Letter: FITSNews Should Call Out Speaker Over ‘Oath’ Fiasco

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Dear Editor,

You’ve said on multiple occasions that signers of the contemptible SCGOP loyalty oath are “cowards who do not deserve your vote.” It is easy to rail against a faceless enemy, lumping all status-quo “conservatives” together. You clearly share my opinion that stifling the free speech of elected leaders is counterproductive, yet seem unwilling to point the finger at the new “leadership” responsible for this mess.

You’ve proven your willingness to condemn the failures of governor Henry McMaster and former House speaker Jay Lucas – so why give new House speaker Murrell Smith a pass? You’ve spoken positively about speaker Smith, a lawyer legislator who has used his privileged position to delay important legal proceedings, for years – and seem to have a good personal relationship with him.

Be that as it may – you ought to hold Speaker Smith as accountable for his actions, that you claim to find so contemptible, as you hold the rest of South Carolina’s leadership. Friend or foe – he must be commended for his successes and condemned for his failures so long as he holds the gavel.

-Publius

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FROM THE EDITOR …

Publius,

First of all, thanks for this great submission and for holding FITSNews accountable. You are absolutely correct that I have a “good personal relationship” with speaker Smith. I try to have a good personal relationship with everyone. “Be that as it may,” this has never stopped me from calling out him – or anyone – when I felt they deserved it (see here, here and here for a few recent examples involving Smith).

Sources on both sides of the loyalty oath debate have told me Smith is not the one driving this issue – new “Republican” majority leader Davey Hiott of Pickens County and S.C. speaker pro tempore Tommy Pope are the ones pushing it. Still, you raise a good point that he is ultimately accountable for the success or failure of the governing majority in the S.C. House of Representatives.

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