A Run for Congress

September 21, 2010: S.C. Rep. Tim Scott, the Republican nominee for the first district seat for U.S. House, told Rotarians that he valued cutting taxes, less government and regulatory.

The Democratic candidate, Ben Frazier, was invited but did not attend the club’s meeting that focused on the position that’s open due to the retirement of Congressman Henry Brown. Minor party candidates were not invited.

“We are in a pretty good position in America,” Scott said. “Our brightest days are still ahead of us.”

Scott delivered a well-honed, party-driven message. He said he would focus in Congress on working to limit the role of government, lower taxes and try to get colleagues to spend less.

“In D.C., we do not have a revenue problem,” he said. “We have a priority problem.”

Among his targets would be to reduce the federal influence on education and allow states to keep more education money, which he said needed to be directed to the classroom, not administration. He also said the Energy Department had 4,000 programs that needed to be reviewed for “waste, fraud and abuse.”

Scott said he would work to reinvigorate America’s manufacturing base: “If we don’t start making things again, we will have a very hard road ahead of us.” He pointed to Michelin, BMW, Boeing, Bosch and Force Protection as major industries in the state that were key to a growing transportation cluster of jobs. Other observations by Scott:

On earmarks: The House Republican Caucus is opposed to them so there wouldn’t be any support for them. “The earmark system leaves us (in South Carolina) with crumbs while others get loaves.” Instead, he is for “congressionally directed funding” that apparently would let members of Congress cherry pick projects for funding in home districts.

On gridlock: If the House is taken over by the GOP, Scott said he expected political gridlock for a couple of years.

Tea party: “I have no problem with the tea party. They believe in a conservative value system, limiting the role of government, free markets and reducing government debt.”

Term limits: A supporter of term limits, Scott said he would limit his congressional service to four terms.

— Andy Brack, Keyway Committee