Dear South Carolina: You need a new GOP

**Posted by Phineas

Good Lord. First it was possible indictment, now it’s possible impeachment:

The latest impeachment possibility for Gov. Haley revolves around an investigation regarding the possibility that she lobbied while sitting in the state legislature. β€œRight now, the ball is in the court of the Ethics Committee,” Rep. Chip Limehouse (R) told Brian Hicks of the Charleston Post and Courier.

Republican fundraiser John Rainey filed a lawsuit against Haley back in November alleging that Haley lobbied on behalf of the Lexington Medical Center while sitting in the South Carolina General Assembly. The lawsuit included an email exchange between Haley and the CEO of Lexington Medical Center, in which Haley stated, β€œWe have some work to do not only to switch votes but to hold the ones we have. We are as close as we are going to get and can’t afford to leave one stone unturned. We were all given assignments and are working on them. Fingers crossed!”

The ethics lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge two weeks ago on jurisdiction grounds, but it was referred to the House Ethics Committee.

Haley’s office naturally denies the charges.

Like I said before, I don’t know whether the charges against Haley are valid and I’m not a particular fan or foe of hers. (Though I did like what I saw and heard of her in 2010.) I don’t know whether she’s been a good or a bad governor. But these repeated smear jobs thrown at her since before the election, all the previous of which have been shown to be baloney, strongly hint that there is something rotten in the SC Republican Party, particularly when members are willing to ally with Democratic operatives against against a Republican governor. I usually roll my eyes at charges of racism, but I’m growing more willing to credit Haley’s accusations against her fellow Republicans and toss in “sexism.” I think some of these guys may have a real problem with a brown woman in the state’s highest office. (1)

Yeesh. It reminds me of what happened to Sarah Palin in Alaska: baseless ethics charge after baseless ethics charge, old-boy Republicans working with Democrats, until she was forced to make a choice between her job and financial ruin.

Dear South Carolina Republicans: Your state has much more important things to deal with. If you don’t like your governor, run a strong candidate against her in the next primary election and don’t renominate her. But stop with the political cannibalism.

It’s embarrassing.

Footnote:
(1) You scoff? Let me present just one example among many: State Senator Jake Knotts and “raghead.” Yeah, the state party later condemned Knotts, but, call me a cynic, I have a sneaking suspicion it was a case of CYA.

(Crossposted at Public Secrets)

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