The Pink Flamingo :: A (One Time) Insider’s Guide to Politics in SC

Once upon a time, when I lived in South Carolina, I was actively involved in local Republican politics. I was the Oconee County Chairperson when Lindsey ran for Congress the 1st time. Another of our candidates did not fare as well, but made up for it later – Gresham Barrett. While I was chair, one of our negotiations included the switch (a very big deal) of the local Democratic State Senator to the Republican Party. Thomas Alexander, along with Gresham Barrett (3rd District) are both considering a run for the governor’s office in two years. I also helped engineer an interesting manipulation to help Democratic candidate Stan Speers win the election for Adjacent General of the state over our GOP candidate, who was a nice person but incompetent. The day after the election Speers changed parties. The evening before the election I went on the air in a debate with my local Democratic counterpart and made the announcement that we were endorsing Spears. He is now part of the “truth squad” John McCain has lined up, along with Henry MacMasters, Secretary of State, to insure that no ‘dirty tricks’ are pulled.

Dirty Tricks are the modus operandi for anything political in SC. Where Iowa and New Hampshire like to ‘play nice’ – that won’t do for South Carolina where politics are spectator sport. Nothing is too mean, dirty, or rotten. Sigh stealing is an art form better practiced after Bubba has knocked back a few cold ‘uns. This is where Presidential campaigns go to die.

Sit back and enjoy the show.

PART ONE: THE CRAZIES:
Confederate Sympathizers and Secessionists Are Threatening the SC POTUS Primary I just adore (note sarcasm) Vdare with all it’s anti-American glory. There’s an article in it by Tim Manning, the editor of Southern Partisan Magazine. He is also associated with The Foundation for American Education. Here’s their book list. There isn’t much these yahoos can do, but they are annoying. They hate John McCain and they hate Lindsey Graham. The question is if these dolts are registered Republican or not. Yea right. You think these crazies are going to miss an opportunity to vote for their savior, Ron Paul?

A QUICK RANT
This stuff makes me so mad. As someone who grew up in South Carolina who has ties to the “old South” this just ticks me to no end. These people have taken something that was a genealogical and family heritage and turned it into something filthy, dirty, tawdry. I am ashamed to even mention my ‘Confederate’ ancestry – Pierce Butler Bohannon – who was a private in the cavalry out of Kentucky. (His great-great grandfather is one of my DAR Patriot Ancestors). My Virginia family goes back to the plantation at Quantico, where the Moores were next door neighbors to George Washington. (Jessie Moore, my ancestor was a stinker and a Loyalist, who could have cared less about American Independence as long as he landed a very rich heiress). His brother wrote Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech. Another ancestor had a huge plantation on the other side of Mount Vernon. He and George Washington were very good friends. He became a Christian and a Quaker. He realized owning slaves was wrong and against God’s will. He realized it would do no good to set his slaves free, so he spent several years teaching every one of them how to read, write, and a marketable trade. Then he freed them. Then he took his large plantation and divided it equally between each and every one of them. He kept a few changes of clothes, a little bit of furniture, a team of oxen, two horses, a covered wagon, and enough money and goods to get he and his family to Kentucky (where he had some bounty land from his service in the War of Independence). And he left. One day he was a very rich man, the next dirt poor – because he did what was right. He was the person who convinced Washington he had to free his slaves, which he did in his will.

You don’t how angry this stuff makes me. It is wrong, a perversion of history. Maybe my problem is the fact that I take it personally. So far, by count, I have something like 15 ancestors who are documented to have served in some capacity during the Revolutionary War, including the battle of Bunker Hill. I have several recognized ancestors who were real Minutemen. (Now you know why I think the ‘minutemen’ are blasphemy). My family helped build this country. The very first person to take up the mantle of abolition was an ancestor of mine. The first woman to be honored by a state house and by statue is one of my ancestors. They were in the 2nd ship to Jamestown, on the Mayflower, and the Mary and John. My grandfather Froehlich’s grandfather came here as a Hessian Mercenary during the Civil War. Family legend has it when he received his citizenship for fighting, Abraham Lincoln, himself, was at the ceremony.

My family has given ‘blood & treasure’ to build, create, and preserve this nation. This s8#t is like a knife in the heart. Now you know why am so angry and determine to take these people out. They are a perversion of everything I hold dear. They should be the same for you, also.

