As Bronwyn reported yesterday, my governor, Nikki Haley, endorsed Romney on Friday. This is important since our primary is the third one in the New Year. Romney was glad for it, too, saying people were “lining up outside her door” to get this coveted endorsement. Below is a good interview with Gov. Haley, conducted by Greta van Susteren (h/t Bronwyn):

Nice, right? But then things went downhill pretty quickly. Check out this sexist description of Gov. Haley in WaPo. Apparently, for this writer, Ned Martel, a woman is either Church Lady” or a “Real Housewife”:

[snip] In person, she cuts an indefatigable and glamourous figure. She eschews a Church Lady mien for something more Real Housewife: fit, attractive and encased in suits that stop just below the elbow and just above the knee. And she says often how her job is sales, selling corporate chief executives on South Carolina with many lures. [snip] (Click here to read the rest.)

Welcome to being a woman in politics in the United States.

The second story is bad (h/t to The New Agenda). It could easily be entitled, “Whistleblower Slamdunked,” but it’s headline is this: “Former N.B.A. Employee Says Sexual Harassment Concerns Were Ignored.” And why is he a “former employee”? Because he had the audacity to stand up for the women who were being sexually harassed, that’s why.

Now, I should say at the outset that I have very little respect for the N.B.A. I used to watch it, but over time, it seems to me that a number of players are just a bunch of thugs. Arrests have piled up, fights on court, all kinds of actions that have marred the game. Unfortunately, this attitude is now being evidenced in the college game, with the melee between Cincinnati and Xavier Universities recently. To label it as unsportsmanlike is a gross understatement. One of Xavier’s players, Tu Holloway, said in a press conference afterward that some Cincinnati player was calling them out before the game. He said, “We got disrespected a little bit before the game…We are grown men over there. we got a bunch of gangstas in the locker room, not thugs, but tough guys on the court…”

I beg to differ. You are a bunch of thugs, and the last ten seconds of the game showed that clearly.

Now, back to the N.B.A. Security official, Warren Glover. This is a long story, with one incident after another occurring to women who had the misfortune to work for this organization. I recommend you read the whole thing to get an idea of the depth of sexism, misogyny, and sexual harassment inherent in this organization. It is truly shocking, and appalling. Here is just the beginning of it:

A former N.B.A. security official says that he repeatedly warned his superiors that women in the office were being sexually harassed or discriminated against, but that his concerns were ignored and that he was ultimately fired for his actions on the women’s behalf. He is suing the league for lost wages and damages.

Warren Glover, 50, was fired as a security director in July, after 10 years with the N.B.A., despite a glowing performance record for most of his tenure, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday morning in New York State Supreme Court. In the suit, Glover accuses senior N.B.A. security officials of creating a “hostile work environment” in which he was “demeaned,” “treated differently from other employees” and denied promotions because of his willingness to speak out.

In one instance, Glover said a senior security official made sexual advances toward a female colleague, then demeaned her publicly when she rejected his advances. In another, a different security official proposed using sexually inappropriate material as part of a presentation to N.B.A. players. [snip] (Click here to read the rest.)

It gets much, much worse when you read the extent of the sexual harassment women to which women have been subjected there. I would like to commend Mr. Glover for doing the right thing. He is truly a stand up guy.

And now for the ugly, though the story about the “student-athletes” brawling would qualify. But this is about the OWS “protesters,” and again, they, too could qualify as thugs. In Seattle recently, not only did they try to block the ports (and really, just what the hell were they trying to accomplish with impeding the rights of workers to work???). The “protesters” were throwing paint at the police, which isn’t the worst part, except they hit a police horse with it, and that pisses me off. In addition to paint, they threw BRICKS and REBAR. You know, rebar, “reinforced steel.” Yeah, I’d say the “thug” moniker is well deserved, not to mention CRIMINAL. Enough with this crap. Throw them all in the slammer, I say. They interrupt workers? Throw them in jail. Impede traffic intentionally? Throw them in the slammer. Hurl dangerous objects at police and others? Throw their asses in jail and charge them with assault with a deadly weapon, because bricks and rebar would certainly qualify. Enough with this crap already.

Yuck, blech. With the exception of the first story, I realize this might leave a bad taste in one’s mouth. Allow me to end, then, with a little holiday cheer. This combines one of my favorite songs, and my love for “Glee”:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Whew, I feel better. Hope you do, too. Have a good weekend, everyone.

As an aside, ACORN has also been involved in the OWS movement. I am sure that is a HUGE surprise – not. And I am sure you would not be surprised to learn they were also shredding documents as fast as they could to cover that involvement up. But I digress.

Yes, former Rep. Davis admitted that the Democrats are essentially using the talking point that Voter ID disenfranchises voters because it would impede their ability to cheat (WordPress won’t allow the embed code, but here is the link to watch the video):

Top Democrats are aggressively pushing the claim that Republicans’ worries about voter fraud are an insincere excuse to suppress voting by African-Americans and Hispanics.

But former Democratic Rep. Artur Davis told The Daily Caller that anti-fraud measures are needed to protect African-Americans from corrupt political bosses — many of them African-Americans themselves — who run Democratic Party machines in the South.

[snip]

“What I have seen in my state, in my region, is the the most aggressive practitioners of voter-fraud are local machines who are tied lock, stock and barrel to the special interests in their communities — the landfills, the casino operators — and they’re cooking the [ballot] boxes on election day, they’re manufacturing absentee ballots, they’re voting [in the names of] people named Donald Duck, because they want to control politics and thwart progress,” he told TheDC.

“People who are progressives have no business defending those individuals.” (Click here to read the rest.)

While I was fairly certain this was going on, especially after the 2008 election, for a former Democratic Representative to confirm it is startling.

And this is especially poignant here in South Carolina, where the Democrats have been screaming bloody murder about the new Voter ID law set to go into effect in January. An anchor at MSNBC claimed it would be “electoral genocide” that would disenfranchise blacks in the state. Even considering the source, that is dangerous rhetoric indeed.

ABC News reported that Voter ID lawwill be taking place in a number of other states in 2012, as well, tripling the number of states requiring a photo ID. But even in this article, the way information is presented seems a bit skewed:

[snip]A report from New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice showed that in Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin, all of which will enact stricter photo ID laws before the 2012 election, 3.2 million potential voters do not have the state-issued ID that will be required for them to vote.

