Recent Attacks by the Special Interest Groups
As you know, I have been under attack by angry special interest groups for the past few months. Please read this piece by the Spartanburg Herald Journal’s Bob Dalton and share it with your friends.
Another take on the S.C. Club for Growth
First, let me say that this isn’t a slap at Lee Bright or Roger Nutt, nor is it a pat on the back for Scott Talley or Keith Kelly. The four of them are big boys who can handle their own business.
It is, however, a fact check on the S.C. Club for Growth’s endorsements.
Last week Matt Moore, the Growth’s executive director, claimed in a letter that Talley and Kelly voted against “critical tort and workers’ compensation reform.” Fact: Talley voted in favor of the tort reform bill in 2006, and voted for workers’ compensation reform in both 2006 and 2007. Fact: Kelly voted for the worker’s comp bill in 2007. While it’s true that he didn’t vote for tort or worker’s comp reform in 2006, there’s a good reason - he didn’t enter the General Assembly until 2007.
When I called Moore to ask him how the Growth got it wrong, he said the group had worked hard to ensure the accuracy of its information. OK, mistakes happen, even though the Legislature has a Web site that tells you when someone was first elected and contains journals that document recorded votes.
Special Interest Attacks
Friends – It has been an honor serving you in the State House over the last two years. During that time I have worked to shake things up in Columbia by serving your family. In the process, I have angered a lot of special interests groups because I did not cave to their interests. They threatened me, ran negative commercials against me, and even promised to fund a candidate against me.
To be completely honest – I don’t care. I’m not in Columbia to make special interest groups happy. I’m there to make you happy and to push good conservative legislation that will protect our families. That will continue to be my top priority.
God Bless,
Keith
SHJ: Roger Nutt and Keith Kelly will face off again in District 35
Spartanburg Herald-Journal
By Jason Spencer
3/31/08
Republican Roger Nutt says that the people in the southern portion of Spartanburg County have had two years to see state Rep. Keith Kelly in action - and that’s why he’s running again for House District 35.
Nutt, 42, said he will campaign this year “almost word-for-word” as he did two years ago. He said he hasn’t even had to change his Web site.
“If District 35 is satisfied with my opponent’s record, then they can put him back in office. If not, they have a choice,” Nutt said. “It’s really a simple campaign.”
Nutt said the biggest difference this time around is that he has hired a consultant - Chad Connelly of the Sandlapper Group - so someone else can concentrate on things like campaign signs and he can spend more time actually campaigning.
Connelly is a board member of South Carolinians for Responsible Government, one of several conservative groups with similar agendas that have taken an interest in certain state legislative races. Kelly’s is one of them.
Special Interest Attack Groups
A couple months ago I wrote an op-ed detailing the special interests and attack groups that will be playing in the upcoming election. It looks like those groups are already attacking those of us who do not cave to their demands. Here is an interesting article that ran yesterday in the Spartanburg Herald Journal:
Groups seek to shape Legislature
Some say tactics used are ‘inherently unfair’
By Jason Spencer & Robert W. Dalton
Published: Sunday, March 23, 2008
In the year and a half that he’s been in the state House, Rep. Keith Kelly has missed one day of work.
It was a Thursday - April 26, 2007 to be exact - and Kelly, R-Woodruff, remembers it vividly. It was the day his wife had a biopsy to determine whether she had breast cancer.
Things went well and Kelly’s wife is fine. But somebody out there wants Kelly to pay for taking the day off to be by her side.
An anonymous group or individual recently paid for a poll in which voters in Kelly’s district were told that their representative was not attending sessions and was not voting. Such polls where an opinion survey is aimed at influencing someone’s perception of a candidate are known as push polls.
More thoughts on school consolidation
As you know, I have stood firmly against the school consolidation plan. This week a couple Spartanburg residents presented me with a petition of nearly 1,000 constituents who also oppose the plan. Here’s a video from the Spartanburg Herald Journal:
Special privileges
Lawmakers shouldn’t have exemptions from the rules the public must obey
South Carolina lawmakers shouldn’t give themselves special privileges the rest of the state’s population doesn’t enjoy. That includes the right to carry a concealed weapon anywhere they wish.
