When the General Assembly voted on judges, they reelected Justice Don Beatty to the S.C. Supreme Court. He almost got a unanimous vote. Almost. Spartanburg County’s resident padded-cell candidate Rep. Joey Millwood voted no. Mind you, Beatty was unopposed.
A Herald-Journal story reminded people that South Carolinians for Responsible Government and Conservatives in Action actively opposed his nomination when he was up the first time, and CIA put out an ad denouncing Beatty, but Millwood seemed to think it was OK for them to do that, but that Beatty should have taken his beating without saying anything.
“When is the last time you saw a sitting Supreme Court justice give a television interview?” Millwood said. “He should be above the political fray.”
Once again, eyes rolling so hard. Yes, defend the shady groups that got you (barely) elected, and go after the Supreme Court justice. It turns out that Millwood thinks that only Republicans should be judges.
Are you fucking kidding us? “I don’t care who the person is. Give me their political party identification, then I know how I will vote.” Lordy. The definition of ignorant is going to have to be expanded for this guy.
Last spring, we were told that real estate magnate Howard Rich had pulled his money out of South Carolina, considering that his lackeys in this state hadn’t been able to accomplish diddly-squat, except to bitch and moan and act like because they yell loudest, that they’re the “majority.” Maybe some consultants have lost out, but money’s still going to candidates and elected officials.
JOEY MILLWOOD
State representative
(2009, Fourth quarter)
538-14 Realty, $1,000
Silver and Silver Properties, $1,000
332 E 11, $1,000
Rich Lending Corporation, $1,000
GREG DELLENEY
State representative
(2009, Fourth quarter)
Rich Lending Corporation, $1,000
188 Claremont, $1,000
538-14 Realty, $1,000
332 E 11, $1,000
TRACY EDGE
State representative
(2009, Fourth quarter)
332 East 11, $1,000
538-14 Realty, $1,000
4220 Broadway, $1,000
Silver and Silver Properties, $1,000
188 Claremont, $1,000
TOM DAVIS
State senator
(2009, Third Quarter)
188 Claremont, $1,000
4220 Broadway, $1,000
51 First Avenue, $1,000
123 LaSalle, $1,000
405 49 Associates, $1,000
332 E 11, $1,000
470 W 166, $1,000
Bradford Management of New York, $1,000
Dayrich, $1,000
Bayrich, $1,000
Former Landrum mayor Doug Brannon is getting into the primary race against Rep. Joey Millwood today, joining businessman John Moore. Former Rep. Bob Walker, who Millwood beat in one of the closest elections in the state, decided not to make another try at the office.
“I don’t necessarily need to be the legislator from District 38. And while Bob and I disagreed on some issues, he was a great representative, and did a great job representing District 38,” Brannon said in The Herald-Journal. “But I think now that Representative Walker is not holding that office, we need better representation — and I believe I’m it.”
With Brannon getting in the race, the odds are getting longer that Millwood will be able to win his second term. That is, unless Howard Rich steps up his funding of Millwood’s campaign to a whole ‘nother level above the Brinks truck that showed up last cycle.
Our fourth-ever post on this fledgling attempt to counter the toadies of the political blogosphere involved the issues surrounding the fight on who is actually leading the Spartanburg County legislative delegation, a fight that had already been going on for a while. “Hit list” candidates like Sen. Lee Bright, Rep. Joey Millwood, Sen. Shane Martin and (in a turn, God only knows why) Sen. Glenn Reese tried to take over the group. We don’t have much respect for the intelligence of Bright or Millwood, who have to be the most ignorant people in the General Assembly, so we thought their power play would fall to the ground.
This is what we wrote on Jan. 10:
In another time, the ongoing dispute among members of the Spartanburg County legislative delegation might have been resolved via code duello. As it is, the battle between Sens. Lee Bright, Shane Martin, Glenn Reese, Rep. Joey Millwood and the rest of the delegation has been limited to the pages of The (Spartanburg) Herald-Journal.
So far, the main bone of contention has been who is really in control, and how that impacts local appointments made by the group. The break-off Group of Four insist that their votes count more, because of weighted voting based on district population.
Recent stories on the issue have made it look like there are 13 people with a copy of Robert’s Rules of Order in one hand and the S.C. Code in the other. It may, though, be just a little more interesting.
