Category Archives: Elections

Where’s Leighton? There he is!

Did you ever see Antonioni’s “Blow-Up”? If you haven’t, you should — it’s a classic. It’s also wonderfully goofy after all these years to see the ’60s notion of a hip young professional photographer in swingin’ mod London. See him drive around in his convertible sports car while talking on his extremely cumbersome car phone! Oooohhh. (David Hemmings’ character was one of the influences on Mike Myers in his creation of Austin Powers.)

Anyway, to summarize the plot (spoiler alert!), basically it’s about a photographer who takes some perfectly innocent pictures in the park, but when he processes the film and makes a print, he notices something odd in the background, in the bushes about 50 years behind his subject. So he blows it up. Then he shoots the print, processes that film, then blows it up again. And again. (Thereby severely straining the capabilities of 35 mm film, but hey, he’s a professional.) I won’t tell you what he saw, because I don’t want to spoil the plot entirely.

To my point: I often have that experience of finding unexpected things going on in my photos. It happened when I used film because film is a big mystery until it’s processed. Shoot a crowd or action when there’s too little time for your brain to take it all in, and the film will reveal secrets to you after it’s processed. For instance, take a look at the photo at right, which I shot on film at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York. (This was a time of technological transition. I was shooting rolls of film at the convention, then taking the rolls to a Duane Reade to be processed and put on a CD for me.) I had just asked Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog to pose for a portrait (there I go name-dropping again), but only later did I notice Larry King in the background. At least, I think it’s Larry King. The grain and focus are such that I can’t be entirely sure, just as the character in “Blow-Up” had trouble being certain about what he was seeing.

Today, this happens with digital photography for a different reason. Sure, you can immediately look at what you just shot. But you can’t see detail unless you zoom in, and besides, who has time to stop and look at individual exposures? I certainly don’t, because I am shooting so many. I used to go through a roll of film in minutes, but that’s nothing to the number I shoot now. Film at least imposed some fire discipline; there was always a sense that your film was finite. But with an 8-gig card in my camera, discipline is gone entirely.

So it could be hours, days, or longer before I go through the images on my laptop and see what I have. And I find little surprises.

For instance, at the Gamecocks’ victory parade Friday, I happened to turn and take a picture of the two ADCO interns standing behind me in the crowd. I needed a picture of them to post on ADCO’s site, and this was an opportunity.

Only later did I spot our erstwhile candidate for attorney general, Leighton Lord, behind them. At right you can see what the picture would have looked like when Hemmings’ got through blowing it up (and yes, I created the blur, grain, and b/w effect in PhotoShop — the original was much sharper, even blown up).

And when I saw him, the irony struck me: Alan Wilson was much in evidence at the center of attention. He and his Dad had a regular convoy of vehicles in the parade — at least three, with kids passing out campaign stickers left and right. (I didn’t get a picture of Alan — I was too busy shooting the cars, especially the beautiful red T-bird — but here’s one of him from another parade over the weekend. Those Wilsons love a parade.)

But there is Leighton Lord, standing alone, looking away. Ironic. Poignant, one might say. Except that the camera doesn’t tell all. Actually, he was talking to his father-in-law Gayle Averyt, whom I spotted next to him in yet another exposure.

I’ve got so many thousands of exposures like this of crowds, sometimes with famous people here and there in them. Maybe I should do a “children’s” book for grownups, only instead of “Where’s Waldo?” it would be “Where’s Rudy Giuliani? Where’s George Bush? Where’s Bill Clinton?” and so forth. Think it would sell?

Peach Festival: Politicians and fringe types (oops, was that redundant?)

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Someone wondered the other day whether my having a job would cut into my blogging. Well, maybe at some point. For instance, I was busy all last week and couldn’t get to the Virtual Front Page late in the day. But folks, I’ve been at ADCO since February. Have you noticed me slacking off here?

Actually, the partners at ADCO dig the blog. In fact, I sometimes have to suggest that they stop sending me cool stuff for the blog so I can get some Mad Man work done. Some days, this falls on deaf ears.

Such as today. Today, Partner and VP of Marketing Lora Prill demonstrated that she is apparently a frustrated reporter. She had told me that she and her husband were taking their little boy to the Peach Festival parade today, and that if she saw anything interesting, she’d send me a picture. Cool.

Well, today, she sent me SEVEN e-mails and SIX pictures. Here are some of them.

The picture of Nikki above was taken “seconds after being heckled by the Oathkeepers. They are yelling at everyone–even the band and clowns–spoiling the fun for everyone in the vicinity.” Except Alan Wilson, whom they apparently liked, for whatever reason. Apparently, Oathkeepers is a bunch of guys in uniform — which is slightly disturbing — who have taken it upon themselves to protect the Constitution as they read it. Yeah, one of those groups. Because, you know, the Constitution is under siege and all. Interestingly, if you read their concerns, they’re a mishmash of threats that liberals perceive to the Constitution (Patriot Act stuff) and ones that concern the extreme right. What a bunch of worrywarts.

