That's Our Nikki: Vindictive, Bitter, and Yes, Bitch

Our beloved.....I'll pause until the giggles subside...governor, the Transparent Nikki Haley, held an 'End Of Session' party at the Governor's Mansion, paid for by the people of South Carolina, where she served food and drink, paid for by the people of South Carolina, and Nikki asked everyone to come, except for some Democrats, and at least one Republican, that she doesn't like or feels like they crossed her.

Call it the Mama Grizzly Bore Complex.

The excuses for the interesting guest list began to fly almost immediately. Nikki's spokesmoron, Rob Godfrey, says the cookout was actually hosted by Nikki's husband so they could invite whomever they chose. But, then, why call it an 'End Of Session' cookout, if the First Hubby is the host? He has nothing to do with the legislature.

But, like most legislators, Democratic Representative Boyd Brown assumed all legislators were invited, until he was stopped at the gate of the house where Nikki lives for free, and told he wasn't on the list. Brown says he's not sure what he did to be excluded, but spokesasshat, Rob Godfrey, said Brown had publicly and privately disrespected Haley, and fought her agenda during the legislative session.

That was followed by a foot stomp, and a "So there," I believe.

Among others on the governor's It's-My-Party-And-I-Won't-Ask-The-People-Who-Don't-Kiss-My Ass list were Democratic....of course....House Minority Leader Harry Ott,  Democratic....of course.....Senator Brad Hutto, Republican....Huh? Oh yeah, he doesn't like Nikki....Senator Jake Knotts, and Smallville's own Democrat....naturally....Vincent Sheheen who just happened to nearly beat Nikki in the last election, and stomped her ass in every debate from here to Charleston, and continues to show what an awful mistake the Repugs of South Carolina made during the last election.

That's our Nikki. She said she'd be transparent and she is doing just that. It's transparent that if you disagree with her, you're on the Do Not Call list. It's transparent that while she lives in a house that I, and all South Carolinians, pay for, and throws a party that I, and all South Carolinians, including the dozen or so state legislator she didn't invite, pay for, that she'll do whatever the hell she pleases.

I'm waiting for the bi-partisan door to slam in her face. And the next election when Nikki gets sent packing.

That's a party I'd attend!


SC Legislators Say Haley Snubbed Them
Haley's Unwise Unwelcome List
Haley Bans Democrats from Mansion Party

That's Our Nikki: Mark Sanford In a Dress

Back when Miss Nikki was runnin' for guv'nah of South Carolina, she preached and promised a new kinda administration, full of openness and transparency, a marked change from our former Appalachian Trail hikin' adulteratinm' guv'nah of olde.

But, um, not so fast.

As SC New Democrats President Phil Noble wrote in The Greenville News, very early on in Miss Nikki's first term--and it will be her last term, too--Miss Nikki is doing exactly what she said she wouldn't do, shouldn't do, couldn't do....

Miss Nikki's administration:

• Staff pay raises – The very first day in office she gave obscene pay raises to her campaign staff that moved over to run the Governor’s Office. Several of them are being paid more that she is paid as governor — all at a time of radical cuts to education and other vital parts of the state budget.
• White boys rule — The majority of her staff and cabinet appointments were white men. Of 24 appointments, only one is black; our state is 29 percent black. State government should look like South Carolina.
• Hiding behind technicalities — Openness and accountability were key themes of her campaign but she refuses to use the state provided e-mail and mobile phone so that she can avoid public records disclosure laws.
• Mixing government and campaign — On her Governor’s Office state Internet site, she had direct links to her campaign website, including links to solicit campaign donations. When she was called on this, she took down the links.
• Appointments for cronies — She appointed Chad Waldorf to head the Board of Economics Advisors. A trained economist with advanced degrees, not a barbecue baron, usually holds this post. My brother-in-law George cooks a great slab of ribs too, but that doesn’t mean he is qualified to provide guidance as to the economic future of our state.
• Airplane trips from donors — Haley accepted a free plane trip to California for her husband and some of her staff from Raj Mantena. He and his family donated about $24,000 to her campaign and the Republican Party. The trip was valued at $19,656. See Mark Sanford’s ethics violations as to where this kind of stuff leads.
• Public schedule and media openness — As a candidate, she promised the maximum — “open up everything to the public.” As governor she’s delivering the minimum. She promised to release her public schedule but what she releases hides more than it shows. And, as The State newspaper observed “…Haley has adopted the Tea Party-model for dealing with the S.C. media, keeping the press at arm’s length….pictures and sound-bites are what matters.”
• Improper meetings — In apparent violation of state law, Haley held a closed-door meeting with two other members of the Budget and Control Board to discuss the budget. When the Republican state Treasurer, who was excluded from the meeting objected, Haley said it was OK because the state treasurer is not relevant to the state budget. Huh?

Now, as Phil Noble points out, some folks can "look at each of these and say 'no big deal,' and taken individually, they aren’t. But, all of these eight problems occurred in just the first 30 days. What it shows is a pattern of cutting corners, playing ball with political cronies and sliding by the rules on a technicality."

