COLUMBIA - It was the political shot heard 'round the Statehouse.
Gov. Mark Sanford issued a press release late Wednesday criticizing a draft
of the House budget that was meant as a warning shot against overspending.
But in effect, it sparked an uprising in the House on Thursday with leading
Republican lawmakers openly attacking the governor's office. The budgeting
process ground to a halt, and House Speaker Bobby Harrell's leadership came
under siege.
It also prompted the House Republican Caucus to meet for two hours behind
locked doors in an attempt to regroup and clear the air.
The episode sent the entire Statehouse into a tizzy as lawmakers and
lobbyists couldn't believe what they were reading. In fact, some suggested it
was a spoof.
"I just don't understand why in the world they would issue that kind of press
release," said Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston.
The release from the governor's office - a version of which was later
e-mailed to 12,000 supporters statewide - said the House was headed "in the
wrong direction when it comes to keeping an eye on the taxpayers."
In his executive budget, Sanford proposed a $5.9 billion spending plan that
limited the growth in spending to 5.6 percent. The governor suggested that the
House's draft proposal could result in a 10 percent to 16 percent increase in
spending, according to different estimates.
Rep. Dan Cooper, R-Anderson, the lead budget writer in the House, said the
committee is trying to balance a spending limit with pressing state needs.
If the House does what the governor suggests, the Piedmont Republican said it
would come at the cost of new school buses, additional nursing home beds and
millions less in money for state colleges and universities.
"I view it as a personal attack on me and indirectly on the speaker," Cooper
said.
In some ways, Sanford's comments weren't surprising because he has lashed out
at lawmakers in his own party before. But lawmakers said this time was
different.
"I think it's absurd for a press release to be sent out before the first
(budget) number is voted on," said Harrell, R-Charleston. "The major source of
my disappointment is over how the governor did this. But then, antics aren't
anything new for this administration."
In an unusual move, Sanford's statement included supporting quotes from three
members of the House GOP leadership: Judiciary Chairman Jim Harrison of
Columbia, Speaker Pro Tem Doug Smith of Spartanburg and Labor, Commerce and
Industry Chairman Harry Cato of Travelers Rest.
Many lawmakers quickly recognized that the three quoted all lost to Harrell
in last year's speaker race.
"I don't think it was coincidental," acknowledged Rep. Jeff Duncan, a Clinton
Republican and Sanford ally. "I think it was contrived to get a point
across."
Rep. John Graham Altman, R-Charleston, called the three "insurgents" who
"betrayed their caucus."
"I think poor Dan Cooper was the victim of a drive-by shooting," he said. "I
think they were after the speaker."
Sanford's spokesman Joel Sawyer rejected that notion, saying his office
called people who previously expressed concerns to the governor.
"This is not an attack on anyone," Sawyer said. "This is about whether or not
as a state we are going to follow a fiscally sound path."
The three House GOP leaders told their fellow caucus members that they were
duped, according to sources who attended the closed meeting.
Harrison and Cato later apologized to Cooper for not coming to him directly
with their concerns. "In hindsight, I should have handled it differently," Cato
said.
In addition to the content of the release, many lawmakers criticized Sanford
for issuing the statement less than an hour into the start of House Ways and
Means Committee meeting, where budget writers were going through the numbers for
the first time.
"I think it's a little unfortunate to take this level of anxiety when we are
so early in the stages," said Rep. Adam Taylor, R-Laurens. "When emotions get
high like that it seems nothing gets accomplished."
Sanford's legislative allies, including Rep. Ben Hagood, R-Charleston, came
to the governor's defense, saying it was a legitimate stand on a policy issue of
great importance.
"The one thing you can say about the governor is if you don't know where he's
coming from, you're not looking," he said. "This is an appropriate opportunity
for him to provide his vision for where the budget process should go."
Reach John Frank at jbfrank@postandcourier.com or
(803) 799-9051.
