***Palmetto Morning Presented by Jim Dyke & Associates***
THIS FIRST — MISSION MOM — When Herriet Elaine Johnson saw TV reports about the downing of a large Chinook helicopter near the seething city of Fallujah, Iraq, that Sunday morning in 2003, she prayed for the families of the U.S. soldiers who had been killed. Then she went to the drag races. This September, Johnson and six other South Carolina Gold Star Mothers — mothers who have lost sons or daughters in combat — will travel to Iraq to meet Iraqi mothers who have also lost loved ones in the war.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Phil “Georgia Bulldog” Gramm, Wolfgang “seconds please” Puck and “Baby Beluga” Raffi
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NATIONAL LENS — ON DECK — Attention is focused on Arizona and the federal government’s challenge to the state’s strict new immigration law, but three other states could adopt similar legislation next year. Lawmakers in Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah, which have already taken steps against illegal immigration, say that Arizona-style measures have a realistic chance of passing when their legislatures reconvene in 2011.
PLEASE CHU — In the wake of a decision by a panel of Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) judges, both Democrat and Republican legislators have again urged the Department of Energy to stop its plans to halt the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Repository. More than 90 members of both houses have put their name to a letter sent to United States Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu asking that he halt, or at very least delay, what they see as illegal actions to single-handedly shut down the repository named in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.
THANK YOU — The television comedian Jon Stewart has a recurring segment entitled “Thank you, South Carolina” on his popular Daily Show. Hollywood types laughing at Southern hicks is hardly new, and usually unfair: in South Carolina military technology thrives around Charleston, one of America’s 10 job-creating cities. But even the most passionate South Carolinian has to admit that Stewart will have plenty of fodder to choose from for his segment as the midterm elections approach.
CHANGED HIS MIND — Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and John Cornyn (Texas) have sided with the state of Arizona in its battle with the Department of Justice over a controversial state immigration law. Graham’s declaration of opposition to the Justice Department law suit comes as a surprise because Graham called the Arizona law unconstitutional in April.
PEAS IN A POD — To many who follow Washington, the two Republican senators from Utah and South Carolina may seem like peas in a pod, both longtime loyal party members, both conservative. But it doesn’t take much of a look beneath the surface to discover differences between Utah’s Bob Bennett and South Carolina’s Jim DeMint in their view of their roles in the Senate and of some of the main issues facing the country.
MUTE — Eight Republican senators who voted in favor of President Obama’s first Supreme Court nominee last year are not yet ready to say what they are going to do about the second.
SAFE SEAT — The National Republican Congressional Committee, which is tasked with electing Republicans to Democratic-held House seats and protecting vulnerable GOP-held seats, has now rolled out a new program — for candidates in open safe GOP seats.
WEDGE WATCH — Michael Steele’s mission one is to, for the last year now, to harness this energy in the Tea Party movement, the conservative wing of the party, without disaffecting the folks in the middle that you need to win in order to become a majority party. Jim DeMint is certainly a leader of this one side. On the establishment side, it’s tough to tell.
SHORT RUNS — On June 30, the Congressional Budget Office issued its long-term outlook, predicting that deficits would come down for the next few years as the need for counter recession spending eases and revenues improve. The very next day the House of Representatives passed a one-year budget resolution. Nancy Pelosi brazenly hailed the one-year substitute as “another key step … in restoring fiscal responsibility.” Rep. John Spratt of South Carolina, the House budget committee chairman, more modestly termed it “the functional equivalent of a traditional budget resolution.”
ACTION ALVIN — Unconventional U.S. Senate hopeful Alvin Greene has an idea about how to get South Carolinians back to work: start selling action figures of himself. Greene, himself an unemployed 32-year-old veteran, won a surprise victory in South Carolina’s Democratic primary June 8. He said Wednesday the toy line idea shows he’s thinking outside the box about ways to combat the one of the nation’s worst jobless rates, which was 11 percent in May.
MONEY FOR MIKE — So much for the supposed rift between West Virginia congressional candidate Mike Oliverio and House Democratic leaders. In a clear signal that Oliverio has cultivated the backing of the Democratic Party apparatus for his bid, his second quarter fundraising includes checks from a slate of party higher-ups. Among those cutting checks for Oliverio were House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and House Minority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.).
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2010 WATCH — GREEN COVERS — South Carolina Green Party candidate for US Senate Tom Clements has received a wave of media attention after issuing a press release reminding voters that he is still in the race after Linda Ketner dropped an independent bid. Here are some of the stories covering Clements’ campaign.