Lawrence Norden, an author of the Brennan Center report, said he “absolutely” thinks the new ID laws could impact the outcome of the election.

“We’re not claiming that all 3.2 million, in the case of voter ID laws, are actually not going to be able to vote,” Norden said. “But what we are saying is, it’s going to make it harder for those people to vote and some portion of them are probably not going to be able to vote even though they want to.” [snip] (Click here to read the rest.)

Uh huh. No, they aren’t claiming that all those folks won’t get a chance to vote, but they sure do like to IMPLY it, seems to me.

Well, at least here in South Cackalacki, people who could not get to the DMV for lack of a vehicle or ride, people were given the option of getting a ride to the DMV FREE OF CHARGE. Want to know how many residents took the State up on its offer? You might want to sit down for this, if you aren’t already: 25. Yes, twenty-five people used this free service.

Here’s the thing: former Representative Davis has pulled back the curtain on the real reason there is such a brouhaha being waged by the Democrats over voter ID. It will impede Democratic Party bosses from committing rampant voter fraud, up to FIFTY PERCENT in some locales. He is absolutely right when he makes this claim:

“People who are progressives have no business defending those individuals.”

Amen to that. I would extend that to anyone who cares about our democracy, our right to our own vote, our right to have elections that are fair and free of election shenanigans, have no business defending these individuals, or practices. Uh, yeah – not to mention that voter fraud is also ILLEGAL.

And I would take that one step further – it is immoral, and unethical, to commit voter fraud. This “Win At All Cost” mentality that has infected this nation is a blight, and must be stopped. We should guard closely, jealously, the authentic vote, otherwise our entire system is a sham. Never again should we have to question the authenticity of a vote, an election, or even a caucus, as a result of rampant fraud.

But even more, this faux outrage over the alleged disenfranchisement of blacks (and Hispanics) when this sort of fraud is being perpetrated by those claiming disenfranchisement. is insulting in the extreme, and insulting to the hard work of those who fought so hard to get their community the right to vote.

It reminds me of this woman, a Civil Rights Worker, who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., and her “grief” at witnessing disenfranchisement at the hands of young black men in Indiana (4:00 mark to 6:05 mark):

Click here to view the embedded video.

It causes me grief, too, for her community, and for all Americans. As the election season heats up, every single one of us, regardless of race or ethnicity, should be able to count on our vote counting for something. Thank heavens for the courage of people like Artur Davis, for speaking truth to power, and outing the Democrats for their disingenuous claim over Voter ID. It is our right to have free, and fair elections, and anyone found to be committing voter fraud should have the full force of the law brought down upon them.

The right to vote, and the right to an honest outcome, was the American Way. And it needs to be again as we embark upon another election season. Anything less is unacceptable.

What do you think?

I know I don’t usually say this, but now seems like the perfect time: What the fuck is wrong with California?? This is just outrageous:

She was forced to have sex with him, and now she’s being forced to pay his bills.

Crystal Harris of Carlsbad, Calif., had been financially supporting her unemployed, abusive husband Shawn Harris for years. But after he sexually assaulted her in 2008, she took him to court.

The jury heard a damning audiotape of the attack secretly recorded by Crystal Harris, and her husband was convicted of forced oral copulation.

Even so, in 2010, the year their divorce became finalized, he requested spousal support. The judge awarded him $1,000 a month, and also asked Crystal Harris to pay $47,000 of her ex-husband’s legal fees from the divorce proceedings.

“It stunned me and I think it’s shocking,” said San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, who is fighting to close a loophole in the law that allows judges to exercise this kind of judicial discretion. “It’s a priority for our office.”

Did you catch that? The judge has DISCRETION in this case, and is CHOOSING to force Crystal Harris to pay her deadbeat, abusive ex-husband ALIMONY and his LEGAL bills, which he incurred from her taking him to court for RAPING HER. This is insanity. Sheer insanity.

There’s more:

Harris, who turned 39 Thursday, makes between $110,000 and $120,000 a year as a financial analyst, and says she has been supporting her husband — a former car salesman — ever since their first son was born in 2002.

Under normal circumstances, Harris would have been required to pay $3,000 a month in spousal support after the divorce, but because of the domestic violence she endured, the judge said he would lower that amount to $1,000.

“I call that the rape discount,” Harris said.

She appealed the judge’s ruling, pointing out that her ex-husband will have no expenses while he’s in jail.

The judge agreed, but when Shawn Harris, 40, is released from Donovan State Prison in 2014, he’s entitled to ask for spousal support again. And California law entitles him to have it.

[...]

In a statement received by ABCNews.com on Friday afternoon, spokeswoman Karen Dalton from the San Diego Superior Court said, “Per the California Code of Judicial Ethics, canon 3B(9), which prohibits a judge from making public comment about a pending or impending proceeding, Judge Pollack will be unable to discuss the details of the proceedings.” California family code currently states “the criminal conviction of an abusive spouse shall be considered in making a reduction or elimination of a spousal support award” and it’s that language that gives the judge discretion when making a spousal support ruling.

Holy shit, this is just crazy. The judge HAS the discretion to not compel a victim of domestic violence to pay anything. That this judge IS, after the years of abuse, is mighty telling about HIM, if you ask me. Wow.

There is much, much more to this article, including a more in-depth look into their relationship, the years of abuse, and his threats when she tried to get out (as many of you know, the most dangerous time for a woman in an abusive relationship is when she tries to leave. That is when many women are murdered.) Click here to read the rest, if you wish. Like I said, the whole thing just makes me sick. There is something seriously, seriously wrong with this.

Incredible. Now for a complete 180, something happening in another state that is very right. Back in June, I wrote a post about an editorial a Chicago lawyer named Thomas Geoghan wrote. He was targeting Boeing for building a plant here in the Charleston, SC, area (“What A Bunch Of Southernist BS...”). I’ll sum it up for you: we dumbass Southerners ain’t capable of building our way out of a paper bag, much less one of them fancy dancy aeroplanes, dontcha know. What the sam hill was Boeing thinking dissing the union in Washington State like that by allowing us redneck yahoos who probably ain’t ever even flown to build their durn planes for ‘em? Yeah, something pretty close to that (click here if you wish to read his screed for yourselves).

