This is a real shame — the one guy who really cared about and understood the job losing this badly to a guy who just decided he’d put his name up again, and to my knowledge, has expressed no interest yet in actually doing the job of state Treasurer:
(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – Senator Greg Ryberg, a candidate for State Treasurer, released the following statement regarding his campaign:
“After a good night of sleep and a careful review of yesterday’s results, I have decided it is not in the best interest of my family, myself, or my supporters that I continue my pursuit for the office of State Treasurer.
“I have always been a numbers guy. It is what my run for Treasurer has been based on; How to make the Treasurer’s office better with a more careful review of the numbers. It is with that kind of review of the numbers that I have made the decision to end my campaign today. I wish my opponent the best going forward.
“I got into this because I understand numbers. I am getting out because I understand numbers.
“I want to deeply thank all those who have been so supportive of our campaign. I am blessed with a wonderful family and great friends and this endeavor has brought us even closer,” concluded Senator Ryberg.
And it looks like we’ll be treated to more of the same in the superintendent’s race (but at least Karen Floyd wants the job, more’s the pity):
Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2006 11:22 AM
Subject: Bob Staton will make an announcement today at 1:00 pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***
Bob Staton will make an announcement today at 1:00 pm
(Lexington, SC) – Bob Staton will make an announcement today at 1:00 pm regarding his candidacy for Superintendent of Education on the south steps of the Statehouse.
I guess I’d better start paying attention to the press releases from this guy, whom I’ve been ignoring up to now. Here’s one now:
June 14, 2006
Dear Friend:
Last night, Jim gathered in Greenville with supporters, including former South Carolina Governor Dick Riley, to watch the returns in the race for State Superintendent of Education.
One thing is clear: Jim Rex — a veteran educator with a record of reform — will face a tough challenge in November as he seeks to protect and defend our public schools and the future of South Carolina’s families and communities. Our opponent will be well-funded, and the partisan politicians, who want to seize control of our
State’s public schools to advance their narrow political agenda, will have unlimited resources to try to make it happen.Last night, in his remarks to supporters, Jim vowed to be an independent voice for South Carolina’s children, families, and communities.
"Our schools need a champion," he said. "They need an independent, objective, and proven leader. Th e stakes are too high to turn the future of our kids over to partisan
politicians, who care more about advancing a political agenda than they do about rolling up their sleeves and finding real solutions."During the coming weeks and months, Jim will be working to get his positive message of comprehensive reform to the people of South Carolina, but we need your help now. I hope you will consider making a contribution to the campaign today. When we announce Jim’s fundraising totals after the close of the quarter on June 30, a portion of his strength will be judged on how successful our fundraising efforts have been.
Won’t you help Jim raise the resources he needs to protect and defend our public schools? Click here to learn more, make a contribution, and get involved today.
We thank you for your support and look forward to a spirited and successful campaign.
Very truly yours,
Zeke Stokes
Campaign Director
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PREDICTABLE! Rex is aligning his campaign to run against his opponent and her ideas as opposed to running for his vision of advancing our schools. Education loses out as this race will degenerate into politics first and education last.
Hirsch of Newsweek identified this approach as a failing of the national democratic party. In short, he suggested that the left is counter punching and reacting. He basically said they don’t have the guts to take on the right with their own ideas. We’re seeing this in campaign results (as explained by a national democratic pollster). The voting public is mad at the republicans, but they don’t see the democrats as a valid alternative. Hence, the percents for republicans is going down but the percents for democrats is not going up.
Rex’s first salvo of a press release already indicates that I and my fellow democrats will have a choice. Vote for Floyd or vote against her.
Yeah, it would have been a more meaningful race with Staton — and I say that without having studied Rex. In fact, I didn’t even read the thing I just posted until now. I just slapped it in. I guess I should go back and try to fix the line breaks. (This guy wants money? From ME? Talk about trying to pump from a dry well…)
Staton would have been talking about what we should do to improve schools, and Rex would have had to counter that.
Now it will be about whether we want to HAVE public schools. We should have grown past that question a long, long time ago — you know, the way North Carolina and most other states did.
