THURSDAY WITH THIGPEN: The end of impeachment resolution, gubernatorial poll and Patterson's passing

COLUMBIA – Every Thursday Dr. Neal Thigpen provides his insights on the week’s top political stories. Today we discuss the end of the impeachment resolution, a new statewide gubernatorial poll, and the passing of longtime former state treasurer Grady Patterson.

QUESTION: The S.C. House Judiciary Impeachment Subcommittee voted 6 to 1 to halt the resolution to impeach Gov. Mark Sanford. Most of the committee members felt the governor’s June trip to Argentina and the ethics charges against him did not merit his removal from office. The subcommittee instead, voted unanimously to censure the governor. What are your thoughts on this vote?

ANSWER: I think that was probably the wise and the fair decision, because I think there were a lot of people in the state who…felt like…what Sanford has engaged in is sort of mild misbehavior…I think (the decision) will sit well with people in the state…people have grown weary of the whole business and they just want it to go away…I’ve talked to an awful lot of people who would say…(the charges) don’t rise to the level of an impeachable offense…they just want it to go away and let Sanford finish out his 13 months remaining in office…now I wouldn’t preclude the possibility of some sort of mild censure or reprimand…that might reach the (House) floor…which would amount to a mild rebuke…but I think the members of the General Assembly of both parties…are probably somewhat relieved…they didn’t want this impeachment thing jamming up the whole Spring calendar and taking up the time of the General Assembly…this is probably the best outcome for everybody involved.

QUESTION: A Rasmussen poll released last week projects that the race to be South Carolina’s next governor is going to be competitive. The survey suggests that S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster and U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett are the front-runners for the Republican nomination. It predicts that state Superintendent of Education Jim Rex is the leading Democrat. However, the poll indicates that Rex would lose a potential contest against, both, McMaster and Barrett in the general election. Republican Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer had the highest name recognition of any of the candidates, but he also had the highest negatives. Of those polled, 21 percent said they viewed Bauer “very unfavorably,” compared to 12% for Rex, 7% for McMaster, and 4% for Barrett. The poll also found a potential race between Bauer and Rex would be a dead-heat. What do you make of these findings?

ANSWER: I’m not surprised by any of the figures in the poll. I do think it’s a two-man race…for the Republican nomination, between Barrett and McMaster…but that would be the place where Bauer would be strongest…in the primary…he’s got a faithful following…it’s not tremendously large…and he’s carrying some pretty heavy negative baggage in the perception of voters…he’s a much stronger primary candidate, than he would be a general election candidate…that fact that if (Bauer) became the Republican gubernatorial nominee and Dr. Rex became the democratic gubernatorial nominee…(they would be) in a dead heat in this poll…is prima facie evidence that (Bauer) would be the easiest, of the potential Republican nominees for governor, for the Democrats to beat…so if you’re the Democrats…you pray that Bauer can win the Republican nomination.

QUESTION: Grady Patterson Jr., South Carolina’s longtime former state treasurer, died of natural causes this week at the age of 85. He managed the state’s tax dollars as treasurer for a total of 36 years. Patterson was a fighter pilot during WWII and served 40 years in the S.C. Air National Guard, retiring as a lieutenant general. Many observers have credited him with helping to modernize the state’s financial policies. What do you think will be Patterson’s legacy?

ANSWER: I’ve always felt that Grady Patterson was probably the last of the old-time conservative Democrats that you’re going to see elected statewide in this state…you may never see anybody like him again…he was a wonderful man…he was one of my favorite office holders statewide…he was fiscally conservative, instinctively conservative, and careful with money…in terms of his war record…I’d put Grady Patterson right up there as one of the great war heroes in the modern history of the state…he was a great patriot and he had a wonderful service record…and I never met anybody that didn’t like Grady Patterson…he was about as nice and gentlemanly a man as anybody…I think he was one of the real stalwart statesmen that we’ve had in this state…I don’t think I ever voted against Grady…I always voted for him because I thought he was such a sound, good, decent, and capable public official.

Dr. Neal Thigpen is a longtime political analyst and former political science professor at Francis Marion University, where he served as chairman of the department for 25 years. Active in state and local politics, Thigpen has served numerous times as a delegate to both the state and National Republican Conventions. We talk with Thigpen every week to discuss the latest in South Carolina politics.