Haley Watch: Watch out Canada, Queen Nikki is on the way

Photo of Governor Haley comes from her ex-boyfriend Will Folks' website, FITSnews.





I used to do most of my Haleyating on the radio.

During our broadcast-hiatus, I've greatly missed my regular chance to dump all over our hyper-conservative (but nonetheless pretty randy) governor. So, making up for that today.

~*~

Last month, Queen Nikki made a royal fool of herself by telling employers to stay out of South Carolina.

Wait, what?!? Stay OUT, you ask?

Yes, she told them to stay out... IF they bring those dreaded, scary unionized employees with them, that is:

GREENVILLE, S.C. — South Carolina loves its manufacturing jobs from BMW, Michelin and Boeing and wants more.

But Gov. Nikki Haley says they're not welcome if they're bringing a unionized workforce.

"It's not something we want to see happen," she said after an appearance at an automotive conference in downtown. "We discourage any companies that have unions from wanting to come to South Carolina because we don't want to taint the water."

In a recent vote at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., the company remained neutral about bringing in the United Auto Workers. VW had said it favors the creation of a German-style "works council," which gives workers a voice on a variety of products and other decisions.

U.S. law requires a union to represent employees for a company to form a works council.

State Sen. Vincent Sheheen, Haley's Democratic opponent in this year's gubernatorial race, said he thinks South Carolina should remain a right-to-work state where workers are free to decide whether to join unions.

"But I also think that if Ford Motor Co. wanted to bring 10,000 jobs to South Carolina, we would welcome them with open arms," Sheheen said.

"We need good, high-paying jobs in South Carolina," he said. "Part of leadership is putting ideology and partisanship to the side when there's something that could be good for South Carolina."

Haley isn't the first South Carolina Republican to reflect the South's traditional anti-union bias, but she's been especially outspoken against unions inserting themselves as mediators between workers and their employers.

GOP animosity toward unions grew red-hot in South Carolina during Haley's first year as governor after the National Labor Relations Board went to court to block the Boeing Co. from making its Dreamliner jet at a new factory in North Charleston.

The NLRB argued that Boeing had built the plant in right-to-work South Carolina in retaliation for past union strikes at the company's Puget Sound operations but ultimately dropped the complaint.

Haley has continued to remind voters of what the agency tried to do and did it again Wednesday while appearing here at the South Carolina Automotive Summit, an annual conference for the state's auto industry.

The governor urged more than 200 people at the conference, many of them auto industry executives, to keep up their guard against unions.

"They're coming into South Carolina. They're trying," Haley warned. "We're hearing it. The good news is it's not working."

Haley promised to keep fighting against union penetration.

"You've heard me say many times I wear heels. It's not for a fashion statement," she said. "It's because we're kicking them every day, and we'll continue to kick them."

State Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt said he couldn't recall the last time a company with a unionized workforce approached his agency about establishing a new plant in South Carolina.

"Companies that are traditional union companies don't seem to come looking for an operation in South Carolina," said Hitt, a former BMW executive whom Haley appointed. "I think our brand and our image precedes us in that regard."

Commerce officials inquire about an economic development prospect's labor traditions, he said.

"But we've never told someone outright no," Hitt said. "I think we've never gotten to that."

President Lewis Gossett of the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance, which has organized the automotive conference here the past three years, said he thinks Haley is "dead on" about unions.

"Organized labor has no place down here," Gossett said. "We don't need them. We don't need them to replicate what they've done in the Midwest and the Northeast. The governor gets that. And she's taken some very strong stands about it, and we love it."

However, Erin McKee, president of the South Carolina chapter of the AFL-CIO, said she doesn't think Haley is helping.

South Carolinians "have the right to have good jobs, and if those are union jobs, they're union jobs," McKee said. "And to keep jobs from coming here because they're union, I don't think she's representing the people."

Well, at least the unions can recognize a direct insult when they hear one. Any word from the Dems, besides that rather lackluster, lame-ass reply from Sheheen?

Hello, but are you kidding? (Welcome to South Carolina!) The Democrats here are busy pretending to be Republicans, so they do not criticize Governor Haley. The Democrats here, with extremely few exceptions, do not say BOO to Queen Nikki. They are terrified they might actually get elected and have to do something.

I mean, nothing they have done "works" (gets them elected)--so you figure they might try something different, right? Like actually going after Queen Nikki before she totally bankrupts the state? If Haley is re-elected, we can count on four more years of total neglect of this state's roads, agencies, fire departments and schools... which is apparently acceptable to the Democratic party, since none of the Democrats seem too awful worried about it.

Governor Haley was also recently bragging about another junket, another fun new vacation for the Queen, on our dime. But looking at her web page, I can't find it. Hm. Her last weekly schedule was posted on March 10th. I guess she finally remembered she was running for re-election, and decided to shut up about the junkets.

