President-elect Obama's Weekly Address

by: Tim Kelly

Tue Nov 18, 2008 at 09:24:01 AM EST

Are Democrats Expendable?

by: Tim Kelly

Tue Nov 18, 2008 at 09:03:06 AM EST

Seeding Spartanburg is one of the best blogs in South Carolina. A big reason for that is that Tammy is a true believer - she's not filled with the cynicism that characterizes so many of the rest of us.

Tammy worked hard on behalf of Will Rothschild in his race in SC House District 32.  Will was endorsed by the Herald Journal and enjoyed strong support, but came up short on election day.

That happens. Good people sometimes lose elections, and while we can be disappointed by that fact, it doesn't do a whole lot of good to be angry about it.

But there's good reason to be suspicious and angry about what happened to Will Rothschild a few days after his defeat at the polls.

Will, a husband and father of two daughters, lost his job at Launch, a Spartanburg strategic marketing firm.

Yeah, we're in the middle of the worst economic downtown in years, and I know a lot about the communications agency business.  Things are tough all over.  But it seems to me that you don't let go of the one copywriter on your staff when you want to keep generating business.

I don't know anything at all about Launch.  I'd never heard of the agency until I saw Tammy's post this morning.  But it certainly makes one wonder if there might be some retribution going on here when a couple of the main folks at Launch are alumni of the Palladian Group, the agency founded by Howie Rich favorite Karen Floyd.

Shaping a Progressive Agenda

by: Tim Kelly

Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 14:28:34 PM EST

As noted here two weeks ago - and in The State yesterday - Democrats have made real progress in South Carolina in the last two election cycles, but we have a long, long way to go.

I don't believe we can be competitive by practicing a "Republican Lite" kind of politics.  We need to provide a real alternative to the policies of Republicans, especially on economic issues.

So what should a progressive agenda look like? What issues should Democrats focus on to both set ourselves apart from Republicans and to compete actively for as many legislative and statewide seats as possible?

Over the next few days, I'll be exploring issues such as education and economic development.  But more importantly, we want to hear what you think.  What do you think Democrats should focus on in the next General Assembly? 

DHEC Folly

by: RobW

Sun Nov 16, 2008 at 23:49:55 PM EST

Here's an excerpt:

Imagine a state agency that helps developers build in fragile areas close to the ocean — at taxpayer expense.

Imagine an agency that oversees homes for the disabled in which at least three people have died from neglect in two years.

Imagine an agency posting one of the nation’s worst records for cleaning up leaks from underground gasoline tanks — in a state where more than a quarter of residents drink from wells.

Imagine an agency that regulates garbage landfills helping to turn the state into a trash mecca for the Southeast.

Stop imagining.

That agency exists.

Its name is DHEC — the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

I don't know too mcuh about DHEC, but I know this series isn't going to be pretty.  Check The State for the rest of the story as the week progresses.

Update: Looks like Palmetto Scoop found it's green streak (or maybe just the usual anti-government streak) and reported on this earlier.  We should mention that NVB was one of the voices that brought attention to the sewage spill listed as one of the "four main incidents".

Fowler to Scarborough: Put Up or Shut Up

by: Jennifer Read

Fri Nov 14, 2008 at 18:59:05 PM EST

Earlier this week, Rep. Wallace Scarborough -- who lost his re-election bid to Democrat Anne Peterson Hutto by just 211 votes -- filed a formal protest urging the South Carolina Election Commission to throw out 700 ballots which he believes were 'illegally' caste on November 4. According to Scarborough, hundreds of unnamed voters either moved out of the district or out of their precincts prior to Election Day, thus invalidating their standard ballot votes.

Today in response, SC Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler called on Rep. Scarborough to release the list of 700 voters on James Island and Folly Beach who the ousted incumbent alleges "illegally" voted in the November 4th General Election.

"Wallace Scarborough's protest is redefining the term sore loser. It's bad enough that he won't accept the will of the voters; now he's making unsubstantiated claims that over 700 of the people he once represented are engaged in some kind of voter fraud," Fowler said. "If Mr. Scarborough really believes that there are over 700 criminals running around these parts, he should release their names immediately. If he's unwilling to back up his claims, then he should concede and apologize for his careless accusations."

