YORK COUNTY CHAIRMAN GETS MORE THAN 70 PERCENT OF VOTE

South Carolina has elected a new member to represent them on the Republican National Committee. York County GOP Chairman Glenn McCall won a landslide victory over incumbent Drew McKissick Saturday at the State Republican Convention in Columbia.

The vote was an estimated 402-172 in McCall’s favor, but McKissick conceded defeat and asked that his opponent be elected by acclamation before the tally was officially recorded.

“As an Air Force veteran, successful businessman and York County Republican Party Chairman, Glenn’s record of leadership and experience embodies an unwavering lifetime commitment to service,” SCGOP Chairman Katon Dawson said, noting that he looks forward to working with him. “I have great confidence in Glenn’s ability to make a real impact on our national party beginning on day one.

“I couldn’t be prouder of his historic election as Republican National Committeeman from South Carolina.”

McCall is the first black committeeman ever elected from South Carolina and only the second from the South.

Sen. Lindsey Graham noted not only the historical significance of McCall’s election, but also that he is the right man for the job. “He’s been a leader in the York County Republican Party and in the trenches fighting for the conservative cause. Glenn not only talks the Republican talk, he walks the Republican walk and is willing to jump in and get involved.”

Following his victory, McCall gave a heartfelt speech to the convention thanking them for their support and promising to work hard for the party’s conservative values.

_________

UPDATE: A tipster just wrote in, “Maybe another reason Drew lost today is because of his consultants. I just got a 8×10 mailer ‘Who’s with Drew’ in the mail at 3:30pm on Saturday.”

Those consultants, of course, would be none other than First Tuesday Strategies. Well done, boys.

_________

UPDATE 2: I can’t believe I forgot this, but the most interesting part of today’s convention was when Spartanburg GOP Chairman Rick Beltram got booed. While attempting to complete the incredibly menial task of reading his delegation’s vote totals for national committeeman to convention Chairman Bobby Harrell — something that involved nothing more than reading two numbers — Beltram decided to add in a drawn-out comment that Spartanburg was the center of South Carolina politics and the most important county in state politics. This did not sit well with the other 45 delegations, who subsequently voiced their disagreement.

TODDLERS DO BATTLE AS COUNTY PARTY CHAIR ENMESHES SELF IN TRUTH AND DISCLOSURE CONTROVERSY

Following the uproar over the discovery that the new third party group South Carolinians for Truth and Disclosure appears to be a coordinated front by consultant Terry Sullivan to protect his firm’s clients, Spartanburg County GOP Chairman Rick Beltram took the group to task. That e-mail has led to a three-part exchange between the two late Friday afternoon.

In an e-mail to Sullivan, Beltram listed his “beefs” with the Truth and Disclosure group’s efforts. And in typical Beltram style, he held nothing back.

Terry:

As per our discussion yesterday, you asked me to call/e-mail you when I have a “beef” about your campaign tactics.

We had a long list yesterday as we discussed. None were satisfied.

Well, your automated attack calls are at it again today. The announcer is “Jim” is in a complete attack mode about out of state money. As we discussed, yesterday, when your client , Keith Kelly received $10,000 from NY money in 10/06 it was OK…..why has this OK money now become bad???

We have checked the law regarding automated calls and it appears that your organization is in violation of SC Code of Laws: 16-17-446.

We have been given some very sage advice on how to handle any future calls.

This is your last nice warning!

Thank you and we hope that you can go back to positive campaigning…..remember your client, Mike Forrester, is running on the slogan, “integrity”.

Your calls exhibit the opposite behavior.

We look forward to your consideration.

Thank you.

Rick Beltram

Sullivan then responded with this less-than-tasteful gem: (continues…)

POST AND COURIER GETTING MAJOR NATIONAL LOVE

A Charleston Post and Courier story about actor Bill Murray being sued for divorce by his wife Jennifer over allegations of drug addiction, abandonment, adultery and physically abuse is gaining major national press, once again putting South Carolina on the map for nothing good.

The Murrays married in 1997 and have four children, all minors.

Jennifer Murray is represented by Charleston attorney Robert Rosen, who declined to comment on the case Wednesday and said his client also would not comment on the filing.

Court records do not list an attorney for Bill Murray, who is listed in the complaint as “William Murray” and famously does not have a publicist or agent. A telephone message left for Murray at the RiverDogs office Wednesday was not returned.

Jennifer Murray also seeks a restraining order barring Bill Murray from her Sullivan’s Island home and asks the court to determine if the couple’s premarital agreement is valid and enforceable.

