Monday, June 02, 2008

SCRG in the news

It’s been a rough week for those among us shilling for libertarian millionaire Howard Rich:

5/28 Aiken Standard: SCRG is a pro-voucher organization that wants to stack the Legislature with others of a like mind. It targets those who have a record of being in favor of public money going to public schools only. And rather than merely supporting candidates it likes, SCRG uses scurrilous negative advertising in an effort to scuttle the campaigns of those it is against.

5/28 Anderson Independent-Mail: In a recorded telephone message received at Pickens County households on Tuesday, [Rep. B.R.] Skelton said that the statements in the mailers are an “absolute lie” and that South Carolinians for Responsible Government is “a shell group set up to ruin our educational system in South Carolina.”

Skelton said in the message that, “This group is financed by Howard Rich, a New York millionaire, and is not a South Carolina group at all.” The closing to the message was Skelton saying “My vote is not for sale.”

5/29 Seneca Daily Journal: Outside interests continue to hold significant sway in Rumsey’s campaign, as $3,000 of his contributions come from purported Howard Rich connections in New York City. … Rich is known for funneling money through obscure LLCs, a tactic used to circumvent South Carolina’s contribution laws that restrict contributions to $3,500 for statewide offices and $1,000 for local offices.

6/2 The State: “I call them political terrorists,” said state Rep. Gene Pinson, R-Greenwood. “They’re outside of the state, trying to do a hostile takeover of state government. I like for South Carolinians to run South Carolina.”


Gervais says, if the Palmetto State's fourth estate keeps peelin' the onion on the out-of-state voucher lobby, I might have to give out some pulled-pork Pulitzers.

3 comments:

Swamp Fox said...

Why is it that people who support the status quo in education want to argue about everything but the substance of education?

Rep. Skelton says folks in favor of choice will "ruin our educational system in South Carolina." He's kidding right? We're at tbe bottom of the country and half of the kids in the state won't graduate on time.

Would someone please ask Rep. Skelton exactly what there is to ruin? He and others who support the status quo in education are ruining the future of thousands of children in the state.

Those of us who support choice are not opposed to publicly funded education, we are in favor of education that will actually meet the needs of the vast majority of children in South Carolina.

Anonymous said...

Gervais, your blog is the best---very informative and absolutely hilarious. For a pig, you certainly have a way with words.

I completely agree with the views you have expressed concerning Gov. Sanford, SCRG, and other assorted "grassroots" organizations.

If I had a few hours, I would try (as a former teacher) to explain some things about public education to the voucher/tax credit believers, but I doubt it would help since they seem to have enjoyed a little too much of the Kool-Ade.

Thanks for the tip about Hudson's , too. I enjoyed eating there.

Anonymous said...

And, just think – with SCRG paying Le Frye's salary at Starboard, that's an additional scandal and major election law violation. It'll be fun when they actually start getting investigated.