By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Just as a burglar might throw drug-laced meat to a vicious guard dog to make it go to sleep, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Catherine Templeton is using every trick she can to lull voters that she’s right for the state’s top job.
She’s not. She’s a political burglar. And she’s dangerous.
Templeton doesn’t have the temperament, experience, tact or moral compass to lead South Carolina to better times. After months of campaigning, she seems to want to lead South Carolina backwards to a time that embraced racism and the plantation.
Brad Warthen, The State’s former editorial page editor who currently blogs about politics at bradwarthen.com, says Templeton is wearing her inexperience as an elected official as a badge of honor, just like Donald Trump has, “which is the worst of reasons, since the man demonstrates every day how important qualifications actually are.”
Warthen said he’s appalled because he doubts Templeton is as clueless as Trump.
“A person who stoops to conquer makes for an unseemly spectacle. In her case, she’s stooping so low it’s hard to see how she gets back up.”“She seems to be an intelligent woman,” he observed. “She’s not a moron, but is willing to play one on TV to get elected. Which implies that if elected, she’d be willing to govern like a moron. When she knows better.
Just look at what Templeton has been up to. You’ll find a consistent pattern of pandering and a questionable record of leadership:
Courageous on labor? The Mount Pleasant lawyer who was in charge of the state agency that regulates labor frequently lauds her service as a union-hater. Frankly, how courageous is that in the state with the nation’s lowest rate of unionization?
Desperately seeking Trump. Templeton proudly introduced former Trump adviser Steve Bannon at a Charleston rally in November, calling him a friend who is “the voice of the rest of us.” Just this month, Bannon told a far-right audience in France how to deal with accusations of racism: “Let them call you racists. Let them call you xenophobes. Let them call you nativists. Wear it as a badge of honor.”
Confederates in the attic. In a February talk about her state heritage and family’s Confederate roots, Templeton said “my family didn’t fight because we had slaves.” Rather, she said, the family fought because “the federal government was trying to tell us how to live.” Later a newspaper reported that Templeton, who has crowed she is “proud of the Confederacy,” said she didn’t know her family owned slaves. All of this is pure sanctimony. It mixes modern politics (current GOP talking points about the federal government) with history. Why should a war of 150 years ago even be in a speech these days? This kind of mess has no place in a political campaign in 2018.
Stunts. Templeton used a power saw to open campaign offices in February. Really? She also said she wouldn’t watch the Super Bowl – but she did trumpet a web ad to express dissatisfaction with the NFL. A candidate who relies on stunts may be a clown in office.
Veracity questioned. Templeton claimed in 2017 she was fired from a senior position at the S.C. Ports Authority for being a whistleblower. But the agency’s director, Jim Newsome, has said that isn’t true. ““Ms. Templeton seeks to paint herself as a victim, but this could not be further from the truth and seems to be merely an election campaign ploy fraught with inaccuracies,” he said.
Slow response. In 2013 as head of the state’s health agency, Templeton apologized for a slow agency response in dealing with a tuberculosis outbreak that infected more than 100 people in Greenwood County. According to news reports, the agency learned about an infected man in March, but didn’t test schoolchildren, 53 of whom got the illness, until the end of May.
There are plenty of accomplished, experienced women in South Carolina who should think about running for governor: State Sens. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington; Mia McLeod, D-Richland; state Reps. Mandy Powers Norrell, D-Lancaster, and Phyllis Henderson, R-Greenville; and state Superintendent Molly Spearman. Catherine Templeton doesn’t make the cut.
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We Can Do Better, South Carolina!
You are correct, on all counts.
Wow, what a great lead in to a beheading.
There is more to it. There has to be. She resigns all positions given! A buzz saw of chaos and deceit!
Lets pray she crawls back into the woodwork after election!!