And they weren’t really yelling AT the candidates so much as they were yelling. When I asked why they were pestering Nikki, she amended her earlier bulletin (an editor has to really cross-examine a reporter to get the straight dope — oh, the burdens we bear!):

They were not really heckling anyone, they were just yelling out things about protecting the Constitution, something about the FDA, something about some sort of digital ID (they shouted that at Joe’s group), etc. They yelled out a lot about the FDA and food actually. When Alan Wilson went by they lauded him as a protector of the Constitution. Probably referring to his military service.

Maybe they were hungry, and that’s what got them on food. I don’t know.

Anyway, that’s our report from the Peach Festival.

Cayce Mayor Elise Partin’s fund-raiser

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The reception occurred during a rainstorm, and once or twice we lost lights -- which made for some moody photos. That's Mayor Partin in the pool of light at right, listening to a supporter./Brad Warthen

On Tuesday night I dropped by a fund-raiser for Cayce Mayor Elise Partin, who’s up for election this year, to see who was there and stuff.

As it happened, I missed the mayor’s announcement of a grant for the Airport Corridor project she’s worked so hard on — to beautify the gateway to the Midlands and give a better impression to visitors. It’s typical of the way she works not only to improve her town, but the whole region. Which is why I hope she gets re-elected. The promise I saw when we endorsed her two years ago seems to be bearing out.

Since I missed her remarks, I didn’t have much substance for a post beyond noting who was there at the reception in the new Southern First Bank building (I didn’t want to ask the mayor to repeat it all for me that night; she needed to spend time with her guests). For the rest I had to wait for a press release, which I just got today.

As to who was there, here are some of the names:

Lexington County Sheriff James Metts (apparently Leon Lott was there, too, but I missed him)
former Lt. Gov. Bob Peeler
Mayor Bobby Horton of West Columbia
Mayor Pat Smith of Springdale
County Councilwoman Debbie Summers
County Councilman Bill Banning (my own councilman and neighbor)
Home Builders Association of Greater Columbia Executive Director Earl McLeod

And close to 150 others. Seemed to me like she had a pretty good cross-section.

Here’s the press release:

CAYCE, SC Nearly 150 residents, friends and supporters ignored the June 29 summer storm to come to Southern First Bank to meet their Mayor, Elise Partin. It was a kickoff fundraiser for Partin’s re-election campaign, though the Mayor herself preferred to call it a “friendraiser.”

Justin Strickland, Southern First president, joined by some prominent Cayce residents and area elected officials, hosted the event and encouraged everyone’s continued support of Partin. “She just burst on the scene a year and half ago and she hasn’t slowed down since,” Strickland said. “She really cares about businesses and individuals and wants to make Cayce the best place to be in South Carolina. We need to keep Elise Partin in office!”

Partin addressed the crowd and reminded them of her original campaign promises. “In less than two years we managed to accomplish or begin to address just about every element of that platform,” she said. Flanked by Mayors Bobby Horton and Pat Smith (West Columbia and Springdale, respectively), Partin pointed to one success in particular. “I’m happy to announce that Cayce, West Columbia, Springdale and Lexington County came together with the support of the rest of the Midlands to work on the Airport Corridor – the gateway to the Midlands. And I am also happy to announce that we just got approval for a Department of Transportation grant to
get started on that improvement!”

Mayor Horton and Mayor Smith both spoke on Partin’s behalf and urged supporters and volunteers to keep her in office. Partin promised she would continue to work on issues such as:

Ensuring fiscal responsibility and guaranteeing open communication and transparency

Fortifying Cayce neighborhoods to continue to attract business

Prioritizing the public infrastructure investments – sidewalks, drainage, safety and more so that we can improve the quality of life in Cayce.

“My family and I love Cayce,” she said. “It is my privilege to serve you and I am humbled by your support for my leadership. It motivates me even more to work with you, for you.”

For more information on Mayor Elise Partin, visit her website: www.elisepartin.com, find her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter @elisepartin.

Gene Partin; Justin Strickland, President Southern First Bank; Sheriff James Metts; and Elise Partin, Mayor of Cayce. /courtesy of Partin campaign

Nikki Haley, Vincent Sheheen offer clear choice on Confederate flag

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The contrast between Vincent Sheheen and Nikki Haley will be sharp on a lot of issues, and we’ll get to them over the coming months.

But today, I want to highlight the difference between them on the Confederate flag flying on our State House grounds, as a window into broader differences. (And why that issue today? Because today is the 10th anniversary of the day it moved from the dome to the spot behind the soldier monument.)

Gina Smith in The State provided the following vignettes showing the difference. From Vincent Sheheen:

If elected governor in November, Sheheen said he is open to discussing the removal of the flag from the State House grounds. He was elected to the S.C. House a year after the compromise.

