Who’s Funding the SC Swamp? (6/10/2024)
Over the weekend, I received my 18th mailer promoting Carla Schuessler, the democrat posing as a republican in South Carolina state house district 61. Similar mailings are being sent in support of the least conservative "republican" candidates all around the state. Targeted reliable primary voters (who have lived here long enough to vote in at least three republican primaries) received even more than that. Each of these mailings costs somewhere between $2500 and $4000.
If 18 mailers seems quite excessive, it is. Most people get tired of these by the 5th or 6th one. After that they seem far too repetitious. Many, however, do not pay attention to where these mailings come from. Every one of them, in small print, shows who paid for it. This is required by law. So in my particular case, I thought I’d look into who was paying for Carla’s mailers, or rather, who has an interest in her reelection and why.
Here’s the breakdown:
Carla for State House – 6
Citizens for Conservative Values – 2
GOPAC Election Fund – 1
McMaster Leadership Fund – 2
South Carolina House Republican Caucus – 3
Palmetto Truth Project – 1
South Carolina Realtors PAC – 3
Who are these organizations, what do they represent, and what interest do they have in this and other elections?
I couldn’t find any information on Citizens for Conservative values. They have no website. But they are local – they have a Myrtle Beach address, albeit merely a PO Box.
The GOPAC Election Fund has a website with very little information. They claim their mission is to attain republican majorities, but that’s somewhat vague. Their mailing attacked Freedom Caucus candidates across the state in different districts, but it was the exact same mailing in each, with only the names changed. A single cookie cutter representation of every candidate obviously didn’t take too much consideration.
I didn’t find a website about the McMaster Leadership fund, but I did find an article about its formation. According to the article, written by Meg Kinnard, the fund was formed to “support the governor’s legislative agenda through political and grassroots advocacy and engagement.” What is that legislative agenda? Their mailings are focused on taking out Freedom Caucus members, and his endorsements reflect that. But a deeper dive shows his cohorts will make a great deal of money if the health czar bill passes. Profiting off of castration of children, is that to be his legacy?
Obviously the South Carolina Republican Caucus is in it to keep their power circle together. Since they’ve already been exposed for their terrible voting records and their willingness to work with democrats rather than the Freedom Caucus, they want to eliminate those that stand in their way.
The Palmetto “Truth” Project has a website, but it is full of lies about the voting records of the Freedom Caucus.
The one I found particularly alarming was the South Carolina Realtors PAC. They have a website, but a login is needed to access it. What stake would a realtor’s PAC have on who sits in the state legislature? There’s a lot of building going on in this area of the country, and Myrtle Beach is one of the largest destinations for people moving out of blue states. So much of the building is rushed. The standards are lowered. I know this because I had a home built here. The Realtors PAC wants to keep the money flowing however possible. If it were me receiving this endorsement, I’d reject it. In fact, I’d reject all of the aforementioned endorsements, but that’s because I’m an actual conservative, unlike the endorsements’ recipients. I wouldn’t want to be a slave to their agenda, nor would I want to be pressured into doing their bidding.
These big money donors and their intentions need to be put under a microscope. Due to all the money coming out of these groups, the Freedom Caucus is constantly facing an uphill battle. The establishment candidates massively outspend them. Money in politics is a dark business, perhaps it is time to pay more attention to what the money is actually buying.