***Palmetto Morning Presented by Jim Dyke & Associates***
THIS FIRST — STARTING SOON — The South Carolina agency charged with responding to a disaster increasingly is reliant on the federal government for funding. The U.S. government, a favorite target in this and other conservative states, has quadrupled its funding for the S.C. Emergency Management since the 2005-06 fiscal year. Concerns about coastal preparedness annually rise with the start of South Carolina’s hurricane season, which officially starts June 1 but, historically speaking, really begins Aug. 1.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Go on and tap your toes: Julianne Hough, Larry Craig and Carlos Santana
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NATIONAL LENS — OUT IN FRONT — A week removed from an internecine fight about whether or not control of the House is up for grabs this fall (it is), Democrats got some welcome news this morning as the party re-took the lead in Gallup’s generic congressional ballot question.
LUCID — Alvin Greene may be the end of democracy as we know it, or else he is a throwback to a time when America and its politics were simpler. When asked last month whether Greene was a “legitimate candidate,” senior Obama adviser David Axelrod said: “It doesn’t appear so to me. It’s a mysterious deal. He didn’t campaign, the whole thing is odd, and I don’t really know how to explain it. I don’t think anyone else does, either.” Nobody else does. Which is maybe how democracy once worked: Some unknown guy walked out of the backwoods, stood on a stump, talked about taxes and got sent to Washington.
POINTING FINGERS — President Obama is accusing GOP lawmakers of blocking the unemployment benefits bill as they head into the mid-term election. President Obama says, “It’s time to do what’s right, not for the next election, but for the middle class. We’ve got to stop blocking emergency relief for Americans who are out of work. We’ve got to extend unemployment insurance.” Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), says Congress must move forward. “If we could just get the Senate to stop filibustering, give us the unemployment insurance for the American people, so that they can begin to continue to spend,” Clyburn says.
UP TO BAT — Only one question remains about the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote Tuesday on Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court nomination — will Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., vote for her? The committee’s 12-member Democratic majority is poised to approve the nomination of the native New Yorker and send it to the full Senate for a final vote later this month, with all seven Republicans expected to vote against it — except, perhaps, Graham.
WANT MORE — It’s troubling that Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, is openly considering a favorable vote on the Supreme Court nomination of U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan. The nominee has acted contrary to several matters particularly close to the senator’s core values.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY — Man on the Moon
TOP FIVE — Maybe it’s just sour grapes, but sure seems like a lot of Republicans are hating on the tea party these days. Spurned GOPers ousted in primaries have been the most vocal, but even candidates who tried to court the tea party are criticizing the approach of the populist movement. Whether it’s because they feel liberated (or because, as some tea partiers have suggested, maybe they are liberals at heart), here’s a roundup of the Top Five Republicans who have spoken ill of the movement in recent weeks.
SHOUT OUT — Even after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is fully implemented in 2019, about 23 million Americans will remain uninsured. About one-third of these will be undocumented immigrants, according to estimates by the Congressional Budget Office. During the health reform debate, there was not political space to compromise on any of these elements. (Remember Joe Wilson?) As a result, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus at times seemed ready to sink the legislation. But the caucus backed down because they were assured by congressional Democratic leaders and/or the White House that their health care priorities would be addressed as part of immigration reform. What will Rep. Wilson have to say about this?
ANGRY AUTO’S — Auto companies are launching a pre-emptive strike against plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks, setting up a powerhouse battle with oil producers. The auto companies are arguing that they are meeting product requirements by adhering to fuel efficiency limits and that fuel suppliers need to do more to help limit vehicle greenhouse gas emissions.
NO THANKS — The one Democratic member of Congress, Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho), endorsed by the Tea Party Express formally rejected the endorsement on Monday, citing disgust with a satirical, racist letter penned by a spokesman for the group. “It was a complete surprise,” John Foster, a spokesman for the Congressman said at the time. “Being on a list with [lightning rod conservatives] Joe Wilson and Michele Bachmann is not something we are embracing,” Foster added. “But we do appreciate that they recognize Walt’s firm stance on fiscal accountability.”
