Bud continues to think that I’m just making it up about Democrats being capable of the same kind of pointless, bad-faith partisanship as Republicans.
As I said in a previous thread, Republicans introduced partisanship to South Carolina, by definition. Republicans like to say that before they came along, we had a “one-party state.” But really, it was a no-party state. When there is only one party, it isn’t a party, in the sense that we have in these partisan times. You have factions (the “Young Turks,” the Barnwell Ring, contention between House and Senate, between Lowcountry and Upstate), but you don’t have the foolishness of an idea being rejected or embraced purely according to whether it has a D or an R after it.
Republicans therefore introduced partisanship, and they relished the role. They really, really got into it.
For awhile, Democrats didn’t. They seemed confused. They were so fecklessly live-and-let-live while the GOP was eviscerating them, it was sort of endearing.
But then, Democrats started to learn partisanship from the Republicans, and some of them have gotten pretty good at it.
Want an example? See this release I got a few minutes ago:
Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and State Elected Officials to hold Press Conference to Welcome Mitt Romney to South Carolina
State Senate Democratic Leader John C. Land, III and State Representatives Todd Rutherford and Bakari Sellers to join Clyburn and Benjamin at the State House
Columbia, SC –On Wednesday, Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and State Elected Officials will hold a press conference to welcome Mitt Romney to South Carolina ahead of the state’s primary on January 21st. It’s time South Carolinians get to know the Mitt Romney who has proven he’ll say anything to get elected, admitting this week that he likes “being able to fire people who provide services to me,” pretends to know the fear of pink slips, and misleads voters on his record of job creation.
The central question of this election is who will restore economic security for the middle class. Mitt Romney believes America should join a race to the bottom based on loopholes for corporations, millionaires and billionaires and outsourcing of American jobs. Romney believes that Wall Street should be able to write its own rules again and pursue whatever means necessary to create profits regardless of the consequences for middle-class families.
WHO:
Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn
Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin
State Senate Democratic Leader John C. Land, III
State Representative Todd Rutherford
State Representative Bakari Sellers
WHAT:
Press Conference Welcoming Mitt Romney to South Carolina
WHEN:
Wednesday, January 11th at 9:45 AM
WHERE:
South Carolina State House
First Floor
Columbia, SC
Note that they are not “welcoming” Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich or Jon Huntsman. There’s a reason for that. The reason is that they believe (as do I) that Mitt Romney will be the eventual nominee. And then just can’t wait for the general election to launch into the partisan back-and-forth.
Give it a rest, guys. There will be plenty of time for this stuff later. We know you’re Democrats. We know you want to attack this guy. But let’s go ahead and have our primary first, OK?
You know what this reminds me of? It reminds me of when I was covering the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, and Carroll Campbell came to town to crash the Democrats’ party and hold a “truth squad” press conference. I was like, come on, governor, save it for your own convention. But Campbell was an intensely partisan man, who didn’t care to give Democrats a chance to have their say without interrupting. I thought that was completely unnecessary.
Well, this is like that.
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This kind of shenanigan is right up Clyburn’s and Land’s alleys, but I’m a little surprised to see Steve Benjamin participating.
I’d prefer for the mayor of my capital city to actually welcome — without sarcasm — the candidates who are coming here to compete over the next week-and-a-half, and bringing with them an army of staff and media, and a lot of hospitality revenues to his city. That would be more fitting.
Wonder what the reaction would be if the Republican Party made a similar announcement about Obama? I bet the race card would be played faster than a royal flush in a poker tournament.
So Clyburn is supporting Romney and Gingrich. Or is this just about getting face time in front of the camera?
I wonder if the Assistant Democratic Leader position will go away once Clyburn does?
Benjamin will be a one-term mayor, he hasn’t done anything but place his buddies in positions where they weren’t the most qualified candidate (Fire and Police).
A ‘partisan’ debate between,Mitt and Bush III ?
You’re right Brad; the mayor is missing an opportunity.
Bud continues to think that I’m just making it up about Democrats being capable of the same kind of pointless, bad-faith partisanship as Republicans.
-Brad
No, no, no. A thousand times no. That’s not my point at all. Of course the Dems on occassion practice rankorous partisan politics. What I’m saying is – so what? That’s not the problem. THE problem is the policies practiced by the ever out-of-touch GOP. Seriously do you honestly believe Willard Romney is interested in the average Joe? He talks about “corporations as people” and how he “likes firing people”.