I agree it’s a crying shame about Greg Ryberg; but if he’d taken my advice and grown his guardsman’s mustache back, he might have attracted some older voters who prefer adult leadership to this state’s charming habit of voting for familiar names (Ravenel, Campbell).
Floyd has 4 components to her plan for reform: Revise PACT, safety in schools, private school choice, and using private management for underachieving schools.
I don’t see how this is going to help our schools. Private school choice has involved only a small minority of students in places that have such choice. The PACT and safety will have some impact on the periphery. The private management is from a program in Philadelphia, which is a dubious choice for our rural schools.
Rex offers such earth shattering reforms as unleashing innovation, recruiting the best teachers, equitable funding, and finding an alternative to PACT that takes less time but does a better job (sounds like a diet in which you eat how much you want and lose weight).
Unless Rex is challenged to offer more than this happy talk and defending our public schools and Floyd is challenged to explain how this Philly system which was started onlly 3 1/2 years ago is the key to improving schools, we’ll have nothing more than a private school choice debate.
BTW, Campbell offers the best ideas on eduation. Take a moment and read his plan on his site.
Who’s running in 2010?
Randy,
Please stop posting. If Democratic candidates start listening to voices like yours, they might actually have a chance at winning.
JUST KIDDING! (About the cessation of posting that is; we need more ideas on the table).
One of the most disturbing trends I have observed recently is the dearth of ideas coming out of the leadership of the Democratic Party.
The DLC has put some compelling stuff out on the table, but the congressional and potential presidential leadership of the Democratic Party seems more interested in satisfying the readership of DailyKos than they are in offering a viable governing plan for our country.
John, I can’t get my dogs to listen to me.
You are on the money about the leadership and it’s what Hirsch said in Newsweek. The leadership has been too reactionary. Look at the last batch of presidential candidates. Bush’s machine scared these dems into falling in line lock step to support the war. Dean scores some points with his anti-war rhetoric and most did an about face to chase those poll numbers – as a result we got “I voted for the war before I voted against it.” I give kudos to Lieberman for sticking to his beliefs.
I’d like your take on my hypothesis. Clinton was very successful politically. He was the master politician who made moves to enhance his position even to the detriment of his party (we now have a republican congress). His leadership was personality centered which left a vacuum at the top in 2000. Until the party gets new leadership that brings a fresh approach, we’ll continue to be the anti-republican party and not a party of ideas.
Hi folks, I enjoy reading these postings; it is satisfying to have more to read after finishing the paper.
I am the Democratic candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture, and you will find that I have fresh ideas of my own to which people of different political orientation respond positively. I also have experience putting those ideas into action.
http://www.e4ag.com–candidacy; http://www.cawcawcreek.com–farm;
http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org–sustainable farm group, 1000 members in the Carolinas.
Put Your State On Your Plate,
Emile DeFelice
Always an honor to have an actual candidate on our site! Particularly one we need to start learning more about, since we’ve been so absorbed with those who had primary opposition up to now.
Please come back often, Mr. DeFelice. I hope Mr. Weathers will join us, too.
In the meantime, I’ll help you and our readers out by converting those addresses to one-click links (I understand that’s harder to do from your end. Don’t sweat it; I’m the pro from Dover. I’ve got it covered.)
I think Brad genuflected as he replied to Mr. DeFelice (I heard knees popping).
Randy,
Without a doubt Clinton is the most skillful and at the same time self-absorbed politician in recent times.
To the extent that terms like “right” and “left” have decriptive power, this country is center-right. Clinton recognized that and tried to pull his party towards the middle so that he could gain and keep power.
What he failed to do was to articulate a clear governing vision that his party could adopt. He compromised on a case by case basis, using symbolic acts with great skill so as not to anger his base. That kind of balancing act is very difficult.
It cannot be accomplished unless one has earned the deep trust of the base and that base is willing to let you compromise on certain issues while pushing others forward. That level of trust is difficult to build and is easily lost. And that support doesn’t translate well without a lot of the laying of lots of groundwork. That was the problem you saw with Gore.
It also speaks to the role that personal character issues play into the choices voters make, especially for executive branch elections.
Well said John. The definition of leadership involves a common goal or vision.
philadelphia
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