SC Democrats: Much Love For Lindsey Graham

In case you haven’t noticed, the S.C. Democratic Party is going after “Republican” Gov. Nikki Haley … hard. Almost daily, the party sends out press releases criticizing Haley … usually with good reason.

Remember, they recruited a big name opponent against Graham when he first ran for this office in 2002 … surely they are working up a similarly credible challenge to Graham now that his approval rating has slumped to an abysmal 37.4 percent.

Not only has the S.C. Democratic Party uttered nary a peep of criticism against Graham, they are actively seeking to discredit the only Democratic candidate who has jumped into the race against him – Jay Stamper.

In fact this week party chairman Jamie Harrison launched into a social media tirade against Stamper.

“I have very little tolerance for folks who think they can come here to make us look like fools. Folks who are manipulative … folks who lie … folks who steal … folks who believe they are “smarter” and can take advantage of the trust of the good people of this state,” Harrison wrote on his Facebook page.

Wait … lying, stealing, abusing trust … how is that now a perfect description of both major parties in the Palmetto State?

“I am a nice guy but when you mess with the people I love and the state that I hold dear to my heart then I become worse than a momma bear with her cubs,” he continued. “Well my friends someone has poked this sleeping grizzly … someone who is trying to manipulate and use people’s sentiments to divide the party that I am spending blood, sweat and tears to rebuild. I wont have it… I wont tolerate it and so Mr. Stamper you aren’t going to back down… well neither will I.”

Harrison then linked to a series of news articles which questioned the legitimacy of Stamper’s campaign.

What are we sure of? That Democrats aren’t going to mount anything even remotely resembling a serious challenge to Graham.

I just had a thought, maybe too much of a conspiracy theory, but anyway.

Maybe another one of the reasons RINOs are so compelled to ‘bi-partisanship’, i.e. voting with democrats against their constituents is that they fear the liberals mounting formidable challenges against them.

It doesn’t seem as if it is only the RINO’s that the Tea Party fights; it is also liberal groups who will even fund libertarians like we saw in Cuccenelli’s race.

Graham would be considered a ‘good’ republican by both RINOs and cagy liberal groups.

Well, I think you’re partially right. In the last several years, the masks of politicans has come off and their real intent has become what we always knew but is clearer than ever. Politicans like to cling to power, and they will do whatever they need to to keep it. They will connive, vote this way or that way etc. to thread that needle back into office time and time again.

I think behind the scenes the liberals say to people like Graham (who is not a principled man), “give us a vote here and there and we’ll help protect you and you’ll coast to victory. Or there may be bribes or blackmail involved. And they know that in a place like SC, they could not hope to mount a formidable challenge, they don’t have the bench.

Whatever is the case, power corrupts. And it corrupts those like Graham very quickly. They succumb to the whispers in the ear. Kelly Ayotte is obviously of this type, brand new and already co-opted.

In normal times, these types of people could survive for election after election. But these are not normal times. We had three wave elections and basically a status quo election. The old coalitions and the consolidations of power are crumbling, and I don’t really think the politicans know what to do about it. I think Richard Lugar was genuinely shocked that he was removed from power. I think Lisa Murkowski was shocked that she’d have to fight for her political life when her father had been a senator for thirty years.

And now they’re just plain mad that there are people and groups that are hell bent on removing them from power. They’re reacting like injured, cornered animals. It’s entertaining to watch and scary at the same time.

I agree for the most part.

If this is the case though, their strategy needs to be co-opted. I can’t think of a time where a third party candidate worked in the GOP’s favor.

For as much as RINOs like to talk about their ‘brilliant’ strategies, they don’t seem very successful. They are successful in maintaining the status quo, as you’ve said, but not in gaining a majority or even passing legislation with that majority when they get it.

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