At this point it should be abundantly clear to anyone with a pair of functioning eyeballs that South Carolina governor Henry McMaster’s veto of the 2017 gas tax hike was purely for show.
“A charade,” we called it at the time.
We weren’t the only ones who called McMaster out for his duplicity, either.
At a time when Palmetto State taxpayers desperately needed him to take a real stand, the governor simply checked a box. He didn’t lift a finger in support of his veto, before or after he issued it. Not only that, he failed to give lawmakers who were hoping to sustain it the time they needed to rally support – from either the public or from their fellow legislators.
As one liberal mainstream media columnist noted at the time, McMaster “could have made it a lot harder to override his veto.”
That’s an understatement … and it’s also worth remembering when McMaster brags about his veto on the campaign trail.
Now we have another bit of information that reinforces just how “in the tank” McMaster was on this issue all along.
Earlier this week, McMaster’s campaign sent out a notification about a “Vietnam Veterans Commemoration Event” scheduled for March 29 at the S.C. State House.
Basically, McMaster is looking for a photo opportunity for his campaign (under the pretense of “honoring” veterans) but that’s not what caught our eye about this garden variety political opportunism.
The notification for McMaster’s veterans’ event was sent by Jordan Marsh, the political director for the governor’s campaign.
Hold up …
Jordan Marsh, Jordan Marsh … where have we seen that name before?
Oh right … leading the charge for the gas tax hike.
Prior to his work for McMaster, Marsh was vice president and chief operating officer of the South Carolina Alliance to Fix Our Roads (SCFOR) – a.k.a. the truckers’ association/ chamber of commerce/ road pavers’ coalition that helped push the gas tax increase through the S.C. General Assembly.
Curious he’s found a job with McMaster, right?
Not really … at least not if you accept our premise that McMaster was in the tank on this issue all along.
Look … we don’t begrudge anybody for finding work in this business. Nor do we begrudge anybody for hiring talent. It’s a marketplace. One based on outcomes.
But we do think this particular Columbia two-step is telling …
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