Well, you wanna guess which plant is outperforming the other? Uh, yeah – the Charleston team:

Speaking to the Goldman Sachs Global Industrials Conference on Thursday, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Jim Albaugh said he is “very encouraged” by the South Carolina mid- and aft-body operations, which are performing above the Everett, Wash., assembly line’s production rate of 2.5 airplanes per month.

“Those two operations are performing very, very well,” Albaugh said. “In fact, many of the work cells that we have there are performing at about 3.5 airplanes a month, and we’ve also demonstrated in one or two areas that we can sustain the 10 airplanes a month rate that we’ll need when we go to peak.”

[...]

Albaugh also revealed South Carolina’s first Dreamliner, the first Boeing commercial airplane to be assembled outside of Washington state and scheduled to be the 46th 787, is officially in one piece.

“We put the airplane on the gear in the last couple of days, all the final joins have been done, and we expect to fly the first airplane out of Charleston sometime in the middle of the year,” Albaugh said, referring to 2012. (Click here to read the rest.(

Well golly gee willikers, could that really be true? Hell to the yes, it is. Just goes to show the folly of such sheer ignorance and prejudice that still exists toward the South. We got it going on, y’all, and doing pretty damn well at it, too.

Consider this an open thread, y’all. Have at it.

That are going to make my head explode. First, news that the ten executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which are still operating in the red, and which are largely to blame for the housing crisis, got BONUSES. And I am not talking little bonuses, either. Those ten mo-fos got = and you better sit the hell down and swallow whatever you are drinking – $12.79 MILLION DOLLARS. Yes, you read that number correctly.

Gosh, I hate this Administration:

The Federal Housing Finance Agency, the government regulator for Fannie and Freddie, approved $12.79 million in bonus pay after 10 executives from the two government-sponsored corporations last year met modest performance targets tied to modifying mortgages in jeopardy of foreclosure.

The executives got the bonuses about two years after the federally backed mortgage giants received nearly $170 billion in taxpayer bailouts — and despite pledges by FHFA, the office tasked with keeping them solvent, that it would adjust the level of CEO-level pay after critics slammed huge compensation packages paid out to former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines and others.

Securities and Exchange Commission documents show that Ed Haldeman, who announced last week that he is stepping down as Freddie Mac’s CEO, received a base salary of $900,000 last year yet took home an additional $2.3 million in bonus pay. Records show other Fannie and Freddie executives got similar Wall Street-style compensation packages; Fannie Mae CEO Michael Williams, for example, got $2.37 million in performance bonuses. (Click here to read the rest.)

So they got these massive bonuses for mild improvements after getting $170 BILLION of our taxpaying dollars. Are you freakin’ KIDDING me with this? Outrageous, just outrageous.

Just in case you need a reminder, check out this hearing from 2004:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Good grief, this makes my blood boil.

Next up is the Federal Government’s continued attacks on South Carolina, this time about our new Immigration law set to go into force in January. (You may recall that the NLRB went after SC for Boeing opening up a manufacturing plant here rather than in a union state, despite Boeing having plants in other states with unions, and which cost zero union jobs.)

Yes, the DOJ, that bastion of fairness and justice – cough, choke, cough – is attacking the state’s immigration law, which is similar to Arizona’s. If someone commits a crime, and the police have reason to suspect they are illegal, they can ask for proof of citizenship. If the person is illegal, the police officers will call in the appropriate immigration personnel to handle the offender. Additionally, businesses have to ensure their employees are here legally. (I thought everyone had to do that ANYWAY. I have had to prove my citizenship numerous times for positions I have taken.) But this DOJ takes umbrage with all of that, so it has filed a lawsuit against SC, naming Governor Haley as the defendant.

Now, let’s be clear – in no other country can you expect to go on your merry way if you are discovered to be there illegally. If you think you can live and work easily in another country without a visa, passport, or green card, go check it out. I’ll wait. Oh, no, I won’t because your ass will either be in jail, or on a plane home. No other country, including the two with whom we share borders, will allow you to live and work inside their country ILLEGALLY. Their laws are strict, and THEY ENFORCE THEM, unlike the United States.

The Federal government claims that this is their bastion – that’s their beef. Our governor, a daughter of LEGAL immigrants herself, Nikki Haley, said the government is not doing its job, it is not protecting our borders, it is not keeping out illegal aliens, and they are taking our jobs. Considering SC has higher unemployment than the national average, that is no small thing.

Here is more about both the law, and the complaint against it:

[snip] he government wants a judge to stop enforcement of the legislation, which requires that officers call federal immigration officials if they suspect someone is in the country illegally following a stop for something else, U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles told The Associated Press.

“The Department of Justice has many important tasks,” Nettles said. “Two of those important tasks are the defense of the constitution and ensuring equality is afforded to all.”

The law says all law enforcement officers are required to call federal immigration officials if they suspect someone is in the country illegally. The question must follow an arrest or traffic stop for something else. The measure bars officers from holding someone solely on that suspicion. Opponents railed against the measure as encouraging racial profiling.

[...]

The law also makes it a felony for someone to make fake photo IDs for illegal residents and creates a new law enforcement unit within the Department of Public Safety to enforce state immigration laws. It also makes it a felony for illegal immigrants to allow themselves to be transported.

Nettles said the law is unconstitutional and violates people’s right to due process.

I’m sorry, but none of those things sound all that egregious to me. The state wants to ensure people are living and working in the state legally, and it wants to punish those who try and get around that by making fake IDs, which I would think is illegal anyway. And this violates” due process”??

You know, if the DOJ wasn’t already such a laughing stock for the crap it has been pulling with not going after actual offenders, like the New Black Panther Party, or lying its freaking ass off over “Fast and Furious,” I might give them a tad more leeway. But they don’t deserve it. Not by a long shot.

Oh, but wait, there’s more. This is from none other than Janet Napolitano:

In a news release, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said South Carolina’s law “diverts critical law enforcement resources from the most serious threats to public safety and undermines the vital trust between local jurisdictions and the communities they serve, while failing to address the underlying problem: the need for comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level.” (Click here to read the rest.)

Oh, freakin’ spare me already. DO YOUR JOBS!!! This is just another wordy excuse for not doing what the US Constitution declares is the role of the Federal Government – to protect the country and its citizens from “invasion.” Do your damn job, and stop attacking states when they have to resort to taking care of their own borders for lack of federal action.

