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Tag: vincent sheheen
Lawyers Slam Controversial Republican Attack Ad

Lawyers Slam Controversial Republican Attack Ad

The South Carolina Bar Association has condemned an ad that brutally attacks Vincent Sheheen, the Democratic candidate for governor in South Carolina, for legal cases he took on during his time as a criminal defense attorney.

The Republican Governors Association released an ad on Monday, saying, “Sheheen defended violent criminals who abused women, and went to work setting them free. So next time Sheheen says he’ll protect women from violent criminals, ask him: What about the ones who paid him?”

That angered South Carolina Bar Association President Alice Paylor, who expressed her disapproval in a Tuesday press release.

“The political season has blossomed, and a few people are again attacking the Constitutional principles that are essential to a free society,” she said. “Every day lawyers step up to the plate and ensure that each citizen is afforded the rights guaranteed to us all and essential to protect our liberties. It would be refreshing to see comment on the merits of positions rather than attacks seeking to evoke a gut response.”

“The truth is that each and every one of us has a professional duty to ensure that justice is not rationed but is available to everyone,” Paylor added. “It is the job of a criminal defense lawyer to ensure his or her client has a fair trial, not to defend the crime.”

The South Carolina Bar Association is a non-partisan organization and typically does not intervene in political races. The RGA ad, however, triggered Paylor to announce the launch of a website — sclawyerfacts.org — which is aimed at “refut[ing] the misinformation that is being spread and provid[ing] education about the legal profession and the service provided by lawyers to the citizens of South Carolina.”

The RGA continues to defend the ad and refuses to take it off air.

New Jersey governor Chris Christie (R), the RGA’s current chairman and a lawyer by trade, hasn’t personally commented on the ad. But a lawyer representing the Christie campaign and the New Jersey Republican State Committee during the federal investigation into “Bridgegate” has criticized the spot, calling it a “disgrace.”

“The people who talk incessantly about American exceptionalism ought to demonstrate some understanding—and some respect—for what makes our system truly admirable: That includes the willingness of lawyers to stand up for their clients no matter how ugly the allegation. But a lawyer is only ever an advocate; he’s not a co-conspirator or an enabler,” Robert D. Luskin of the law firm Patton Boggs told The Huffington Post.

Incumbent governor Nikki Haley (R) has said that her Democratic opponent certainly had a right to represent the accused, but added: “Just like South Carolinians have the right to know exactly who Vince is and who he chose to represent when they vote for governor.”

Watch the RGA ad here:

h/t:The Maddow Blog

Screenshot: YouTube

WATCH: Is This The Worst Attack Ad Of 2014?

WATCH: Is This The Worst Attack Ad Of 2014?

The Republican Governors Association released one of the nastiest campaign ads of the year on Monday, accusing South Carolina state Senator and gubernatorial candidate Vincent Sheheen (D) of siding with violent criminals over South Carolinians.

“It’s a fact: Trial lawyer Vincent Sheheen made money off criminals,” the ad’s female narrator says darkly. “Got a sex offender out of jail time. Defended a child abuser. And represented others charged with violent acts.”

“Sheheen defended violent criminals who abused women, and went to work setting them free. So next time Sheheen says he’ll protect women from violent criminals, ask him: What about the ones who paid him?” the ad concludes. “Vincent Sheheen protects criminals. Not us.”

The ad references Sheheen’s past legal work; although the majority of his career has focused on civil cases, he has represented at least three men who were charged with criminal domestic violence. According to incumbent governor Nikki Haley (R), that is inconsistent with his legislative plans to fight violence against women.

Democrats, predictably, disagree.

“As a former prosecutor, Vincent has seen what families and victims go through and he has worked with law enforcement to hold criminals accountable and achieve justice,” Sheheen’s campaign manager Andrew Whalen told The State. “This dishonest ad by Nikki Haley’s DC friends is a disgusting and desperate attempt to distract from children being abused and dying because of the reckless leadership at Haley’s Department of Social Services.”

Whalen’s latter remark refers to ongoing investigations into child deaths associated with the South Carolina Department of Social Services. Sheheen has called on the department’s director, Lillian Koller — a Haley appointee — to be removed from office.

The vicious attack ad makes it clear that the RGA is not taking Sheheen’s campaign lightly. Haley defeated Sheheen by 4 percent in their surprisingly-close 2010 matchup; early polling of their 2014 rematch suggests that Haley may have a more comfortable margin this November.

Screenshot: YouTube

WATCH: RGA Attacks Medicaid Expansion That Eight GOP Governors Support

WATCH: RGA Attacks Medicaid Expansion That Eight GOP Governors Support

The Republican Governors Association released a new ad on Monday slamming South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Vincent Sheheen (D) for supporting the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion — but failing to tell the whole story about the law.

The 30-second television ad, titled “Vincent Sheheen: Even More Obamacare,” attacks Sheheen for supporting health care reform.

“Remember this guy, Sheheen? Well first, Sheheen supported much of Obamacare. But then he refused to support the lawsuit to stop it,” the ad’s narrator says. “Now, Vincent Sheheen wants to use Obamacare for a $2 billion expansion of Medicaid in South Carolina.”

The ad, which is backed by a $200,000 buy, according to The Washington Post, presents an odd case for opposing Sheheen.

In addition to covering an estimated 340,000 South Carolinians, Medicaid expansion would give South Carolina’s economy a needed boost. According to a 2012 study from the South Carolina Hospital Association, opting into the ACA’s Medicaid expansion would result in an $11.2 billion increase in federal funding for the state between 2014 and 2020.

“These increased federal dollars, which signify an injection of new procurement activity to the state that would not exist otherwise, represent an unambiguous benefit to South Carolina’s economy,” the authors write.

By 2020, the study estimates that the total annual economic impact of the increased federal funding would total “approximately $3.3 billion in economic output, $1.5 billion in labor income, and support nearly 44,000 new jobs for South Carolinians.”

Still, Governor Nikki Haley (R) has stringently opposed Medicaid expansion, as part of her promise to “continue to fight Obamacare every step of the way.” Some of Haley’s colleagues feel differently, however. Eight Republican governors — including New Jersey’s Chris Christie, the current chairman of the organization that made the ad attacking Sheheen — accepted federal funding to expand Medicaid in their own states.

The issue is also still unsettled within South Carolina. In a twist on neighboring North Carolina’s “Moral Monday” protest movement, South Carolina health care advocates are organizing “Truthful Tuesday” rallies in an effort to pressure the state legislature to reconsider its decision to reject the federal funding. South Carolinians have been receptive to Medicaid expansion in the past; a May, 2013 survey found that 65 percent support Medicaid expansion.

South Carolina is the third state in which the RGA has aired ads in 2014, following Wisconsin and Arkansas. Haley is the favorite in her re-election campaign against Sheheen, whom she defeated by just 4 percent in the 2010 gubernatorial election. Given Haley’s low approval ratings and generally rocky tenure, however, Democrats are holding out hope for an upset victory.