“We must develop an environment that creates jobs,” Sheheen said. “We cannot give up any edge that South Carolina has in attracting a large employer coming to South Carolina. After the last eight years, we must be proactive in creating a positive image of our state to the world.”

Sheheen offers no details, though, including locations where he would consider having the flag relocated.

“I have no predetermined proposal on the flag, but would like to work with legislative leaders, business leaders and community leaders to finally reach consensus. My job as governor will be to bring people together to reach consensus on how best to heal any divisions, including the flag,” he said.

It is unclear whether Sheheen supports the NAACP’s boycott.

And from Nikki Haley:

Haley wasn’t elected to the House until 2004. Haley believes a compromise was reached and the issue resolved.

“It was settled and it has been put away. And I don’t have any intentions of bringing it back up or making it an issue,” she said in a recent interview with the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Instead, Haley said her focus is on making state government more transparent and more business-friendly. “If the people aren’t focused on the flag, it’s hard to see why the governor and General Assembly should be,” said Rob Godfrey, Haley’s spokesman.

Haley implied in the Sons of Confederate Veterans interview that she would work with the NAACP and others who want the flag removed from the State House grounds to address the NAACP boycott. “I’m the perfect person to deal with the boycott. Because, as a minority female, I’m going to go and talk to them and I’m going to go and let them know that every state has their traditions. … But we need to talk about business. And we need to talk about having (businesses) come into our state …”

As you see, Vincent understands that the time must come when we stop portraying our state to the world as a haven for neo-Confederate extremists who insist upon continuing to embrace the worst moments of our history. He’s just too diplomatic to put it in quite those terms. If he had the chance, he’d get it down. By the way, his Uncle Bob, the former speaker, had the best idea of all about what to do about the flag: Replace it with a bronze plaque noting that it once flew here. That’s a solution that would enable us to move on. But the GOP leadership refused to seriously consider that or any other reasonable solution on the ONE DAY they allowed for debate before rushing to embrace this “compromise” that settled nothing.

Nikki, however, promises not to touch it, which is the standard South Carolina Republican response. And now that she’s promised it to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, that’s that. Which is a real shame, given that since she wasn’t in the Legislature at the time, no one could legitimately pretend that she is in any way bound by the “compromise” of 2000. She wasn’t a party to it.

She’s come a long way from being the inspiring emblem for tolerance that she truly was when she ran in 2004, when I took up the cudgels for her against the forces of ugly nativism. I’d like to see the national media folks who are SO EXCITED, in their superficial way, that an Indian-American woman might be elected in South Carolina take a moment to consider this. They also might want to watch her cozying up to the neo-Confederates in these video clips. Just something that should go into the calculation…

Note also the HUGE difference in their understanding of the impact of the flag on economic development. Vincent understands that if we want the rest of the world to take us seriously, the flag needs to come down. Nikki thinks the only obstacle to economic development here is the rather sad, ineffective boycott by the NAACP, which is weird on several levels.

And Rob Miller’s got enough money, too

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My giving Joe Wilson a hard time for his hard sell “let me make you mad enough at the Democrats that you’ll send me money” appeal, when he’s already sitting on a mint, produced a productive response.

It you’ll recall, I said I was sure that Rob Miller — who ALSO has more money than needs to be wasted on a futile congressional campaign, also as a result of the “You Lie!” incident — was doing the same thing; I just wasn’t on his mail list.

So I got this today from Brian DeRoy with the Wilson campaign:

Since you somehow aren’t getting emails from Rob, let’s be fair and point out he’s aggressively pursuing donors too. Remember, he’s raising a ton of money from ActBlue, Moveon.org and the DNC.

And here’s the communication he shared with me that he said was from the Miller campaign:

Dear Supporter,

As I criss-cross the district meeting small business owners, hard-working people, and community leaders, everyone agrees that we need a plan to get people back to work. For nearly a decade now, South Carolina’s economy has been falling behind. Bad trade agreements shipped good, high-paying jobs overseas. Wall Street’s greed was rewarded with a $700 billion bailout. Our small businesses and working families got nothing.

Joe Wilson was there every step of the way– casting the deciding vote for CAFTA, voting for the bailout, and opposing unemployment benefits, health insurance, and job re-training for the constituents he abandoned for a few campaign contributions.

It’s time to send Joe’s Wall Street ways packing, and I’ve got the plan to get our economy back on track. I’ll fight for our small businesses and our communities. My plan includes:

· A full-time district office employee whose primary job is helping small businesses get grants and loans,

· A budget-neutral Hometown Tax Credit to incentivize small business hiring,

· A permanent extension of the Research and Development Tax Credit,

· Incentives for small businesses hiring new employees,

· Increasing lending to small businesses,

· Cutting red tape and bureaucracy for small businesses,

· Creating a venture capital fund to promote innovation,

· Expanding technical school programs, and

· Equipping churches and other community organizations to teach workplace skills.

Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, and Joe “Wall Street” Wilson has been ignoring them for too long. It’s time for a Congressman from Main Street who will fight for jobs in South Carolina, not Central America. Stand and fight with me.

Semper Fi,

Rob

Yep, that’s cut from the same cloth — to some extent. And it’s got that irritating “fight” language in it that I always find so obnoxious. (And you’d think that a combat veteran like ex-Capt. Miller would know the difference between a political debate and a fight.) I have to say, though, it really doesn’t go nearly to the same extent in trying to demonize the competition. At least, not the way I look at it. What do y’all think?

Anyway, I’m fully persuaded that neither of these guys needs anybody to send him any more money.

The Benjamin inaugural breakfast

Whom we elect in SC is none of your business, Gov. Pawlenty

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As you know, few things tick me off more than the nationalization of local politics. I even get on the case of politicians I like when they start acting like they want to influence the residents of OTHER states as to whom they should elect — especially since they almost always do so in behalf of those abominations, the two major political parties.

So it is that we are not amused at this latest small outrage:

I’m Gov. Pawlenty’s communications director… Watned to let you know
that today, Gov. Pawlenty’s Freedom First PAC will formally endorsing
and contributing to several South Carolina candidates in this fall’s
elections:

Governor – Haley – $3500
Senator – DeMint – $3000
SC-01 – Scott – $2000
SC-02 – Wilson – $2000
SC-03 – Duncan – $2000
SC-04 – Gowdy – $2000

As you probably know, Governor Pawlenty is currently in South
Carolina. Last night, he attended a fundraiser for the state GOP at
the home of GOP chairman Karen Floyd in Spartanburg with Nikki Haley.
(We posted a photo of the two of them on Gov. Pawlenty’s facebook
page.) This morning, he attended a fundraiser for Mick Mulvaney’s
congressional campaign in Rock Hill.

Please let me know if you have any questions or need an on-the-record
quote from me.
Thanks,
Alex

As I’m typing this, I can’t remember who the frick “Gov. Pawlenty” is, but let me guess before I Google it: He’s yet another Republican who thinks he’s got what it takes to be president, cozying up to South Carolina Republicans because of our early primary.

And the answer is… Yes, I was right! Of course, it’s not much of a guess. Even Mark Sanford was once in that fraternity, which shows you, anybody can get in.

At least he’s got a motive. But that doesn’t excuse it.

Whoa! On his last day, Mayor Bob bites back

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There has been little love lost between Mayor Bob Coble (who today becomes former Mayor Bob Coble) and Kevin Fisher since Kevin ran against him several years ago.

So it is that there is some sharp criticism of Bob in Kevin’s column about his departure from office. Sharp, but not out of bounds. In fact, much of it is written with the same crusty, edgy sort of good will that went into his column about me when I left the paper. I enjoyed his column about me, but then, I’m in the political criticism business. (Also, I was a couple of sheets to the wind from free beer when I read it, at Goatfeathers on the night that I left the paper.) I can enjoy a column for being well-done, even if it isn’t exactly hagiographic. In fact, I’d probably object if ol’ Kevin started to put a halo on me.

Bob responds in a way that makes me smile because of the irony of it. Part of Kevin’s criticism of him is that Mayor Bob was TOO nice. Oh yeah, says Bob?, and responds by giving him some sharp elbows in this letter to the editor:

Dear Editor,

Kevin Fisher writes in his latest op ed piece that, “everybody likes Mayor Bob. I know I do. And he knows I do. Moreover, I dare say he likes me.” – Kevin Fisher City Watch (Sept. 5, 2007). I do like Kevin. Moreover, I admire Kevin for his political courage. If I had gotten the number of votes he received in the last two City elections after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money, I would have been too embarrassed to keep writing those columns in The Free Times. But Kevin, despite the humiliation and complete rejection by the voters, soldiers on with “Joe Azar” like determination. He is one tough hombre.

I’m gonna miss this repartee between these two wacky kids…

Folks, Joe’s got enough money. You can stop giving now

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It’s rather incredible that after all those millions that rolled into his (and opponent Rob Miller’s) coffers right after the “You Lie!” incident, Joe Wilson would still be trying to raise money.

But that’s how it works these days. Candidates raise money so they can set up a real steamroller of an operation that will raise them MORE money, on and on. Rob Miller’s probably doing the same thing and just doesn’t have my e-mail address or something.

Anyway, here’s Joe’s latest. Note the bombast. Note the hyperbole. Note the over-the-top demonization of the opposition. Yeah, it’s all extremely destructive to our ability to have a civil society, but hey — who cares if it works in infuriating people enough to give money, right? Here it is:

The clock is ticking to end the spending spree in Washington. But Nancy Pelosi and her gang of liberals are trying to pull out all the stops to silence our conservative beliefs. You have less than 24 hours left to have your voice heard since tonight at midnight marks the end of the financial quarter.

