Charleston, SC — This morning, Vice President Joe Biden, Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, Congressman Jim Clyburn and other leaders who have long-understood the importance of the Port of Charleston for South Carolina’s economy, held an event at the Port to talk about the need for deepening. Governor Nikki Haley, who sided against the Port in exchange for campaign contributions in 2011, also took the stage and said “This has to happen” in a stunning display of hypocrisy.
“Nikki Haley raised the bar on her own personal record on hypocrisy talking about the Port in Charleston today – and that’s saying a lot,” said Kaye Koonce, First Vice Chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party and a Charleston resident. “Now that the cameras are on, Nikki Haley suddenly cares about deepening the Port of Charleston but when push came to shove, she sold us out for 20 pieces of silver.”
“Nikki Haley could have supported dredging at the Port of Charleston in 2011 and brought jobs and an economic boost to our state,” Koonce continued. “Instead, Nikki Haley gave the competitive edge to Savannah in order to raise money for her reelection campaign. Well, fool us once, shame on you – and no matter how hard Nikki Haley tries the people of South Carolina won’t be fooled again.”
Haley Received $15K from a Georgia fundraiser prior to port deal that gave Savannah an edge over Charleston and hurt the state’s economic future. “Gov. Nikki Haley faces increasing questions over her role in a decision that helped Savannah gain a competitive advantage over the Port of Charleston, the state’s main economic engine. New concerns arose over two recent events: Haley’s refusal to attend a Senate hearing next week on the matter, and revelations that she raised $15,000 at a Georgia fundraiser 13 days before the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control approved dredging Savannah’s harbor. That Nov. 10 approval came about six weeks after the agency denied the request over water-quality issues the dredging would cause.” [Post & Courier, 11/24/11]
Haley Sold Charleston Port Down River. “Last week, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal put out a statement to thank our own Nikki Haley ‘and others’ for helping out with the expansion of the Savannah port. That sure was nice of him. Of course it’s the least he could do, seeing as how our governor and “others” — her hand-picked Department of Health and Environmental Control board cronies — sold out South Carolina and the Charleston port for him. The DHEC board recently approved a controversial permit to dredge the Savannah River, a move that literally will put the river on life support and could cost this state billions.” [Post & Courier, 11/20/11]
Pay to Play Politics at its Worst. “An investigation has uncovered plane rides and large campaign contributions that some say show a cozy relationship between Gov. Haley and the DHEC board….Gov. Haley attended a fundraising event in Georgia just two weeks before DHEC approved the Georgia dredging permit. The event raised money from Georgia businesses to fund Gov. Haley’s 2014 re-election campaign. Before Gov. Haley appointed them to the DHEC board, campaign records show that Kenyon Wells and his family gave the governor $50,000, while DHEC Chair Allen Amsler gave $3,000. A third DHEC board member and Gov. Haley-appointee gave the governor $570 in 2010.” [WIS, 11/30/11]
Opposition from Democrats & Republicans. “Republican and “South Carolina House Republicans and Democrats alike blasted Gov. Nikki Haleyon Tuesday for vetoing their resolution expressing displeasure with a state agency’s move to clear the way for the deepening of Georgia’s Port of Savannah. The House overrode Haley’s veto of that resolution by a 111-to-1 vote. ‘This is a political ploy,’ state Rep. Jim Merrill, R-Berkeley, said of Haley’s veto. ‘Once again, (Haley) is working more on behalf of Georgia, when it comes to this permit and this issue, than she is on South Carolina.’” [The State, 2/28/12]
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15 comments
Is she a terrible bargainer, or is this state not worth more than that in Georgia’s eyes?
Georgia paid what they could get away with, like any other good bargainer. Haley sold out cheap!
She is a “terrible bargainer”; but, she is just terrible PERIOD!
“Haley sold out cheap”? As far as we know! I do not disagree she is cheap, in most definitions of the word, not when it comes to her money or bank account. So we know about the prime time address at the convention and we know about the fund raiser.
WE DO NOT KNOW ABOUT ANY UNETHICAL GRAFT SHE MAY HAVE RECEIVED!
She could’ve cut under the table deals we know nothing about.
None the less, Charleston, the State of South Carolina and future generations to will be the BIG loosers.
Quite simply, Haley is a fraud and a failure and needs to go!
It was a mistake to re-elect Obama. I always said he would be a disaster!
Please, let’s not make the same mistake with Haley! We will live to regret it, just like Obama and Mark Sanford!
let’s also remember Eckstrom the CON-troller and embarrassment!
The bad part is this bitch will most likely win the election as most south Carolinian’s are too stupid the even see thru her bullshit…..
Amen to that! Dumb as shit to vote for her! And she says she supports South Carolina yet sells her soul to the devil for less than a dollar! She is a damn liar, a cheat, and an idiot. I would love to see her impeached, but it will never happen! But it should have…Do we have THAT MANY stupid people in SC???
Nikki Haley only cares about Nikki Haley!
Am I wrong? Please tell me I’m wrong — Jindal looks like Nikki just poked her finger in his eye!
I don’t know about that. She has screwed up too many times. Of course, SC has done more damage to themselves than any state except Texas. Their Governor is more ignorant than ours. God please help us.
You can’t believe that crazy bunch from Charleston.
I still don’t understand why the port doesn’t use its profits to dredge the origin of the Atlantic Ocean. Where does all that money go? I’m being naive again, right?
1) Paying for dredging would cut into SPA’s profits. Besides Federal and State $$$ is free.
FREEEEEE!!!
2) TBG suspects the $$$ goes into the pockets of the Board and high level employees of the SPA.
3) Yes
TBG would like to add that most countries in the world are in some way dependent on the Atlantic Ocean…
Never one to advocate extortion, TBG does, however, note that if LBJ [Mayor Joe Riley, for those Not From “roun Heyah] would threaten to dry up the Atlantic by turning off the Ashley and the Cooper, he should be able to bring in enough money to dredge the harbor as well as fund the Aquarium and build and maintain a large enough army to quell insurrections in James Island and such.
Kay Koonce, you miserable do-nothing, know-nothing. The rest of you readers, you are also miserable do-nothings, know-nothings.
Not one human being resisted or opposed to Haley’s re-nomination of anti-private-sector SPA board members McMaster and McKinney in the S.C. Senate in April 2011.
SPA’s board is larded with establishment insider millionaire real estate barons and lawyers, none of whom know the difference between a turnbuckle and a shackle. Or the hourly rental of a fork-lift, yard hustler, toplifter or container crane in Charleston versus Savannah.
Or the major shippers and steamship lines using the port of Savannah, or the on-port cost advantage of the CSX and NS intermodal terminals located inside Garden City Terminal.
This is a great example of the blind leading the blind, with editorial commentary by the blind, read by the blind.
Having played the SPA board, the governor, the SC legislature, and us South Carolinians like a violin, Nathan Deal and the GPA are reading these comments and laughing their asses off along with me.
And the “Jasper Port” is the most cruel of jokes. It will not materialize for fifty years.
You got that, Tom Davis? Clementa Pinckney?
Your constituents stay in the turnip patch.
Who the hell voted for Haley in the first place? Not me! I saw through her lies and bullshit while she was humping in the car! She is a witch, just like in the Wizard of Oz with her flying evil monkeys!!! Haley sucks! Oops, maybe I shouldn’t have said that, lol !
She is the biggest moron just like her twin Sara Palin!
When the sea level rises they will need to raise the port and will not need to deepen it.