Glenn McConnell’s Plot To Replace Ard— With Someone Else

by Working Tommy C, reposted with persmission from Stuffedsuits.com

The latest machinations of the powers that be in Columbia have members of the SC Senate rubbing their hands in gleeful anticipation.

Once again, it looks like the leadership will be flouting the law…

… in order to both exert their corrupt influence and maintain their current hold on power in dealing with what appears to be the coming forced resignation of Lt. Governor Ken Ard.

Ard, a corrupt, big government tax-and-spender RINO from Florence was the establishment choice for Lt. Governor.  He ran a bland but well organized and amazingly well financed campaign that seemed to be running on the platform of not offending anyone.

Ard’s behavior since winning the seat, however, has turned out to be a little too offensive for even the corrupt power elites that run the General Assembly.

Or, perhaps the difference between his behavior and the behavior of the crooks in the General Assembly is that Ard is subject to criminal prosecution outside the protective umbrellas that members of the General Assembly in both houses have shielded themselves with.  SC Sen. Jake Knotts was caught pulling the same sorts of shenanigans with campaign election laws last year yet received only a slap on the wrist from his buddies in the SC Senate.

Ironically, it has been suggested by some that Knotts potentially stands in line to become head of the very committee that slapped his wrist. Truly, Jake Knotts as head of the SC Senate Ethics Committee is the ultimate example of the outright corruption of the most venal and criminal body in state government.

The way the law is written, the normal process for the replacement of the Lt. Governor between elections is for the President Pro Tempore (head of the SC Senate elected by the senators; currently Sen. Glenn McConnell) to step up and assume the office of of Lt. Governor.  After that, a new President Pro Tempore would be elected from the SC Senate and a special election would be held to replace the seat vacated by the old President Pro Tempore.

The only problem with the plan is that the President Pro Tempore Sen. Glenn McConnell doesn’t want to give up his power. 

So, boys and girls, they’re going to play a little game.

Instead of having anything approximating a normal succession of power as outlined by law, our boy Glenn will step down as President Pro Tempore of the SC Senate and work to elect someone in his place who would then become Lt. Governor.

Afterwards, with the cooperation of the big government cabal of RINOs and Democrats, Glenny Boy would then be re-elected as President Pro Tempore so that he keeps his power.  He chooses who becomes Lt. Gov. and then keeps his much more powerful and influential position.

In other words, Glenn McConnell has his cake and eats it, too–if this plot of his comes to fruition.

There has been a strong reaction among many at the grass roots level to this plot.  Mostly it’s been one of revulsion.  Instead of their seeing McConnell willing to take on the duty of Lt. Governor with the intention to honorably serve his state in the proper manner and according to the dictates of the office of President Pro Tempore which he holds, Glenn McConnell plans to give the people of South Carolina the finger.  But then, abusive behavior from an already abusive politician should come as no surprise.

The only thing that might screw up McConnell’s plans is a coalition of true conservatives in the Senate allying themselves with Democrats who are likewise unwilling to subject themselves further to the humiliation of doing the bidding of Glenn McConnell, Hugh Leatherman, Jake Knotts, and company.

It’s just possible that after Glenn McConnell resigns and a new President Pro Tempore is elected and moves on to become Lt. Governor, McConnell may not have his old position handed back to him on a silver platter by an obsequious bunch of old toadies as he’s been used to.

There are already rumors of efforts to effect a real change of leadership in the SC Senate.

No matter who replaces McConnell, it has got to be better than having the same crook as head of the SC Senate for the indefinite future.  “Absolute power corrupts absolutely,” and that seems to apply to the SC Senate.  The corollary to that maxim is that “time in office accumulates excessive power absolutely.”  Glenn McConnell is living proof of that.

Grass roots folks are already talking to allies in the SC Senate to encourage them to at least make a stand in influencing who is elected for the Lt. Gov. spot if Ard is forced out and then to stand against the re-election of McConnell as President Pro Tempore.

If an attempt is made at this point to interfere with McConnell and company’s “best laid plans” as outlined in the recent article at The State, it may make McConnell and company a little more hesitant to pull stunts such as this in the future.

After so many years of his being in power, it would, without a doubt, benefit the citizens of this state who are tired of the big spenders and tax hikers in the General Assembly to have Glenn McConnell out of the SC Senate.  His tenure has seen the largest increases in state spending and largest expansions of state power in history.

The citizens of this state are sick of the General Assembly making mincemeat of their paychecks and destroying the job market here with their favor factory for cronies instead of truly representing the people and getting government out of the way.

Glenn McConnell and his playground buddies in the SC Senate want to “play” the system. Fortunately for us, the fight against McConnell could much more easily be won in terms of the numbers necessary than the battle grassroots activists waged against Representative Bobby Harrell last year.

Getting the facts out now about McConnell’s tenure could bring a lot of pressure to bear against him.

If McConnell sees enough people mobilizing against his plans, it may make him think twice about his cute ploy.