We like to kid the teabaggers. When we went to the rally at the State House on April 15, we hadn’t seen that many angry, old white people with the exception of a canceled Skynyrd concert. But with turnout expected to be light tomorrow, the motivated make the decisions. And angry, old white people can be pretty motivated.

Consider the recent survey by Public Policy Polling (yes, we know they lean Democratic, and Rasmussen leans Republican and blah blah blah — get over it). About 29 percent of people responding said that they self-identify as Tea Partiers, and Rep. Nikki Haley and Curtis Loftis, both Tea Party/S.C. Club for Growth candidates, are benefiting.

From what we’ve been hearing, this is holding true in races across the state. Candidates with distinct financial disadvantages, who should have no chance in hell of being competitive, much less winning, have chances to be and do just that. Conventional wisdom — something we live by as students of history and lovers of trends — is getting a swift kick in the twig and berries.

Rep. Nikki Haley has made her time in the House by bullshitting her constituents, who apparently haven’t been paying close enough attention or been getting involved enough to call her on her hypocrisy. Of course, her buds (Will Folks, the S.C. Policy Council, [because his boss heads SCPC] Adam Fogle, the S.C. Club for Growth, &c.) won’t do anything to show what a shit campaign she’s running for governor.

If Haley had decided to bide her time in the House, she probably wouldn’t be caught in so many traps. But, she creates them for herself and then steps into them and acts like nobody will pay attention. That’s too bad, because the House leadership is done with her crap. When you get called out in public by the leadership of your own party, that could be a clue that you don’t know what they hell you’re doing.

Tuesday, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Dan Cooper, decided he had enough and called a spade a spade.

For months I have held my tongue while Rep. Nikki Haley traveled the state touting her “opposition” to taking federal stimulus dollars, but after reading her Feb. 12 guest column in this paper I felt compelled to set the record straight. Here are the facts:

While the majority of state legislators opposed President Barack Obama’s stimulus plan on principle, we realized that if South Carolina did not accept the federal funds then the hard-earned tax dollars of the families we represent would be spent in other places, like New Jersey and California. In other words, we would be paying the price and getting nothing in return.

Rep. Haley knew that. This legislation was thoroughly discussed, and the issues were very clear. On March 9, Rep. Haley joined 107 other legislators voting for an amendment to the budget bill to accept the stimulus money. The very next day, she voted for the budget bill that included the stimulus money. On the third and final reading of the bill, it passed overwhelmingly with a voice vote.

It was only two weeks after she announced her candidacy for governor that Nikki Haley changed her tune on the stimulus. She then began to publicly question everyone else who had joined her on multiple occasions in voting to accept these federal funds. And despite all of her double talk, the truth is Nikki Haley’s rhetoric just doesn’t match her record.

Haley has taken steps in recent years to get in tight with the Sanford cabal. Now that organization is falling apart, she’s up the creek. It should be a lesson to others who sell out for for out-of-state dollars and perceived influence. Put your constituents and your district first — not political pals.

Gov. Mark Sanford hasn’t learned a damn thing from 2006 and 2008, if a recent post by political operative and friend of Sanford, Jeffrey Sewell, is to be believed. In the past two cycles, Sanford has tried with poor success to enlist allies like Howard Rich to help him take out fellow Republicans in primary fights. The last time, we were proud to be a part of the effort to shine some transparency on the plans between Sanford, Will Folks and S.C. Club for Growth to do it.

Right now, the Governor as a ton of money in his gubernatorial campaign account. More than $1.8 million, and in fact, for a significant amount of time, people were wondering what the hell the philanderer in the Governor’s Mansion was going to do with all that junk, all that junk in his trunk. Well, here we go again.

Sources close to the governor confirm to SCHotline.com that there is in fact ‘Enough dirt to bury prominent grandstanding adversaries’ built over seven years of opposition research. Our sources tell us this could be “lost trust times ten”… Developing…

We sincerely hope that asshole (and we could think of some more uncouth names to call him) tries to pull the same crap he has the past two cycles. Bring it on, fool.

