Alas, it is all true. SC politics is legendary for its skulduggery and goonery. Not quite the scope of Chicago but just as corrupt in a "good ol'boy", back-slappin' sorta way. In one political event you get to see the effects of a number of disfunctions inherent in the politicaleconomiceducational system.
The cited article makes it sound like some kind of deep dark conspiracy to keep challengers off the ballot. Think more in terms of "Good ol'boys" (GOB's) trying to work around a system of government that simply can not work in the current century. You see, SC is not an executive form of govenment even though it has all the trappings. SC is run by self-perpetuating commissions composed of legislators and bureaucrats (and some say lobbyists). No one entity is capable of running an agenda across the crazy quilt of political fiefdoms. The governor has only the bully pulpit. Our state forefathers designed a government that would be inherently weak of central authority. Well, now we get to see the intended consequences. Example? Executive heads of the government were to be weakened, therefore governor and lt governor do not run as a ticket. They run as individuals who are thrown together as the result of an election. What could possibly go wrong? Well we just had the LT governor removed from office for campaign corruption not six months after his election and nobody noticed. The only question to arise was who would step down in the legislature from a powerful position to become a potted plant in the capitol building. Well they found one and the debate then started over whether he could run for his senate seat in the next election while being the LT governor.
The chaos you see at the executive level is all over government. I am not the least surprised at the upcoming election fiasco. Legislature passes laws that are enforced by state boards and committee. Plenty of room for undermining legislative intent by powerful committeemen who don't agree with the legislature's collective wisdom. That is what you see in this case. It was convenient for both parties to ignore the requirement to disclose economic interests before an election (radical, huh?). The whole thing started to come apart when a new political cat entered the fight.
We just lost a LT governor over campaign corruption. Our governor (Saint Nikki) temporarily avoided the same fate over corruption while she was a sitting representative. She and her handlers pulled out a political neutron bomb and scared the snot out of the commission (composed of sitting legislators) investigating her alleged corruption. The bomb? Disclose the economic interests of commission members sitting in judgment of her. What remains to be seen is if the attorney general decides to take the matter up. He's already pulled down the LT governor.
If you want a really good belly laugh follow the corruption through the state's most prominent muckraker.
http://www.fitsnews.com/2012/05/04/dems-release-2012-filing-list-too/http://www.fitsnews.com/2012/05/04/sc-senate-seeks-to-advance-emergency-ballot-bill/http://www.fitsnews.com/2012/05/04/scgop-issues-statement-on-candidate-certification/http://www.fitsnews.com/2012/05/04/scgop-releases-filing-list/http://www.fitsnews.com/2012/05/04/begin-the-whippings/http://www.fitsnews.com/2012/05/04/scgop-house-leaders-warned-to-back-off-of-haley/http://www.fitsnews.com/2012/05/03/full-sc-house-could-reconsider-nikki-haley-ruling/