Oh wait, here it is (and why isn't this posted on the governor's official news site?):

COLUMBIA, SC — Gov. Nikki Haley is heading to Canada to recruit jobs [in March], her office said Tuesday.

She will join three S.C. Department of Commerce officials and former U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins on the three-day trip that starts March 31 in Toronto before she heads to Ottawa and Montreal.

Wilkins, now an attorney in private practice in Greenville, is paying for his portion of the trip, the governor's office said.

Haley will meet with companies already in the state as well as new prospects. She also will speak to business groups.

She is going to Canada for "jobs"--uh huh. Just like she went to Germany and France (page down HERE for the gory details) to the tune of $127,000--also supposedly for "jobs"--and um, where ARE those jobs, Governor?

(((crickets)))

I'm sure this Canadian trip will be just as successful as that one was.

At least it's cheaper and she isn't taking a delegation of two dozen with her this time. At least she isn't just flushing a million dollars of our taxes down the toilet. Then again, if there are no immediate results for South Carolina, she HAS flushed more of our money down the drain, she just isn't telling us HOW MUCH this time.

Please, get rid of this woman. Please, please, please...

Upcoming Republican Debate in Greenville

... appears to be a big bust so far, since nobody is officially running for president. (Punchline: What if the DeMint Faction gave a debate and nobody came?) They have until May 5th to stir up some interest and justify all of the Chamber of Commerce/Fox News hoopla. So far, they are stuck with the likes of right-wing fruitcake (and former Pennsylvania Senator) Rick Santorum and former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer. Obviously, they were hoping for rock stars like Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich, all of whom would provide some fun fireworks.

But... Santorum and Roemer? Not so much.

The Greenville News is worried:

A month shy of Greenville’s Republican presidential debate — now the first in the nation — there are still no formal GOP candidates for president, though some are edging closer.

It’s a far cry from this date four years ago, when the choices were already clear, and the relative slowness of the GOP field to congeal has prompted a four-month delay to the other spring presidential debate.

State GOP Chairwoman Karen Floyd told GreenvilleOnline.com there’ll be no such delay in Greenville and predicted at least five participants in the May 5 Fox News debate at the Peace Center for the Performing Arts.

Two potential candidates, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, have publicly committed to the Greenville debate, while a spokesman for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said he will not attend.

It’s unclear what the rest will do.

Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said it makes sense for candidates in the out-of-power party to save their money against an incumbent president who’s likely to raise $1 billion.

The pace sets up Greenville to start the national conversation in a Republican landscape where some in the party say voters are eager to build on 2010 victories but where the candidates are still coy about their intentions.

Greenville attorney David Wilkins, former speaker of the state House of Representatives and U.S. ambassador to Canada, said the cancellation of the California debate makes the one in Greenville more important.

“It’s the first one,” said Wilkins, a Republican who has been raising money for the Greenville event as one of its co-chairmen.

Santorum told GreenvilleOnline.com that the debate rules allow participation by potential candidates who have not yet formally announced campaigns.

U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour haven’t decided whether to run for president and will explore debate opportunities after they decide, while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will participate in the Greenville debate “if he’s a candidate,” press aides said.

Gingrich told Foster’s Daily Democrat in New Hampshire this week that he’ll likely decide on a candidacy by May 1.

Attempts to reach officials with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty were unsuccessful.

Santorum was the first to confirm his debate appearance. He said, “I think South Carolina will be a great place to start the action.”

Aaron Walker, spokesman for Roemer, said the former Louisiana governor is also committed.

A debate scheduled for May 2 at the Reagan library in California was delayed until September because organizers said they were concerned it wouldn’t attract all the eventual candidates.

The Greenville debate, however, may serve a different purpose, Sabato said, helping cement the state’s cherished position as the first in the South to judge Republican presidential hopefuls.

“You’ve got to work as hard as Iowa and New Hampshire to protect your status in the system,” Sabato said. “It’s a very favored status.”

As I wrote here, I had originally planned on a protest, but now I don't think one is necessary. Let's hope it turns into a bust and messes up all of their elephant-sized GOP dreams for now. (I hope Senator DeMint takes it personally that the GOP is dissing the debate in his hometown, hee hee hee!) Of course, I am still encouraging people to show up with signs and misbehave, but I don't think an organized effort will draw many people, unless Bachmann or someone of that caliber shows up.

And will they? Stay tuned, sports fans.

An anonymous local politico added his two cents, when I told him I wanted to title this post, "Greenville fucked by DeMint wing of Republican party"; he said the subtitle should be "Greenville moans with pleasure."

Yeah. Wish I'd thought of that.