And speaking of the DOJ and lying its ass off over programs like “Fast and Furious,” the DOJ dumped a TON of emails on Congress the night before another hearing on this program. Yep. They have had months to do this, but waited until the very last minute to release 650 pages. Why? Well, because there was a hearing scheduled for the next day, that’s why.

But get this – not only are there more Congresspeople demanding Holder step down, but the data dump revealed the following:

[snip] The new documents, according to Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, “indicate that contrary to previous denials by the Justice Department, the criminal division has a great deal of culpability in sweeping the previous Wide Receiver strategy under the rug and then allowing the subsequent Operation Fast and Furious to continue without asking key questions.”

“Most importantly, officials raised very appropriate questions related to Operation Wide Receiver at the same time that many of these same officials were receiving briefings on Operation Fast and Furious,” Grassley said in a statement. “It begs the question why they didn’t ask the same important policy questions about an ongoing case being run out of the same field division.” [snip](Click here to read the rest.)

Have I mentioned how much I hate this Administration?

So, sorry if this makes your head explode, too. I just had to share. I am sure there are things going on in your neck of the woods or with this government that are getting on your last nerve, too. Feel free to share that with us, too. I need an aspirin…

That hasn’t had an impact on the NLRB, though, which filed a suit against Boeing since it will not be using union labor here (SC is a “right to work” state). Bear in mind that NO union jobs were cut because of this move, Boeing still has plants in Washington State, and in fact, their union positions have increased.

This has been an on-going battle, with the tacit acceptance by the White House of the NLRB trying to dictate to what states companies can, and cannot, have their businesses.

So, it is in that framework that Thomas Geoghegan, an attorney in Chicago, wrote this WSJ editorial, “Boeing’s Threat to American Enterprise; When major firms move to the South, it’s usually a harbinger of quality decline. Why let that happen?”

I’m sorry, what? Is he really saying that companies that move their business South automatically suffer in quality? Why, yes he is:

[snip] We should be aghast that Boeing is sending a big fat market signal that it wants a less-skilled, lower-quality work force. This country is in a debt crisis because we buy abroad much more than we sell. Alas, because of this trade deficit, foreign creditors have the country in their clutches. That’s not because of our labor costs—in that respect, we can undersell most of our high-wage, unionized rivals like Germany. It’s because we have too many poorly educated and low-skilled workers that are simply unable to compete.

We depend on Boeing to out-compete Airbus, its European rival. But when major firms move South, it is usually a harbinger of quality decline. Over and over as a labor lawyer in the 1980s and ’90s, I saw companies move away from Chicago, where the pay was $28 an hour, to some place in South Carolina or Louisiana where the pay was about half that. While these moves aggrieved me as a union lawyer, it might have consoled me as an American if those companies went on to thrive globally.[snip] (Click here to read the rest of this drivel.)

See, because if you are having to pay twice as much to compensate the unions, you are better off. Uh huh.

It’s a miracle we Southerners can even get our dumb asses out of bed every day, ain’t it??

Now, I thought about going on my own little rant, and believe you me, I could – but there were a whole bunch of comments at the WSJ that really say it all:

Buck Hebner: After reading y’all’s comments, I realize what an astute move the WSJ made publishing this lawyer’s editorial. The WSJ staff must be howling with laughter. This one editorial accomplishes what a hundred conservative viewpoints fail to do, show readers the true stakes of this battle. In a few paragraphs, Mr. Geoghegan unmasks the true intentions of big Labor and progressive policy. They believe stirring up sectional hate and class-warfare will help them achieve their goals of unlimited Federal power and personal gain.

150 years after the Civil War was fought, the South is rising again. Not as an antagonist to the North, but as a economic engine that will help all of America become stronger through economic competition. The WSJ should be commended. Thank you.

Roger Simpson: First, Boeing did not “move” any work from Washington; as they have repeatedly stressed, the work to be done in South Carolina is new work, and there is nothing wrong economically with adding jobs to a state that could sure use them. Second, the notion that Washington citizens are somehow more “skilled” than South Carolinians is sheer arrogance, and has no basis in reality. Such babble was used when the auto manufacturers moved jobs there, and we have seen how ridiculous it was.

The real issue is that Big Labor cannot afford for people to find out that the work of $28/hour workers (who still are not satisfied with their lot) can be done just as well by $14/hour workers in another state, and without complaint. Especially a state which does not cater to the class of self-important, professional protesters, who take a cut from every worker’s check to line their own pockets, while presuming to negotiate en masse for an entire group of indivdual free citizens.

Wilson Jones II: I hope this cat remembers that Southerners probably made the steel that holds his building up (Nucor), made his blood pressure meds (Glaxco Smith Kline), assembled his BMW…. AND we were smart enough to put together a rocket that put man on the moon… Now give me some Kickapoo Joy Juice as i listen to the theme from Deliverence…

Millard Ramsey: I can’t stop laughing long enough to compose a response to this piece. I live in Chattanooga where VW has seen fit to invest $1 billion in a plant that will employ thousands of those “unskilled” Southern workers. Looks like VW has given up on quality too.

Alan Davis: Kia in Georgia, Hyundai in Alabama, BWM in South Carolina, and the list goes on and on. The rush to low quality must be the new business model.

I might add, Gulf Stream Jets are made in Savannah, GA, Toyotas are made in Kentucky, oh, and not only are Hyundais made in Alabama, but so are Mercedes Benz SUVs, and NASA is there, too, with Peterbilts being built in Denton, TX.

If you want some good laughs, though, go read the 40+ pages of comments about this incredibly offensive, arrogant, condescending, and flat out Southernist BS from this Chicago lawyer.

Boeing has every right to build its plants wherever the hell it sees fit. And our government should not be in the business of telling businesses where they can have those plants. Hell, even the Seattle Times is claiming that “Obama Administration Putting Politics Before The Economy” with this misguided assault against Boeing, and SC. No freakin’ kidding. This is all payback.

And speaking of payback – remember when Obama shoved the (also misguided) stimulus down our throats to bail out companies like GM? He claimed that the Administration would not be micromanaging GM? Well, hold on to your seats – he lied. Yes, Obama lied. In fact, the Treasury Department DID essentially run GM, and get this:

[snip] These messages reveal that Treasury officials were involved in decision-making that led to more than 20,000 non-union workers losing their pensions. [snip] (Click here to read the rest.)

Holy shit. Well, that just goes to show you this NLRB debacle is not an aberration, but business as usual. Cutting TWENTY THOUSAND non-union pensions – are you kidding me with this?

Oh, but then again, what the hell do I know? I’m just a Southerner, after all…

But let me put this into context. He made this comment in the midst of a Senate discussion. Here’s more from this Post and Courier article:

Robert Ford, a Charleston Democrat, is under fire for making a comment about the work ethic of South Carolina blacks.

“Brothers won’t work hard like Mexicans will so we need to make sure enough Mexicans are here,” Ford is quoted as saying, according to a posting by Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beauford. Ford’s comments came during a Senate committee meeting on immigration legislation.

Ford told The Post and Courier his comments were directed at all Americans — not any specific ethnic groups. He said new immigrants, illegal or otherwise, work at hard labor job such as construction. Americans whose families have been in the country for generations work as doctors or lawyers or school teachers, he said.

“I was talking about the building of America and how every generation of Americans did the hard work,” Ford said. “Americans are not going to do real hard work. Everybody in America knows that.”

You just cannot make this shit up.

And before you start to think, “wow, this guy is a major racist,” this is Sen. Robert Ford:
Yep, that would be the esteemed senator. Wowie zowie, are people a bit perturbed with him. This is the response by one of the head Republicans in the area:

Joel Sawyer, executive director of the state Republican Party, said Ford should apologize.

“It’s disgusting and abhorrent that any elected official would say something that offensive,” Sawyer said. “He needs to apologize immediately and hopefully the condemnation of his comments will be equally as loud from both sides of the political aisle.”(Photo by O’Neal Compton)

To which did Senator Ford responded:

Ford said he does not mind apologizing, but in this case he said he does not know why anyone would be offended by his comments.

“What am I apologizing for? I made a lot of jokes in my presentation like I always do,” Ford said.

Ford said people who don’t have a sense of humor “need to get a life. I am not going to stop bringing a sense a humor.” [snip] (Click here to read the rest.)

Yeah, lighten the hell up, people! What’s the big deal? It’s just a joke. Sheesh! Ahem.

The fact that he is now trying to pass this off as just being a joke, while still claiming that Americans won’t work hard, pretty much says it all about the good senator. Wowie zowie.

Evidently, Senator Ford doesn’t know people like our brick mason, who was here until after 10:00pm the night of the Super Bowl. He worked for hours on end in an attempt to finish our foundation before the rains came again. He did finish, by the way, and did a very nice job indeed.

So, what do you think about what Senator Ford said? Should he apologize for his comments? Should people get a sense of humor already?Let’s hear it!

And she said it to President Obama. But she wasn't talking about taxes per se. Not too long ago, the incoming governors had the opportunity to meet with President Obama.

During the course of the meeting, Governor-Elect Nikki Haley had a little chat with Obama on the issue of the new health care law (which, after Monday's ruling that parts of it were un-Constitutional may make this a moot argument). In this article, Obama Opens Door For S.C. Opt-Out, Haley Says, Haley lays out her argument to President Obama:

Haley said she told Obama that South Carolina could not afford the health care mandate, and that it would cripple small businesses.

"I respectfully asked him to consider repealing the bill," she said, to which he clearly stated he would not. "I pushed him further and said if that's the case, because of states' rights, would you at least consider South Carolina opting out of the program?"

Obama told her he would consider letting South Carolina opt out, she said, if the state could find its own solution that included a state exchange, preventing companies from bumping people for pre-existing conditions and allowing insurance pooling. [snip]

That is an important concession, is it not? And again, it may end up being meaningless, should the current health care law be struck down.

But then there was this:

[snip]Haley said she also asked the president if he would honor the federal government’s commitment on developing a nuclear waste repository. When he said he would not revisit opening Nevada’s Yucca Mountain, “I said, ‘Then give us our money back.’ ”

The site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas was proposed to house more than 4,000 metric tons of high-level nuclear waste from South Carolina’s Savannah River Site. The state and Washington have sued over Obama’s attempt to kill plans for the storage site after decades of study.

“SRS has done a good job, but that was a temporary solution. It was never meant to be a permanent solution,” Haley said she told him. “The federal government has reneged on its promise, and the people of South Carolina want their money back.” [snip]

Oh, SNAP!!! My immediate response when I read this? “Dang!” And that was meant in the most positive way possible. I was impressed by her commitment to the state, but also her gumption in making such a statement to the President of the United States (even if it is Obama) upon her first meeting. Holy smokes.

Oh, and Obama’s response? Very Obama-like:

[snip]She said Obama pledged that he would have Energy secretary Steven Chu call her promptly. (The state has shelled out over $1 billion for the Yucca study.)

“I will wait for that phone call, and if I don’t get it, I will be calling, but I feel he was being genuine,” she said.

Haley described the tone as respectful and said she appreciated that Obama and Vice President Joe Biden allowed for open dialogue with the governors-elect, with no topic off-limits.

“It was a level of communication where we felt like we were being heard,” she said. [snip]

I am glad she felt that the incoming governors were being heard. But I also love that she is going to hold Obama’s feet to the fire in waiting for that phone call. For a state that continues to have double-digit unemployment, over a billion bucks would come in mighty handy about now.

Haley raises a good point. If the government is not going to make use of a program it has spent billions on, then hell to the yes, it should be returning our money.

As you may recall, Governor-Elect Nikki Haley was endorsed by Governor Sarah Palin. Haley was asked if she would endorse a candidate for president, to which she responded:

[snip] Haley said she will endorse a Republican candidate at some point before the first-in-the-South primary for the 2012 White House race.

“Absolutely!” she said. “But only after every one of them has had the opportunity to go out and meet with the constituents of South Carolina and hear their concerns. … What I want to do is let the people of South Carolina see them without any sort of emphasis on who I think is right.” [snip] (Click HERE to read the rest.)

Well, that will sure be interesting. I wonder if Sarah Palin runs, if Governor-Elect Haley will return the favor?