Sen. Lee Bright, who ran a line of attack against former Rep. Scott Talley last year by calling him a trial lawyer, isn’t opposed from cleaning up among attorneys. In his second quarter disclosure report, law firms and attorneys gave him a solid amount of cash.

From April through May, Bright seems to have come around to the deep pile of money available from the state’s lawyers. He took in $7,750 from members of the bar, representing 54 percent of the money he’s accepted in the past quarter. That includes $1,000 from the S.C. Trial Lawyers Association.

Bright was one of the “hit list” challengers, and the S.C. Club for Growth was nasty in its attacks on Talley. Will Folks, who developed the proposal to target Republican legislators in the primaries for the Club, wrote, “Talley’s sold out completely now, bending obediently to the will of the education and trial lawyer lobbies, both of which have donated thousands upon thousands of dollars to keep this State Senate seat in their grubby, self-serving paws.”

Oopsy.

Talley’s main emphasis in his law practice is as a real estate attorney. Trial law takes up a very small amount of his work. But, that didn’t stop his opponents from trying to smear him. Now Bright, who is easily not one of the brightest bulbs in state government, has cut himself off at the knees with his and his supporters’ hypocrisy.

Finally, we have our verdict — the ill-conceived plan birthed by Will Folks, Gov. Mark Sanford and the S.C. Club for Growth to toss out conservative Republicans who backed public education did not work.

Wednesday, the Senate Education Committee killed the private school choice bill, S. 520, the so-called “South Carolina Educational Opportunity Act.” The whole point behind the hit list saga was to put enough stooges in the legislature to back Sanford’s school choice plan, and, like everything else the Governor has tried to do, it failed to the degree that Sanford ought to put the “fail whale” on his letterhead.

These were guys who went after former Rep. Bill Cotty, even though he got an “A” rating from S.C. Club for Growth for last session the session before last, because he backed quality public education.

The effort these people put forth was one of the major issues that has caused a significant rift in the state Republican Party. While South Carolina is conservative enough for the SCGOP to withstand the sort of attack Sanford and his allies have mounted the past few years, they will have it on their conscience that they gave away two House seats in 2008 and have left the door open for Democratic victories in 2010.

It all comes down to Wednesday, as S. 520, this session’s quixotic attempt at getting a private school choice law passed in South Carolina goes to the full Senate Education Committee.

Earlier, the bill was given a 6-4 unfavorable report out of subcommittee, which, for those not bobbing for campaign contributions, was thought to be the most likely outcome.

Time and time again during Gov. Mark Sanford‘s tenure, we have seen him and his out-of-state-funded proxies doing their usual, which is using their massive amounts of money to make their disproportionately-vocal minority look like a majority.

Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. The school choice lobby managed to pick off one idiosyncratic Democrat, but they cannot even secure a majority of Republican legislators for the plan.

Day after day, South Carolinians for Responsible Government, S.C. Club for Growth, S.C. Policy Council and a number of Sanford shell groups have been banging the drum on this issue. They are fueled by large grants and donations from foundations run by super-wealthy people (so far on the edge that they make John Birchers look sane) and other fellow-travelers from the Lowcountry and across the country.

It seems, however, that a couple dozen foundations and a couple hundred high-rollers do not a majority make, especially when they couldn’t accomplish Sanford’s attempted coup on the General Assembly last year.

The need to commit to comprehensive reforms in South Carolina schools has been around practically since the beginning of public education in this state. Like other parts of the South, educating the less-well off (first whites, then both whites and blacks) was never a big priority for the people in power.

Now, here we are, with a lobby of political operatives with deep pockets who would rather eschew the past and nuance and try to put a bumper sticker slogan into legislation.

Hence, why even legislators who may be predisposed to support a version of private school choice will not back a bill like S. 520. Sometimes, with a bill, it isn’t what the bill says, it’s who is pushing it. And, when you can’t trust the motivations of the lobby backing the bill, it’s pretty damn hard to press the “yea” button.