As Diddy would say, “It’s all about the judges, baby.”
Voting on judicial appointments, particularly on State Supreme Court Justice Don Beatty, has been an issue that generated more than a few attack mailers from independent groups in GOP legislative primaries and been a hot topic in the General Assembly.
Rep. Lanny Littlejohn, elected delegation chairman on Nov. 10 (though the Group of Four elected Millwood chairman on Nov. 25), expressed that the tiff between the legislators has nothing to do with who is chairman.
“I think the senators wanted to set some kind of precedent for weighted voting on all things. It’s all about electing judges, I think,” Littlejohn said.
As for importance, “trivial things, non-governmental functions, and things like electing a chairman do not fall into that category, as far as I’m concerned,” he continued.
Rep. Rita Allison, one of the other nine in the delegation, told Wolfe Reports, “I’m not going to comment on that.” But, responding to a remark by Martin about the nine being good ol’ boys, said in Jan. 4’s Herald-Journal, she said, “I guess I’m a good ol’ girl. They do have the weighted majority, and that’s not a problem with me. But nobody ran anything past me or asked me to sign off on anything.”
One of the more mystifying issues in the dispute is Reese’s status. Among the four, he is the only legislator that has experience, and the only Democrat. When asked about the row, he posited that the question should be asked to the other three.
“You probably need to talk to them — they are the ones who want to do it,” he said. “They are the ones that brought up the issue.”
Littlejohn, citing Reese’s 18 years in the General Assembly, said, “Sen. Reese should know better. He ought to be ashamed of himself. He is showing poor leadership. … I have no idea what the guy’s thinking. It’s the dumbest politics I’ve ever seen in my life.”
In Dec. 18’s Herald-Journal, Bright expected his group to come out the victor.
“We’ve got the weighted majority,” he said. “If they don’t want to work with the delegation and they want to have a rogue delegation, that’s their decision.”
Until the issue is resolved, which does not look any time soon, it’s still debatable who has “gone rogue.”
The fight made its way to the S.C. Supreme Court this week, and finally what we all knew would happen, did happen. The high court ruled unanimously for the group led by Littlejohn and Rep. Keith Kelly, which is good news to everyone that values — oh, what’s that word? Competence. Of course, Bright, true to form, did his own bit to show that his surname should be “Dim.”
Bright said in an e-mailed statement he was “disappointed although not surprised,” and called the opinion “flawed.”
Why, yes. A gentleman in the trucking business clearly knows more about law than five S.C. Supreme Court justices. Rep. Harold Mitchell, who really pushed the issue to the Court, hit back.
Mitchell said Bright’s comments reflect a “complete lack of respect” for the five justices. He said when Bright had his chance to make his case to the court in oral arguments in October, he didn’t bother to show up.
“If you’re going to start a fight, don’t pull a butter knife in a gunfight,” Mitchell said. “It’s time to stop playing these ridiculous games and start doing what’s best for Spartanburg County.”
Ever since Sens. Lee Bright, Shane Martin, Glenn Reese and Rep. Joey Millwood made their power play to take over the Spartanburg legislative delegation way back in the long, long ago based on weighted voting, there’s been a lot of jawing and back-and-forth. Rep. Harold Mitchell wanted the S.C. Supreme Court to make a ruling on the matter and settle it permanently, and he got his day in court on Wednesday.
Other delegation members — Mitchell, Reps. Derham Cole, Rita Allison, Mike Forrester, Keith Kelly, Lanny Littlejohn and Steve Parker — were represented before the justices and their case was made. Interestingly, Bright, Martin, Reese and Millwood chose to not have counsel at at the hearing.
“I wasn’t even concerned with being represented,” Martin said in The Herald-Journal. “Once I made an agreement with people in March to work out a compromise, it was over.”
Attorney Charlie Hodge, who is representing Mitchell specifically, said, “The chairman sets the agenda and calls the meetings. Those are internal, administrative functions, not governmental functions. … You have the opportunity to write an opinion that says a simple majority vote worked for 100 years, and there’s no reason it can’t work now.”
Rep. Joey Millwood pretty much won on a fluke. And some sketchy campaign practices. Considering he was the only win from the Sandlapper Group, we’re fairly sure he’s not going to survive the next election cycle.