If the GOP wants to practice partisan mudslinging then the Dems have to respond in kind. I would love to see a multiparty system with many rational views expressed in a pasionate, yet respectful manner. But until the GOP actually adopts rational views then what else can the Dems do? When it’s viewed as a radical momment to sit down on a couch with a member of the other party in a show of unity on a problem (as Gingrich did with Nancy Pelosi) then there is little choice but to engage in similar tactics. The Dems are not as good at it so they are likely to come up short. But they have to at least try.
I’d prefer for the mayor of my capital city to actually welcome — without sarcasm — the candidates who are coming her to compete over the next week and a half, and bringing with them an army of staff and media, and a lot of hospitality revenues to his city. That would be more fitting.
-Brad
What if it was a KKK rally? Or a neo-nazi rally? Would you still want the mayor to welcome them so they can spend money?
@bud – What does a political candidate coming to Columbia have to do with KKK and Neo-Nazis? You completely lost me with that statement.
“Seriously do you honestly believe Willard Romney is interested in the average Joe?”
Romney’s first name is Willard? Like OMG you guys, he must be an out-of-touch blue-blood!
Also:
Obama’s middle name is Hussein? Like OMG you guys, he must be a terrorist sympathizer!
Seriously do you honestly believe Willard Romney is interested in the average Joe? He talks about “corporations as people” and how he “likes firing people”.
For context, in the “corporations are people” quote, Romney was talking about how corporate taxes are ultimately borne by individuals. And in the “I like firing people” quote, Romney was talking about individuals having their own insurance so that they may drop the insurance provider for another if they are not pleased with the service provided.
Romney might not care about the “average Joe” but neither of those quotes is particularly damning.
What if it was a KKK rally? Or a neo-nazi rally? Would you still want the mayor to welcome them so they can spend money?
-Bud
False analogy, Bud. No matter how much you may dislike the GOP, it ain’t the Klan or a bunch of neo-Nazis.
Yeah, that was sort of out of left field. Or right field. The outfield, at any rate.
Simple. The GOP is the biggest culprit in the poor standing in South Carolina in virtually all relevant standard of living statistics. So why should we welcome with open arms an organzation that is responsible for so much misery. It would be like welcoming other organziations that cause misery.
How’s that Ignore button project coming Brad?!?
Brad, bud’s comment wasn’t even in the same sport.
Insanity:Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
bud may benefit of some history reading. It may be closer to the truth to say that more than a few of the State’s Republicans follow a line of political thinking that was once held by Dixiecrats, the Barnwell Ring and Ben Tillman (and I’m not focusing on racial politics specifically by the analogy). Some people just want to live the lives their parents had growing up; progress for them is a bit scary and unsettling. The static to them is more comforting, even with the mental constructs that this kind of conservatism seem to require to square with a naturally evolving world (see “State’s Rights”).
It’s neither party nor race, it’s the type of political thought that has been a net negative on this state’s history.
That sarcastic press release Brad shared fits right into that mold as well.
@ Steven Davis–
Do you really want an “ignore button” that everyone could use against commenters they wished to ignore?
You might be more careful about talking about voting people off the island.
No Cotton Ball the GOP is not the Nazi party. All I’m asking is where would Brad have the mayor draw the line. Would it be where genocide was a staple of party culture (Nazis) or merely at the greed and indifference to common men as per the GOP.
The damage to South Carolina was inflicted long before Republicans took over. At one time, a Republican in South Carolina was as rare as the now extinct dodo bird.
The mindset of the residents of this state was well indoctrinated into their thinking and beliefs since its inception. So, if you want to go back to the roots of ignorance, all you have to do is study the history of Democrat domination of South Carolina state politics prior to the current Republican advantage.
This state was broken a long time ago and Republicans didn’t do it. That is not to say they have done a lot to help since gaining a majority either but place blame where blame belongs. When you make history, you own it. Democrats own the history of South Carolina.
It took a long time to break it, the residents have lived in the wreckage for decades and repairing the damage will take a long time. It won’t be done by one party alone, it will take the efforts of both, like it or not. But, for some, blame is like an addictive narcotic.
Maybe an “intervention” is in order for the hyperpartisans on both sides of the aisle to cure them of their “addiction to blame”.
If I remember correctly, SC was democratic when the Democratic party had a strong racist “Dixiecrat” component. The Republican party was seen as the party of Lincoln, which, down here, was no compliment. As soon as the Democratic party repudiated racism, SC went Republican, which had morphed into the party of “states rights” (code for guess what).