For six years, Gov. Mark Sanford has done all he can to alienate himself from his own party, poison the political atmosphere (which should have been impossible) and show how not to lead.

He also heralded the front line presence of South Carolinians for Responsible Government, S.C. Club for Growth, S.C. Policy Council and a myriad of Sanford shell groups.

Until former State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel’s cocaine bust, he was the obvious heir apparent for this small, but well-funded and vocal, lobby. Hell, Ravenel was even best buds with Mallory Factor.

But, here we are, with three major candidates for governor, none of which is an easy fit with Howard Rich‘s heimwehren. If last year is any indicator, even with a coordinated attack, these groups had to rely on one man, some mistakes, and pure political skullduggery on one particular race, to get just a few key people elected to the General Assembly.

And, some of those guys might as well make plans to go back to the day job full time as of the next cycle.

Still, this lobby cannot do what they like, the Governor is acting like a spoiled child, and the leadership in the House and the Senate is just a little hostile.

Right now, all Team Sanford has to bet on is Karen Floyd, one of theirs. She will be the next chairman of the S.C. Republican Party. But, as has been said, she was the only statewide Republican to lose in 2006 and still has tens of thousands of dollars in campaign debt to pay off.

Unless Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer‘s involvement with Floyd’s firm is him tipping his cards to Project Mayhem, Sanford’s stormtroopers are going to be even more marginalized than they are already.

There are few attractions like one to someone who has been on the opposition, then coverts to your cause. Such has been the love affair between supporters of school choice and Democratic Sen. Robert Ford of Charleston.

Ford is known for his idiosyncratic tendencies, and buttressed that belief by signing on as a lead sponsor for this session’s attempt at getting a school choice bill through the General Assembly. Tuesday, he led off a news conference in the State House rallying support for the bill.

However, Ford’s support has some S.C. political observers raising an incredulous eyebrow at the Charlestonian’s conversion.

During his 2008 primary campaign, Ford received $8,000 from entities affiliated with New York City real estate magnate and school choice supporter Howard Rich. It lead to the speculation that he would join sides with other Rich-backed legislators this session. It should be noted that he paid the South Carolinians for Responsible Government and S.C. Club for Growth-affiliated (and Republican) consulting firm Richard Quinn and Associates $461.10 (The Copy Shop) on July 2, 2008 for 1,500 letters and $5,324.32 (Mail Marketing Strategies) on June 4, 2008 for mail, voter file access and postage.

Several weeks ago, Ford went on a junket with several other legislators to a school choice conference in Philadelphia. Ford has said he has met with Rich, which was most likely at this gathering. At that point, it was only a matter of time.

Ford’s stance is a marked departure from the recent past. In 2007, he voted against an amendment put forth by Sen. Larry Grooms that would have included vouchers into a school choice bill backed by Superintendent of Education Jim Rex.

In an article in The State, Ford admitted that Rich and others lobbied him to adopt his current position, and he was seen talking to Palmetto Policy Group lobbyist Katie Dunning in his office. PPG is the chief lobbying arm for SCRG, and recently had to part ways with associate J.J. Darby. According to sources close to Wolfe Reports, this was because Rich had pulled most of his lobbying money out of South Carolina. The funding mix for the current push is likely only to be known by insiders.

More cynical politicos have said that Ford is leading the school choice fight this year as a way to pull thousands of Rich-backed dollars for his long-shot gubernatorial effort. Though Ford said this was not the case, he admitted he would not refuse the money.

In support of the bill, SCRG produced a palm card, which has since made its way around Columbia. The card, and after an investigation, the SCRG Web site (alg22.timberlakepublishing.com), is parked on a Americans for Limited Government (alg31.timberlakepublishing.com) server, which is hosted by the Northern Virginia firm Timberlake Publishing. Rich is the chairman of ALG.

The S.C. Press Association has named Corey Hutchins and myself as the winners of the in-depth reporting award for January 2008′s “The Hit List” in the Free Times, in FT‘s division.

