The first Republican Presidential Debate is tonight in Greenville, South Carolina. But few of the GOP’s leading contenders will be there. Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich are all opting out of the debate. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley warned that Republican candidates who ignore South Carolina do so at their own peril. "Anyone that discounts South Carolina is making a huge mistake," Governor Haley told Fox News.
As governors across the country have taken office, we've looked at states where new leaders will face major challenges. For the last in our series on new governors we turn to South Carolina, where Governor Nikki Haley takes office today. Gov. Haley is now the youngest governor in the country, at just 38 years old. Her state faces an $829 million budget shortfall. What other challenges does she face and how will she tackle them?
The Tea Party has grown up fast. Back in April, the news was dominated by images of scrappy rallies and angry voters. By November, Tea Party groups have backed some candidates who seem poised to win their races, and the movement has acquired both serious financial backing and a "godfather" waiting to help them establish power when (or if) they arrive in the Senate this January.
Yesterday we spoke with Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Alvin Greene, who is running in South Carolina. Greene told us he was an "American Hero," and explained that having action dolls of himself in uniform would boost the local economy in his state. We find out more about Greene's candidacy with Mark Quinn, host of SCETV's "The Big Picture."
The House of Representatives passed a resolution Tuesday reprimanding South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson for shouting "You lie!" to the president during his address to the joint session of Congress. While the congressman's outburst last week may not have been as loud as Kanye West's, it still shocked many, including Wilson’s wife, Roxanne. For a look into how the people of South Carolina are feeling about this episode as the repercussions drag on, we speak to Mark Quinn, host of South Carolina ETV and Radio’s public affairs program, The Big Picture.
South Carolina's had a rough week. It's earning a national reputation for having the most scandalous governor to remain in office and a congressman, Joe Wilson, who treats a presidential address like a college improv comedy show. Mark Quinn, host of South Carolina ETV and Radio’s Public Affairs Program, The Big Picture, tells us what South Carolinians are feeling about their elected officials.
In case you missed it, watch Wilson's outburst in this clip from Wednesday night's address:
There was a moment during the president's address to Congress last night when all eyes were not on President Obama. As the president called "untrue" the canard that health care reform would provide coverage to undocumented immigrants, Representative Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina) broke a decades-long tradition of comity and heckled the president, shouting "You lie!" The room booed his poor manners. To find out who Joe Wilson is, we talk to Mark Quinn, host of South Carolina ETV and Radio’s Public Affairs Program, The Big Picture. And for a look at the history of congressional comity we speak with Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
Watch Wilson's outburst in this clip from last night's address:
The Takeaway takes a look back at the week's news and also peers into the future. With us this morning on our reporters' roundtable are Julie Mason, White House Correspondent, The Washington Examiner, to talk about the Obama administration; Mark Quinn, the host of South Carolina ETV and Radio’s Public Affairs Program The Big Picture to talk about Governor Sanford, and Erika Bolstad, reporter for Alaska Daily News in Washington, D.C. to talk about Governor Palin.
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