State of South Carolina Archives: on Government Reform

Amy Klobuchar: Push for voting rights for African-Americans

KLOBUCHAR: Yes, and I think that what we need to do instead of just reviewing everything from the past is talk about where we're going to go forward. Martin Luther King once said that we are all "tied in a single garment of destiny, and that what affects one of us directly affects all of us indirectly." So when there is racism in the criminal justice system, then we need to fix it. And to me that means sentencing reform, like the First Step Act, and extending that to the states with the Second Step Act. It means equal opportunity. Because if we don't pass [that bill] to invest in impoverished communities, we're never going to get to that single garment of destiny.

[Editor's note: this phrase comes from the "Letter from Birmingham Jail", where Martin Luther King writes, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny."]

Joe Biden: Put a black woman on the Supreme Court

Pete Buttigieg: 21st century voting rights: core of Frederick Douglass plan

We're seeing hospital closures right and left. And we're seeing them, in particular, in states where Medicaid was not expanded, something that is hurting black and poor white families and is largely the result of racial voters suppression.

See, all of these things are connected, housing, wages, the ability to get anything done on criminal justice reform. All of these things are going to be harder to deal with as long as black voices are systematically excluded from political participation, which is happening on everything from the purging of voter rolls to the closing of voting locations. And that harms everyone.

It's why in my Frederick Douglass plan for comprehensively dealing with these issues, part of the core of it is a 21st Century Voting Rights Act.

Tom Steyer: Russian election interference is cyberwarfare

[President Trump] did stand next to Vladimir Putin. There was a hostile, foreign attack on our election last time and the president sided with the hostile foreign power. That's why I started "Need to Impeach."

That's what we have to do. We have to oppose a president who sides with a hostile foreign power that commits cyber warfare against the United States of America. That's where we are. Where are all these patriotic Republicans who wave the flag, but when we're actually under attack, they side with our enemies? It's outrageous.

That's why he should have been impeached. They covered it up. And I was years before these people. There's something wrong here. We're under attack, and they're not doing a darn thing about it.

Ralph Norman: Term limits to end the rein of career politicians

Henry McMaster: Served on state Commission on Ethics Reform

Elizabeth Colbert-Busch: Will return 10% of congressional salary to the government

The latest finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show Colbert Busch has raised more money than Sanford--about $1.2 million to about $790,000. But money from his old campaign accounts left Sanford with about the same amount as Colbert Busch for the campaign.

Colbert Busch is currently on leave from her job as director of business development for Clemson University's Wind Turbine Drive Testing Facility in North Charleston.

Mark Sanford: I was against earmarks before being anti-earmark was cool

Sanford fired back that Colbert Busch later wrote him a $500 campaign-contribution check. "I don't think it must have bothered her that much, given she wrote a $500 check in support of my candidacy," said Sanford, smiling. Sanford also denied Colbert Busch's statements that he did not support the dredging and other economic-development projects, saying he disagreed with the methods of paying for the projects, not the actual projects. "Because I was against (congressional) earmarks before being against earmarks was cool," he said.

Henry McMaster: Register all lobbyists; speed up FOIA

Lawmakers would disclose more sources of income, face stiffer fines and stop representing clients before some state commissions under new ethics rules suggested by a commission created by Gov. Nikki Haley. The governor's commission was led by former Attorneys General Henry McMaster and Travis Medlock. The suggestions included:
• Lobbyists register with the state Ethics Commission when going before any local government board or council. Now, they must register only for state government lobbying.
• Speeding response to time for Freedom of Information requests and lowering fees.
• Stopping legislators from representing clients before state boards and commissions if the lawmaker voted to appoint its members.

Henry McMaster: Full disclosure of campaign funding & fines for violators

The governor's commission, led by former Attorneys General Henry McMaster and Travis Medlock, recommends SC ethics reforms including:
• Raising the amounts of ethics violation fines.
• Lawmakers disclose all sources of income--public and private-- and reveal the amounts received from government agencies or businesses with government contracts tied to a public official. They also must disclose income of immediate family members. Legislators only must disclose government income.
• More narrowly defining a political committee so more of them will have to file details election spending reports and ending leadership political-action committees that allow unlimited contributions to candidates. The status of political committees is up in the air after courts shot down the state's definition as overly broad.

Nikki Haley: Register all lobbyists; speed up FOIA

Lawmakers would disclose more sources of income, face stiffer fines and stop representing clients before some state commissions under new ethics rules suggested by a commission created by Gov. Nikki Haley. The governor's commission was led by former Attorneys General Henry McMaster and Travis Medlock. The suggestions included:
• Lobbyists register with the state Ethics Commission when going before any local government board or council. Now, they must register only for state government lobbying.
• Speeding response to time for Freedom of Information requests and lowering fees.
• Stopping legislators from representing clients before state boards and commissions if the lawmaker voted to appoint its members.

Nikki Haley: Full disclosure of campaign funding & fines for violators

The governor's commission, led by former Attorneys General Henry McMaster and Travis Medlock, recommends SC ethics reforms including:
• Raising the amounts of ethics violation fines.
• Lawmakers disclose all sources of income--public and private-- and reveal the amounts received from government agencies or businesses with government contracts tied to a public official. They also must disclose income of immediate family members. Legislators only must disclose government income.
• More narrowly defining a political committee so more of them will have to file details election spending reports and ending leadership political-action committees that allow unlimited contributions to candidates. The status of political committees is up in the air after courts shot down the state's definition as overly broad.

Brad Hutto: Limit corporate and PAC campaign contributions

A: Yes.

Q: Political Action Committee?

A: Yes.

Q:Corporate?

A: Yes.

Q: Political Party?

A: No.

Q: Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information??

A: Yes.

Q: Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls??

A: No.

Hutto adds, "Until the State is prepared to issue new voter id cards with photos, then the current requirements of a voter registration card should be allowed. Changes to the law should only apply once a new card is issued to a voter."

Nikki Haley: We capped lawsuit damages; next tort reform is loser-pays

Alvin Greene: Keep campaign donation limits; no voluntary spending limits

A: No.

Q: Should Congress regulate indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you support removing all contribution limits on federal campaigns?

A: No.

Q: Should candidates for federal office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?

A: No.

Jim DeMint: Earmarks are how lobbyists grease the skids

DEMINT: These are appropriators, Bob Bennett, Lisa Murkowski. They believe in their job is to take home the bacon. It's a big part of the culture here in Washington. Even in Alaska, the voters there threw out someone who was bringing home the bacon. Joe Miller, running against earmarks, because what we're hearing all over America is, "I don't want money for my state if it's going to bankrupt my country."

Q: But we're talking, really, 1% or 2% of a budget here, when you're talking about the earmarks.

DEMINT: Oh, it's like saying the engine is a small part of the train. All the legislation, you look at health care, was pulled through by "Cornhusker kickbacks," that's an earmark. The bail-outs failed in the House until they went back and added earmarks. So it's always a way to grease the skids, and it's the power here. It's why thousands of lobbyists are here.

John McCain: I’m “the sheriff”, not Miss Congeniality, about pork bills

Mark Sanford: Limit campaign contributions but not campaign spending

A: Yes

Q: For PAC contributions?

A: Yes.

Q: For Corporate contributions?

A: Yes.

Q: For Political Parties?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you support requiring full disclosure of campaign finance information?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?

A: No. I believe we need to bring sunshine to the political process in SC. Soft money donated to parties should be disclosed.