'Good old boys' try to stop Nikki; get ads pulled

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No sooner has Nikki Haley, with a little help from Sarah Palin in the form of an endorsement, taken the lead in the Republican gubernatorial primary race in South Carolina, than the "good old boy" GOP establishment in that state persuaded a Spartanburg County judge to order that a PAC must pull it's ads. ReformSC has been airing ads in support of Haley:

Judge James Hayes issued the order at the request of Haley primary opponent Rep. Gresham Barrett and three unnamed donors to ReformSC.

ReformSC was created in 2007 to promote the agenda of Gov. Mark Sanford, Donors said the funds were never intended for use in a campaign. Several donors have asked for their money back.

The ReformSC ads promote Haley as "the new conservative leader of South Carolina." They feature Haley speaking to a Tea Party rally at the statehouse. It also highlights Haley's attempts to pass roll call voting legislation.

Barrett's campaign said the ads don't mesh with a state law limiting how outside groups can promote candidates. Barrett contends that the ads were coordinated with the Haley campaign.

ReformSC Chairman Pat McKinney shot back:

"The ReformSC ads are completely legal. We will prove that in court, if necessary. And we will have the ads back up on the air. The fact that Gresham Barrett is willing to go to court to stop the transparency and accountability that will come when legislators have to vote on the record tells you all you need to know about the kind of governor he would be."

We can't believe this. Barrett has shown his true colors by trying to limit the free speech of a political opponent. The county judge's ruling, it seems to us, is in direct conflict with the First Amendment, which guarantees free speech. The Supreme Court has held that the government has no business regulating political speech.

- JP