Just this week, Democrats launched an initiative aimed at tripping up conservatives and trying to play gotcha games. Since liberals can’t win with their ideas like government-run health care and raising our taxes, they have to play games instead.

I have been busy meeting with constituents constantly in the Palmetto State. Hard work is something I greatly value, and my promise has always been to be accessible and accountable. This recent video will show just one example of my commitment to the Second District of South Carolina.

I realize we are in a tough economy, unemployment is far too high and the liberals in Washington need to get out of the way of small businesses and stop spending your money endlessly.

Going up against people who we’ve all seen will do or say anything isn’t easy. This is a team effort. Momentum is on the conservative side, we’ve seen it recently with the historic elections of Republicans in New Jersey and Massachusetts.

My opponent is taking in big bucks from unions and extreme groups like Moveon.org. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has even chipped in a few grand to the opposition. Such donations will tell you where he really stands.

November may seem like a long way away, but we’re in a battle of ideas. Our side will win and we will do it together. The financial quarter ends at midnight tonight. Just $100, $50 or $25 will go along way in helping us send a strong message to Nancy Pelosi.

Please keep our conservative movement running strong as we build momentum for the fall.

Sincerely,

Joe Wilson

US Congressman

PS – The financial quarter ends at midnight tonight. All the political pundits will be reporting on our fundraising totals. Please click here, to make a small donation and let Nancy Pelosi know that big government isn’t the path to economic freedom.

Yeah, things may be tough and you may not have a job, but I’m hoping I can get you to hate those other guys enough to cough up some of the money from your tiny unemployment check to help me stop ’em.

God have mercy upon us.

Like Joe would actually do anything to change the country, even by this pitiful standard, if re-elected. The point is to re-elect Joe, because he really likes being your congressman. He really does. It’s sort of touching, really, the extent to which he digs it, and gets all breathless about it. (I suppose Joe would send out letters gushing about just that, but his well-compensated consultants advise against anything that positive.) He’s like his late predecessor Floyd Spence in that respect. Floyd never tried to DO anything in Washington; he just loved being a congressman and having his picture taken with famous people, and voting a safe, conservative way, and doing constituent service so that folks would let him keep doing it. He never rocked anybody’s boat, and normally Joe doesn’t, either. It’s not his nature.

Which is what makes the “You Lie” thing so weird. I think Joe shocked himself that night, losing control like that. Which is why he apologized… until he saw all that money coming in.

The HISTORIC part is the national media factor

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Just got a call from NPR; they want me on the radio this afternoon at 2:20 to talk SC politics, even though I told them I wasn’t really paying that much attention yesterday to the stuff THEY were watching, but was following runoffs that were actually in doubt.

Which gets me to my point. As I said this morning over breakfast to Rep. Dynamite (a.k.a. Anton Gunn), we are about to see something we have NEVER before seen in South Carolina, and I’m not talking about an Indian woman or a black man having the GOP nomination.

For the first time ever, national media coverage is going to be a significant factor in who becomes governor of South Carolina.

If you’re Vincent Sheheen, this has got to worry you even more than the usually-decisive advantage that Republicans tend to enjoy in statewide elections. That can be overcome, as Jim Hodges demonstrated at the peak of the GOP ascension, before the party started falling apart squabbling.

But the national media factor is likely to be insurmountable.

Nikki Haley does not have to spend one thin dime on TV ads. She really doesn’t. She’s going to be on national TV, on the 24/7 cable channels, day in and day out. That means she will be on every TV in the state, every market, to a saturation point. And the tone will be gushing, breathless, wondering, hagiographic. The tone will be one of delight, and grotesquely simplistic: Look, she’s a woman! Look, she’s ethnic! She’s Sarah Palin! She’s Bobby Jindal.

Never mind that Sarah Palin is as vapid and empty a political celebrity as any to come along in a generation if not longer, the political equivalent of Charro — the celebrity who is famous for being famous. Never mind that when Bobby Jindal finally got up to bat in the bigs after all kinds of buildup about what an exciting new player he was — giving the Republican “response” live — he went down swinging at bad pitches.

One thing about national media is that they are ubiquitous. They saturate our lives. We don’t have to take action to consume them; they consume us. Every citizen in this country who is not directly involved in state or local government knows vastly more about national politics than about local and state — or at least thinks he does. Unfortunately, the coverage is so superficial and thin that the consumer’s level of understanding is unlikely to be impressive. But there’s just so MUCH of it.

And that is made for Nikki. Nikki is a telegenic young woman who SHINES as long as nothing goes deeper than her being a woman, being a minority, being fresh, being engaging, having a great smile. Of course, she says she wants to talk issues, such as her biggie, transparency. And no one wants to break the spell of her being just so darned exciting to ask, “Transparency? OK, how about that $40k you pulled down for having connections? And (whisper this) how about those public-account e-mails you won’t release?” But national media coverage doesn’t dig down even that far, much less far enough to challenge her understanding of, say, education policy. Or economic development. Or anything else that matters in one who would be the governor who replaces the most disengaged, apathetic governor in our history. You know, her political mentor.