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2010 WATCH — MAXED OUT — South Carolina’s Democratic nominee for attorney general is the first candidate this election cycle to receive the $50,000 maximum. Campaign filings show the state party gave Democratic national committeeman Matthew Richardson the money in a single payment June 10. That’s the most it can give a statewide candidate for an entire campaign.
MIXED EMOTIONS — His face is one you can’t seem to get away from. Political pundits and mainstream media are having a field day with Alvin Greene, the surprise democratic U.S. Senate candidate for South Carolina. But African-American media has been strangely quiet when it comes to Greene. In fact, except for a quick blurb in the August issue of Essence Magazine’s “What we’re talking about” column, there hasn’t been much talk about the unlikely candidate.
BIG SPLASH — Dozens of Grand Strand hotels keep their pools open throughout the year by using glass enclosures. However that could soon change. Under a 25-year-old Federal Emergency Management Agency regulation, glass enclosed pools are prohibited from costal flooding zones. Although the rule has not been strictly enforced it could have a big impact for hotels and costal business across the Carolina coast. With this in mind, S.C. Representatives Jim Clyburn, Henry Brown, and Gresham Barrett co-wrote a bill passed by Congress to overturn the regulation.
LITTLE FUZZY — In his first campaign speech over the weekend, U.S. Senate candidate Alvin Greene pledged to get South Carolina back to work and decried the state’s bottom-of-the-barrel employment and public education rankings. But an analysis by The Associated Press shows that Greene’s claims don’t always match up with the facts.
LOOKY LOO — Individual federal stimulus expenditures by state agencies through the end of June are now available online. More than $2.67 billion in federal stimulus funds have passed through state agencies through June 30. To view stimulus-spending details, visit the Web site of the state Comptroller, http://www.cg.sc.gov/SCStimulus.
ANDERSON — Sons of Confederate Veterans to hold national meeting in Anderson this week
GREENVILLE — Hospital uses a speed dating-like event to help patients find the perfect physician for them
HORRY — State highway patrolman arrested on drug charges in Horry County, fired from job
CHARLESTON — Charleston puts brakes on willy-nilly bicycle parking
COLUMBIA — Solar energy expert holds South Carolina workshop
LAKE CITY — Online high school turns two Lake City students’ lives around
DARLINGTON — Darlington County Council OKs I-20 Corridor Alliance agreement
ORANGEBURG — SC State’s Transportation Center getting in gear
N CHARLESTON — What’s at stake in North Charleston rail debate
N MYRTLE BEACH — North Myrtle Beach votes to ban beach tents
VIEWPOINT — LISTEN UP — “Washington isn’t listening. Anyone who has tried to voice their opinion on TARP, healthcare, pap and trade, or any other issue knows this. In fact, we have known this for a while. When the Democrats are in office, the Republicans assure us they are victims too. When the Republicans are in office, Democrats stick their tongue in their cheek, shed tears, and talk about “mean big business”. The truth is, they are co-conspirators in the demise of our great country. But more and more Americans have figured this out and are beginning to ask questions.”
FINALLY THIS — BACK IN THE SADDLE — Kim Jones remembers the time and the date — about 7 p.m. on May 24, 2001 — but not much else about the accident. An avid and experienced rider, Jones was breaking in a newly acquired quarter horse at a stable in Camden. Whatever happened, Jones fell from her horse. She next remembers staring up at concerned faces, and hearing someone say, “She’s not breathing.” Jones suffered injuries to her brain stem and cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls movement and balance. She also suffered injuries to the C-1 and C-2 vertebrae in her spine, leaving her with only partial use of her legs. The next sentence in this story could have read, “She never rode again.” But that’s not Kim Jones’ story.
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