You go first

The biggest kid at the swimming pool just made the little kids jump in first because she was too scared to get in the water. And after the little kids did her bidding, she jumped right in the pool like she’d had the courage to be there all along. She wasn’t afraid of the water and she wasn’t afraid to lead them – she thought going into the pool was a good idea all along – she said.

Yep, Governor Nikki Haley just made a decision on Amazon … only after the South Carolina House of Representatives had already rejected Amazon’s sweetheart tax deal. After weeks of stating she would not lead on the issue, she says the SC House voted the way she’d wanted them to all along (though her Commerce Department was pushing for the deal).

There is an oft-quoted political theory that to be successful a politician should “find out which way the people are going, and get in front of them.” A lot of very good politicians have used this practice at various times (for good and ill) to achieve longevity in the public arena. We are, after all, a representative democracy. But, I don’t remember too many instances where successful “leaders” have demanded that others do all the heavy lifting for them.

It will be interesting to see how this actually plays out. Will the SC House’s decision harm future economic development because South Carolina flip-flopped on this deal? Will those 1200+ jobs not be such a big loss in an economy that eventually improves? As importantly, will this be the be the final straw that forces the Legislature to address our broken tax code so that it becomes fairer and more attractive to new economic investment (without having to contort ourselves into these kind of winner/loser deals in the future)?

Answer to question one: it remains to be seen. Answer to question two: it remains to be seen. Answer to question three: very, very, very doubtful.

For now, we can only say, “Goodbye Amazon, and sorry to the people of Lexington County and the Midlands.”