And if you’re Vincent Sheheen, what can you do to overcome that wide, thin, wall-to-wall, breathless coverage of your opponent? Frankly, I can’t think of anything he CAN do. But I hope he knows of something.

Results mystify in the two runoffs worth watching

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I was way tired last night after going to Charleston and back and then swinging by a couple of watch parties, so no posting about runoff results.

But then, I didn’t have much to say. There was nothing to say about Nikki Haley because we knew she was going to win. Even the historic news of Tim Scott becoming the first black Republican nominated to Congress from SC since Reconstruction was anticlimactic; we had fully expected him to win big as well.

The suspense was with the lawyers — in the GOP attorney general’s race on the statewide level and Democratic solicitor’s race locally. And the results on both was disappointing.

Leighton Lord was clearly the stronger candidate for attorney general. Alan Wilson is a fine young man (and his wife is a friend from church and from the news biz), but come on — he’s been a lawyer 7 years. I’ve got a kid who’s been a lawyer almost exactly that long. Lord was the managing partner of a large law firm, a man at the peak of his career, admitted to practice before the Supreme Court, and so on and so forth. There just was no contest. If you were a rational employer choosing between these two applicants for such a senior position as attorney general, it wouldn’t take you more than a couple of seconds to choose Lord.

John Meadors was just as clearly better-qualified to be solicitor, something he has amply demonstrated over the course of 23 years of able service as a prosecutor. Yes, Dan Johnson had such experience too, but less of it. I see that Rep. James Smith had endorsed him. I’m having lunch with James tomorrow and maybe he can explain it. But with the endorsements Meadors had, including that of the third candidate in the primary, plus the fact that his team included Joey Opperman, who helped run such an effective runoff campaign for Steve Benjamin, made me think he’d win this one. (Plus, he advertised on this blog, which is usually a clincher.) But he didn’t.

After the Alvin Greene debacle, my faith in democracy has been a bit shaken. While these two instances are nowhere near as bad as that case — not within light years of it — I’m struck again at how whimsical election results can sometimes be. And this year, seemingly, more than most. Yeah, I know about the narrative of “less experience is better” this year, but that is so irrational, so positively childish, that I look for better reasons for the voters to have for the decisions that they make. I wonder: Was Leighton Lord too aristocratic, too “born to rule” seeming for an electorate in the hunt for the common touch (which is related to “experience is bad,” but not quite the same)? If so, why go with the son of a congressman? Was Meadors’ loss as simple as “the black guy won” (even though Meadors had plenty of visible black support)? Let’s hope not.

Anyway, at this point the only thing to do is congratulate Dan Johnson and hope he’ll be a great solicitor — since solicitor he will be, with no GOP opposition. And to give Alan Wilson a more conditional congratulations, and begin to focus on the contest to come in the fall against Democrat Matthew Richardson.

“Truth Squad,” whoever they are, win in court

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An update — early this evening I got an e-mail from “South Carolina Truth Squad” attorney Todd Kincannon (last seen sponsoring “Pub Politics”), saying “We won” in reference to his clients’ case in the state Supreme Court.

But not having been there, I didn’t really have enough to write a post based on that. Now Jack Kuenzie over at WIS has filed this report:

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – The Republican runoff race for attorney general continues to get hotter as an attack ad made by a third party sparked a state Supreme Court hearing on Monday.

An attorney for candidate Alan Wilson argued before the state Supreme Court over the ethics of a critical campaign ad paid for by a group called the “South Carolina Truth Squad.”…

But Truth Squad attorney Todd Kincannon filed an appeal, and the dispute landed late Monday afternoon in front of three members of the State Supreme Court.

“This is true speech,” said Kincannon. “This is political speech. It is the highest form of speech. It is the most protected form of speech and that is a point that has been lost, I believe.”…

Monday evening, the Supreme Court sided with the Truth Squad and granted the stay of the restraining order. The ad continues to air.

But who is the Truth Squad? Wilson’s opponent, Leighton Lord, denies any connection with the ad. But Monday’s hearing indicated some if not all of the money, $90,000, came from a 22-year-old assistant to Kincannon.Well, we still don’t know who they are, but their ads against Alan Wilson will keep on airing as we head into tomorrow’s runoff.

We still don’t know who they are, but apparently their ad will keep airing against Alan Wilson as we head into tomorrow’s runoff.