BACK TO THE INFORMATION

Evidently the Southern Heritage Activists (read secessionist racist jerks) are furious with Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson for refusing to take up the cause of the Confederate Flag. FYI – they also don’t like John McCain.

“…Romney was a disaster. McCain is disgusting. Fred Thompson is trying to fool us. Giuliani is against us. And Huckabee is the worst of all―worships Lincoln and says college scholarships for illegal immigrants are atonement for slavery. All the while, Ron Paul is making the defense—not just stressing states’ rights, but also questioning the need for the Civil War at all. It’s not well known, but George W. Bush and Cheney started a new policy for the president and vice president of the U.S.: never appear in the presence of a Confederate flag. (As governor of Texas, Bush even went out of his way to remove a tiny memorial plaque from the Texas Supreme Court building in the dark of night.) Even Bill Clinton didn’t duck the flag, and neither did Bush, Sr. Of course, Reagan didn’t. And for Nixon and Ford, the Confederate flag was vital part of their campaigns in the South....”

Well heck, the only reason I even deal with old Pierce Butler Bohannan is the fact that he spent most of the war in a Yankee prison camp as a POW. He is a hoot, the old reprobate. He actually divorced his wife of 25 years, moved in the Confederate Soldiers’ Home, and spent the next 30 years of his life carousing, playing poker, drinking, and womanizing. We were always to refer to him as “that man!” and never by name!
The League of the South (Ron Paul all the way) has plans to attend the GOP debate, and to try and disrupt the primary. They are pro secession!

WHO ARE THESE YAHOOS?
Confederate American Pride Their web presence is designed to look educational, genealogical, and historical – then the CofCC link comes up.
The Southern National Congress
There’s something almost treasonous about this.
Don’t worry, immigration comes in.
Dixie Broadcasting Company
The Southern Nationalist
UpCountry Sovereignty
The South Carolina Committees of Correspondence
It’s all about the immigration stupid
The Teshua Press
They have a problem with Lindsey.
Heritage Lost - SC’s CofCC
They support Lindsey’s announced opponent, Buddy Witherspoon
Americans have had enough. I keep telling you it’s all about two things: immigration and secession.
Then you have the local Nazis. They liked to storm the state house.

THE REALITY
SPLC on the League of the South
Ron Wilson
Tancredo in SC
Bassinger's BBQ
KKK & Stormfront
Neo Confederate Movement

VOTE LIKE BUBBA WOULD VOTE
I am trying to find out if one of South Carolina's most treasured voter traditions still exists. There were rumors they were trying to change the laws for this primary season, but so far I don't know. If it hasn't been changed, and I don't think they could rally the votes to change it, primary voting in SC is like World Wide Wrestling. It's a tag team match.

FIRST - It ain't cheatin'. We ain't like those Yankees up Chicago way. We only vote once. But - we ain't a gonna vote for no naggin' worman, that's fer sure. We ain't no bigots, but we ain't gonna vote for that liberal from up North, either, so we're gonna vote again' 'em.

There are several scenarios here. Men in South Carolina hate Hillary Clinton almost as much as they hate 'them terrurists. But, we ain't gonna vote for that worman. There is a certain voting block, still Democrat who will not vote for either Hillary or Obama. They may vote for Edwards as a protest vote. I suspect, though they will vote GOP.

The beauty of the South Carolina primary system - if it hasn't been changed - is you can vote either Democrat or Republican, but not both. There is a tremendous anti-immigration sentiment in Anderson, Greenville, Abbeville, Spartanburg, and Union County. Oconee isn't as bad. Add Aiken and you have your prime GOP voting block. There is a vocal CofCC, Stormfront, KKK linked group of hate nativists who are going to vote for Ron Paul. They detest Lindsey and will be voting for Buddy Witherspoon this summer.

On the other hand, there is a huge active and retired military community. They will favor McCain. There is also a huge, repressed 'Country Club GOP' vote. The detest the Christian Coalition. Don't accuse the SC voter of being a redneck, or an ignorant religious freak. They aren't. SC voters are very sophisticated and live for this stuff.

BUT - if the law still exists, don't ever underestimate the power of the tradition of voting against someone.

Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Rosemary's Thoughts, The Random Yak, Right Truth, Adam's Blog, Leaning Straight Up, Cao's Blog, The Amboy Times, Big Dog's Weblog, Conservative Cat, Pursuing Holiness, Adeline and Hazel, third world county, Allie is Wired, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate's Cove, Celebrity Smack, Right Voices, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.