The entire process of running down the story was an ordeal, taking two months. It all started with the question, “Where is Will Folks getting his money?” After some asking around, the hit list proposal dropped in our laps and the story took off from there.

While it was assumed that Folks wrote the proposal, there was no certainty, as there was no listed author on what we had. Nor was the organization it was written for. However, after doing an immense amount of background research and talking to a number of people, the path hit the homestretch: calling the members of the listed core council.

Because every one of the groups allied with Gov. Mark Sanford are staffed like an interlocking directorate, it was a bit of luck that one of the first calls was to Chad Walldorf. The assumption was that the proposal was written for Reform SC. However, during a phone call the day after Christmas, Walldorf, who was the chairman of both Reform SC and S.C. Club for Growth, said that the proposal was written by Folks for SCCfG. Without that key confirmation, the whole thing probably would have fallen apart.

The next two weeks were devoted to writing and rewriting the opus, to the point of being so tired with the subject, looking at the story in its Word file or the lists of notes and quotes felt like a decent into madness.

As we all saw in the primaries last year, the plan did come to fruition, after a fashion, but with mixed results for the Governor and his allies. And, if the proof in the pudding is legislative success, it doesn’t look like Sanford got the big win he was looking for.

Monday’s budget debate included the longest House session of the year, so far. And, it was tweeted.

dphamilton: starting budget week in the SC House today…hang on to your wallets!

EBedingfield: Well, at least we are moving slowly thru this budget mess.

SCLegislator: The pigeons were more interesting than this.

SCHouseDems: Democrats budget agenda: job creation, public education, healthcare. We oppose GOP tax increase on local government under any circumstance.

AshleySHunter: listening to the House pass over every section of the budget. we will be here forever.

SCHouseDems: GOP leader Rep. Kenny Bingham introduces a new ‘fee’ collected by the Dept. of Insurance to increase revenue = Another tax increase by GOP.

AntonJGunn: In the middle of budget process and it feels like I’m in a Seder. They are “passing over” every section of the budget.

SCLegislator: @NathanBallentin The best part of this Twitting is not having to pay attention. (Can you see me waving at you?)

thadviers: at caucus luncheon sitting with the right wing conspiracy members Haley, ballentine, beningfield, Pitts and a few others.

RepJamesSmith: is working hard to make sure the State Appropriations Bill focuses on Jobs Education and Healthcare.

EBedingfield: Here we go again on the budget.

EBedingfield: Why would anyone want to take monies away from abstinence education in SC?

paigecoop: @EBedingfield Because it has been shown that abstinence programs aren’t effective

paigecoop: @EBedingfield. Prime example Sarah Palin’s little princess Bristol

tdkelly: @EBedingfield hmm, let me see. Maybe so that money could go to something that’s actually proven effective?

JoeyMillwood: Question whether or not to take stimulus money on the board in an amendment. Any input?

JoeyMillwood: Stimulus money will be used.

LinBennett: @JoeyMillwood My understanding 95% by-passes SC leg anyway and goes straight to munis and counties? Is that the case? #sctweets #tcot

JoeyMillwood: There were nine of us that voted against stimulus.

dphamilton: Vote for SC to accept “budget stabilization” federal stimulus money passes 108-8. Puts off for tomorrow what should be done today.

gcoats84: @JoeyMillwood wow, keep up the good work, please tell me it was a roll call vote

annephutto: back on the floor for the budget debate

JoeyMillwood: @gcoats Thanks man. It was a roll call.

JoeyMillwood: @dphamilton. I can’t count. Eight voted against taking stimulus dollars.

johnroconnor: S.C. Budget update: About 200 amendments have been drafted, not all on the desk. May not be as long a week as many thought.

EBedingfield: I was one of 8 who voted agianst the Obama debt.

johnroconnor: Just two amendments in K-12 education section of budget. This will be a short week.

KrisCrawford: The attempt to vote against the stimulus money before taking the stimulus money failed. Only 8 voted against taking the money.

KrisCrawford: going to be a long week it looks like. The AV component of ammendment presentatiions seems to be catching on.

tdkelly: @EBedingfield gosh I hope none of that tainted money gets spent in your district.

