Blink Book Review: “The Concise Guide to South Carolina Government” by Vincent Sheheen

As a self proclaimed “policy nerd,” I was excited to receive “A Concise Guide to SC State Government” by Vincent Sheheen as a Christmas gift. I found it easily readable – dare I even say a “page turner.”

Sheheen comes by his expertise in state government loaded with credentials. He served in the SC House from 2001-2004 and the state Senate from 2004-2020. He hails from Camden where he now serves as mayor. His family is seeped in the politics and history of South Carolina. Sheheen also hosts a successful podcast with his friend and fellow retired state senator, Joel Lourie, where they interview political and policy leaders from both sides of the aisle.

If I judged the book by its cover, I would almost guess it’s a textbook (and the author has noted in interviews that he hopes it will be used that way). But there’s plenty of vivid storytelling and well-written narrative to keep someone without my interest in politics engaged.

For anyone who has heard the often quoted line of “South Carolina is too small for a republic, but too large for an insane asylum” (James Louis Petigru 1789-1863), this book lays out the “why” behind some of the unusual ways government is organized and policy is carried out in South Carolina.

Each chapter opens with a profile of a prominent South Carolinian who illustrates the topic to come. From there, the chapter moves into clear explanations of how state government operates. These profile stories set the stage for easy-to-read accounts of legislative authority, executive power and constitutional origins.

For those who follow legislative shenanigans on a regular basis, the book provides a great backdrop for the historical “why” behind the day-to-day “what” of making laws.

For example, while the General Assembly of today is debating the merits of changing how judges are elected, this book lays out the historical “why” behind the current often-maligned process (p 88).  And as we sit less than a year from electing a new governor, we can learn more about how state’s top executive position has amassed the power it has in spite of the strong legislative authority based in the state’s constitution (p 49).

I worked for different lieutenant governors in my early career (Stevenson, Daniel, Theodore), so I found the section about this office particularly interesting, especially given the changes in this role in recent years (p 68) and the political foreshadowing of things to come in this role.

Because of my years of association with local governments, I especially enjoyed the chapter on that topic. The profile of former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley was very timely in light of the recent news of his Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Cities, counties, and school districts have long engaged in power struggles with the legislature pushing back on home rule. The book delivers a concise, but comprehensive, overview of the mechanics and history behind this important cog in this wheel of government in South Carolina.

If you’re someone who watches committee hearings for fun (yes, I do, please cast no judgment), the real value in this book comes from the context it provides. The book helps connect today’s headlines spotlighting ideological battles and funding priorities to the history that built the current political environment. The author doesn’t take sides. The book simply helps a reader understand the game.

When someone new to South Carolina government or politics asks me for required reading to help them understand SC politics, my top picks have long been Walter Edgar’s comprehensive history of South Carolina and Harriet Keyserling’s book about her service in the legislature in the 70s and 80s (I love this one because I was a page “in the room where it happened” for some of her stories). Now I have a third book to add to this list!

In 2022, I set out to get off the screens and back to books for the summer. My accountability was writing short Blink Book Reviews (so short you can read them in a blink). The series has morphed into an ongoing book reading challenge. Join my Blink Book Review Facebook group to follow along..