TWICE IN ONE WEEK …
Another day, another South Carolina political “wire …”
Like we said, we’re going to try and do a better job publishing this particular feature because it gives us the opportunity to interact with you – our readers. That’s going to become increasingly fun as the 2014 elections draw closer … and as the national spotlight begins to move to the Palmetto State in anticipation of the 2016 presidential primary elections.
It’s official: Interaction = Good. Well, unless it’s the sort of interaction we alluded to in item No. 2 from yesterday’s wire.
Speaking of interacting, in case you don’t follow FITS on twitter, our founding editor Will Folks (a.k.a. Sic Willie) engaged in a spirited debate on education policy this afternoon on the social media platform. Then he vented his spleen on our pages about … something. We’re not sure what, exactly.
Anyway … wanna share a link? Ask a question? Submit a comment? Put “Sic” on the spot?
Reach out (anonymously or otherwise) via our tip wire … and remember, in addition to confidentially investigating your leads we also publish letters to the editor and guest editorials (even anonymous ones) if you’ve got more to say on a subject. Also feel free to reach out to our founding editor directly at w@fitsnews.com.
To the wire (and remember to check back as this segment is often updated) …
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“REPUBLICANS FOR SHEHEEN”
You are missing something very big in your exposure of the “new media network” established by (S.C. House) Speaker Bobby Harrell. I appreciate the work you have done so far – it is excellent – but go one step further, please. Most of your dots have been connected, but did you know David Carter – who receives information for these media sites from Trey Harrell and Thomas Higgs and then publishes the posts – previously reached out to Democrats in an effort to run coordinated attacks against Governor Nikki Haley?
Democratic operative Tyler Jones even tweeted out a screencap of their exchange several months ago, I do believe.
(Click to enlarge)
Best of all right after this exchange Carter ENDORSED HALEY.
-Anonymous
SIC SEZ
Wow … obviously I’ve got no love for Nikki Haley, but that’s very interesting seeing as the blog network established by these guys is so vigorously supportive of everything the governor does. Hard to believe one of its key players tried to organize political hits against her.
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LONGTIME READER, FIRST TIME CALLER
Hi Fits – just wanted to take a moment to say thank you!!!!! You report the truth and issues that mainstream media stays away from. We do have educated, concerned people in our amazing state and I hope Nikki Haley is gone come November. I am following Tom Ervin and Vincent Sheheen closely and let’s see what they can do…maybe Ervin has a chance??
-Anonymous
SIC SEZ
Anon thank you … I got a lot of hate mail yesterday so it’s nice to see some love letters. LOL. As to your question regarding Tom Ervin, if he is able to ideologically exploit the wide opening on Haley’s right flank – while banging the drum regarding her incompetence as an executive – then yes he has a chance. Of course at this point that “chance” would be to throw the election to Vincent Sheheen, not actually win the Governor’s Mansion. We’ll have to see where he takes his candidacy … and how Haley (and possibly Sheheen) seek to define him depending on the direction he chooses.
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DANNY FORD GOT “FIVE-BOMBED”
I’ve got a great picture of a “five-bomb” on former Clemson Tigers head coach Danny Ford. I would love to send it to you so you can put it up.
(Click to enlarge)
SIC SEZ
Beautiful. You know, though, this is going to get a lot harder to do when the Gamecocks win six in a row this fall.
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PENNY SALES TAX STATUS
What is being done with the Richland County Penny Sales Tax? County Council selected a firm to handle the program management and then never signed a contract with that firm. I’ve heard that the program management is going to be rebid due to the fact that County Council violated the Richland County procurement code in their original selection but the project still has not been re-advertised, while the tax has been collected for over a year.
Is this another instance where Richland County is taxing its residents and giving nothing in return? I am surprised you haven’t written anything about this whole debacle.
-E.K.
SIC SEZ
You’re absolutely right, E.K. … I’ve been so focused on covering the legal side of this scandal the practical implementation (or lack thereof) has drifted off of my radar. Thank you for bringing it back. Let me see what my sources can dig up on this.