JoeyMillwood: @gcoats84 I also said thanks earlier for the support.

ccslick: Kudos to u 8 4 being responsible! @ebedingfield, @dphamilton, G.Smith, Nanney, @thadviers, Stewart, @nathanballentin, @joeymillwood

johnroconnor: The John De La Howe school does not get $600k for a new roof. 60-56 tabled.

johnroconnor: Rep. Harry Ott argues budget violates federal stimulus rules because it does not roll back EIA formula cuts from current budget.

SCHouseDems: GOP Rep Millwood Smith Ballentine Bedingfield Hamilton Viers Stewart Nanney vote against accepting Stimulus money. Bet theyll spend it tho!

ccslick: @SCHouseDems They voted against it on principle. I am very proud of their votes and for standing up for what they believe in and know to

johnroconnor: Rep. Dan Cooper says S.C. education spending exceeds federal stimulus spending requirements by .6 percentage points.

johnroconnor: John De La Howe school receives $270k for roof repairs.

AntonJGunn: is looking for earmarks in the state budget. Found some already.

JoeyMillwood: @antonjgunn The Obama camp knows nothing about earmarks, correct?

dphamilton: @AntonJGunn spill those earmarks, lets expose them.

johnroconnor: No amendments in Medicaid section of budget. Done with USC system, higher ed as well. Moving right along.

JoeyMillwood: House plowing through the budget.

adampiper: @JoeyMillwood I think y’all are using a ben tillman era mule powered plow for the budget instead of one of those john deere kinds.

dphamilton: amendments to the budget offered by Democrats today already total over $67 million and counting.

thadviers: i have 5 amds for budget. all are taxpayer friendly that cuts government.

johnroconnor: Rep. Hosey 0 for $42 million on Allendale/Barnwell budget requests. Just gave the “ain’t too proud to beg” speech. #sctweets

adampiper: Democrats trying to turn State Budget into a sluggish spending spree – some things are the same in SC and DC. #sctweets

yvonnewenger: Rep. Wendell Gilliard, D-Charleston, tries to get $250,000 in budget amendment for Charles Webb Center’s developmentally disabled children.

adampiper: @dphamilton – great question on the floor regarding all children matter – born and unborn. #sctweets

dphamilton: An article about one of the reasons I voted to not take the federal stimulus in SC: http://bit.ly/fXgbk

johnroconnor: House refuses to reduce funding for abstinence-based sex ed programs. #sctweets

dphamilton: word on the House floor is that we’ll be in tonight until 10:00 PM. Glad I brought some snacks.

AntonJGunn: @dphamilton Yes these amendments are changes to the budget bot NOT ONE of them is a “tax increase” or a “fee increase”. Don’t confuse people

johnroconnor: Transparency advocates are not requesting roll call votes on budget sections, though they wanted one for each of 90 sections. #sctweets

AshleySHunter: just found out budget is going till 10 pm. nooooo…. but on a bright note, abstinence works when you are abstinent.

JoeyMillwood: Dems keep putting up amendments that want to spend money, money, money!

JoeyMillwood: Rep. John King’s amendment the latest to fail.

AntonJGunn: @JoeyMillwood There you go again twisting the truth. It wasn’t Dems that voted to spend $350 million of the recovery package in W&Ms.

SCLegislator: @AntonJGunn Til 10:00??? Why didn’t anybody tell me that?

JoeyMillwood: @antonjgunn It was the Dems and I voted against the stimulus, my good man.

JoeyMillwood: Dems keep asking for more money and more money.

AntonJGunn: @JoeyMillwood Yeah I know you voted against the recovery but this entire proposed budget before amendments was a GOP bill. All $5.6B of it.

JoeyMillwood: @dphamilton @ebedingfield @thadviers @nathanballentin I don’t think @antongunn realizes that the majority of the Twitter caucus stood firm.

adampiper: #sctweets – Bill Sandifer exchange re: Mark Sanford might be today’s highlight: GOP St. Rep. has not talked w. GOP Gov in 18 mos.