Enter John Moore, who went live with his campaign early in the summer and has a Web site up and running.
As of the July 10 report, Moore had $11,250 on hand. At the same time, Millwood was sporting $2,431.70. Should be an interesting primary.
One of South Carolinians for Responsible Government’s henchmen launched another attack on former Rep. Bob Walker recently, but the fact is that Walker, who lost by a scant 19 votes, was screwed over by the people running his race.
Walker’s firm was Starboard Communications. As we discovered when researching “the hit list,” Starboard was one of the main firms that was supposed to be helping out. It turns out that Josh Gross, when he was at Starboard last year, created the mail pieces for each of the Sandlapper Group’s candidates. Sandlapper candidates were all a part of the hit list proposal, and the two people who founded the firm in Nov. 2007, Taft Matney and Chad Connelly, were in deep with Gov. Mark Sanford’s front groups.
So, Gross was doing the mail for Walker’s opponent, current Rep. Joey Millwood (who has $2,431 on hand). While we won’t say that Starboard threw Walker’s race, it seems rather odd that the same firm would be working both sides of a very contentious race. Certainly, if we were advising a candidate, we would suggest that they not go with Starboard, for the off chance that the firm would also be doing work for that candidate’s opponent.
That’s the real issue, here. We’re waiting for Starboard, Sandlapper, Millwood, Gross and their apologists to admit to what we all know is true.
Rep. Joey Millwood is back at it again, giving fuel to his potential opponents and showing the residents of House District 38 what a mistake they made in not sending back former Rep. Bob Walker.
He was on a tear, making the failed argument against the $750 million in budget stabilization funds from the federal government.
Millwood was clearly tapped for this assignment by the General Assembly’s Sanford Caucus, but they were kind of in a bind for Spartanburg, what with the enormous amounts of brain power between Millwood and Sen. Lee Bright.
Already, Millwood is drawing numerous people in both parties that are looking at challenging him next year. And, who could blame them? We have a guy who never went on a plane until going to Philly for a school choice brainwashing session, and a sportswriter who admitted on Facebook that the only thing he knows about soccer is Keira Knightley was hot in “Bend It Like Beckham.”
As one who until recently was a part of the small-town sportswriter brotherhood, it says a lot about a guy when he doesn’t even know anything about a sport he covers, when you have to cover damn near anything and everything.
Here is a quick tutorial:
- Goals are worth one point, and count when the ball crosses the line between the goal posts and into the goal.
- Both teams have 11 players on the field, but that can be reduced to 10 or less if a player or players get kicked out of the game.
- Discipline on the field is maintained by one official, with two other officials assisting him along either sideline.
- For an illegal play or move, a player, if the move was particularly egregious (like a hard, late slide into an opposing player), can result in a “yellow card,” which is meant as a warning. A player has to leave the field if they receive two yellow cards. The player can also receive a “red card” at any time, which means the player is automatically ejected (used only for particularly vicious fouls).
If nothing else, for God’s sake, he needs someone to tell him what “offside” is. He will need that.
Wednesday’s protest in Columbia brought out the A-game in some of this state’s bloggers and legislators. Let’s just say, it got a little heated out there.
AntonJGunn: reading how my FB friends are tearing @JoeyMillwood a new one. Ah how I love political debate.
JoeyMillwood: @antonjgunn Your socialist posse isn’t tearing me a new one. They’re all drinking spiked Hussein koolaid.
JoeyMillwood: If you’re tired of the socialism that B. Hussein Obama represents, I hope you’re going to a tea party sometime this week somewhere in SC.
JoeyMillwood: And while we’re at it, let’s voice opposition to his desire to kill unborn babies, his support of homosexuality and his entire platform.
JoeyMillwood: Including his desire to touch every part of our lives with a massive, overreaching, big spending, big taxing government.
AntonJGunn: I don’t understand why people are so excited about tea bagging today? Why would anyone want to do that?
paigecoop: @JoeyMillwood Shouldn’t you be out trying to save the unborn and converting the gays instead of spreading the hate?
JoeyMillwood: The weather’s going to be great for Tea Parties this week. B. Hussein Obama better watch out.
