We ran across an article in today’s Aiken Standard covering a speech that one of Governor Sanford’s most trusted political advisors gave to the Aiken GOP club.  During that speech Tom Davis took the SC Senate to task over their lack of core conservative principles.  He even went so far as to dubbed them RINOs (Republicans In Name Only), a label that is sure to rankle Republican politicians.  The article quotes him as saying:

“There were a lot of things that we accomplished in the first term. A lot more would have been accomplished but for a Senate that, quite frankly, is Republican too often in name only,” Davis said. “I can say that safely here in Aiken because you guys have one of the Republicans who really is a Republican in Sen. (Greg) Ryberg.”

He went on to compare the SC Senate Republicans to national Republicans who were sent packing in last year’s Congressional races.

“We’re going to lose our way here in South Carolina just like Republicans lost their way up in Washington. Shame on us if, in a year when we have $1.2 billion in revenues, the Senate can’t pass down a budget that’s controlled by Republicans. We deserve to go ahead and look at who is not voting for things that apply to Republicans and get some real Republicans in there … If you’ve got an ‘R’ by your name, you’ve to vote like a Republican.”  

We believe that this just put an end to any honest debate about tax cuts this year.  Perhaps the Governor already knew that was a dead horse and decided to kick it a time or two for good measure.

Since we all just ponied up our share to the man today, what do you think about getting some tax relief from state government?

Read the story below the flip.

Davis:  Sanfors having issues with GOP 

By TONY BAUGHMAN Staff writer

As lawmakers work through budget-drafting season in Columbia, Gov. Mark Sanford is again having problems with fellow Republicans who are conservative “in name only,” the governor’s chief of staff said Monday.

Speaking at the Aiken Republican Club at Newberry Hall, Tom Davis told 25 local GOP faithfuls that members of the state House of Representatives are working well with Sanford in the budget process but, “quite frankly, I don’t hold out much hope for any of that in the Senate.”

“There were a lot of things that we accomplished in the first term. A lot more would have been accomplished but for a Senate that, quite frankly, is Republican too often in name only,” Davis said. “I can say that safely here in Aiken because you guys have one of the Republicans who really is a Republican in Sen. (Greg) Ryberg.”

As just one example, Davis noted that the Senate budget that came out of the finance committee last week included a number of “pork barrel projects,” including $1 million for a bean museum in the Lake City area and $4 million for another museum in the Florence area. Senate Republicans, he said, are intent on spending all of a sizable surplus expected from $1.2 billion in state revenues.

“We believe that once you address those core essential needs, you give the money back to the people because the marketplace, individuals, businesses we believe will always spend that money more effectively and more efficiently than government will,” Davis said.

“We’re going to lose our way here in South Carolina just like Republicans lost their way up in Washington. Shame on us if, in a year when we have $1.2 billion in revenues, the Senate can’t pass down a budget that’s controlled by Republicans. We deserve to go ahead and look at who is not voting for things that apply to Republicans and get some real Republicans in there … If you’ve got an ‘R’ by your name, you’ve to vote like a Republican.”

During a question-and-answer session, Davis discussed a current workers compensation bill (which he called “a travesty”), restructuring of state constitutional officers (which he said “is not going to happen under Gov. Sanford’s watch” because of resistance from the legislature) and rumblings that Sanford may be on list of potential Republican vice presidential choices.

“I’ve never heard him express to me any plans beyond working as hard as he can for the next four years, but I think it’s natural that people would be interested in him, given his age and given his consistency not only as governor but as a member of Congress,” Davis said.