Rep. Nikki Haley, by all considerations the “Sanford candidate” for governor, has moved a post and removed a picture of Gov. Mark Sanford’s non-endorsement endorsement from her Web site today in the wake of the Governor’s, shall we say, eccentric behavior in the past few days.

However, she didn’t totally remove the post, which quotes Sanford saying, “Nikki Haley is a true conservative and one of our state’s leading voices for fiscal responsibility and government reform. It’s too early to endorse anyone, but I would say Nikki Haley would make a terrific and inspiring choice as governor, and she’s a great addition to the field of candidates.”

According to both The Fix and Politico, no one at her campaign is responding. However, we do not believe this changes anything about her position in the Republican gubernatorial nomination race. After all, we broke the story on May 6 that Haley brought in Sanford consultant Jon Lerner, who is known as one of the go-to guys for the Club for Growth, one of the primary third-party backers of the Governor and people of a similar ideology. She’s also hired away Justin Evans, formerly of the pro-Sanford conservative think tank S.C. Policy Council.

Unless something changes, she appears to be in close with Sanford’s cadre of well-heeled backers as ever.

After a couple weeks of building staff, hiring consultants and being given office space, Rep. Nikki Haley will announce for governor this week, sources tell WR. Some are saying the announcement could come as early as Thursday.

In the past several days, she has hired Maryland-based consultant Jon Lerner, who does a significant amount of work for the national Club for Growth and ran Gov. Mark Sanford’s 2006 campaign. She also hired Tim Pearson, former rapid response man for Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign, to do her communications work, along with bringing in other lower-level staffers.

With U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett and Sen. Larry Grooms already in the race, and Atty. Gen. Henry McMaster and Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer expected to jump in, Haley will be the fifth candidate in the Republican primary, having to battle the big three for money and grassroots support. She will also have to compete with Grooms for the Sanford-friendly types, both in dollars and on the ground. However, her tie-in with Lerner could signal that Sanford allies are already organized behind her bid.

UPDATE: Word into the WR newsroom is that Justin Evans, formerly a research associate with the S.C. Policy Council, has already left the SCPC to work for the Haley campaign.

When Gov. Mark Sanford wants to get his wonk on with the media, he calls a news conference over at the S.C. Policy Council, which, like recently, commissions research projects that back up whatever idea the Governor is marketing on that particular day.

That is why it seems odd that they have not put the leash on research associate Justin Evans, who earlier this year caused a brouhaha with a mention on his Facebook profile that read, “Voting politicians out of office is a short term fix….indicting them is much more permanent.”

This time, it was an extended argument, which one Palmetto State insider called “a Policy Council manifesto.” Needless to say, if some S.C. politicos did not know where they stood with the SCPC before, the writing is now clearly on the wall. The note, with caps, conflating totalitarian fascism with totalitarian communism and lumping in General Assembly leaders with genocidal maniacs, is below.

Dear Elected Officials:

We are watching. That’s right. Us young folk whom you used to count on voting how our parents voted are wtching and paying attention……watching YOU.

Sadly, most of us are DISGUSTED with what we see. The majority of you are COWARDS. The politics of fear was the politics of Hitler and Stalin……not good company to be in. Let me explain.

Governor Mark Sanford and Senator Jim DeMint are the ONLY individuals holding high office standing up for what is right for this state…..thats right. Let’s recap….

Senator Lindsey Graham out earmarked the 3rd highest ranking Democrat in the US Congress in the budget being debated right now……that is NOT leadership. We do not buy your BS arguments of “if we dont spend it someone else will”……give me truth Senator…..not a handout.

The stimulus debate is the biggest philosophical debate hitting possibly in our lifetime…..and MOST of our elected officials lack the capacity of understanding the issue at hand.

The argument that “if we dont take it and spend it, someone else will” and “if we dont take it then millions of South Carolinians will lose their jobs” and “I already have to pay for it so why wouldnt I support taking it” are all political copouts peddled by cowards who either do not understand the issue at all or simply dont want to actually do their job and learn about it.

It is really easy to sit there and say the above things….makes people scared…..rallies folks…..makes these politician types think that they are doing the right thing.

Well guys allow me to explain this oh so complex issue that the majority of you refuse to contemplate.

South Carolina is set to recieve nearly $8 billion dollars from the Federal Government…..all of which have strings attached……most of which we have NO SAY in.

What is up for debate is $700 million in “budget stabilization funds.”…..i.e…a do-over for legislators who cant think themselves out of a box and love to spend themselves into them.