Hey, I’ll know this Linda Ketner person is serious if and when she seeks the UnParty nomination

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I’ve had it pointed out to me a couple of times that Linda Ketner from down Charleston way is possibly going to run as an independent against the formidable, ever-ambitious Jim DeMint and the undefeated Democratic champion Alvin Greene:

As if the U.S. Senate race in South Carolina wasn’t surprising enough, supporters of Linda Ketner — the Democratic candidate who put up a tough fight for Congress two years ago — are launching a last-minute drive to add her to the ballot.

And the petition to add the Charleston businesswoman and philanthropist as an independent candidate is circulating rapidly through Facebook and other social media.

Ketner, meanwhile, is keeping mum. Doug Warner, the finance director for her unsuccessful 2008 bid for Henry Brown’s 1st District congressional seat, said he spoke with her Tuesday before he and about eight other organizers launched the petition. He asked her to give the petition a chance to show bipartisan, grass-roots support, then make a decision on whether to run, Warner said.

‘I know that she is thinking about it,’ he said.

But I ask you, how can I take her seriously as a candidate when she hasn’t even approached the UnParty to seek its endorsement? I mean, really. Let’s keep a sense of perspective here, people.

Two happy customers of bradwarthen.com

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Steve Benjamin and Seth Rose before Columbia Rotary Club meeting.

Steve Benjamin and Seth Rose before the Columbia Rotary Club meeting.

A good time was had by all at the Columbia Rotary Club today.

First, I got to sit with the lovely Shop Tart, whom our own Kathryn Fenner introduced to the Club as the authoress of her “second favorite blog.” I’m sure the Tart was suitably flattered.

Kathryn also introduced the main speaker, Columbia Mayor-Elect Steve Benjamin. Who, to beat a cliche within an inch of its undeserving life, actually needed no introduction, since he’s a member of our club.

Anyway, Steve said a lot of good stuff. And I was reminded of a reason I was glad he was elected: When asked about such delicate matters as whether he’s for a strong-mayor form or government or for the Midlands Housing Alliance’s effort, he comes right out and says he supports them. Which is a level of risk-taking we haven’t seen at City Hall. Here’s hoping the gamble pays off for us all.

Finally, quick, what do the recent electoral winners pictured above have in common, aside from the fact that they’re both members of my Rotary Club? That’s right: The thing that MAKES them both winners is that they both advertised on bradwarthen.com.

Hey, that’s my theory, and it fits the available facts…

Dems say 6 GOP candidates not legit

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Just got this from the state Democratic Party:

Up to Six Republican Candidates Break Financial Disclosure Law, Ineligible for Ballot
Republican Candidates Hiding Financial Information From Public, Party Bosses Fighting to Cover Track

COLUMBIA- As many as six statewide Republican candidates are ineligible to be on the ballot in both Tuesday’s runoff and the November general election, said South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler on Monday. South Carolina law dictates that candidates maintain financial transparency by filing Statements of Economic Interest by March 30, and grants a grace period of five days. At the end of that grace period, candidates who have failed to comply with the law are barred from appearing on the primary ballot, or, in the event that they do appear, are barred from certification to appear on the November ballot.

Among the affected Republicans are Lt. Governor candidate Bill Connor, Attorney General candidate Alan Wilson, and incumbent Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom. Republican State Superintendent of Education candidates Elizabeth Moffly and Mick Zais and Adjutant General candidate Bob Livingston also failed to comply with the law within the time allowed. The law reads very clearly, stating:

[SC ST SEC 8-13-1356]
(E) An officer authorized to receive declarations of candidacy and petitions for nominations under the provisions of Chapter 11 of Title 7 may not accept a declaration of candidacy or petition for nomination unless the declaration or petition is accompanied by a statement of economic interests. If the candidate’s name inadvertently appears on the ballot, the officer authorized to receive declarations of candidacy or petitions for nomination must not certify the candidate subsequent to the election.

[SC Code of Regulations 52-607]
B. A Statement of Economic Interests shall be filed as follows:
(2) A person who has not filed a Statement of Economic Interests in the same calendar year as his declaration for candidacy or petition for nomination shall complete the entire Statement of Economic Interests Form for the preceding calendar year and file the entire Statement with the official with whom the candidate files his declaration of candidacy or petition for nomination.

D. The Commission will review the Candidate’s Roster and Statements of Economic Interests, Information Pages and certify to the election official that the candidates have properly filed in which case the candidates’ names may appear on the election ballot. Any candidate who fails to file a Statement of Economic Interests shall not have his name appear on the election ballot. It is the responsibility of the official receiving the declaration of candidacy or petition for nomination to insure that each candidate has filed.

“The South Carolina Republican Party should never have allowed these individuals to be candidates, much less allowed four of them into runoff elections. The South Carolina Republican Party doesn’t have the authority to decide who is eligible to appear on the ballot: the law does. Every Democratic candidate has been open and honest with the voters of South Carolina, while the Republican Party and their candidates have conducted themselves as though they are above the law,” said Fowler. “This is just the latest insult to the taxpayers perpetrated by the South Carolina Republican Party; not only do they believe that Mrs. Haley is entitled to hide e-mails she sent on a taxpayer-funded computer and conceal thousands of dollars in income from a company with business before the state legislature, but they are actively covering up the failure of their candidates to comply with the law. After eight years of failed policies from Mark Sanford, it’s time for new leadership and real transparency in South Carolina.”