Governor-Elect Haley continues to impress with her cabinet choices, and on Monday, hosted a meeting of state leaders, including both US Senators, and US Rep. Jim Clyburn. Not only is Haley capable of speaking out for her state, she is also capable of diplomacy:

[snip]“There were no egos in that room,” Haley said at a post-meeting news conference with the delegation. “It was a group of people that understood South Carolina needed to come first and it was very much one of great spirit — great energy — in how we are going to get things done.” [snip] (Click HERE to read the rest.)

This kind of interaction does give me hope for this state, I have to say. And while Haley’s query to President Obama regarding the funds spent on Yucca Mountain clearly was state-specific, it very well may set a precedent. If she is able to get money returned to the state of South Carolina, surely other states can follow.

I must say, I am impressed with our Governor-Elect. Her strength and dedication will certainly pay off for this state, but hopefully, will be an asset for all governors in the country as they work together.

Oh, and President Obama? I’m with Nikki Haley – give us our money back, please.

I was really struck by this. The former governors, both Republican and Democrat, chimed in to tell her what she should expect as governor, but also gave her some suggestions for what she should do while serving the state:

[snip] Members of South Carolina’s exclusive governors club — an unlikely fellowship united by their shared past — tell Haley she should remember who her friends were in the beginning, they will be the ones there in the end; invite the security detail to Christmas dinner; pray every day for wisdom and courage; and get ready to be the best salesperson this state has ever seen. {snip}

Outgoing Gov. Mark Sanford, a Republican who was an early mentor for Haley, advised her to stay loyal to the ideas that propelled her to run in the first place. He urged her to never forget the promises she made to the voters along the campaign trail. And, he said, she should find time to nurture her friendships and her soul.

“Don’t lose touch with those who were your friends before this newest chapter of life, because they will be the ones who are there after,” Sanford said. [snip]

Given what happened with Governor Sanford, he ought to know about the friends issue (you may recall he had/has an affair with an Argentine woman, though he also brought Boeing to the state, no small feat.). Sounds like good advice.

But he wasn’t the only one:

[snip] Former Gov. Jim Hodges, the last Democrat to serve as governor, said on a personal front, Haley should make sure her staff schedules enough time for her to be a mother and a wife. A governor’s job is all-consuming and she needs to carve out the time for family, Hodges said.

Professionally, Hodges said Haley can never take her eyes off job creation.

“First, she needs to focus on picking a strong commerce secretary, because having a single-minded focus on job creation is critically important for her to be successful,” Hodges said.

Hodges said Haley’s first year in office will set the trajectory for the other three in her term. Legislators will be most willing to work with her that first year, and she should take advantage of the fresh relationship to accomplish her agenda, he said. “It becomes harder after that.”

[...]

Former Republican Gov. David Beasley, 53, had the same personal advice for Haley as Hodges: family time is critical.

“She has got to lay down the law with her staff,” Beasley said. “Even though she is governor, she is still a mother and a wife. Those are God-given responsibilities.”

The better mother and wife she is, the better governor she will be, Beasley said.

In terms of governing, Beasley said, Haley’s responsibilities start with asking God for guidance. A public servant should be humble, he said.

It is interesting to see how much focus these former governors put on family first, and the importance of humility. Beasley continued:

First, she needs to, on a daily basis, get down on her knees and pray that God will give her wisdom and courage every singe day,” he said.

As for working with lawmakers, Beasley said Haley should, “Treat them as friends who have the same love for South Carolina” as she does. [snip]

Also sound advice – if one starts from that assumption, that fellow lawmakers are in to serve the state, and to make it better, it sets the tone of bipartisanship and cooperation, something sorely lacking on the national scale of late.

Speaking for his father, Governor Campbell, was his son:

[snip] Mike Campbell and his mother, Iris, endorsed Haley’s gubernatorial bid last month. Gov. Campbell, a Republican who was chief executive from 1987 to 1995, died in 2005 at age 65 after suffering a heart attack.

Governors since Campbell have been judged against his accomplishments, including government restructuring and economic development.

“One of the primary reasons that dad was as effective as he was, was he was willing to listen to people and find common ground,” Mike Campbell said. “That doesn’t mean you abandon your principles and core beliefs, but you find common ground.”

Mike Campbell also said the Haley family will have to keep in direct communication with constituents and avoid being isolated, but also maintain privacy. The family will be surrounded by security at all times, and the Campbells embraced the security detail to the point that they too felt like family, Mike Campbell said.

The Campbells invited members of the security detail who had to work on the holidays to join the family for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, Mike Campbell said.

As for the Haleys’ two young children, Mike Campbell said, they need to bring their friends over to the mansion as often as possible so they can live like normal kids.

Former Gov. Jim Edwards, 83, also had some advice for the family when it comes life in the mansion. The mansion is a lot of things, he said — a museum and a place to dine and entertain important business leaders, but it’s also a home. And the children should have friends over to play, he said.

“My children had a really good time and I think the new governor’s family will enjoy living in the mansion,” Edwards, a Republican, said. “If anything, it strengthened my family.” [snip]

“I wouldn’t dare try to give the new governor advice,” he said. “She is a capable young lady. I think she’ll do well.”(Click HERE to read the rest.)

Well, I cannot disagree with him there – Haley does seem capable of the task ahead of her, having already made appointments that were well received, and indicative of her managerial skills.

I don’t know if this happens in other states or not, but it certainly seems like it would be a good thing to do, as the torch is passed. Share the experience, remind the incoming governor of what is important (family, faith, service, and humility), and expect the new governor to do everything in her/his power to make the state a better place.

This article highlights that we are all in this together, despite our political affiliations. If we move from the place of wanting what is best, truly best, for our city, state, and country, that has to be a good step, right? Of course, that means electing people who move from that place, not one of self-aggrandizement, or desire for power. If we continue to do that, it can only be to the good of our country.

How about the state in which you live? Are the former governors passing along the torch?

That would be the political prisoner and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, who was, at long, long, last, released today in Myanmar. Just last night, Amnesty International sent out an “Action Alert” to ensure her release today, and unbelievably, it has come to pass:

What a great day it is when justice prevails.

Amnesty International had this to say about her release, written by Jim Roberts, the Myanmar Country Specialist Amnesty International USA:

In this season of giving thanks, we are thrilled and grateful for the release today of Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar (Burma)! The government released her after seven and a half years of house arrest.

