TweetI don’t read the letters to the editor as closely as I used to. OK, to be perfectly honest, I hardly read them at ALL now that I’m not paid to do so, unless someone brings one to my attention. Today was an exception, though. As my eye ran over the page, something in the […]
TweetGot this yesterday, thought I’d pass it on: Dear Brad — People say that “money is the mother’s milk of politics.” It seems that no matter how many rules we put into place to regulate the flood of money and influence in our elections, politicians too often find ways around these rules. Here in South […]
TweetJust an update on Harvest Hope Food Bank’s urgent appeal for operating funds, which I told you about back here. Since that Tuesday press conference, which ADCO was honored to help with, the media reaction has been gratifying. All four local commercial TV stations showed up and reported — some of them doing followups. As […]
Tweet Salon is SO predictable. For President’s Day, they post a piece posing the question, “Who’s the worst president of them all?” And of course, since that site is totally in the grip of Bush Derangement Syndrome (still), it boils down to a choice between George W. Bush and someone else. In this case, Buchanan. […]
Tweet The other day I ran into Wesley Donehue at Starbucks (see that, Starbucks? yet another product placement you’re not paying for), and we talked briefly about my appearing on “Pub Politics” again, which would make me a member of the Five-Timer Club. I’m totally up for it, particularly since I’d like to discuss this […]
TweetA Tweet from the WashPost brings to my attention this item: PolitiFact’s Lie of the Year: ‘A government takeover of health care’ By Bill Adair, Angie Drobnic Holan Published on Thursday, December 16th, 2010 at 11:30 p.m. In the spring of 2009, a Republican strategist settled on a brilliant and powerful attack line for President Barack Obama’s […]
TweetYesterday I had breakfast with Joel Lourie over at the Lizard’s Thicket on Forest, and as we were chatting he was accosted by a constituent who didn’t like what he’d halfway heard Joel saying about the need for more moderates in the Legislature. He proceeded to lecture Joel on why voters are more and more […]
TweetI meant to post about this yesterday, when it happened, but better late than never. ADCO had a table at the Columbia Regional Business Report‘s (that’s the outfit Mike Fitts is with) “Legislative Lowdown” breakfast at Embassy Suites. It was a good table. Lanier and I were joined by Alan Kahn, Jay Moskowitz, Bob Coble, […]
TweetIf any man aspires to any office, he is sure never to compass it… — Utopia, St. Thomas More I was reading something the other day about heroes, and it got me to thinking about politicians. Odd juxtaposition, I realize, but bear with me… There was a piece in The Wall Street Journal earlier this […]
Tweet… another problem from Nikki Haley’s past crawls out. This time, it has to do with the House member leaning on the Employment Security Commission to suspend an audit of her family business: Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley called a commissioner at the state’s workforce agency while she was a sitting lawmaker to ask that an audit […]
TweetThis afternoon, a friend who is an experienced observer of South Carolina politics asked me whether I’d read Cindi Scoppe’s package on today’s editorial page comparing the records of Nikki Haley and Vincent Sheheen. I said no, but I had glanced at it, which pretty much told me everything I needed to know. Or rather, […]
TweetI hope y’all have noticed the blog’s new business model. See the new ad, at the top of the rail at right? Try it out; click on it… Rather than relying on those fickle politicians, who come and go like people in the land of Oz, I’m now turning to the private sector. (Oh, I’ll still happily […]
TweetNon-journalists are always complaining about editorials masquerading as news. Usually, they’re wrong. But sometimes reporters and their news editors are so obviously, nakedly, unabashedly (although not admittedly) making an editorial point that it’s painful to read. And mainly (to one like myself, who does not worship at the altar of the god Objectivity or even […]
TweetTaking a break from all-Alvin Greene new, all the time, here’s what else is going on: Sanford signs $300M in across-the-board vetoes (P&C) — Contains some more details than in yesterday’s story on the subject. General McChrystal: Kandahar operation will take longer (WashPost) — More time needed to get local leaders on board before the […]
TweetPut this in the category of stuff that looks like I’m just trying to be provocative to get a rise out of y’all, but I thought I’d share my surprise at learning that the Tea Party has a controversial position that I share. The New York Times says the idea should be “unthinkable:” A modern […]
TweetJust got this release from our friend Phil Bailey: Senator Leventis Condemns Attack on Spratt Sumter, SC – South Carolina Senator Phil Leventis (D-Sumter) today condemned the National Republican Congressional Committee for their attack on Congressmen John Spratt. NRCC spokesman Andy Sere attacked Congressman Spratt by implying that his “memory must be failing him” and […]
Tweet Sorry not to be forthcoming with a post on the Sarah Palin/Nikki Haley event last evening. I’ve been too busy — my baby granddaughter spent the night with us last night, my youngest daughter came home from Charlotte and my wife and I had a lot of errands to run this morning (including, alas, […]
TweetJust had an interesting exchange with Kathryn. We were talking about something else, and I mentioned birthers, and she said something dismissive about them. They are, of course, absurd and pathetic people. And yet… and mind you, I’m bending way backward to be the devil’s advocate here… the birthers are trying, in a ridiculously literal, […]
TweetWhen the house phone, the land line, began its maddening rendition of “Home Sweet Home,” I was dog-tired, and my wife was indisposed. So I threw off the coverlet I had on me in my recliner as I watched “Hamlet” on PBS (staged in modern dress for some reason) — with the house down to […]
TweetHere’s hoping I can find some more interesting news than I did yesterday… Greece crisis: Fears grow that it could spread (BBC) — The EU folk are talking about a 100 billion Euro bailout. Pretty soon they’ll start talking real money. H-P Agrees to Buy Palm (WSJ) — Not sure why. I used to have […]