When President Bush and the Washington establishment were pushing the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), the four Republican Congressmen from South Carolina reportedly “held hands and jumped” and voted for the bill. Their reasoning? “They can’t vote us all out.”
The midterm elections are now over, so let’s look at what happened to each of these guys:
Henry Brown, District 1
Congressman Brown decided to retire instead of seeking reelection. After an intensly crowded primary race (boasting names like Thurmond and Campbell), State Representative and Tea Party favorite Tim Scott emerged to become the GOP nominee and the next Congressman.
Joe Wilson, District 2
Joe Wilson was the only one of the Republican delegation to retain his seat. He was saved by his famous “You lie!” shouted at President Obama during his State of the Union Address before the joint Houses of Congress.
Gresham Barrett, District 3
Barrett decided not to seek reelection and instead ran for governor. He was soundly defeated by Nikki Haley in the primary. Replacing him in Congress is the ultra-conservative State Representative (and Haley ally) Jeff Duncan.
Bob Inglis, District 4
Congressman Inglis faced a crowded, vicious primary, and was defeated by conservative Trey Gowdy 29% to 71%. This was such a pronounced defeat that the national media took note.  Gowdy went on to win the general election.
So there you have it. Of the four compromisers, only one is going back, and the other three are being replaced by men who are more conservative than their predecessors.  Conclusion: don’t tread on your values if you don’t want to get bit!
Well that is just what compromising your principles should get you.
P.s. I loved the “You Lie” that was great!