http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/sc-news/ en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:26:41 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418088/posts Link to WRHI website with Audio (30 minutes)State Senator Mick Mulvaney (R) discusses his upcoming candidacy for South Carolina's 5th Congressional District. Mulvaney discusses the reason he's decided to challenge 27-year veteran Democrat Rep. John Spratt, the logistics of the race and campaign organization, his chances, the possibility (likelihood) that Spratt will go negative (like he did in 2006), etc. One rumor that Mulvaney squashes here is that Ralph Norman will run against him in the primary. Mick Mulvaney for Congress Dump Spratt WRHI 1340 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418088/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:26:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417687/posts Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said he was encouraged that President Barack Obama talked openly about the "systemic failures" involving the attempted Christmas bombing of Northwest Flight 253, but criticized him for not focusing more on terrorism since taking office. "The president has downplayed terrorism since he took office. He doesn't use the word anymore," DeMint told "Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith. "He waited eight months to nominate someone as head of [the Transportation Security Administration] and then they wanted to rush it through without any debate or roll call vote. So the focus on terror as a threat is real... CBS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417687/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:13:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417429/posts "The veteran Justice Department voting rights section chief who recommended going forward on a civil complaint against members of the New Black Panther Party after they disrupted a Pennsylvania polling place in last year's elections has been removed from his post and transferred to the U.S. attorney's office in South Carolina. The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417429/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:50:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417364/posts Interestingly, as I write this, word comes from the paper that one of the GOP candidates for Governor of South Carolina, has been AWOL from his day job. Gresham Barrett, a South Carolina Congressman, has been absent from more votes in the United States House of Representatives than any other Congressman, Democrat or Republican. Barrett is, like the other guys in the race, a good guy, but I have to ask what these guys have sacrificed for their principles. We are used to guys compromising in the name of comity and saving face and power. Rarely do we see a... RedState http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417364/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:13:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417186/posts Republicans have seized on the Christmas Day attempted terrorist attack as evidence that Democrats are weak on national security issues, as they seek to bolster their credentials ahead of next year’s Congressional elections. As the Obama administration’s investigation into how a suspicious Nigerian man was able to carry explosives onto a US-bound aircraft gathers pace, a slew of Republicans have criticised everything from the president’s slow response to his plans to close the controversial Guantánamo Bay prison camp. “Soft talk about engagement, closing Gitmo, these things are not going to appease the terrorists,” said Jim DeMint, a Republican senator from... Financial Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417186/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:27:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416860/posts Senate Democrats will face a problem when they return in January every bit as tough as crafting the healthcare bill: Assembling a climate and energy package that can be shoehorned into the election-year calendar. Imposing limits on greenhouse gases is a White House and Democratic priority, but it’s stuck in line behind health care, Wall Street reform and jobs legislation. It’s also become increasingly apparent since the Copenhagen climate summit that the Senate will go forward in a dramatically different direction than the House, which approved its own climate bill last summer. Environmentalists familiar with Democratic plans say party leaders... The Hill, Washington, DC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416860/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:09:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416029/posts New population figures give a boost to the GOP By: Chris StirewaltPolitical EditorDecember 28, 2009 The 2010 census is sure to be controversial.Republicans will thunder about the community organizers who get hired to do the counting, and Democrats will wail that the homeless and migrant workers are undercounted.But in the final pre-count estimate just released by the Census Bureau, we already have a broad idea of where the results are headed and what they will mean politically.The numbers are cause for alarm for Democrats.Of the states gaining House seats -- Texas (three) and Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah... Washington Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416029/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:44:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412915/posts Congressman Henry Brown's "Stand Up for Christmas" resolution is just another example of Republican politicians' long history of exploiting social and cultural issues to distract voters from their big government records. youtube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412915/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:06:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415619/posts (snip) Sen. Lindsey Graham believes his fellow South Carolina Republican's verdict is too harsh. He plans to vote to confirm Bernanke, who just turned 56. “I remember what it was like in September 2008 when the stock market went down a thousand points, and we had one failure after another of major financial institutions,” Graham told McClatchy. “Bernanke and some others came up with a game plan to save us from another Great