UPDATED: S.C. Priest: Obama voters 'souls at risk'

by: Jennifer Read

Fri Nov 14, 2008 at 08:47:41 AM EST

UPDATE 1: Msgr. Martin T. Laughlin, administrator of the Diocese of Charleston, has publicly rebuked Father Newman for his comments (h/t Cannon).

A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest is making national headlines today after distributing a letter to his parishioners last Sunday informing them that they should refrain from taking Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama on Election Day.

Why you ask? Well, according to the Rev. Jay Scott Newman of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville, a vote for the pro-choice Obama over the pro-life John McCain "constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil."

"Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president," Newman wrote, referring to Obama by his full name, including his middle name of Hussein.

"Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exits constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ's Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation."

Jeffrey Sewell, an inspired - yet ignorant - bigot?

by: Mattheus Mei

Thu Nov 13, 2008 at 13:57:09 PM EST

Obama 2.0

by: Jennifer Read

Thu Nov 13, 2008 at 10:37:40 AM EST

By incorporating social networking tools and dynamic communication devices like blogging and video channels into their campaign's website, the Obama Team managed to raise a staggering $660 million dollars and successfully mobilize more than 10 million supporters nationwide.

Now President-Elect Obama is hoping to harness this massive online support to help advance his new Administration's burgeoning legislative agenda:

Transition officials call it Obama 2.0 - an ambitious effort to transform the president-elect's vast Web operation and database of supporters into a modern new tool to accomplish his goals in the White House.

If it works, the new president could have an unprecedented ability to appeal for help from millions of Americans who already favor his ideas, bypassing the news media to pressure Congress.

"He's built the largest network anyone has ever seen in politics, and congressional Republicans are clueless about the communications shift that has happened," Democratic strategist Joe Trippi proclaims. The results, he says, "will be amazing to watch."

In the meantime, check out Obama's new temporary website change.gov, where you can read the latest updates on the transition efforts and learn more about the President-Elect's legislative priorities.

Source: Associated Press

While I was on vacation…

by: Jennifer Read

Thu Nov 13, 2008 at 06:03:04 AM EST

Red State Update
First, S.C. GOP Chair Katon Dawson finally came out and publicly proclaimed his interest in the RNC Chairmanship. No great surprise there, but Mark Sanford's sudden emergence as a 2012 presidential contender is both fascinating and mind-boggling. I suppose with Republicans across the country pointing fingers at one another and frantically offering up advice on how to get the party back on track, the Governor's signature shtick of calling out his own party is en vogue right now.

Later today, Sanford will join fellow GOP prez hopefuls Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty in sharing their vision for the future of the party when he addresses the Republican Governors Association in Miami.

Cabinet Making
For the Dems, it's been all about building a strong Obama Cabinet to deliver us out of darkness over the next four years. Topping the list of potential Palmetto State Obama appointees are U.S. Rep. John Spratt (OMB), Inez Tenenbaum (ED), and U.S. Rep. James Clyburn (HUD). From what I'm hearing, Spratt is the most likely S.C. leader to be offered a cabinet position in the future Obama Administration, but whether or not he'd accept an appointment is still up in the air. As expected, the GOP is already circling the SC-05, waiting to pounce.

Scarborough files election protest

by: Jennifer Read

Wed Nov 12, 2008 at 14:30:39 PM EST

Perhaps to no one's surprise, earlier today, ousted S.C. Rep. Wallace Scarborough filed a formal protest of the House District 115 election results.

In his appeal, the defeated GOP incumbent argues that "in excess of 700" ballots were somehow illegally cast and, therefore, the results of the race should be thrown out and a new special election granted.

As you'll recall, last week, Democrat Anne Peterson Hutto narrowly defeated Scarborough by 211 votes, and while not a large margin of victory, the final tally was great enough to stave off an automatic recount.

In fact, Scarborough's hail-Mary protest comes on the same day that the South Carolina Election Commission officially certified Peterson Hutto as the winner of the HD 115 race. Charleston County certified the race results last Friday.

In response to Scarborough's protest, Peterson Hutto's campaign manager, Mike Meehan, issued the following statement accusing the incumbent of being a "sore loser" and calling on Scarborough to accept the election results and move on: