A power play made in the name of reform

Some conservative bloggers are pretty pleased with State Senator Glenn McConnell’s proposed Senate Bill 899, which calls for the Lt. Governor and Governor to run on the same ticket come 2014. Twenty four of the forty-two states that have Lt. Governors elect both the Governor and Lt. Governor on the same ticket. Under McConnell’s proposed bill, it appears that if voters amended the state constitution as McConnell wishes, candidates for Governor would have to run with their Lt. Governors in primaries and beyond. Such would bring South Carolina in line with some other states, and create some interesting political choices by those running for Governor.

However, before one can call McConnell’s proposal a move towards reform, one must look at the rest of the bill, which is a mishmash of current political events and self interests. In reaction to the Sanford scandal, the bill proposes amending the constitution so that the Lt. Governor can take over if a majority of a body selected by the General Assembly deems it necessary. Such sounds good, but begs the question, what body? Suppose the General Assembly decides that the Honea Path Dogwood Garden Club could decide such? The example is exaggerated, of course, but with such broad and undefined language, the door is open for the General Assembly to have more say, not less, over who wields the power of Governor for the people.

Further, McConnell’s proposal strips the Presidency of the State Senate from the Lt. Governor and instead has the members of the State Senate elect their own President. Those who are falling all over themselves for stronger executive power as reform seem to miss that. Under McConnell’s proposal, the General Assembly will be getting the executive department out of its business once and for all.

Under McConnell’s proposal, he could likely take the “pro tempore” off of his title of “President Pro Tempore” of the South Carolina State Senate. McConnell’s self interests aside, the members of the State Senate, both Democrat and Republican, have worked for the past 15 years or so to strip the Lt. Governor of powers presiding over them. There is just something about having someone elected by all the people of South Carolina presiding over them that so many South Carolina State Senate members do not like.

Thus, it appears, in the name of so called reform, South Carolina is getting a power play. Conservatives who have longed for the Governor and Lt. Governor running together on the same ticket as some sort of reform will be sold that in exchange for giving the South Carolina State Senate more power.

Frankly, the McConnell proposal is being presented while so many are still in the heat of emotion over the Sanford affair. Rarely are good decisions made in such an atmosphere. As things currently stand, the people, not political hacks or the members of the State Senate, decide who their Lt. Governor and President of the State Senate is. As the State Senate represents all of South Carolina, it seems fitting that the people of all of South Carolina select its ceremonial leader. Perhaps that irks Governor Sanford and Senator McConnell and others who seem to want South Carolina’s state government to be more like the federal government. So be it. One thing is for certain. Those who think McConnell’s proposal is some sort of reform are being duped by that crafty old state senator from Charleston. McConnell’s version of reform is a power play that gives him and the South Carolina Senate more power and less power to the Executive Department and the people.