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John Spratt 
Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 15:54:04 PM EDT
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The Palmetto Scoop is trying to push the narrative that Democratic U.S. Rep. John Spratt will soon be forced to decide between his constituents and his party as the health care debate heats up in Washington. According to TPS, the Upstate Congressman is “reportedly being bombarded” by calls from angry constituents and suggests that a vote in favor of health care reform legislation would somehow constitute turning a deaf ear to the people that he serves, leaving Spratt vulnerable in his reddening district. Now while I have no trouble believing that the “keep your government hands off my Medicare” folks are flooding the Congressman’s phone lines as we speak, the Scoop’s unsubstantiated argument that supporting health care reform is akin to picking your party over your constituents is absurd. In fact, a new district-by-district report released by the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce projects that the current health care reform legislation actually “would provide significant benefits” to Spratt’s Fifth District constituents, namely: - up to 12,300 small businesses in the district could receive tax credits to provide coverage to their employees;
- 8,700 seniors would avoid the donut hole in Medicare Part D;
- 660 families could escape bankruptcy each year due to unaffordable health care costs;
- health care providers would receive payment for $82 million in uncompensated care annually; and
- 117,000 uninsured constituents would gain access to affordable health insurance.
Tag on the fact that Spratt is sitting atop a half-million-dollar war chest and has yet to draw a 2010 GOP challenger, the argument that a vote to provide health insurance coverage to more than 100,000 of his constituents would somehow endanger the Congressman’s re-election chances doesn’t hold up. And while there’s little doubt that the GOP will intensify its political propaganda war against Spratt in the coming weeks, it seems highly unlikely the Congressman will suddenly bow to the pressure and be forced to cede his seat to the Republicans next year.
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Wed Dec 24, 2008 at 08:58:04 AM EST
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Is your congressman a Bush lackey? Does he say he supports bi-partisan solutions while quietly backing most of his party’s agenda? Does he even show up to vote? The pre-eminent authority on all things congressional, CQ Politics, has just created a cool new flash media program that allows you to track the party unity, presidential support, and voting participation statistics for each federal legislator. So what says the CQ gizmo on our own esteemed S.C. delegation? Biggest Bush fans: Reps. Gresham Barrett, Joe Wilson, and Bob Inglis love them some Dubya. The three men voted with the President 83%, 82%, and 79% of the time, respectively, during the last year. Ditto for Sen. Jim DeMint who was South Carolina's top Bush loyalist at 84%. Fellow Republican Rep. Henry Brown showed a bit more independence, only siding with 69% of Bush’s legislation in ’08. Party Animals: All of our congress critters marched lock-step with their parties’ platforms this year. Democratic Reps. Jim Clyburn and John Spratt voted true Blue 99% and 98% of the time, respectively. Likewise, Reps. Wilson and Inglis sided with Team Red on 98% of all bills. But the big winner in this category is Sen. DeMint, who voted with the Grand Old Party a whopping 100% of the time. Attendance Records: Our delegation may not be a bi-partisan bunch, but at least they show up to vote. Six of our S.C. congressional members voted on at least 97% of all legislation. The outlier: Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was off galavanting with pal John McCain most of the year. However, between campaign stops, Graham still managed to make 86% of this year's votes. (Hat-tip to the fellas at Swing State Project for flagging this one.)
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Fri Dec 19, 2008 at 15:56:35 PM EST
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We've long recognized that Jim Demint is a blowhard, but now we have actual scientific proof! Thanks to Capitol Words, we can see that Demint is the wordiest member of South Carolina's congressional delegation. Capitol Words is a project of the Sunlight Foundation. For every day Congress is in session, Capitol Words visualizes the most frequently used words in the Congressional Record, giving you an at-a-glance view of which issues lawmakers address on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. Capitol Words lets you see what are the most popular words spoken by lawmakers on the House and Senate floor. Over the previous 12 months, Junior Mint has 2885 words in the Congressional Record. Our most reticent member is Bob Inglis, clocking in at 474. The complete hot air rankings word totals and favorite words of South Carolina congress critters after the jump.
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Thu Nov 13, 2008 at 06:03:04 AM EST
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 The last few days have been bliss. Long walks on the beach, sleeping 'til noon, and a self-imposed ban on all electronic correspondence was just what the doctor ordered following last week's conclusion to our marathon '08 campaign season. And while I figured I might miss one or two political scoops while I was away, I had no idea how interesting post-election week would be.