Citizens already resent the law that prohibits a lawmaker from being arrested on his way to the General Assembly. Newspapers routinely get calls from the public, complaining about lawmakers speeding on the interstate to Columbia, smug in the knowledge they won’t be stopped by police. Read more
School Consolidation
Kelly’s vlog clicks with his constituents
Spartanburg Herald-Journal
By Jessica L. De Vault
2/11/08
Facebook, MySpace and YouTube have changed the way most teens keep in touch with friends, but now politicians hope to use the technology to communicate with constituents.
Whether you’re one of 427,924 supporters on the Sen. Barack Obama Facebook page or a visitor to Sen. John McCain’s MySpace page with his 44,818 friends, it’s apparent that the Internet is becoming an often used hue in the political spectrum.
That’s why Rep. Keith Kelly got onboard the video blog (vlog) bandwagon last year during the onset of his campaign to run for a House seat. On the advice of his teenage daughters, Kelly, R-Woodruff, launched his site and became one of the first state legislators to have a video-based blog.
“I didn’t even know what a vlog was,” Kelly said. “But the whole idea was about being able to communicate with people in the district. We have received nothing but favorable comments on the vlog. It’s really about constituent service; that’s why we did it - so people can get in touch with me.”
The site has become an informative spot to keep constituents up to speed on Kelly’s political activity in Columbia. It is updated once or twice a week, depending on Kelly’s schedule.
Most of the vlogs last for a minute or less and generally include Kelly speaking about his views on any given topic. All of the vlogs are available on YouTube.com and have received high ratings. Many of the videos have gotten 200 to 300 hits.
“I’m just giving them updates. We talk about immigration, agriculture and anything that comes up. Nothing real heavy, just saying ‘Hey, this is Keith. This is what I do,’ ” he said.
Vlogging buddies
While getting the hang of vlogging, Kelly haphazardly created a video buddy named “Max, the Coffee Pot.”
On his first day in Columbia, the representative videotaped his move into his new office.
Kelly’s e-campaign consultant, Tim Cameron, was videotaping the representative when he discovered that he was missing a very important item. Kelly’s daughter had given him a coffee pot for Christmas, so he was eager to open the packaging and install his new appliance prior to the taping. When Kelly reached into the box to grab his coffee pot, he was surprised to find the package empty.
Cameron insisted on including the coffee pot dilemma in the vlog.
“It was absolutely impromptu,” Kelly said. “(Cameron) said, ‘Hey, that’s funny. Just put it on the video. Just go with it. Just talk.’ ”
The search for his missing coffee pot, which he later named Max, became popular among the viewers.
“Now everyone loves Max,” Kelly said. Max eventually was found and became the subject of later vlogs.
Max has since been put to work, brewing pots of coffee on command.
Cameron, said the representative’s blog has become the start of an online trend for politicians statewide.
“The response has been wildly positive. He has people coming up to him regularly asking him about his blog posts. It’s a great way to communicate with his constituents. Even in the statehouse, there are a lot of members who want to get their own (vlog) because of what he’s done,” Cameron said.
Mike Forrester, a local resident running for a state Senate seat, has created a Web site with vlog postings similar in nature to Kelly’s Web page. After launching his Web page several weeks ago, Forrester said he already has received a few comments.
“People are getting more accustomed to using the Web as a communications tool,” Forrester said. “When you looked at the political process, when the presidential election was going on it was quite popular with those folks. It’s really a neat way to see a person and find out about their views. And we thought it would be a great idea to use it to make contact to learn and hear from the constituents.”
Seeing politicians’ Web sites cropping up across the Internet makes Kelly proud for being a part of the trend.
“I think it’s cutting edge,” Kelly said. “Everyone saw how popular this is, and everyone is going to be doing this. Who would’ve thought I’d be out on the edge?”
Constituent Service
Back for 2008
