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Andre Bauer augments SC’s notoriety
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January 28, 2010 • David Salkowski
Filed under The World at Large
Mark Sanford’s fall from grace has diminished South Carolina’s hopes of sending one of its own conservative stars to the White House. With Sanford’s imminent retirement, there is a political void to be filled in the state.
The most visible candidate for the governor’s office so far has been the current lieutenant governor, Andre Bauer.
Bauer has recently received a heavy deluge of criticism for comments he made at a town hall meeting in the upstate of South Carolina. He likened students who receive free school lunch to stray animals. He claimed that providing free lunch to students gives them incentive to “breed.”
His statements centered around the higher rates of poverty in areas where more students receive free or reduced lunch. Bauer meant to illustrate that public assistance to poor students is “facilitating the problem” of poverty.
Some have criticized the message, while others simply find the delivery too harsh. Ryan Bailey is a junior at Fort Dorchester who considers himself a Republican. “It was a stupid thing to say, but the basic point behind it is legitimate,” said Bailey.
This recent statement is characteristic of Bauer’s outspoken attitude. At Boys’ State convention last summer, where several Fort Dorchester students went in summer 2009, he tried to cultivate the next generation of voters with several bold ideas.
These included the belief that “every American has a right and responsibility” to own a firearm, in case of a foreign invasion. Greg Koehler was one of the students in attendance at Palmetto Boys’ State who saw the lieutenant governor’s speech. “He had some horrible ideas,” stated Koehler. “South Carolina needs to start electing people that make us look less ignorant.”
Lt. gov. Bauer has also been in the news for repeated traffic violations. In one instance, he was stopped for going over 100 mph. He was not ticketed.
With Governor Sanford’s final term coming to a close, Bauer is among several candidates who will be vying for his seat. South Carolina’s flailing economy will likely be the central issue of debate, potentially leading to more controversial statements about government spending.
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