Somebody's Lying

Will Folks                     Nikki Haley

The South Carolina gubernatorial race with just two weeks to go has become a real soap opera. Republican candidate Nikki Haley is vehemently denying claims by conservative blogger Will Folks that the two of them had an inappropriate physical relationship.

Folks went public with the claim a few days ago and declared initially that he would speak no more of it. Now, the firestorm is raging and Folks says he will bring forth proof. As a downpayment on his side of the story, he printed on his blog a set of text messages between himself, Tom Pearson (Haley's campaign manager) and Wes Donehue, a republican political operative.

One of these two people is lying. Right now, I'm betting its Nikki Haley. The context of the text messages he's released so far and the way they have been reacted to by their respective authors says to me that there is smoke AND fire here. Folks apparently has a reputation for being erratic and maybe misogynist too , but considering the world of hurt that would be coming his way for publishing a smearing lie of this magnitude without being able to back it up, I find it hard to believe that he's just that dog food crazy, especially considering by all accounts, he supports Haley in the race.

I'm sticking with my prognostication here, but the main thing that causes me to doubt my current prediction? The very homely looking visage of Folks. Haley looks like a woman with better taste. Then again, the hubby ain't no George Clooney. Cute kids though.



Who's lying, Haley or Folks and why? Sound off in the comments.


Update I:  The story has not advanced much further, but the media are of course all over it, and reporters managed to catch up with Folks and Donehue to ask some questions:



I think the guy has the goods.  His play is suicidal if he does not.  I'm not sure Haley recovers from the lie.  The coverup is worse than the affair, politically.

Update II: Nikki Haley is going to be the next governor of South Carolina at the rate this is going.  Its been a week + since Will Folks rolled out his charge that he had "a inappropriate physical relationship" with Haley.  He promised proof and then dripped dripped some info that seemed significant but doesn't prove his case.  He hasn't dropped the bomb he's led people to expect he had, so at this point, we conclude that it is actually Will Folks who is the liar here. Big time.  How this political scum bag shows his face anywhere in SC after this mess, I don't know.  And if Nikki becomes Governor, well, payback is a you know what and Folks will have it coming in spades.  He won't be the only one on the waitlist to receive his can of political whoop ass either. Another moron, lobbyist Larry Merchant, has now come forward to openly claim that he had sex with Haley.Of course, he can't prove his claim either. His connection with Haley's primary opponent, Andre Bauer only makes it stink worse, as Merchant worked as a consultant to Bauer's campaign up until the day before he dropped this massive lie. Bauer is the current Lt. Governor of South Carolina and right about now, the people of SC have got to be thinking they have a massive political scum bag in the job.

South Carolina politics is an open sewer.  On what planet does this kind of free range political malarkey become okay? Political payback is to be expected at this point, but right now, I'm actually looking for Mr. Haley to pay a personal visit to somebody and break off his Timberlands in their back country.  The blatant (and inept) sexism and political cynicism these smear tactics evidence is a damning commentary on what passes for politics in South Carolina.  At this point, if I'm Haley, I think I want some more idiots to come out of the woodwork with bogus claims of affairs because it seems to be doing great things for her gubernatorial chances. If Merchant and Folks are not both steaming piles of political roadkill after this, there is no hope for SC politics.

Update III: Oh, lets add racist BS to the mix too! SC Senator Jake Knots gets in on the Haley pile on by calling Haley and President Obama ragheads in comments to a talk show audience. He's walking it back claiming he was being humorous and was taken out of context. The SC GOP chair has repudiated his comments and the SC Democrats are calling for his resignation.  I actually think its perfectly fair to force him out of office if it comes to that, not so much for the comment as for the insulting excuse that he was not understood correctly by his audience.  That's cowardly.  Be a man and own your BS.