 

But that's what she said she wouldn't do. She said she would make South Carolina better, help cleanse the bad taste left in our mouths by Mark Sanford's antics. But Nikki Haley is just more of the same.

That's Our Nikki: Lying On Job Applications

Let's be clear: South Carolina Senator Vincent Sheheen--who, for the record, lives in Smallville--lost his bid to become South Carolina's governor. Narrowly.Lost. And that lost must ache a bit, so it's no surprise that he attacks Nikki Haley every chance he gets. What isn't surprising, however, is that every attack, every criticism he has of Transparent Nikki, is spot on.

Speaking to a group of Spartanburg Democrats, he reiterated the story floating around the state that then-state Representative lied on her application for a job at Lexington Medical Center. Sheheen is the first prominent South Carolina elected official to directly accuse Haley of deceit on the controversial application.

Nikki Haley's spokesmoron, Rob Godfrey, responded with a typical non-response to Vincent Sheheen via email: "It's sad to see that Senator Sheheen hasn't gotten over his defeat."

Oh, honey, he's over it. He's just calling out more and more of Nikki Haley's lies and deceits. He isn't over that.

Sheheen's accusations against Haley came during a wider series of remarks casting Nikki Haley as just the latest scandal-plagued Republican involved in a years-long wave of corruption in the state Capitol:

"What's happening in Columbia right now is that we are seeing corruption on a scale that we have not seen in the Legislature since Lost Trust and statewide in the last hundred years...Think about what's going on: House members arrested for criminal domestic violence, House members arrested for not paying their taxes, statewide officials going to jail for drug dealing a few years ago, a governor with over 60 ethics violations and a current governor who didn't pay her taxes either, who's holding secret meetings without letting the press know, lying on employment applications — that is what we've been reduced to in South Carolina."

Yes, we all know Nikki Haley has a problem paying her taxes, unless the state threatens to take her property, but what about that job application?

Vincent Sheheen:

"Either the governor's not telling the truth or somebody filled out her application...[and]...I think that it's hard to believe that she didn't fill out that application. I think any reasonable person wonders why she is making the kind of statements she has."

So, what about the job application? Well, on Nikki Haley's August 2008 application to become a fundraiser for the Lexington Medical Center, she listed her qualifications for the job--she had none--and her previous work experiences and salaries. Columbia newspaper, The State, reported that on Haley's application for the medical center position she stated she'd earned $125,000 a year, far more than the $22,000 she claimed on her Federal income Taxes.

In her efforts to be A Transparent Liar, Nikki Haley, and her Hounds Of Hell, have repeatedly denied that she provided the $125,000 figure on the application. And, to be fair, some pages of the application carry her signature, but the page regarding previous salary does not.

So, does that mean Nikki Haley fills out applications or does she have people do that for her? Or, does she partially fill out applications, and then have people fill out the rest for her so she can say she didn't lie?

Either way, one thing is transparent about Nikki Haley: she lies. Or she has someone lie for her.

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That's Our Nikki

Our governor, Nikki Haley, promised transparency in government. You know, no secrets, everything above board. No, um, hikes. But what I think she meant is that it will become transparent that she is out to do what's best for Nikki, not for the people of South Carolina.

Case in point: Nikki, as is her right as governor, has removed Darla Moore from the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees, and replaced her with a man who donated $4,500 to Nikki Haley's gubernatorial campaign.

Like I said, that's her right. And her mouthpiece, er, spokesman, Rob Godfrey, said Moore was removed from the board a week ago, but damn the transparency, we'll keep it a secret for a week: "As is the case with many of our appointees, the governor looked for a fresh set of eyes to put in a critical leadership position –- a governor's appointee to the USC board."

Hmmm, sounds good, you know a fresh set of eyes. And those eyes belong to Lexington attorney Thomas Cofield.

Okay, an attorney will be on the Board of Trustees, replacing Darla Moore, who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1975, and since 1998 has pledged more than $70 million to USC's business school because, as she says, she'd "like to see [USC] become once again a nationally-recognized business school" graduating the best and brightest minds in business.

She's out, and the campaign donor is in.

And on the very day that Nikki Haley announced that Moore had been removed from the Board of Trustees, news broke that  the Moore School's--named for Darla Moore--graduate international business program is once more the number two business program in theU.S.

But she's out.

Haley's surprise move has elicited strong reactions on both sides of the issue. While everyone understands that the governor has the right to do what she's done, many feel it was an insult to Darla Moore, who has given a lot of money to help the university. Well, maybe Darla Moore didn't give a lot of money to help Nikki Haley become the transparent governor that she is today.

Haley wrote on Facebook--how Sarah Palin of her--that: "Each governor deserves the chance to appoint board members that share his or her vision to a board. Being that there are 19 board seats, and that a governor has but two appointments, we believe it's entirely appropriate to put people in those slots who share our vision for the university."

I think she means someone who "shares my vision", not someone who has a proven vision for the university.

That's our Nikki.

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