JoeyMillwood: is stirring up all the Liberals on Twitter and Facebook today. Welcome to Tea Party week! “Somebody besides B. Hussein in ‘12!”
FakeMarkSanford: CANNOT WAIT to teabag @JimDeMint at lunch today. Makes me tingly just thinking about it! #teaparty
LachlanMcIntosh: It’s a great day to love America and make fun of T-baggers.
PhilBaileySC: Countdown to teabagging festival. Look for the angry mob with hand made signs calling Obama a socialist and a Muslim.
dphamilton: RT @ragley: Methinks Palmetto State “progressives” hate tea parties because they couldn’t moblize the same passion for POTUS liberal policies
paigecoop: OMG @ragley are you serious? It’s frickin SC where everyone takes pride in being last or the worst.
paigecoop: @ragley If all the conservatives would have organized like the Obama campaign maybe they would’t be having these bogus tea parties.
Snead101: @ragley Actually we held our “rallies” in November and February. Those were the important days, maybe the GOP didn’t get the memo. #sctweets
paigecoop: Thinking the conservatives are having a hard time staying on message. Is it a tax rally? Is it a bailout rally? Is it an anti-deficit rally?
paigecoop: All you have to do in SC to organize, is use the words black president, socialism, gays and guns. The troops will come running.
JoeyMillwood: Liberals are running scared. We need to keep these Tea Parties going from now until ‘12 when conservatives will take back Wash D.C.!
LachlanMcIntosh: @ragley we LOVE the tea parties. No need spending big $$ trying to convince people the GOP has lost all credibility if yall do it for free!
Snead101: RT: @tbogg: Today conservatives are doing for teabagging what Ken Starr did for blowjobs.
LachlanMcIntosh: @ragley Its pretty to clear to most Americans which party cares about middle class taxpayers. That’s why they vote Democratic.
JoeyMillwood: @jasontspencer It’s not extremist. As for him watching out, I’m talking about the grassroots groundswell for conservatism. ‘12 here we come.
boydbrown: @joeymillwood running scared? Democrats are laughing at you, not with you.
Snead101: @ragley Try to stay on message. This isn’t about Obama, it’s about fair tax and gov’t spending. Right?
BlatantReality: Bigger crowd assembled at the SC Statehouse for the Tea Party than when Obama, Hillary, and Edwards came on MLK day in 2008.
JoeyMillwood: @boydbrown Sure champ.
RobGodfrey: At Statehouse #teaparty Huge crowd. @jimdemint firing up crowd. Governor making way to podium. #sctweets
LachlanMcIntosh: Lots of old white people out tea-bagging. I bet today’s viewership for ‘The Price is Right’ was down 75%
joshua144: Rep. Steve King of Iowa is on stage at Columbia #teaparty
alanclemmons: Just left a huge crowd at teh Columbia Tea Party at the State House. Lots’ of angry taxpayers!
twitkb: Several thousand at columbia’s tea party. Gadsden flags everywhere.
alexstroman: you can hear the cheers from the rally here at USC in front of russell house! @johnroconnor #teaparty
boydbrown: Statehouse grounds looks like a bowl of grits. GOP really has embraced diversity
rpagesc: Had a great time at the Tea Party in Columbia, SC – Governor Sanford and Senator Jim DeMint spoke. #tcot
AntonJGunn: is at the statehouse looking at all the homemade “Hate Obama signs”.
boydbrown: Richard Eckstrom to speak… wait… that’s the wrong teabagging event
dphamilton: @boydbrown & @antonjgunn thanks for perverting the tea party…our country’s earliest form of protest.
rexrice: Great turnout at the Tea Party on the state house steps! Now to the fair tax rally! Taxpayers voices are being heard!
Snead101: The good news is thousands of pasty, South Carolina conservatives got some much-needed Vitamin D today. Get a job, hippies! #sctweets
tdkelly: I didn’t even teabag and I saw two confederate flag t-shirts and a fat white woman holding a handmade “not your slave” sign
tdkelly: Oppressed middle class white people stand up to refuse tax breaks from Obama!
Snead101: @dphamilton You think the Boston Tea Party is our country’s earliest form of protest? Your ignorance is appalling.