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S.C. SUPREMES TO HEAR LIBERTARIAN COURT CASE
As the state’s leading “Libertarian” blog I’m a bit surprised to see you don’t have a story up on the oral arguments scheduled this week in the party’s primary ballot case. Libertarians are being denied the right to hold a primary election by the S.C. Election Commission. You need to be all over this.
-Gene P.
SIC SEZ
Actually, Gene it’s the S.C. General Assembly that’s denying Libertarians their primary election. Has nothing to do with the Election Commission – which is just following state law. Frankly we’re tired of major party primaries altogether – we prefer the Louisiana “Jungle Primary” model (a.k.a. nonpartisan blanket primary) in which all candidates fight it out on one ballot.
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ANOTHER HALEY CABINET AGENCY IN DISARRAY
I know your website is very focused on the scandals at SCDSS (the S.C. Department of Social Services) but please do not forget other Nikki Haley agencies in trouble. Please keep the pressure on Kela Thomas. Her and SCDPPPS (the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services) are feeling it. Saying your site’s name at headquarters is forbidden. Please keep informing the public and politicans of her corrupt ways.
-Anon
SIC SEZ
Ha! They sound sensitive. Seriously, though: Feed me and I will feast on them. I have exposed a lot of shadiness at that agency and am happy to expose more if you’ve got information I can independently verify.
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S.C. SUPERINTENDENT’S RACE: KELLY PAYNE IS ENDORSING
Brace yourselves, Fits. Former pro-parental choice S.C. Superintendent of Education candidate Kelly Payne has recorded a telephone endorsement of anti-parental choice candidate Molly Spearman in the GOP State Superintendent Primary. Can you believe that? I wonder who put her up to it! Please report on this …
SIC SEZ
That’s actually good news. Given that she has lost all credibility, a Payne endorsement – to the extent anyone pays attention to it – is likely to be a net negative for whoever receives it. Props for the tip, though – and for recognizing Spearman as the establishment candidate in this race. Seriously … the woman lobbies for the wealthy school administrators who run the absolute worst government-run education system in America. ‘Nuff said!
22 comments
So many diabolical and sordid schemes…From Democrat-Republicans, and wayward endorsements. And who woulda thunk…Richland County is Screwing up their Billion Dollar Penny tax money……. The Horror…The Horror…
If someone would just listen to FITS and his ardent band of nameless, yet all-knowing muckrakers…the world would certainly be changed…And Buz Would be king of the world, w/ his girl Will, serving as his faithful hand-maiden…
Oh, he way you and them cogs in your head see he world, GT…Squeak, squeak, squeak…
There is nothing diabolical about it. Nikki is for Nikki. How simple can it be?
Oh my!! A classic.Buz apparently closed down the BLOG at the TSN with his diabolical,paranoid ,SYBIL-style FALSE allegations against local citizens/ business owners/politicians that he deemed worth stalking and harrasing cause they tried to improve the image and living conditions of locals in MB.The ‘fly’ LIES and I don’t believe he has EVER supported a winning political campaign.
The ‘fly’ is Wills’ boy? No way? :-)
‘Zat you, “Thumper?” Still drankin’ and driving every night, hillbilly? I publicly and enthusiastically supported and voted for Nikki Haley, much to my everlasting shame. Locally, I did much to help elect Mike Lowder to City Council in MB. Mark Lazarus (county) and Randal Wallace (city) both won handilly in the last elections, as did John Rhodes. I gave very public support to all of them. None of them rejected that support. You and your little knot of knotheads in the MI/PI area need to keep up. Who you want in Horry District 5? Former Cleary gopher and hard-partying frat boy Tyler Servant — clearly a puppet for his MB Mafia-connect dad in Murrells Inlet? Good luck with that.
btw, I’ve always wondered — with you and ol’ TD up there in Pawleys, which one is the bottom and which one is the top?
You’re probably bottom, I’d guess. Does he make you squeal like a pig?
Hey, I think rebellozit LIKES you. Would be a step down from sheep, though, for that hillbilly.
