South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley got schooled on South Carolina Constitutional law when the South Carolina State Supreme Court ruled against her call to bring back the South Carolina General Assembly in recess to deal with some pet issues of hers that did not get passed this session.
It was a great day for the rule of law in the land and declared that South Carolina was not some third world state that the executive could haul the legislative body back into session to give the executive more power. Of course the Court did not say that, but end the end that is what they accomplished.
Think on it. Governor Haley and those who support her claim to be conservative. But, Haley tried to use her power as Governor to call the General Assembly to do her bidding to centralize power in the executive branch. We at VUI are not kidding around. That sort of thing happens in third world countries, not South Carolina.
The South Carolina Supreme Court said “No.” That has left Haley and her folks in a downright tizzy fit. Haley issued a statement, misleading as it was, rambling on about courts around the country disagree. Wrong answer, Governor. Conservatives believe that each state has its right to rule its own state government. True conservatives do not cry out that South Carolina should do as other states. Further, the courts around the country offer no decisions in the Governor’s defense. She and her people are just flat going nuts, as one old political hand puts it. Perhaps we ought to be thankful Haley can not call out the National Guard to surround the SC Supreme Court.
But, that statement does give us an indication of what is going to happen next. Haley and her well funded operation from out of state money is going to go after the South Carolina Supreme Court. Bank on it. In the coming weeks, VUI predicts Haley and her minions saying all sorts of things unsavory about the South Carolina Supreme Court. How dare they! They opposed Darling Nikki and they must pay! All sorts of things will come out. Regardless, the fact we are state of laws, and not personalities is at stake.
Let’s look at the issue the Supreme Court dodged. The Supreme Court ruled that since the General Assembly was still in session, Governor Haley could not dictate their meetings, essentially. Good ruling on solid grounds without question. But, there is a larger issue. Should South Carolina end up the Venezuela of the United States and have a Governor who keeps calling back the General Assembly in session until her pet issues, especially the ones that give her more power, are carried out?
Is that type behavior really conservative? Or is megalomania? Again think on it. For decades conservatives have championed the idea of the people having a voice in every decision and decentralizing power. Along comes Governor Haley, and she tries to use her powers to call back the General Assembly to centralize more government power under her. The sad thing is, many so called conservatives lap up at the chance to serve her ego and cry out against those who want to check government power.
That is why we at VUI say watch out. The SC Supreme Court, often a voice of reason in the state beyond normal politics, is about to be taken into the political world via Haley and her minions. You do not tell Her Majesty “No” and not pay a cost. Watch the next few weeks and months unfold and remember we told you so.
