From SC Club for Growth Executive Director, Matt Moore:

With the troubled state of our economy, you would think Converse Chellis’ taxpayer-funded office would have better things to do than attack small business people working to improve our state.  But I’m not surprised at Chellis’ poor judgment – after all, over the strong objections of Governor Sanford and other fiscal conservatives, Chellis voted last summer to increase our state’s “assumed” investment returns just months before one of the biggest stock market crashes in American history. Instead of doing better, our portfolio has reportedly lost around $10 billion in the past year.

The biggest problem with Chellis’ efforts is at that we’re already $20 billion short in paying for the other political promises. Taxpayers will ultimately get stuck paying for the shortfall.

Chellis’ office tries to demean our Chairman by saying he “makes a living selling ribs” but the truth is he sold his company several years ago.  Starting with nothing but an idea, he and two friends created a business that grew to employ over 500 people in our state and over one thousand across the Southeast.  Along the way, they were named “Entrepreneurs of the Year” in the Carolinas and honored for running Charleston’s “Most Charitable Company.”  Now our Chairman is focused on improving South Carolina – prior to his current position, he served for two years as Governor Sanford’s Deputy Chief of Staff and Budget Director, overseeing the writing of the first real executive branch and activities-based budgets in South Carolina history.

Real Republicans want to utilize the talents of successful business people and their principles in government.  Converse Chellis seems to disagree.  Perhaps he’s more like President Obama, whose cabinet has no representation from successful business owners and whose policies reflect a belief in big government over American entrepreneurs.  A real Republican wouldn’t run taxpayer funded re-election ads either, but that’s another story…

Rather than attacking successful business people in our state and making strange public comments about celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Converse Chellis’ office should focus its attention on improving our state’s financial situation.  Attacking taxpayers is one thing – but making them pick up the tab for your billion dollar mistakes is another. I call on Converse Chellis’ office to end its politically-motivated attacks and get back to work for South Carolina taxpayers.