You and your little knot of knotheads in the MI/PI area need to keep up. Who y’all want in Horry District 5? Former gopher to “RINO Ray” Cleary, the hard-partying disgraced-frat(Kappa Alpha)-boy Tyler Servant who lists that job on his resume as “Government Affairs?” This wet behind the ears kid just moved to the district and is less than a year into working his first ever real job for the family biz — clearly a puppet for his Myrtle Mafia connected dad in Murrells Inlet? Hey, good luck with that! Good money is on Tyler losing big.
Hmmm … “fly” … “SYBIL” … ‘Zat you, “Thumper” a.k.a. “Bob” a.k.a. “Kaycee” and at least a couple of dozen other fake screen names, all trollish. You and your little knot of knotheads in the MI/PI area need to keep up. Who y’all want in Horry District 5? Former gopher to “RINO Ray” Cleary, the hard-partying disgraced-frat(Kappa Alpha)-boy Tyler Servant who lists that job on his resume as “Government Affairs?” This wet behind the ears kid just moved to the district and is less than a year into working his first ever real job — for the family biz. He’s clearly a puppet for his Myrtle Beach Mafia connected dad in Murrells Inlet. Hey, good luck with that! Good money is on Tyler losing big.
btw, I’ve always wondered — with you and ol’ TD up there in Pawleys, which one is the bottom and which one is the top? You’re probably bottom, I’d guess. Does he make you squeal like a pig?
Why you focus on me all of a sudden, nubnuts? The others too brutal on ya? My bad, let me make a note to take off the gloves.
You are as accusatory as FITS toward anybody not as Kooky as you and FITS…
You and FITS are like one of those quack, snake-handling churches…Er’body’s going to Hell..but you…
And if you two nutjobs are the only 2 in heaven…nobody else wants to go…
I’m with you on the “jungle primary.” Put them all on one ballot.If a candidate gets more than 50%he/she is elected.If no one does,the the top two go to the General Election.Democrats?Republicans?Independents?Libertarians?Greens?Let em all fight it out !
Maybe it’s just me but I find this whole 4-5 bombing poor sportsmanship. I could care less which team’s fans are doing it especially to players or coaches who weren’t even on the field. If a coach saw one of his players doing it there’d likely be repercussions, but for some reasons it’s appropriate for fans to do.
Is Hot Pants Kelly Payne’s job federally funded?
Would that qualify as a Hatch Act violation?
She got them bad crazy eyes in that pic, plus where did she get that overbite?
Lovely pic of Nikki, though. Seriously. She ain’t half bad to look at .
Sheheen’s support and assistance to Jean Toal was enough for most of the insiders to know he is also a corrupt do-boy for the old time Democratic elite. Some support him for him, but most know he is a corrupt loser.
Is Kelly Payne so deluded and ego-driven to the point that she actually thinks people care about who she is gong to endorse? If she wasn’t a drama queen who is dating a horny loser who got elected by having an R by his name, no one would even know who she was.
Syphilis has been known to drive people insane when not treated.
Hey Fits, your wire needs to look at DHEC using Google for email with the Hearbeat computer problem.
that would be “heartbleed”
Hey FITS, sent you a tip on the bizarre happenings at city hall in Simpsonville. Now the mayor has been arrested for threatening a municipal judge. This mayor ran the county detention center for 15 years and was subject to a lawsuit regarding beat-downs on prisoners.
What gives? Is Simpleville too far off the Columbia grid or do you have other reasons for avoiding this? First a chief is fired, then council is turned out at the election and he is re-hired and a spot is created for the “other chief” so they do not have to fire him. Citizens are alleging that sewer fees were diverted to pay for an amphitheater…a cop was fired for destroying evidence in a 28 year old murder case – and wait for it – he was the lone officer on patrol the night the murdered girl vanished in the tiny town – at 3 a.m.
I have only scratched the surface here but your failure to touch on these events while lobbing up reprints from MSM makes me think you are afraid of the players in the upstate. Sorry dude but smoke and fire, etc.