NO GO — Charleston School of Law professor Constance Anastopoulo said she would not make an independent challenge against Republican incumbent Sen. Jim DeMint this fall.
CHEW THE FAT — U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-Lexington, made a campaign stop at Doc’s BBQ in Columbia Wednesday to urge Congress to cut the fat from the federal budget. “I can’t think of a more perfect way to show what Washington must do,” said Wilson.
DROP IT — Former South Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Gresham Barrett has dropped a lawsuit against a group that ran ads during the campaign. The State newspaper reported Thursday that Barrett and some of his donors have dropped the lawsuit against ReformSC, a group founded to support Gov. Mark Sanford’s agenda.
DEEP CUT — The state juvenile justice agency is cutting teachers, closing a residential program for minor offenders and requiring employee furloughs, but its director said Wednesday he remains positive about the coming year. “We’ve made our adjustments. … We’re still fairly upbeat,” said Director Bill Byars, though he’s concerned about more cuts in 2011-12 as federal stimulus money runs out.
GONE NATIONAL — South Carolina Democrats are trying to turn state Rep. Nikki Haley’s political celebrity against her, accusing the Republican candidate for governor of “going national” and circulating a Web ad that includes a photo of Haley with the blogger who claimed to have had an affair with her. The ad appears on a website — nikkigoesnational.com — backed by the South Carolina Democratic Party.
STICK WITH IT — South Carolina business leaders are sticking with a decision not to endorse state GOP gubernatorial nominee Rep. Nikki Haley as her campaign Wednesday called the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce “a big fan of bailouts and corporate welfare.” State chamber board member Ted Speth said Wednesday that he’s backing Democrat Vincent Sheheen because the next governor needs to get along with the GOP-controlled Legislature, something that has been missing for eight years under Republican Gov. Mark Sanford.
CHARLESTON — MUSC tower honored
MARION — Community Health buys hospital system
SURFSIDE — VeggieFest at Freewood Farms
ANDERSON — Anderson, Seneca schools earn national award
HEMINGWAY — Alaskan missionary comes home to Hemingway
N CHARLESTON — Mayor’s vision back on track
SPRINGDALE — Springdale residents asked to boil water
COLUMBIA — Would 2 a.m. closing for bars help address crime?
LAKE CITY — New Lake City school’s staff has ‘calling’ to meet students’ needs
AIKEN — Alzheimer’s care conference held today
MYRTLE BEACH — Free reading for the dogs in Myrtle Beach
VIEWPOINT — DEMENTOR — “Ken Buck may present himself as the Washington outsider and grassroots candidate, but it would be a mistake to take him at his word. Buck supports a dangerous agenda that is articulated by a Washington insider. That agenda would threaten our fragile economy, repeal the health care reform law, and privatize social security. That agenda will be on display Thursday as Ken Buck campaigns with Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), one of America’s most extreme U.S. Senators.”
VIEWPOINT II – IN THE FAMILY — “Last month, I questioned some of the motivations behind the bipartisan attacks on South Carolina Senate candidate Alvin Greene. Despite having won nearly 60 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, Greene—a less than qualified candidate, to be sure, but still the winning candidate—was immediately battered by politicians and the media alike, who insisted that his run was in some way invalid. For whatever reason, nobody attacked the ostensibly poor political knowledge of the more than 100,000 South Carolinians who voted for Greene.”
VIEWPOINT III — NEED A FIX — “We don’t fault Rep. Nikki Haley for failing to report $40,000 in consulting fees from the engineering firm Wilbur Smith Associates on her 2008 and 2009 state ethics disclosure reports. What concerns us is the Ethics Commission’s position that consulting fees aren’t income. That not only opens up a huge loophole in our current income reporting requirements but absolutely defies logic.”
FINALLY THIS — VEGGIE POWER — The Children’s Museum of South Carolina is committed to recognizing the rally for a healthier America! This summer, CMSC has brought in a temporary exhibit to educate our youth and families about the foods we eat and how to stay healthy and aware of the choices being brought before our children. Every Body Eats explores the fascinating world of nutrition and teaches people the science of making healthy food choices.
THAT’S IT FOR THIS MORNING – STAY TUNED ON TWITTER OR FACEBOOK FOR UPDATES THAT JUST CAN’T WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW. HAVE A GOOD ONE!
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