Lets take a quick walk down memory lane and think about why the hell we would need “budget stabilization funds.” In 2007, the General Assembly of the state of South Carolina spend a whopping $1.3 BILLION in new revenue…..one time money they chose to spend on crap like pig festivals, bbq ho-downs, elvis impersonators…..etc……all the while Governor Mark Sanford and Senator Jim DeMint were screaming their heads off for the General Assembly to set money aside…..they saw this crisis coming.

But no….the General Assembly did that thing again where they dont want to waste time with facts or figures and just want to make their constituents immediately happy.

I am not the smartest person in the world by any measure…..but I am CERTAIN that I would be much happier with my legislator if he or she would have made policy decisions instead of political decisions, set money aside rather than send me money for my town’s annual festival, so that my tax burden doesn’t go up.

How does this matter with the stimulus debate? WE WOULDNT HAVE A BUDGET SHORTFALL IF THE LEADERSHIP OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE HADN’T PLAYED POLITICS WITH YOUR MONEY. Simple as that.

But we are where we are and now we really need the leadership that has been lacking for the last forever. Governor Sanford and Senator DeMint cannot do this alone.

Where are Lt. Gov Bauer, Atty. Gen. McMaster, and Mr. Barrett on this issue?

This is the biggest issue of the day….of our lifetime…..and these guys are silent.

The politics of fear that the majority of our legislators are peddling is likely scaring these guys into silence…..showing you their lack of political courage. NONE OF THESE GUYS WILL STAND UP FOR LIBERTY AND FREEDOM WHEN THE GREATEST ASSAULT TO THOSE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES IS BEING WAGED.

Its much easier to “go along to get along.”

Mr. Bauer, whether its Congress or Governor that you run for…..you MUST WEIGH IN ON THIS ISSUE.

Mr. McMaster, issuing an opinion on the legality of whether the Governor has authority over the money or not is hardly a policy stance on your part……and we all see that. WHERE ARE YOU?

Mr. Barrett, we can only hope that you learned your lesson after flip-flopping on the bank bailout that you supported…..that decision has proven a success huh? WHERE ARE YOU?

We are supposed to support yall for the highest office in the land as you sit on the sidelines during the biggest issue in history?

House and Senate leadership……QUIT LYING TO THE PEOPLE OF THIS STATE. You can craft a budget that doesnt fire a single teacher or healthcare worker that doesnt take the bailout cash…..but again…..YOU ARE ALL PLAYING POLITICS WITH OUR MONEY….we arent fooled.

Maybe I should extend the politics of fear (Hitler, Stalin, Obama, Leatherman, Cooper, Harrell) a bit further…..socialism.

The more control the federal government has over you, the less control you have over yourself….your business….your life.

Thats the bottom line here….do you support the politics of fear…..the politics of socialism….or do you believe that Liberty and Freedom still mean something to you? to your constituents?

I might not have said this as elloquently as I should, probably full of typos….I spent all of 5 mins. writing this……thats 5 more mins than the majority of your politicians have given this issue.

Like I have said before….America was not founded by the timid or weak. What if, like McMaster, Bauer, and most of House and Senate leadership, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and James Maddison just said “thanks but we will sit this one out….We dont want to make the King angry.”

Justin

In February of 2008, there were numerous rumors about the activities of former South Carolina Policy Council president Ed McMullen, which were eventually debunked. Nearly a year later, the rumor mill is starting up again. Over the year, there has been significant turnover at S.C.’s leading think tank, not the least of which was the hiring of research associate Justin Evans.

According to the SCPC Web site, Evans is responsible for investigative journalism and policy research.

Sources close to Wolfe Reports have said that until recently, Evans had a comment on his Facebook profile that said something to the effect that he didn’t come up with “the research to defeat candidates, [he] did the research that put those candidates in jail.” A perusing of his profile revealed that if the quote had been there, it was expunged. (see update)

SCPC president Ashley Landess calls the allegations absurd.

“We are not — and this is a ridiculous rumor — we are not looking into legislators and their backgrounds and their personal lives,” she said. “Absolutely not. We have no interest in that.”

Several State House insiders believe the SCPC is getting involved with opposition research, and in General Assembly races, putting the organization’s 501(c)3 status in jeopardy.

“We’re not a political organization,” Landess said. “Justin, like all of our researchers, is looking into state government, how it operates, specifically how dollars are being spent, how programs are being run — all of the larger good government issues.”

She continued, “What you’re hearing, frankly, is exactly the kind of response that you get from people when they feel like you’re asking questions they don’t like.”

UPDATE: According to a source with more access to the profile, Evans’ description of his job was, “Voting politicians out of office is a short term fix….indicting them is much more permanent.”