Coulter Attacks SC Gov. Nikki Haley Over Confederate Flag: She's An Immigrant

Via Mediaite:

Ann Coulter has quite a knack for driving liberals crazy, but last night she made a comment that even has conservatives mind-boggled. On Fox Business Network, while talking with Kennedy about Charleston, Coulter brought up South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who announced she supports efforts to take down the Confederate flag at the state capitol, and said, “She is an immigrant and does not understand America’s history."  Haley was born in South Carolina. Her parents were immigrants. Coulter acknowledged this fact but otherwise stood by what she said in a pretty bizarre tweet this morning. Yes, in standing by her comments on Haley, Coulter invoked Major Nidal Hasan (the Fort Hood shooter), Anwar al-Awlaki (the U.S. citizen/Islamic militant taken out by a drone strike in 2011), and the Octomom, apparently lumping the Republican governor in with them.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Gov. Nikki Haley To Call For Removal Of Confederate Battle Flag

The flag's removal will require a two-thirds majority from the state legislature, where Republicans outnumber Democrats 106-64.

Today's Word Salad From Sarah Palin

Via Breitbart:

This weekend, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who is considered the conservative movement’s North Star, said Americans are counting on South Carolina voters to find and help Republicans nominate a bold conservative candidate who can win the White House in 2016. In a video message to the South Carolina Tea Party Convention, Palin said in addition to monitoring lawmakers in Congress, conservatives must have a “discussion about the future of our party” and how it can appeal more to independent-minded Republicans and blue-dog Reagan Democrats “so that we can elect a Republican president in 2016.” She said the country would be counting on South Carolina to “to help elect that president and figure out who that candidate will be.” She said conservatives must hold newly-elected leaders, even those who ran as constitutional conservatives, accountable because, “if we’re not there to collect… then who will collect on the promises made?” Palin–and her brand of conservatism–has always had very strong appeal in South Carolina. Without Palin’s endorsement, Nikki Haley would never have been elected governor. And her praise of Newt Gingrich in the weeks before South Carolina’s 2012 GOP presidential primary gave him the momentum to win the first-in-the-South primary over Mitt Romney.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Gov & AG File Motion Opposing Demand For Gay Marriage

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and state Attorney General Alan Wilson, both of whom are up for reelection today, have filed a federal brief opposing the demand that the state comply with the ruling of the Fourth Circuit Court and allow same-sex marriages to commence. Via the Post And Courier:

The 57-page brief filed late Monday argues that a lawsuit filed last month by Charleston County Councilwoman Colleen Condon and her partner, Nichols Bleckley, should not move forward and that an injunction they requested not be granted because the case is moving quickly enough to avoid any serious harm. The brief also contends that federal courts overall have moved at an unprecedented pace already. "Centuries of precedent have been swept away in other jurisdictions in the space of only two or three years. Never have the Courts made judgments so quickly about an issue that had received little attention before now. But the legal proceedings are not over," the filing says.

A preliminary injunction is an "extraordinary and drastic remedy" designed to avoid "irreparable harm," which attorneys for Haley and Wilson contend hasn't been proven. If Gergel grants the injunction, the defendants want him to issue a stay while they appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. "The window should not be opened on same-sex marriages at the substantial risk of closure again should the Defendants' appeal be successful" the brief says. Attorneys for Condon and Bleckley have until noon Wednesday to file a response. Gergel could rule any time after that.

So marriage could be legalized as early as tomorrow afternoon, although the state will surely go through the same gyrations we saw in Idaho and elsewhere. Read the full brief at Equality Case Files.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Anti-Gay Christian Radio Host Josh Kimbrell Charged With Molesting Three Year-Old Son

Via local NBC News:

An Upstate man who is the host of a conservative radio show on a Christian talk channel has been charged with a sex crime against a 3-year-old boy, according to arrest warrants. Josh Kimbrell, who is the host of Common Cents on Christian Talk 92.9FM, is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor under 11. According to the arrest warrant, Kimbrell, under the guise of a game, fondled the child and committed other sexual acts against the boy. Greenville police said that Kimbrell was arrested Tuesday. He is being held without bond.

Kimbrell is a member of South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's Faith & Family Coalition. Haley has scrubbed Kimbrell's name from her website.

Haley – who has received financial and political support from Kimbrell in the past – is taking no chances. Last October, Haley unveiled her “Faith and Family Coalition,” a group of social conservatives who would ostensibly “work directly with her to strengthen South Carolina families.” Haley’s press release – which touted her support for “traditional marriage” – listed the names of twenty-six prominent social conservative advocates who would be working with her campaign. Here’s the thing, though … if you visit Haley’s website today, only twenty-five names are visible.

Kimbrell is also the chairman of the Palmetto Conservative Alliance, which today issued a statement claiming that the charges arise from a custody fight with his ex-wife.

Josh is in the midst of a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife to maintain an on-going parenting relationship with his three year-old son. It is not uncommon that allegations such as these arise in the course of such disputes, particularly when the complainant, in this case the ex-wife, can benefit from the allegations. It is our hope that the truth surrounding these allegations will quickly become evident for all concerned,” the statement continues. “Pending the legal outcomes of this matter, we stand together in our support of Josh.

Most Atrocious Political Ad Of 2014?

Think Progress wonders if this is the "most atrocious political ad of 2014."

If you want to run for office some day, you better not believe that everyone is entitled to legal counsel before the government locks them away. Or, at least, that’s the message sent by a new Republican Governors Association ad targeting Vincent Sheheen, a former prosecutor who now represents civil and criminal clients in private practice. Sheheen is a Democratic candidate for governor against incumbent Nikki Haley (R-SC). The RGA’s ad attacks Sheheen for “defend[ing] violent criminals” and ends with the tagline “Vincent Sheheen protects criminals not South Carolina.” The implication of this ad is that Sheheen is somehow unfit for public office because he once provided legal counsel to people accused of crimes.

From The Governor Of South Carolina

SOUTH CAROLINA: Rep. Tim Scott To Replace GOP Senator Jim DeMint

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will tap freshman Tea Party Rep. Tim Scott to replace the retiring Sen. Jim DeMint.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, three Republican officials familiar with the process confirmed to The New York Times the decision to select Mr. Scott. Aides to the governor declined to comment before the noon announcement. Ms. Haley seriously considered a number of potential contenders, particularly Jenny Sanford, the ex-wife of former Gov. Mark Sanford, who supported Ms. Haley in her race two years ago. But in choosing Mr. Scott, she selected a lawmaker with a strong conservative voting record during his two years in Congress. Additionally, Mr. Scott, 47, offers a unique story and background, one that is in scant supply in the Republican Party right now. Raised by a single mother, he was, by his account, a lost child who struggled with school and with life until a Chick-fil-A franchise owner took him on as a protégé and schooled him in conservative principles.

Bolding is mine. Scott will become the first black Senator from the South in over a century.