AUG. 13, 2010 – Questions, I’ve learned in more than 20 years of writing, never hurt anyone. It’s the pesky answers that cause problems for politicians.

Last week, we asked 10 questions of GOP gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley, whose campaign did not answer. This week, we asked 10 questions of her Democratic challenger, Sen. Vincent Sheheen. His campaign responded within 24 hours. You be the judge whether he answered questions fully.

1. Obama. Your opponent came from behind in the spring after receiving the support of a national GOP politician. Are you planning to invite and campaign with President Obama in South Carolina, or are you trying to keep him away from the state’s political process this fall?

Sheheen: For too long, we have had a governor who was more focused on the national limelight than governing South Carolina.  We can’t afford to do that again.  I am focused on our state and how to get it moving forward again.

2. Insider. Your opponent exploits the notion that she’s an outsider, despite being in state politics for six years. Your pedigree, however, is highlighted by the fact that your uncle was Speaker of the House and your father ran the state Commission on Higher Education for years. So in a political season where anything connected with the past is viewed by some as a negative, how has your background prepared you to be a better governor than your opponent?

Sheheen: Faith and family are an extremely important part of my life. I was fortunate to have been raised by parents who believed in the value of small business, public education and the responsibility of public service.  My opponent has been a key part of the divisive Sanford regime, which has driven this state’s unemployment to record numbers and created a dysfunctional state government.  We must have a governor who understands that success for our state comes by building bridges across party lines and working together.

3. Revenue. Some of your past gubernatorial opponents have pushed revenue-generating ideas such as re-legalizing video poker or allowing casino gambling in South Carolina. With the state budget as tight as it is, do you have any revenue-generating alternatives for our state, which has shrunk its public dollar commitment to higher education to levels of more than 20 years ago? If so, what are they and why will they work?

Sheheen: I was willing to stand up to Mark Sanford and Representative Haley to ensure the passage of a fair cigarette tax for our state.  Further increases in state revenue will only come with increased employment and economic development of our state.  With a real governor, we can grow our state’s economy and dedicate higher percentages of our state budget to future investments such as roads, higher education and core government functions.

4. Governing. South Carolina’s legislature is dominated by the Republican Party. If you become governor, how will you get things done with a party that may want to deny you any victory of any sort?

Sheheen: If we’ve learned one thing over the last eight years, it is that total dominance of state government by one party does not equal success.  Our state has experienced a “lost decade” due to Mark Sanford and Representative Haley’s inability to work with political and business leaders.

Former Gov. [Carroll] Campbell provides a model for how successful a governor can be serving with a legislature controlled by the other party.  Like Gov. Campbell, I want to focus on job creation and economic development. I know how to build bridges across party lines and with legislators to actually move the state forward.  Our political and business leaders are desperate for a governor who will work hard, bring people together and lay out a vision of hope for our state!

5. Vision. We’ve heard you tell people that you want to “build a better South Carolina” and “get the state working again.” But we haven’t seen any big ideas from your campaign. How specifically will you get the state moving forward?

Sheheen: If you haven’t seen any big ideas, it’s because you haven’t been listening!

But first we have to get back to basics and look at what’s worked in the past.  We must have a governor who is PERSONALLY involved in economic development and recruitment.  The absentee approach of Sanford has been a failure.  Like former Governors [Fritz] Hollings, Campbell and others I will travel the nation and the world to promote South Carolina as a place for major expansions and headquarters to locate.

And we must have new ideas to move forward.  As governor, I will reorganize the Department of Commerce to include a division of Small Business and Entrepenuership to help catapult forward small business development in our state.  Next, we must change our understanding of economic development to promote and incentivize new industries like alternative fuel development, medical care jobs, and value-added agriculture.

Check out our jobs plan at www.vincentsheheen.com for more on our plans for South Carolina.

6. Accomplishment. We know you’ve pushed for government reform, but aren’t familiar with any big idea you’ve pushed successfully through the Statehouse. What’s your biggest legislative accomplishment?

Sheheen: I am extremely proud to have actual achievements as a state legislator.  With Mark Sanford, we’ve seen what a disaster it is to elect an ineffective legislator to the governor’s office.

One of my first accomplishiments was acting as a floor leader to ensure passage of the Conservation Land Bank. Along with Representative Chip Campsen, I led the charge to conserve thousands of acres of critical habitat and special places for future generations.

I also proudly led a successful, bipartisan effort to force the legislature to repay debt raided from state trust funds.  Just this past year, I along with several other state senators successfully pushed to establish a fair cigarette tax.  Also, this year I was deeply involved in passing water withdrawal protections for our rivers and streams and in passing legislation that will create thousands of new jobs while improving the energy efficiences of existing homes.

During my short legislative career, my calling card has been pulling people together to get things done.

7. Medicaid. If elected governor, it is very likely that the first crisis you may have to deal with is a shortfall of up to $400 million in Medicaid funds – if Congress doesn’t, as expected, passed funding extensions this fall. What will you do – kick off thousands of South Carolinians from Medicaid coverage or something else?

Sheheen: I believe Congress [will] in fact pass funding extensions for Medicaid.

8. Tuition. Tuition at South Carolina’s public colleges and universities is among the top in the country. For a little state, that puts a big burden on parents whose incomes are below average compared to the rest of the country. How would you lower tuition rates at our public colleges and universities?

Sheheen: Under Mark Sanford, South Carolina has steadily disinvested in higher education as a percentage of the budget. The result has predictably been highly escalating
 tuition. We now have the highest tuition in the Southeast and one of the highest in the nation.  We cannot reverse this damaging course overnight, but over the long term we must commit a higher percentage of revenue growth to higher education.  During the next decade, this will allow our state to hold tuition costs down and bring them more in line with surrounding states.

9. Restructuring. Over the years, you’ve pushed for a Department of Administration as a cabinet-level agency to oversee a lot of the routine executive functions of state government now done by the state Budget and Control Board. Would you try to get rid of the Budget and Control Board, which has been the only thing in recent years to stand in the way of some bad ideas?

Sheheen: Truly administrative functions should be housed within the Executive Branch, elected by the people of this state.  In a democratic repubic, voters should get the leadership they vote for.

10. Prisons. South Carolina has among the highest incarceration rates in the world. Our answer to crime is punishment, which costs the state a lot of money. Are you in favor of developing alternative sentencing strategies so we incarcerate fewer people and save money and, if so, please outline your approach briefly.

Sheheen: I am strongly in favor of developing alternative sentencing approaches for appropriate, non-violent offenders to save our precious tax dollars and break the cycle of non-violent crime.  Among these alternative sentences should be increased drug-courts, domestic violence courts and day-reporting centers.