ShannonErickson: Amndmt #170, now-rolling along! Special thanks to Rep. Joan Brady for the red/white/blue cookies-note says “let’s not fight over the crumbs”

JoeyMillwood: @antonjgunn We’ll never get there with Dems trying to spend all the taxpayer dollars.

AntonJGunn: @JoeyMillwood I know what you did, but I am watching to see if you’ll vote against the final budget w/ the recovery money in it. :-) Scared?

AshleySHunter: maybe the twitter reps can ask them to cut the air back. i know there is a lot of hot air down there, but its freezing in the gallery!!!

adampiper: Gary Simril asks #schouse to help @HenryMcMaster fight the water wars. #sctweets

adampiper: @JoeyMillwood @dphamilton @ebedingfield @thadviers @nathanballentin @antongun- Please help @HenryMcMaster w. the Water Wars #sctweets

SCLegislator: Some of my colleagues need to trim ear hair.

JoeyMillwood: Rep. Hosey just pulled down lots of amendments to applause.

adampiper: @NathanBallentin Thanks for helping give @HenryMcMaster a supersoaker to blast NC in the water war.

AntonJGunn: @adampiper You know I meant “can”! “Yes We Can” protect our water supply. I got your back on this!

thadviers: hanging with rutherford, Thompson and Lowe in the anti-lobby of the statehouse.

adampiper: @thadviers is that the anti-lobby or the ante-lobby

JoeyMillwood: Reps. Ott and Kennedy trying to put on a show on the house floor. The Dems end up talking to each other more than republicans.

adampiper: SC Reps and Kennedy should move their sideshow to the lobby and let the House take up real business #sctweets

adampiper: @ebedingfield – can you ask Mr. Ott if he has a fancy GPS unit – since he accused only the Rich Republicans of having one

EBedingfield: Part 1B’s of the SC Budget. The where and how!

johnroconnor: House finished with first section of budget. About 1/3 through, according to no. of amendments. #sctweets

annephutto: Rep. James Smith fighting for National Board Certified Teachers – go Rep. Smith

RepJamesSmith: is pleased the House took bi-partisan action and restored National Board Teacher Certification.

AshleySHunter: according to bakari sellers- sanford has read one book- the earth is flat.

AntonJGunn: its 7:16pm and we are just starting to get to the meat of how your tax dollars will be spent.

JoeyMillwood: @antonjgunn Your computer time is wrong. It’s actually 8:18.

AntonJGunn: @JonJon66 @JoeyMillwood yes my state government computer is so old that it doesn’t keep up with the time changes.

JoeyMillwood: Still going on the budget. Debating education now. Rep. Ott is talking about redistribution of wealth within a school district.

dphamilton: finally a Democrat admits they are for redistribution, thank you Rep. Ott. “I’ll be blunt, this is about redistribution.” –Rep. Harry Ott

AntonJGunn: @JoeyMillwood “waving my finger at you” – there is no conversation about “redistribution of wealth”. He’s talking about backpacking funding.

AntonJGunn: Backpacking is a positon that is supported by the Ed Finance Study Committee and the SC Policy Council.

JoeyMillwood: @antonjgunn Rep. Ott said the he was talking about “redistribution.” What are you upset about? That’s all Obama talks about.

rpagesc: @dphamilton Are they spreading the wealth around? It scares me when you all are in session late in the evening.

AntonJGunn: @JoeyMillwood That’s not all that Obama talks about. Never heard him use the word. If you vote for the budget you support redistribution too

PhilBaileySC: @JoeyMillwood Will you be voting for final passage with all that stimulus money?

AntonJGunn: I need to bring a dictionary to the House floor. There is so much selective language usage in here.

JoeyMillwood: @antonjgunn No…He just passes the biggest spending bill in history.