Background
http://www.scdp.org//public/files/docs/background_chart.pdf

Paid for by the South Carolina Democratic Party – 1.800.841.1817 or www.scdp.org –
and not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate’s committee.

The video ad that Leighton Lord DID approve

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Before writing that past post, I wrote to Leighton Lord to ask:

Leighton, does this video have anything to do with your campaign? If not, do you know who’s doing this?

He wrote back:

B, this is our spot, below, don’t who the Truth Squad is. Not my campaign.

Above (not below) is the ad that he takes responsibility for. As you see, it starts out with a MUCH milder, less wacky Tea Party-ish version of the same sentiment Henry McMaster was going after in “Vultures.” Or perhaps the same IDEA, I should say. Lord is very much about reason, not emotion.

Beyond that, I think he makes his case well that he’s better prepared to be the state’s attorney general than Alan Wilson is. (And you’ll note he makes the same points as the mystery video, except for the “Daddy” part.) That’s not so say anything bad about Alan; I think he’s a good guy. But he doesn’t have Lord’s resume. And that business about Lord not being a prosecutor is a red herring, given the job they’re running for.

Who is the “SC Truth Squad?”

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Here’s an interesting little last-minute puzzle.

See the above video. Note that it’s an attack video against Alan Wilson, yet not approved by his runoff opponent Leighton Lord. It’s from a group calling itself the “South Carolina Truth Squad.” It’s a South Carolina classic, having a PO Box but no physical office address, Web site or any other overt presence (you know, like Alvin Greene).

If you wrack your brain, and the Web, for an answer to the question, “Why does ‘South Carolina Truth Squad’ sound so familiar?” you’ll see that it’s the name of that pro-Obama group that was the vehicle for Dick Harpootlian and others to attack the Clintons back in January 2008. I wrote about it back here. Dave Barry wrote about it, tangentially, here.

So are Dick et al. getting their licks in early, assuming Wilson will be the nominee. I doubt it, while not discounting the possibility entirely.

Meanwhile, the Wilson campaign has put out this release:

EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION

FROM: Robert Bolchez, former Republican candidate for Attorney General

Over the past 24 hours. we have called as many Republicans as possible and left a recorded message about an incredible last minute dirty trick someone has launched during the final hours of the Attorney General’s race.

PLEASE MAKE ALL YOUR FRIENDS AWARE OF THIS:

A mysterious group calling itself the S.C. Truth Squad is spending over a hundred thousand dollars to pay for last minute TV ads attacking Alan Wilson. And it’s important for Republican voters not to be deceived by these underhanded tactics. I can assure you that those ads are either misleading or completely untrue

As you know, until last Tuesday I was a Republican candidate for Attorney General. Now that I’m no longer in the race, I have offered my full support to Alan Wilson.

Alan is now the ONLY prosecutor in the race. He’s also a decorated combat veteran and he’s the only candidate who’s actually served as an Assistant Attorney General. By far, Alan is best qualified for the job.

Again, please tell all your friends that the TV ads attacking Alan Wilson are NOT true. In the race for attorney general, Alan is by far best qualified to protect our families.

I ask you to join me in supporting Alan in the runoff election tomorrow. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Robert Bolchoz

One assumes Robert Bolchoz was involved, even though his name is misspelled in the “from” line.

Funny thing about all this mystery — the video’s not all that out of line. One can believe an actual campaign would claim it. Sure, it goes overboard to be unfair, such as when it says “The truth is, the only notable thing in Alan Wilson’s background is being a congressman’s son.” Actually, I think his being a combat veteran is notable, even though its relevance to the post he’s seeking is questionable.

In fact, the tone is no more negative than the tone in the ad below that Wilson actually posts on his Web site.

As for substance in these ads, such as it is? Well, I think Lord’s experience running a big law firm is more relevant and impressive than young Alan’s short time as a prosecutor. For what that’s worth. (And calling his Daddy “our conservative hero Joe Wilson” is for me the biggest turnoff in either ad.)

That was an unfortunate picture of Nikki today

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I’m talking about the one in the paper today.

Made her face look fat. Don’t you think? Nikki does NOT look like that.

In fact, if anything, she’s too skinny. She looks great in photos because the camera adds 10 pounds, and she could use 10 pounds. In person, I always worry about her; she just looks too thin.

But this camera must have been turned up to 30 pounds. This is not our Nikki.

Just wanted to let y’all know, I will stick up for Nikki when the situation calls for it — I mean, she’s a lady and all — even though the idea of her being governor appalls me.

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