Web site slams Moore

The state Republican Party has a new Web site attacking Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sen. Tommy Moore, but some of his GOP counterparts in the Senate say it's off the mark.

The Web site, at www.whoistommymoore.com, plays snippets of songs from the 1970s as it paints Moore as a "28-year Columbia insider." The site also calls Moore "ethically challenged" and claims he proposed the largest tax hike in state history.

Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney, the Senate Majority Leader, said questioning Moore's ethics is "over the line."

"I've known Tommy for years and he's an honorable person," Peeler said. "Saying he's ethically challenged is not correct."

At issue is Moore's role in leading the Senate's investigation into how a 1988 capital-gains tax break -- which was part of the FBI's 1990 Lost Trust investigation -- was slipped into the budget, even though he also served on the committee that approved the tax break.

State GOP Executive Director Scott Malyerck said the Web site is a "light-hearted way to introduce the real Tommy Moore to the voters of South Carolina."

"It's funny, but the issues are serious," Malyerck said. "This is an educational effort on our part to let people know what he's said in the past, what he's voted on and who he's supported."

Sen. John Hawkins, R-Spartanburg, agreed with Peeler's assessment of Moore.

"I don't necessarily agree with his politics, but I've always found him to be honest with me," Hawkins said. "I don't really know anything they're talking about on the Web site, but I know he's always dealt fairly with me."

The humor of the site -- which includes a snapshot of Moore's head pasted on top of a dancing figure clad in a dark blue leisure suit -- isn't lost on Moore.

"I'm dancing pretty good on there," he said. "But it's really inaccurate, because my leisure suit was powder blue."

The seriousness of the issues didn't get past him, either.

"For that crowd to call me ethically challenged is like Al Capone talking about numbers," Moore said. "When you can't debate the issues, when you can't defend what's been going on the past four years, then you have to resort to high school tactics."

The site also blasts Moore for a 2003 proposal to increase the state sales tax by 2 cents on the dollar and the cigarette tax by 53 cents per pack, to 60 cents a pack, to raise $1 billion for education spending. What the Web site doesn't mention is that his proposal also would have eliminated the state income tax on the first $15,000 earned, would have raised the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $55,000, and would have lowered the income tax for small businesses from 7 percent to 5 percent.

"It must have been a pretty good idea, because the governor is taking credit for part of it (reducing the tax on small businesses)," Moore said. "When it comes time to debate, he's going to have to explain that."

Gov. Mark Sanford pushed a bill reducing the state income tax for all South Carolina workers. The Legislature passed the small business break in 2004 as a compromise.

Malyerck said that Moore can try to explain it away all he wants, but the fact remains that he proposed a tax increase.

"Tommy Moore will argue that he did it for the right reason," Malyerck said. "The voters will decide in November."

Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens, said Moore proposed the increase to "make a statement" about the need for increased education spending. He said Moore knew the plan wouldn't pass.

"He did it out of frustration -- we all were frustrated because we weren't able to do as much as we wanted for education that year," Martin said. "I don't think you can call Tommy a spendthrift liberal by any stretch."

Robert W. Dalton can be reached at 562-7274 or bob.dalton@shj.com.