The Murrays signed the agreement before their marriage on July 4, 1997. It stipulates that if either spouse files for divorce, both parties retain all of their separate property, waive any right to alimony or support and maintain responsibilities for their children.

If the marriage is dissolved and the 23-page premarital agreement is made a part of the order, Bill Murray agrees to pay Jennifer Murray $7 million, according to a copy of the agreement accompanying the complaint. []

I guess this is big news because: 1. Nobody really knew — or cared — that Murray lived in Charleston and was a co-owner of the minor league RiverDogs baseball team; 2. Doing all the stuff she said he did is definitely not cool.

You can check out the entire lawsuit here and the prenup here.

DOCUMENTS REVEAL SOUTH CAROLINIANS FOR TRUTH AND DISCLOSURE IN VIOLATION OF ETHICS LAW

A new third party group established to combat the half truths and lies that arise during the course of an election appears to have fallen into its own trap after records show they coordinated with campaign consultants and failed to file proper disclosure statements.

An e-mail obtained exclusively by The Palmetto Scoop contains communication between political consultant Terry Sullivan and South Carolinians for Truth and Disclosure Chairman Bill Cotty outlining the mission statement for the newly-formed group.

“The ultimate goal of the organization is to demand new laws requiring issue advocacy groups that mention an elected official by name to follow the same laws of disclosure that candidates and party organizations are required to follow,” Sullivan wrote in the e-mail (full letter posted below). “We also plan to serve as a watchdog group setting the record straight whenever these organizations misrepresent the truth.”

Ironically, that’s exactly what the group apparently failed to do, as they have been actively working for numerous clients of First Tuesday Strategies — including Cotty, who is a retiring State Representative — of which Sullivan is a founding partner.

South Carolina law prohibits coordination between campaigns and non-candidate committees such as South Carolinians for Truth and Disclosure. (continues…)

MSM RIPS WITHERSPOON FOR BASING CAMPAIGN ON INTERNET CONSPIRACY

I swore I was going to stop giving coverage to reactionary Buddy Witherspoon, who is “challenging” Sen. Lindsey Graham in the upcoming GOP primary, but this is too good to pass up.

Some of the mainstream media are finally starting to pay attention to Witherspoon’s “campaign” and, the more they do, the more they realize this guy is a joke. Not only is he a joke, but so to is the focal point of his entire platform.

That’s because Witherspoon has crafted his entire message around a fictional issue.

Witherspoon has made immigration one of the cornerstones of his campaign, but has also tied it to his fierce opposition to a “North American Union,” which would merge the United States, Canada and Mexico into one political and economic entity.

“It is apparently fashioned after the European Union,” Witherspoon told WYFF News 4’s Beth Brotherton. “I believe in this great nation, I’ve stood for it through the years and as long as I have breath in this body I will continue to stand for what is right,” he said.

Witherspoon said the creation of the NAU would also mean the creation of a joint currency called the Amero, after the Euro.

“The North American Union, whether it is something that is in the making or not, we don’t want to get caught in a vise all of a sudden with our constitution and sovereignty down the drain,” Witherspoon said.

Graham says the issue is nonsense, nothing more than an Internet conspiracy theory he says. [...]

“People on the Internet talk about a highway built from Mexico to Canada, the countries merging, a secret plan to create a new currency, I don’t know where these things come from,” Graham said. “I know what is real: Iran possessing a nuclear weapon, that is a real danger.”

The concept of the NAU became widespread on the Internet after a 2005 trade meeting between President George W. Bush and the leaders of Mexico and Canada.

But Bush calls the idea of an three-country union “comical.”

Graham agrees. “I want to spend my time in the Senate working on real problems,” he said. “There are a lot of things to worry about in the world: Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea. But the U.S., Canada and Mexico merging into one country is nothing to worry about.” [WYFF-TV]

The rest of Witherspoon’s platform is centered around the belief that Amelia Ehrhardt is actually hiding out in a bunker at Area 51, secretly plotting to lead an alien reptile take over the world using barcodes and secret message coded in wingdings. Be afraid folks, be very afraid.

This guy is basically like a South Carolina version of Ron Paul. In fact, I bet they talk regularly

MCCALL VS. MCKISSICK HEATS UP WITH LESS THAN THREE DAYS TO GO

The heated race for the RNC Committeeman seat from South Carolina has entered the final 72 hours before voting takes place at Saturday’s State GOP Convention in Columbia. And the showdown between sort-of incumbent Drew McKissick and challenger Glenn McCall is gaining some national attention.