Will she re-form the National League for Democracy? Will she continue to advocate for democracy? Will her release be for good this time, or will the government find another reason for imprisoning her yet again? Only time will tell.

While we couldn’t be happier about Suu Kyi’s release, time continues to run short for the over 2,200 other political prisoners who are still behind bars in some of the most notorious prisons in the world. They from suffer lack of medical care, proper nutrition, and lack of contact with their families. Many are imprisoned hundreds of miles from their homes, making travel for their families difficult if not impossible.

So while we give thanks for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release, let’s do something for the others. (Photo of Suu Kyi’s release is a STR/AFP/Getty Images)

As noted in the above Amnesty International release, there are 2,200 more political prisoners being held. Their release should be swift and immediate.

Yes, today is a good day for human rights and justice.

I would love to hear about good things happening in your area. It need not be on the level of a released political prisoner who also happens to be a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

It can be something like my representative, backstabber, race-baiter Jim Clyburn stepping aside so that Steny Hoyer can be the second in command for the minority party in the House (I didn’t see THAT one coming, but yay!).

Or the story of a local woman, Elizabeth Steed, who felt called to open a rescue organization for horses in the Lowcountry which doesn’t just rescue and heal the horses, but trains owners in how to be better owners. Her organization, “The Livestock and Equine Awareness and Rescue Network, or LEARN,” received 80 horses in the past two years who had been seized from their abusive (or ignorant) owners.

As expected, my representative, Jim Clyburn, the Clinton backstabber, won his gerrymandered district. What else is new? Well, actually something quite historic. Republican Tim Scott, endorsed by Sarah Palin, and an African American, ALSO won. It is the first time a Republican African American has won in this state in over a century.

And, it makes South Carolina the first state to have two African American representatives from both sides of the aisle serving at the same time. This Post and Courier article had this comment from Mr. Scott:

[snip] Scott said he hasn’t thought at all about the historical significance should he and Clyburn win and head off to Washington.

“The significance of it would be that we as a state continue to evolve, and we elect people who reflect our issues and our core value systems,” he said. “This time it happens to be two black guys, but in the end I think it’s significant that people are still voting based on how candidates represent the issues.” [snip] (Click here to read the rest.)

Indeed. But race is not the primary focus for Representative-Elect Scott as this Post and Courier article highlights:

[snip] “All we hear is the issue, ‘He’s a black Republican,’ ” Scott told a few hundred supporters inside the Hilton Garden Inn in North Charleston Tuesday. “I got to tell you. I’m black. I’m proud. I’ve got a bald head and my smile is beautiful.

“But all those things don’t matter. … With a strong victory, what we realize is that people are more concerned with the character of the individual, not the characteristics of the individual.”

Scott stuck to conservative Republican themes, such as repealing the new federal health care law, lowering taxes to promote business and reigning in Washington spending. [snip] (Click here to read the rest.)

I have to give it to him – his smile is beautiful. And good for Representative-Elect Scott for echoing the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. Yes, this is more about character than the color of the skin. Amen to that.

And as Representative-Elect Scott said, the state does continue to evolve as it also elected not only its first woman governor, Nikki Haley, but its first Indian-American. Governor-Elect Haley credits Sarah Palin for helping her to spread her campaign message here. Haley, like Scott, focuses less on the historic nature of her win, and more on the importance of what she hopes to do in the state as governor, according to this Post and Courier article.

History was made across the country last night with Republicans picking up seats as governors, representatives, and senators. And I would sure love to hear what went on in your individual states. But before I sign off, there was yet another first last night. The first women to be on the ticket as Vice Presidential candidates for their respective parties were together for the first time. Yes, Geraldine Ferraro and Sarah Palin sat side by side discussing politics, issues, and breaking that glass ceiling. It was quite a moment, as the video below highlights:

Cool, right? I love how affectionate these two women are with each other. Dare I say it, they seem to actually like each other. And honestly, I thought Palin did a much better job of addressing the sexism directed at women in politics. Ferraro seemed to dismiss it as “business as usual,” but Palin made it clear that should not be the case.

Yes, lots of history made last night, especially here in my state. Now, tell me what went on where you are!

UPDATE: On Thursday, the Post and Courier had an interesting piece about Representative-Elect Tim Scott as he begins to garner more attention as the first African American representative from SC in over a century. But what I found to be particularly intriguing was the following statement from Mr. Scott:

[snip ]He talked little about his historical bid to become one of the few black Republicans to serve in Congress in recent memory. However, Scott said he realizes that he will continue to be asked about that –and he revels in the extra-large microphone he can expect to see before him.

“If I can continue to talk about what the tea party talks about, what conservative Republicans talk about — that if you don’t have it, you just can’t spend it — if I can do those things because I have a very shiny bald head, then that’s a wonderful thing,” he said.

Scott said he has not decided if he will join the Congressional Black Caucus, though he did join the S.C. Legislative Black Caucus.

He said doing so would give him another platform to spread his conservative message, but “the con of it is that it re- enforces the fact that there’s a necessary divide, and that divide has to be addressed only by the people who have the same characteristics. I just don’t think that’s fundamentally good for our country.

“I’m of the idea, as Pollyanna as that may sound or as Utopian as it may be, I believe the more we focus on a collective response to all the issues, the more it impacts appropriately and properly those folks who desperately need help.” (Click here to read the rest.)

Well, there’s a concept, eh? No, not the “shiny bald head” part – that’s just funny. Rather, the idea of focusing on what’s important, thus helping those who need it most. Wow. What a concept.

UPDATE 2: The New Agenda has compiled the data of the wins by women in the 2010 elections. There were lots of firsts, not just Nikki Haley, but Susanna Martinez, governor-elect of NM, the first Latina woman elected from the Republican Party. Oklahoma also elected its first woman governor. How cool is this? Check out The New Agenda and see how the women did.

No, not Election Day, though yeah, that’s right around the corner (thank heavens). No, I mean my very last visit with my Physical Therapist. YAY!!! And he came about an hour earlier than usual, too, so that was good. Oh, what a relief. Not that I am done with physical therapy, not by a long shot. That is a lifelong event for me. But I no longer have to deal with Rico Suave (as he sees himself) on a regular basis. And no more political discussions with him, either.