PhilBaileySC: @JoeyMillwood Joey, please vote for it so I can pass your recorded vote onto the Club For Growth (aka your campaign funders)

dphamilton: @rpagesc don’t worry, we took extra vitamins today and we’re keeping a vigilant eye on things…they’re trying to increase weighting

WolfeReports: When Kennedy gets worked up, you just have to watch. Better than television.

dphamilton: @rpagesc they have an amendment to add on a weighting for poverty in EFA funding.

AntonJGunn: @JoeyMillwood No he didn’t. Congress did that. Reflect on your High School government class. Congress passes, Presidents sign on veto.

dphamilton: @WolfeReports it is if you have a mute button….don’t know if it comes across on TV/web but he is very loud in the Chamber.

johnroconnor: S.C. Budget debate is now on adding more funding for poorer school students.

AntonJGunn: @JoeyMillwood By the way, its still less than what the previous administration spent on wars in other countries.

JoeyMillwood: @antonjgunn Oh excuse me.Obama and the Democrats in Congress passed the biggest mistake in U.S. Gov’t history. You’re making it easy for me.

dphamilton: alright, @JoeyMillwood & @AntonJGunn, break it up fellas.

johnroconnor: Someone’s got Thursday basketball tix if we’re debating school funding formulas at 9 p.m. Monday of budget week.

AntonJGunn: @JoeyMillwood Nope. The biggest mistake was Iraq. That mistake has cost us lives and money.

SCHouseDems: @shannonerickson Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran- Rob Miller- is watching these budget votes…

paigecoop: @dphamilton Please don’t break it up, some of us at home are enjoying the @JoeyMillwood VS @AntonJGunn prize fight.

JoeyMillwood: @antonjgunn I guess if you don’t think the rest of the world deserves democracy and freedom from a terrible dictator, you may be right.

JoeyMillwood: @antonjgunn What would Jack Bauer Do?

WolfeReports: @JoeyMillwood That is a very simplistic argument. We coddle dictators all the time, when it serves national interests.

WolfeReports: One more hour left in debate? Should order pizza, mix a drink and celebrate.

PhilBaileySC: @ashmanini It’s cool. @JoeyMillwood is too busy “growing government” right now. He could be very “stimulated” so look out.

AshleySHunter: wants to go home!

ashmanini: @philbaileysc LoL. I am enjoing the lively debate on twitter

AntonJGunn: @JoeyMillwood No I think everyone deserves freedom and democracy. I don’t agree that’s what they have in Iraq.

JoeyMillwood: @antonjgunn That will definitely be true when Pres. Obama withdraws our troops.

AntonJGunn: @JoeyMillwood Oh yeah, Bauer would not invade Iraq. He would defend and protect Americans on U.S. soil.

dphamilton: @AntonJGunn & @JoeyMillwood — Just to clarify guys, Jack Bauer is a fictional character.

PhilBaileySC: SC House GOP members to Dem House member’s questions: “I can answer your questions with bullshit and the amendment will still pass.”

JoeyMillwood: @dphamilton Yes…But Bauer is the man. He’s what we should all strive to be. lol.

JoeyMillwood: is tired and happy he didn’t forget his pillow at home.

JoeyMillwood: It looks like we may be winding down.

AntonJGunn: @JoeyMillwood The Millwood Motto: Special Pillows and Special Food makes me Happy.

JoeyMillwood: @antonjgunn hahahaha. For everyone following on sctweets, @antonjgunn and I are friends and agree on Lost and 24 and the greatness they are.

EBedingfield: Binding future GA’s in SC to spend money we won’t have. Is that a good thing? I think not!

dphamilton: @AntonJGunn Ha Ha, now that’s funny.

AntonJGunn: @dphamilton Jack Bauer is real. The House of Representatives is in fantasyland.

PhilBaileySC: Look at @JoeyMillwood spending all that government money. Bravo.

AntonJGunn: Its 10:10pm and we are just now approaching the end of section 1 of 90 sections of the State Budget.

johnroconnor: House wrapping up day’s work. More done on first budget day this year than my previous three sessions. About 40% of amendments.

JoeyMillwood: We have adjourned. Will pick back up at 930 a.m.