South Carolina is the birthplace of the yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” flag that shows a coiled rattlesnake ready to strike. Patriot and slaver Christopher Gadsden designed it to illustrate how the colonies would fight for independence.
But Gov. Henry McMaster missed a big opportunity to show an independent spirit this week by announcing the sister of the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham as his replacement.
No offense to Darline Graham Nardone, but her coming service to the state until a newly elected senator is sworn in on Jan. 3, 2027, is a letdown. She’ll likely vote similarly to how her brother would have wanted or how Republican leaders steer her. South Carolinians, however, deserved more than a placeholder in this critical Washington leadership position.
What Nardone’s appointment really reflects, unfortunately, is how cowed South Carolina Republicans are by President Donald Trump. Her appointment also reflects how McMaster wanted to play it safe and keep from irritating the bully Trump.
Making a safe pick obviated the risk of a more experienced hand in one of the key political positions in the country. Had McMaster picked someone like former GOP Gov. David Beasley, who served on the world stage as Trump’s choice to head the World Food Program, or former Gov. Nikki Haley to represent the Palmetto State, he could have given a leg up to that choice in the coming Aug. 11 Republican primary for a slot on the November general election ballot.
But perhaps McMaster didn’t want to put his legacy at risk, particularly since the last time he played partisan politics in the Republican Party turned out badly after his hand-picked gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, got shellacked by state Attorney General Alan Wilson last month in a GOP runoff.
Also keep in mind that making a safe pick showed something else — a general leadership weakness among South Carolina Republicans who seem to have lost the independent spirit of the Gadsden flag thanks to their sycophantic fealty to Trump and his cultish Make America Great Again nonsense.
That weakness is the antithesis of what made Lindsey Graham popular among Republican and Democratic leaders in Washington. Graham, seen in later years as too much of a toady to Trump, has been remembered as an effective, witty voice for bringing people of different views together — particularly on foreign policy — and making deals to move things forward in Washington.
Now as South Carolina heads toward what may be a second divisive political primary next month, let’s wish his sister, Darline Nardone, well as she stands in for her brother until January.
But we hope she’ll remember that her duty is to everyone in South Carolina, not just to Donald Trump.
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