RobGodfrey: 3,000 gather at Statehouse #teaparty to hear @jimdemint & others http://is.gd/sxRM #sctweets #tcot #sctcot
tdkelly: @dphamilton you GOPhers pervert the country enough without @boydbrown and @antongunn
johnroconnor: Columbia #teaparty: FTR, no problems at Columbia event. One guy yelled and swiftly got a “USA! USA!” rebuttal from the crowd.
boydbrown: @dphamilton when the Boston colonists had their Tea Party, it was actually against a tax on tea.
tdkelly: Seriously though, are all the teabaggers who just got a tax cut in the stimulus going to send it back to DC?
tdkelly: @dphamilton have you returned your stimulus tax cut yet or are you in that over $250K bracket?
tdkelly: A real protest would be if the teabaggers sent a check to the IRS for the tax cut they got under the stimulus bill #teaparty
tdkelly: @dphamilton remains remarkably silent on whether his #teabag protest includes returning any tax break he may have gotten from stimulus
dphamilton: @tdkelly I haven’t received a stimulus check…I’m one of those that helps pay for it.
dphamilton: @tdkelly sorry I didn’t respond quick enough for you…was meeting with a client so I can pay more taxes.
dphamilton: @boydbrown maybe Anderson Cooper could explain it to you…
boydbrown: apparently these partiers dont pay income taxes, given the fact none of them are working (unless April 15th is a work holiday)
tylermjones: @dphamilton True or False: Obama’s tax rates are lower than that of Ronald Reagan’s in the 1980’s. Please, for the world to hear…
JoeyMillwood: @boydbrown No. That’s B. Hussein Obama’s cabinet that doesn’t pay taxes.
tylermjones: @boydbrown They’re probably all on unemployment AND opposing the stimulus. Probably not the brightest tools in the shed…
dphamilton: @tylermjones I don’t think we’ve seen his true tax rates yet…I’m more concerned about the spending of money we’re printing & borrowing.
tylermjones: @dphamilton Ohhh, so you’re just ASSUMING he will raise taxes? Thats always wise..And where was your outrage under Bush’s radical spending?
boydbrown: @joeymillwood only 3rd grade, bigot mentalities care that our President’s given middle name is Hussein. Grow up Peter Pan, Count Chocula
JoeyMillwood: @boydbrown All right Chester Cheetah, no more cracks on the Patriots that are out are out at the Tea Parties today.
JoeyMillwood: @boydbrown And stop with the 3rd grade dirty remarks.
boydbrown: @joeymillwood DEAL
tdkelly: @dphamilton no prob just want to know if you and the teabaggers are willing send your stimulus tax cut back in protest if you’re under @250K
boydbrown: @joeymillwood what dirty remarks?
tdkelly: Will oppressed middle class white people put their money where their teabag is and return the tax cuts they got because of the stimulus?
scpolitico: Three Thousand South Carolinians Rally at Statehouse Tea Party Today: http://tinyurl.com/cypsro
dphamilton: @tdkelly sure, no problem, btw, its Tea Party not teabagging…why do ya’ll insist on calling it teabagging?
dphamilton: @tylermjones no, just assuming Obama will do what he said he would…raise taxes on the “rich” and spend more.
JoeyMillwood: @boydbrown then you deal. Just like B. Hussein Obama will have to deal with these tea parties and the patriots attending.
JoeyMillwood: @boydbrown You’re making fun of normal everyday Americans and South Carolinians. Im making fun of a public socialist figure.
RobGodfrey: Great to visit with and talk to Gov. Mike Huckabee.
tdkelly: @dphamilton I call it teabagging because “wingnutting” is insulting to hardware
JoeyMillwood: @boydbrown tea bag remarks.
AntonJGunn: Laughing hysterically at the tweets between @boydbrown @JoeyMillwood @dphamilton @tdkelly. Today was a fun day. Can’t wait for tomorrow.
JoeyMillwood: It’s funny how these Dems all say they’re for public ed and poor people when they went to private schools and r sending their kids there.
JoeyMillwood: They all talk about schools they never experience.
tdkelly: @asheinin doesn’t the idea of VIPs at a teabagging sort of give the lie to the whole “this is a spontaneous outpouring of frustration” bit?
JoeyMillwood: There are Dems in the Houe that are public school teachers an send their kids to private school.
