of money at the problem so they can say “we did something”.
Are these career politicians still in session? Several other state legislatures are already back home and won’t be back in a couple months. Why do SC House and Senate members need to be in session for six months a year?
Are these career politicians still in session? Several other state legislatures are already back home and won’t be back in a couple months. Why do SC House and Senate members need to be in session for six months a year?
Will — what does exactly “uber-liberal” mean? You use that term a lot….I think you may have called me that once or more.
Anyway, no surprise that Club for Growth and FreedomWorks are attacking these GOP senators for their votes in favor of sanity.
Will — what does exactly “uber-liberal” mean? You use that term a lot….I think you may have called me that once or more.
Anyway, no surprise that Club for Growth and FreedomWorks are attacking these GOP senators for their votes in favor of sanity.
So……voting against giving rich people tax breaks to abandon public education is to “screw kids,” but supporting 4-year-old kindergarten for needy children is a terrible thing. This is the weird world of SC’s far-right, folks.
So……voting against giving rich people tax breaks to abandon public education is to “screw kids,” but supporting 4-year-old kindergarten for needy children is a terrible thing. This is the weird world of SC’s far-right, folks.
What an informed and insiteful article. SC Club for Growth, ‘leading limited government groups.” I’m sure director Crease learned how to ‘limit government’ from the folks he worked for – Gov and Treasurer. Notice he’s not admitting which ones. Sanfraud? Trikki Nikki? Coke head TRav?? And lets not forget, whatever PACs say about candidates are very credible. No way is it like the pot calling the kettle black. PACs are very forthcoming about disclosing the corporate special interests who donate, and they only endorse politicians who follow the law, aren’t in the pockets of special interests, and disclose all their activities with a smile, without being asked.
I bet FreedomWorks is just as ethically motivated and credible as SC Club for Growth.
Riiiiiight. Is FITS geting paid for this, or is this just the usual 30 second uninformed blurb?
What an informed and insiteful article. SC Club for Growth, ‘leading limited government groups.” I’m sure director Crease learned excellent skills to ‘limit gov’ from the folks he worked for – Gov and Treasurer. Notice he’s not admitting which ones. Sanfraud? Trikki Nikki? Coke head TRav?? And lets not forget, whatever PACs say about candidates are very credible. No way is it like the pot calling the kettle black. PACs are very forthcoming about disclosing the corporate special interests who donate, and they only endorse politicians who follow the law, aren’t in the pockets of special interests, and disclose all their activities with a smile, without being asked.
I bet FreedomWorks is just as ethically motivated and credible as SC Club for Growth.
Riiiiiight. Is FITS geting paid for this, or is this just the usual 30 second uninformed blurb? Oh I forgot Howie purportedly funds this site and Club for Growth, so…..
We need to keep public schools in order so all the children will be brainwashed by government!
We need to keep public schools in order so all the children will be brainwashed by government!
FITS, Judging by the responses to this column by your readers, your opinions and those of the SC Club for Growth and FreedomWorks on the subject at hand seem to be about as popular as a fart in church, and a lot less welcome. Maybe you need to move on.
FITS, Judging by the responses to this column by your readers, your opinions and those of the SC Club for Growth and FreedomWorks on the subject at hand seem to be about as popular as a fart in church, and a lot less welcome. Maybe you need to move on.
Pretty funny — someone bashing public education in a statement that uses the phrase “one of the only.”
Pretty funny — someone bashing public education in a statement that uses the phrase “one of the only.”