RGA: Nikki Haley Won; Stop the Madness

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The Republican Governors Association, in not so many words, is suggesting that Gresham Barrett should withdraw from the GOP gubernatorial runoff in South Carolina:

The Republican primary contest in South Carolina is now headed to a runoff, while Democratic voters have selected Vincent Sheheen as their nominee. Republican Governors Association Executive Director Nick Ayers today issued the following statement:

“The voters of South Carolina made a clear choice in Nikki Haley, notwithstanding the possibility of a runoff. The outcome is all but certain.

“Nikki Haley withstood a barrage of innuendoes and slurs in the closing days of the primary season and persevered to the finish with dignity, determination and confidence. Moreover, receiving half of the votes against two other statewide incumbent Republicans and a sitting Congressman speaks volumes of her strength as a candidate and bodes very well for her in the General Election. We congratulate Nikki for her grit and determination.

“Meanwhile, South Carolina Democrats have again served up the same old Washington, D.C.-style solution to any problem: expanded government. Vincent Sheheen promises more regulatory interference, bureaucratic red tape and impediments to free enterprise. Exactly what The Palmetto State does not need.”

But Politico's Ben Smith reports that the Barrett campaign is not taking the RGA's hint:

No way, says Barrett aide Todd Harris, who tells me Barrett will "totally" stay in for a second vote.

We don't understand the Barrett camp's thinking here. Unless that contributor cash is burning a hole in the campaign's collective pocket, and they feel like they absolutely must spend it. To us, this is a pretty good indicator of what Gresham would do with the taxpayers' money. It's what Sarah Palin has referred to as "Opium Addiction" -- OPM, for "Other People's Money." The urge to spend, when doing so serves no attainable end, is a powerful one, and when politicians cannot resist it, just another symptom of what is wrong with politics as usual.

- JP