JoeyMillwood: well maybe not all. I can think of at least two on Twitter though.
tdkelly: Teabag: The last time this many white South Carolinians protested was when Mandingo was released
tdkelly: @JoeyMillwood which private school taught you to spell? I’ll want to avoid that one.
JoeyMillwood: @tdkelly I’m very considered about what a left wing socialist blogger thinks about me. And for your info I went to public school.
tdkelly: @JoeyMillwood you’re very “considered?” Are you illiterate or drunk? If it’s the latter, this left wing blogger will give you a pass.
JoeyMillwood: @tdkelly Excuse me…I’m concerned about what a left wing social blogger thinks about me.
JoeyMillwood: @tdkelly It’s called typing on a blackberry too fast.
tdkelly: @JoeyMillwood Moe’s called. They want their Bag of Donuts back.
JoeyMillwood: @tdkelly Why don’t you go back to writing your communist-loving, baby killer, homosexual loving blogs?
PhilBaileySC: @JoeyMillwood You haven’t been very tight-lipped about all the teabagging going on. You’ve been wide open to it all day.
innovator82: @JoeyMillwood Thanks for your strong conservatism today. Can’t believe blogger on @IndigoJournal mocking your Tweet re: pro-life dinner.
JoeyMillwood: @philbaileysc Oh, another left wing socialist. Except you’re on the gov’t payroll. You get paid w/ tax $ to be a socialist.
PhilBaileySC: @JoeyMillwood Wrong. I ain’t paid by tax-dollars. FOIA it. I’ll pay for the stamp.
tdkelly: @joeymillwood is a fine example of a GOPher public servant, huh?
JoeyMillwood: @philbaileysc excuse me. You’re a socialist paid for by the socialist caucus.
JoeyMillwood: Keep coming with it lefties! I’ve heard it all.
PhilBaileySC: @JoeyMillwood That’s cool. Will you be telling all the Tea Party protesters that you voted to spend all that stimulus $ in the House budget?
JoeyMillwood: For those following my tweets today, this conservative lawmaker doesn’t run! We’re in a war for America and we all need to rise up!
tdkelly: @JoeyMillwood Down with the homos! http://tinyurl.com/dluubc
Can’t get rid of Howie
Rep. Joey Millwood got another cool grand from a Howard Rich-affiliated corporation, this time from 188 Claremont LLC, and also pulled a few bucks from Chris Sullivan, the RQ&A-affiliated consultant who ran Sen. Lee Bright’s campaign and who is the editor of Southern Partisan.
Spinnin’ platters
Rep. Grady Brown does not just do his DJing at Rust (you know, R-U-S-T, on Gervais Street, behind the Motor Supply, from 7 to 11…), but spun records at an event for Atty. Gen. Henry McMaster, for which he was paid $450 on Jan. 1. A new era of bipartisan partying?
Got debt?
S.C. Republican Party chairman candidate Karen Floyd, who will most likely have to deal with over $100,000 of debt in the SCGOP’s federal account, still has issues of her own. According to her latest report, she has over $81,000 in debt from her 2006 losing effort, and, according to the last couple reports, does not seem to be very active about getting rid of the loan balance.
The eyes have it
S.C. eye doctors, and their organizations, have been aggressively donating to members of both parties in the past period. They evidently can see how things begin to get done in Columbia.
Where you been?
Just because a candidate lost, as we see with the Floyd account, does not mean that the campaign account is not still active. The last two Democratic candidates for governor, former Gov. Jim Hodges and former Sen. Tommy Moore, have a nickel or two kicking around in their accounts. Hodges sports $2,360.90 (though he has not filed an April 10 report) and Moore has $1,313.07. Moore’s last major outlay was $10,000 to the Senate Democratic Caucus in 2007.
Looking for Sanford
Gov. Mark Sanford has been a little tardy in getting his latest report online, though in the Jan. 10 version he had nearly $1.7 million on hand. What will he do with his money? According to S.C. law, he cannot use it for a Federal campaign, so either he will go all Jerry Brown on us and run for S.C. treasurer, or comptroller general, or give his long green to his assortment of AstroTurf third-party groups. Either way, the Governor’s Office ain’t sayin’ until it finally comes down.