The National Review Online Wednesday noted the significance of a McCall victory in that he would be the first ever first black RNC member elected from the South since Perry Howard from Mississippi in the 1950’s.

Adding to McCall’s recent traction was a big endorsement from his hometown Rock Hill Herald.

“McCall has demonstrated his ability at outreach with weeks spent driving around the state speaking to county organizations and talking with party activists,” the Herald wrote. “As a member of the RNC and one of the highest-profile Republicans in the nation, McCall also would help shine a light on the interests of South Carolina and, more specifically, York County.”

But the really juicy news came in the form of three pictures sent to The Palmetto Scoop. The shots are reportedly of McKissick’s car, which displays a “Who would Osama vote for?” bumper sticker.

Classy.

“These are pictures of South Carolina’s sitting Republican national committeeman’s back bumper,” the anonymous submitter said in an e-mail to TPS. “It seems interesting that Republicans in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Mississippi are being criticized for these types of attacks on Obama, yet South Carolina could have a member of the RNC sporting around South Carolina with this type of sticker on his car.”

I’m sure there are more than a few red meat reactionaries who will love that, but for future refrence, McKissick might want to consider peeling off that sticker.

UPDATE: Not sure who these cats are, but the South Carolina Daily Standard also has this story.

SANFORD GETS BASELESS NO. 1 SEED, GRAHAM MAKES FIELD

I think this is possibly the most amazing thing I have seen from a mainstream media network in a long time.

In a stroke of genius, MSNBC has created a “Veepstakes” Bracket Challenge where users can pick a winner from a field of 32 potential running mates for Republican presidential nominee John McCain, seeded and placed against one another in head-to-head match ups, similar to the NCAA’s “March Madness.” Users are given the ability to make their selections in the first round (complete with analysis from David Gregory and Chuck Todd above) and, after the results are tabulated, the second round field will be set for next week.

But while the concept is brilliant, the seedings are an absolute joke. Here’s the breakdown:

(1) MARK SANFORD v. (8) JOHN DANFORTH

The channel of Keith Olbermann and Joe Scarborough continues their unfounded love affair with our own inept Gov. Mark Sanford by giving him one of the four top seeds. I don’t know how to get their attention here, but HE DOESN’T HAVE A SHOT!

Anyway, his top draw pits him against eighth-seeded John Danforth, a former senator who hasn’t held office for nearly 15 years. Even against arguably the weakest opponent in the bracket, I’m hesitant to advance Sanford here. But I will because of the looming showdown in the next round. (continues…)

I’LL ONLY ASK FOR $10,000 TO USE MY SLOGAN(S)

I know the folks with the Columbia Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau are avid readers of The Palmetto Scoop, as are a number of City Council members including Mayor Bob Coble, so I would like to pose this offer to them directly:

I heard y’all have decided to scrap the useless “Where Friendliness Flows” slogan that cost the city $70,000 in 2004. To find another catchphrase, you have decided to dish out another $70,000 in hospitality and accommodations taxes to the local ad firm ADCO.

I think that’s pretty outrageous. Think about it… seventy large for a few simple words that in all likelihood won’t do anything to help tourism?

To remedy this — because I’m very generous — I have decided to present a few ideas that I have come up with (henceforth copyrighted, of course). If y’all choose to use them, I will only charge $10,000; in cash, all up front, no large bills.

Here they are:

Just Like the South American Country, Only Not Spelled the Same
A College Town With a Capitol Problem
Where the Blowfish Blow and the Cocks Crow
City of Three Flags and Five Points
The Cesspool of the South
I Hear Charleston’s Nice This Time of Year
Land of One Thousand Lobbyists
The General Assembly Stayed At a Holiday Inn Express Last Night
Discover the Mediocrity
Where Taxpayer Money Comes To Die
You Could Probably Do Better
The Gateway to Calhoun County
Under NCAA Boycott Since 2000
Now Selling Beer on Sundays
Our Bus System Runs on Confederate Dollars
Columbia: That’s What She Said
Insert Expensive Slogan Here
We Paid $70,000 and All We Got Was This Lousy Slogan

Further, because my genius alone may not be enough to satisfy your slogan hunting needs, I’m going to open the comments section of this post to TPS readers’ suggestions with a similar condition: $8,000 if you use their slogan, $2,000 finders fee to me. So have at it, kids!