Red State Update
First, S.C. GOP Chair Katon Dawson finally came out and publicly proclaimed his interest in the RNC Chairmanship. No great surprise there, but Mark Sanford's sudden emergence as a 2012 presidential contender is both fascinating and mind-boggling. I suppose with Republicans across the country pointing fingers at one another and frantically offering up advice on how to get the party back on track, the Governor's signature shtick of calling out his own party is en vogue right now.
Later today, Sanford will join fellow GOP prez hopefuls Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty in sharing their vision for the future of the party when he addresses the Republican Governors Association in Miami.
Cabinet Making
For the Dems, it's been all about building a strong Obama Cabinet to deliver us out of darkness over the next four years. Topping the list of potential Palmetto State Obama appointees are U.S. Rep. John Spratt (OMB), Inez Tenenbaum (ED), and U.S. Rep. James Clyburn (HUD). From what I'm hearing, Spratt is the most likely S.C. leader to be offered a cabinet position in the future Obama Administration, but whether or not he'd accept an appointment is still up in the air. As expected, the GOP is already circling the SC-05, waiting to pounce.
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Fri Oct 24, 2008 at 11:18:47 AM EDT
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Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans has released its scorecards for members of Congress to see who really supports our troops and who is, as my longtime friend and idol T. Baker says, just whistlin' Dixie out their a-holes.
Jim Demint gets a big 'ol red F.
How do our other Congresscritters fair?
Lindsey Graham: C
Henry Brown: A
Joe Wilson: B
Gresham Barrett: B
Bob Inglis: B
John Spratt: B
Jim Clyburn: A+
The IAVA Action Fund is the foremost nonprofit, non-partisan advocate for our nation's returning warriors and their families. The 2008 Veteran Report Card, based on the key veterans' legislation that came to a vote during the 110th Congress, grades every Senator and Representative on their level of support for our troops.
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Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 08:33:59 AM EDT
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Esquire has endorsed candidates around the country. In South Carolina, the magazine supports the following:
SENATE
Lindsey Graham (R)
Bob Conley (D)
A former Navy JAG lawyer, Graham swears that he opposes torture. But what can explain his amendment that purports to ban the practice--and then pointedly refuses to define it, while allowing evidence obtained by it into military courts? Graham once carried the moral position on this issue; his capitulation is deeply disappointing. But no one can dispute his intellectual heft or his hard work for his state.
Esquire endorses: Graham
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Congressional District 1
Henry Brown (R)
Linda Ketner (D)
Speaking of hypocrisy, Brown's never met a spending bill he liked--unless it benefited his district; in that case, let the money flow.
Esquire endorses: Ketner
District 2
Joe Wilson (R)
Rob Miller (D)
Ill-mannered, impolitic, immovable. If these traits were in the service of principle, Wilson would be worth the trouble. They're not. And he has spent the last six years justifying his support of the Iraq war on the basis that Congress has no business insisting on oversight. His opponent, an Iraq veteran, argues otherwise.
Esquire endorses: Miller
District 3
Gresham Barrett (R)
Jane Dyer (D)
The Barrett record: No to revitalizing crumbling public housing. Yes to sexual discrimination. No to grants to minority colleges. Yes to gutting endangered-species protection.
Esquire endorses: Dyer
District 4
Bob Inglis (R)
Paul Corden (D)
We named Inglis one of our Nine Pillars of Congress in 2006. We would again. His staunch antispending principles endure; his turn against the neocons on the war and his humble acknowledgment of his errors in denying global warming add reason and flexibility to his list of virtues.
Esquire endorses: Inglis
District 5
Albert Spencer (R)
John Spratt (D)
Well-respected all around, Spratt is one of the quiet masters of his craft--not politics per se, but what politicians do: spend tax dollars. His grasp of budgetary rules and patterns is second to none.
Esquire endorses: Spratt
District 6
Nancy Harrelson (R)
James Clyburn (D)
Long a central figure in South Carolina politics, Clyburn is now majority whip. He has excelled in his primary duty: to bring the diverse and easily divided Democratic body into alignment on major issues.
Esquire endorses: Clyburn
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