Depression,” Graham said. “I think he's been a pretty steady hand at the tiller.” DeMint also blasts Bernanke on the $700 billion financial bailout bill pushed by... The Herald, Rock Hill, SC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415619/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:27:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1849842/posts Hundreds of Islamic centers in the United States have become a hot-bed of extremist activity; they promote violence, terrorism and hatred against America. “Our initial investigation has concluded there are between 400 to 500 radical Islamic centers in the U.S.,” said David Gaubatz, the director of counterintelligence and counterterrorism for the Society of Americans for National Existence. “In those places, they preach an extreme version of Islam that says America and the West is the enemy. They espouse violence, hatred and the need for terrorism.” Gaubatz is a former senior U.S. intelligence official, who now works for the Mapping Shari’a... Insight Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1849842/posts#comment Thu, 14 Jun 2007 02:01:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414019/posts A few weeks ago, at the end of a 40-minute Oval Office huddle on climate change between President Barack Obama and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham — one of many tête-è-têtes on various subjects between the two this year — Obama leaned forward. "Look Lindsey, I'm ready to play," he said. "I'm for nuclear power. I'm for responsible offshore drilling. I'm for clean coal. I just need a reasonable emissions standard." "Count me in," Graham replied. "Let's see if we can do it." Wait, you may ask, a conservative Republican is seriously negotiating with the President? And on global warming, of... TIME http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414019/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:19:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413565/posts MYRTLE BEACH The Rev. Andrew Trapp, the poker-playing-priest from St. Michael Catholic in Garden City Beach, didn't win the $1 million prize during the finals of "PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge." Word first leaked to the New York Post that Mike Kosowki, a 21-year NYPD veteran, won the $1 million prize by defeating Trapp and poker star Daniel Negreanu, Trapp confirmed Monday afternoon. "He ended up beating me and the other two finalists for the shot to play for the million," Trapp said. "I'm disappointed. It's been really tough the past few weeks with everybody asking how I did. I'm happy... The Charlotte Observer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413565/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:48:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413136/posts Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) pointed out some rather astounding language in the Senate healthcare bill during floor remarks Monday night. First, he noted that there are a number of changes to Senate rules in the bill -- and it's supposed to take a 2/3 vote to change the rules. And then he pointed out that the Reid bill declares on page 1020 that the Independent Medicare Advisory Board cannot be repealed by future Congresses... The New Media Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413136/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:20:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413060/posts Sen. Jim DeMint (R., S.C.) has thumbed through Harry Reid's manager's amendment and discovered some "particularly troubling" rule-change provisions, especially with regards to the proposed Independent Medicare Advisory Board, which he finds could be unrepealable: NRO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413060/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:56:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412812/posts With a Senate health care bill on track to be passed before Christmas without a single Republican vote, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham says his biggest concern about what he calls a "sleazy process" is the long-term damage it will do on Capitol Hill. "You are legitimizing partisan outcomes rather than looking at the best interest of the nation and that is to hold hands and do big things together," Graham said in an interview Monday from Washington. "It's the first time a major piece of legislation has passed along partisan lines," he said, "a departure from what has been a... The Post & Courier, Charleston, SC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412812/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:56:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412787/posts In this season given to tidings of comfort and joy, word has come that we New Yorkers are the sad sacks of the United States. This is something of a surprise. Sure, we complain a lot. Grumbling could qualify as the official state sport. But are we really the unhappiest of them all? It seems so, judging from a study by two economics professors, newly published in Science magazine. The academics — Andrew J. Oswald, of the University of Warwick in Britain, and Stephen Wu, of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. — examined piles of data, tossed them into a... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412787/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:48:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412473/posts Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is locked in a battle with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) over the future makeup of the Senate Republican conference. DeMint (S.C.), the chairman of the Senate Republican Steering Committee, is going toe-to-toe with Cornyn in Senate Republican primaries. DeMint has thrown his weight behind Chuck DeVore, a conservative Republican who is running against a more centrist candidate backed by Cornyn. “Every Republican campaigns on being a conservative, but if you look at what we do once we’re in office, most people join the club rather than the country after they get here,... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412473/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:00:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412136/posts A group called Americans for Prosperity in Nebraska gathered a crowd for a rally in Omaha to press Sen. Nelson on the reform bill. Anger over senator Ben Nelson's support of health care reform. Nearly 2,000 people rally in Omaha, hoping he's listening. The group's message is two fold -- reconsider your vote Senator Nelson and remember your decision when elections roll around. With their signs in hand, Nebraskans filled Omaha's Music Hall, rallying against the senate health care bill and Sen. Nelson's support for it. "I think that's why we're all here. To get him to listen to us,"... 1011now http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412136/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:52:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412127/posts U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that he wants South Carolina's top prosecutor to investigate a deal that helped secure the 60th vote needed to pass a Democratic health care bill through the Senate. Blasting Senate Democrats for what he called "backroom deals that amount to bribes," Graham found much to complain about in their health care bill. He was particularly irked that the senator who provided that final vote to head off a Republican filibuster, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, cut a deal in which the federal government pays his state's share of the cost for new Medicaid recipients. The Post and Courier http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412127/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:22:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411661/posts WASHINGTON -- Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a leading congressional advocate for immigrants' rights, has introduced a bill that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to become U.S. citizens and would end a controversial program that enlists local police to enforce immigration laws. The bill is widely viewed as too liberal to pass. Obama administration officials have said they are looking instead to a more moderate, bipartisan immigration-reform bill to be introduced in the Senate early next year by Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).Still, the Chicago Democrat made it clear that he and his allies expect a seat at the... The Chicago Sun-Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411661/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:06:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411513/posts The issue of concealed weapons has stirred up debate in Georgetown County. S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster said the county’s ban on concealed weapons on school grounds does not comply with state law. School district officials they will re-think the policy, which prohibits the possession of concealed weapons on school grounds even if the owner has a permit. The attorney general’s office said state law requires the permit holder to lock a weapon in a trunk, a center console or glove box of a vehicle. The district’s plan to work its policy has some families concerned. “If you have your... SC Now http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411513/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:26:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411088/posts An opinion from South Carolina’s attorney general is forcing the Georgetown County School District to rethink an illegal policy that bans concealed weapons on school property. Henry McMaster told the district that the policy, which prohibits visitors, parents, teachers and students from carrying weapons on school property including parking lots — even with a concealed carry permit — was a violation of state law. That law was approved by the General Assembly earlier this year and allows anyone with a concealed carry permit to keep weapons locked in their vehicles on school property. Rep. Thad Viers (R-Horry) requested the opinion... palmettoscoop.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411088/posts#comment Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:35:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410968/posts South Carolina’s economy shed more jobs in November as the holiday season got under way, with the unemployment rate jumping to 12.3%, in a month when the national jobless rate dropped 0.2 percentage point to 10.0%. The state Employment Security Commission said November’s 0.3-percentage-point increase in jobless figures set a record for the state. Estimates by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics numbered the state’s labor force at 2,173,054 in November, an increase of 2,079. The number of unemployed increased 5,896 to 266,330. The Employment Security Commission is now taking claims from people who might be eligible for additional benefits.... The Charleston Regional Business Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410968/posts#comment Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:08:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410857/posts Fort Mill, SC (WBTV) – In this season of giving, retail giant Lowe's Home Improvement donated $25,000 to help bring 200 soldiers home for the holidays. The company's generosity is making it possible for Pierson Young's husband to be there for their baby girl, Addison's first Christmas. "We're very excited," said Young. "When he left last time, she wasn't holding her head up on her own and now she can almost sit by herself," she said. "And all these new things we get to share with Daddy. Milestones that I was afraid he was going to miss--but is now going... WBTV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410857/posts#comment Sat, 19 Dec 2009 01:06:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410774/posts WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Lindsey Graham makes an unlikely champion for action on climate change. The South Carolina Republican has joined forces with Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts and independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut to drum up support for a bill that would put a price on heat-trapping pollution. Graham's position has irked just about everybody. (snip) Q: How did you get involved in this issue? A: It was a slow evolution. I started traveling with Sen. (John) McCain, who has been a climate change advocate for a long time, and I went to the Arctic region with him and... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410774/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:46:59 GMT