6 Things That Happened (and Didn't) In SC Politics This Week: No Texting, No Lt. Governor, And No Way

The last normal week of the Legislature was not normal at all.

1. OMG, NO MORE TWD!!!

No more texting while driving in South Carolina. As least, that's required under a new law passed by the legislature and headed for Gov. Nikki Haley's desk this week. The vehicle must be pulled off a public street and completely stopped.

The governor has been mum on whether or not she will sign the law (while not ruling out a ban, Haley has previously said she would prefer encouraging drivers to change their behavior).

Well, maybe we can get them off the roads... but texting still presents a serious public safety threat.

2. Who’s number 2? Part 2

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When we left off last week, Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell had said he would step down earlier than expected and go to his new job as president of the College of Charleston.

Then he was blocked by his own team:

Once the office goes vacant, the state constitution requires the Senate President Pro Tempore to assume the job. Only the man holding that title, Sen. John Courson, did not want what was effectively a demotion. To show that he REALLY DOESN'T want the job, Courson even resigned his leadership position.

That sparked a mutiny of sorts against McConnell, as no senator stepped up to take Courson's place. Which created a potential constitutional crisis, as the Lt. Gov. is required to sign any acts the Senate passes before it can go to the governor and become law. But what happens if no one has the job? What if something happens to the governor?

So, McConnell reluctantly agreed to stay for a while. At least until the Senate adjourns for the year later this month.

But wait! There's more! Now a Senate Democrat said he may fill in for the next six months (until the election) just so he can give his party a statewide job title. "Why not?" Sen. Yancey McGill told The State newspaper. The minority party has not held a single statewide office since 2010. There has not been a Democratic Lt. Gov since early 1995.

3. Backroom deals and darkness

And before we leave the previous saga, this was too good to leave out.

Another powerful Republican senator took the floor on Wednesday to chastise Charleston lawmakers for pushing a bill to expand the College of Charleston very late in the year – avoiding the usual protocol and vetting processes.

Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler (melodramatically) questioned the motives and tactics of the bill's supporters, even accusing Lt. Gov. McConnell of using "tricks" to force another senator out of his leadership position (see #2) after he opposed the legislation.

"My question is: Why all the backroom deals? Why all the darkness? Why no debate? There's something in (the bill) that's just not right," Peeler said on the Senate floor. Listen to his comments here in South Carolina Radio Network's story.

Supporters said they were trying to help the school become a full-fledged research university like USC, Clemson, and the Medical University of South Carolina.

The bill died without a vote after a late filibuster, thus thwarting the forces of "backroom deals" and "darkness."

4. But we love the gov

Believe it or not, there are South Carolinians who do actually want to be Lt. Governor. The only televised debate for the four GOP candidates seeking the office was held on Thursday. Mike Campbell, Pat McKinney, Henry McMaster and Ray Moore faced off (actually, they stood side by side, in descending order of height) in an ETV debate. The winner will face Democrat Bakari Sellers in November.

Honestly, the debate was a bit dull. Each candidate agreed with the other about how the office should be run, that they would support Gov. Haley, and that's it not a pointless job -- never mind what state senators think (See #2 above).

One almost wonders if they had the same debate coach.

5. Can you get back to us in 2 weeks?

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It appears an ethics reform compromise will have to wait another two weeks after a group of senators blocked a vote Thursday. Republican Sen. Lee Bright and others said they wanted time to read the compromise (which still had not been not posted to a public site more than 24 hours later).

Watchdog groups and newspaper columnists were critical that the compromise still had legislators policing their own members instead of an independent commission. Some legislators in the House made it clear that THEY wanted the change, but THOSE guys in the Senate did not.

Senators say the state Constitution makes each chamber responsible for enforcing its own rules. But outside groups and Bright say that creates a huge potential conflict of interest. Senators bristled at the insinuation that their Ethics Committee might be corruptible. But the watchdog groups say it's quite possible, in theory, and, besides, the public wants it.

That drew this response from senators:

6. Four More Years! Four More Years!

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It's still 2014, right? We have a governor's race this year, right?

Well, State Rep. Tommy Pope says he's considering a potential run for the office... in 2018.

Wait, what?

Pope told Rock Hill station WRHI that he is planning to seek the Governor's Office four years from now. Pope has kept a low-profile during his four years (coincidence?) in the Statehouse, a big departure from 20 years ago when he couldn't stay out of the headlines, even if he had wanted.

That's because he was the lead prosecutor in the Susan Smith case. Smith was a Union County woman who became part of the 24-hour news cycle in 1994 after she admitted to drowning her two little boys and then telling the world a carjacker took them.

But, back to the present, Pope caught some flak from fellow legislators and reporters for talking about a run four years in advance.

To be fair, how often do we in the media complain that a politician won't admit they're running for higher office when everybody knows they are? Maybe Pope is just getting ahead of the curve.