Bauer has folks shaking their heads, after he likened government assistance to the poor to feeding stray animals.

At a town hall meeting Thursday, Bauer, who is running for governor now that Sanford is term-limited, said: "My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed! You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that."

Leaders of both parties railed at him.

"I am disgusted by these comments. They show an unbelievable lack of compassion toward the unemployed workers in our state who are hurting during these hard times," said state Sen. Vincent Sheheen, a Democrat who is also running for governor. "His comments were immoral and out of line."

South Carolina schools Superintendent Jim Rex, another Democratic candidate for governor, called Bauer's comments "reprehensible" and said he should apologize.

So, given everything that transpired with Gov. Mark Sanford, why hasn't the South Carolina legislature impeached him and removed him from office? It can't be because, like the governor, they are Republicans; state lawmakers of both parties, but especially the Republicans, have been at odds with Sanford for ages, well before his famous disappearance last June when he secretly met with his lover in Argentina.

One reason: As much as they don't like Sanford, many of them detest Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer even more. Bauer would take over in the event Sanford was removed from office.

Seanna Adcox of the Associated Press calls Bauer "a fiercely ambitious Republican with a reputation for reckless and immature behavior. Adam Beam of The State, South Carolina's most influential newspaper, once laid out the case against Bauer:

Bauer is beloved by many. But his political career has been plagued by missteps both political and personal.

When Bauer was a state representative, he decided at the last minute to run for an open Senate seat, moving to Chapin and changing his voter registration on the last day of filing.

In 2003, while running late, Bauer ran two red lights in downtown Columbia before stopping for a police officer, who quickly pointed a gun at him. Originally charged with reckless driving, the lieutenant governor pleaded guilty to two lesser charges and paid a $311.25 fine.

In 2006, Bauer was pulled over by a state trooper after he was clocked at 101 mph on an interstate. Bauer used his state-issued radio to tell the officer he was "S.C. 2" -- code for lieutenant governor. He was not ticketed. When asked about it later, Bauer at first denied the story.

But Bauer has defended himself at every turn. He says "that officer was wrong," referring to the Columbia police officer who pulled a gun on him.

And he said he did not try to use his influence to get out of a speeding ticket -- and that he did not deny that he was pulled over.

"(The reporter) asked, 'Did you get a speeding ticket?' and I said 'no.' And that was the truth. Had he asked, 'Did you get pulled?' I'd have said 'yes.' And there is a vast difference there."

But some don't see the difference and wonder if Bauer has the credibility to restore respect to the governor's office should Sanford resign or be forced out.

"After a scandal, the person who comes in after has to rebuild trust between voters and this highest office," said Doug Woodard, political science professor at Clemson University. "Now you've got a problem. You've got a guy who's got a reputation of doing some reckless things." ...

According to his driving record with the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, Bauer has had at least two accidents, four tickets, and one suspended license for failure to pay a ticket. On May 6, 2003, Bauer was stopped on Assembly Street in downtown Columbia, South Carolina, for running two red lights and speeding up to 60 mph in a 35-mph zone. The officer drew his gun after Bauer got out of the car and began heading toward the officer's car in an "aggressive manner." He was issued a ticket for reckless driving.  On December 26, 2005, Bauer got a warning for speeding (77 mph in a 65 mph zone) in Laurens County, South Carolina. On February 25, 2006, Bauer was pulled over for speeding over 100 mph in Chester County, South Carolina in a state-issued car, but he was allowed to proceed without a ticket or warning.

On May 23, 2006, Bauer was injured in a single-engine airplane crash shortly after taking off from a small airfield in Blacksburg, South Carolina. Bauer, who was the pilot of the Mooney M20E single-prop airplane, and his passenger escaped the wreckage with minor injuries before the plane caught fire. Bauer had surgery for his shattered left heel. The incident was voted "Best Political Stunt in 2006" by readers of the Free Times alternative weekly tabloid. However, the June 11, 2009, court ruling concluded that the wrong parts were put into the engine. “By overhauling the engine and returning it to service with incorrect bolts installed, respondent created an unnecessary risk in engine performance,” wrote Administrative Judge Richard C. Goodwin. “Materials and techniques specified in maintenance manuals must be followed in order to best ensure safe engine, and aircraft, performance. Carelessly departing from these requirements placed those protections at risk.”

Part of the mixed reaction to Bauer is that while he has made some real accomplishments -- he received positive reviews for his work on behalf of the elderly while serving as LG -- he has also shown a willingness to do whatever it takes in taking down his opponents, of either party, in campaigns or while in office. Last April, when beginning his campaign for the 2010 gubernatorial race, in which Sanford is term limited, he hired Chris LaCivita to run it -- the same Chris LaCivita, wrote The State's Beam, who was "one of the minds behind the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth campaign" against 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. Sources in S.C. have said that Bauer and/or his people have been conducting an anti-Sanford whispering campaign for the better part of a year, and that LaCivita would relish taking down Sanford as he did Kerry.

(In 2006, during his campaign for renomination as lt. gov., Sanford's now-estranged wife Jenny supported Bauer's primary opponent.)

Of course, hitting Bauer for being "ambitious" or "willing to do whatever it takes" is somewhat laughable; that defines nearly every politician on the face of the earth. But with Bauer, it seems to be somewhat personal; a lot of them just don't like him. Hence the spreading of rumors, for example, about his sexual orientation. (Asked if he is gay, Bauer, who is 40 and unmarried, said, "One word, two letters. 'No.' Let's go ahead and dispel that now.") But the rumors and innuendo continue.

Bauer made headlines again last Thursday when he compared people who take public assistance to stray animals. Here's the account by The State's Roddie Burris:

In a speech at a town hall meeting in the Upstate, Bauer revisited instructions he said his grandmother had given him when he was a small child. Bauer said his grandmother, who was not highly educated, had told him to stop feeding stray animals.

"You know why?" he asked. "Because they breed. You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a human ample food supply."

Bauer quickly apologized for his remarks. He later said "his intent was to explain the government is 'breeding a culture of dependency' with its social program, which he said has grown out of control and 'amounts to little more than socialism, paid for by hardworking, tax-paying families ... against their wishes.'" He said he regretted what he said "because now it's being used as an analogy, not a metaphor."

The feeling in the state was that, in the words of Winthrop University political science professor Scott Huffmon, "The comments came across as unnecessarily cruel, and perhaps a bit tin ear. However, I do believe the message was delivered."

And that message, sent to social conservatives, is that (according to Huffmon's interpretation of what Bauer said), "personal responsibility is a key both to salvation and success. ... Subsidizing people with social welfare takes away the incentive to be responsible."

And so, while Democrats criticized Bauer for what he said, his rivals for the GOP gov nomination have for the most part given him a pass. Attorney General Henry McMaster said he hopes the Dems "will now stop their cynical effort to inflame passions and exploit the issue for political gain." Rep. Gresham Barrett said, "Unfortunately, on campaign trails, people misspeak." Only state Rep. Nikki Haley seemed mildly critical. Her campaign spokesman said, "If that's the kind of thing the lieutenant governor wants to focus his campaign on, that's of his prerogative."

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THE GAY CHARGE