Or so I thought. I had already been doing physical therapy exercises for about 1 1/2 hrs before Mr. Suave showed up, and then he had me do some more exercises. Our time together generally culminated in a walk up and down my (long)driveway, and this visit was no different. I was so relieved, having noticed he already had his glasses with him, and his clipboard, so clearly, he was going to leave as soon as we got back to his car.

Except we started talking about the state of education on the walk, and by the time we got to the car, he said,”Yeah, I wanted to mention something just a little bit political.” He then launched into his impressions of Nikki Haley, going on and on about her platform, though he threw in a dig about Sarah Palin saying that at least Nikki Haley is more eloquent than Palin. I told him that Palin really didn’t say she could see Russia from her house, that was Tina Fey, and mentioned that Palin’s dad was a teacher. That was all I could get out before he brushed it off, didn’t want to hear anything else (because really, why – he had already decided she was a moron, so why listen to anything that might contradict that?).

So, he talked on and on about what Haley wants, and when he took a breath, I said, “Well, what about Vincent Sheheen? What’s HIS platform?” His response? “I don’t really know, but, well, um, uh, probably neither one of them will be all that good” (or words close to that effect). Uh huh. And back to Haley. He made a point of watching Haley, looking for anything he could criticize (that she wants to cut taxes is one of the things on which he focused since SC schools are so crappy). But her male competitor? What was HIS stance on taxes and education? How the hell would the PT know? He just knew he was going to try and convince me not to vote for Nikki Haley. I hadn’t said anything about her one way or the other, so ALL of his pontificating was completely unsolicited. (For the record, Vincent Sheheen has talked about tax reform after being pushed by a small business owner on the rates small businesses pay.)

Imagine my, um, delight, when Mr. PT said he would drop by if he was out this way, and was going to keep my number. Oh, joy. That’s just jake…

While I am talking about SC politics, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the platform for the Democratic candidate for US Senator, Alvin Greene. He is happily campaigning along on this platform: the recession is all Senator Jim DeMint’s fault. Huh? Now, I am no big fan of DeMint’s but honestly, I had no idea the man was that powerful. And if he is, I am going to ask him to pick my lottery numbers for me so we can get that little place down in Montserrat on which I’ve had my eye. Want to know what is REALLY surprising? That DeMint is leading him by ONLY 37%!! Really? Not, say, 100%?? That is pretty scary, if you ask me. Just in time for Halloween!

Okay, I have said some unkind things about N.O.W. recently, all deserved, IMHO (like endorsing Jerry Brown over Meg Whitman), but they have finally realized that they were supposed to represent ALL women. Yep – they have now come out and condemned an online tabloid for running an anonymous article about Christine O’Donnell, US Senate candidate in Delaware:

[snip] O’Neill said that while NOW “finds O’Donnell’s political positions dangerous for women … that does not mean it’s acceptable to use slut-shaming against her, or any woman.” [snip] (Click here to read the rest.)

A bit backhanded “support,” but there you are.

Finally, I asked my good buddy, Divine Democrat, a Chicago suburg resident (who may be posting again at Bad Habit come November – YAY), about how things are playing out in IL with the two candidates running for Obama’s seat. She responded with the following (and I post this with her permission, and with a few edits for typos and space):

Well, elections in IL are always down and dirty so it’s never a surprise to us when the dirty tricks begin. I knew when Obama became President he would be bringing his dirty style politics to Washington with him and he hasn’t disappointed. The thing is, most people blamed it all on Rahm (who is a real sleezeball), but it wasn’t just Rahm, it’s Obama making the calls on the real sleezy stuff…especially if it’s sneaky and backroom style. For instance, that mess in FL with Clinton pressuring Meek to quit. On Greta Van Susteran last night, she was interviewing Crist and he said that he knew about it and that he had spoken to “someone in the White House” about it. Greta, bless her heart, tried to get him to tell who it was but he refused so she started rattling off names…but he said “no, it wasn’t him”. But the one name she didn’t mention was Obama, himself. I know it was him! That’s the way Obama works. I also know if she had mentioned Obama’s name to Crist that he would not be able to say “no” so convincingly. He’s a real sleezeball, too.

In IL, I don’t think Quinn has a chance in hell of winning the Governor race. Everywhere I go I see Brady signs. Oh..and Alexi Giannoulias will only win if the numbers are cooked (which they probably will be, I heard the dead vote will be coming out in droves). I also see Kirk signs wherever I go (although I haven’t been in the Chicago city limits since the last Sox game)…(Alexi) doesn’t look like he’s put in an honest days work in his entire life. Just like Obama, he’s had everything handed to him on a silver platter.

I can tell you this, if the Republicans do well in IL, say they take the Senator and Governor position, it won’t bode well for Rahm Emanuel when he runs for Mayor. Rahm will just be seen as another Obama lackey and Obama is not that well loved, even in IL…

I only wish Dick Durbin was up for re-election this term…I’d love to kick his ass out of office, too.

Divine Democrat made some more interesting comments about Rahm Emanuel in a follow-up email as I asked if the residency issue had been swept under the rug. She wrote:

No one in Chicago is really talking about the eligibility of Rahm, that was buried along with the rest of the corruption within the Chicago political hierarchy. I did hear something about the “Anybody but Rahm” coalition forming which first started within the City Council with aldermen who don’t want another “bully” mayor. It seems to be spreading to Latino and African American leaders. So, we’ll see, I guess. I still won’t count him out, though…I’m sure he’ll get enough Union leaders who will take a few of those aldermen to the back room for a beating…er, talking to.

Short of it is, that Rahm is not popular, but given his methods, one cannot count him out. Yep, we know all about those methods, don’t we?

Well, I’m going to stop rambling now go try and recover from my physical therapy. What is happening in your neck of the woods on the political front? I’d sure be interested to know…

UPDATE: So, not only did my PT give me a hard time about politics, with only his opinion counting, but he gave me his COLD, too! Sheesh! Talk about adding insult to injury…

Happy Halloween, folks! Just for fun, here’s a little toe-tapper for you to take your mind off my crazy PT, and the upcoming election. It’s a classic!

My representative, Jim Clyburn, pitched a hissy fit, insisting that the Republicans were behind Mr. Greene’s candidacy and filing fee. He claimed voter fraud was responsible for the vote through faulty voting machines. The SC State Democrats tried to throw out the election results (who cares about those pesky votes anyway? We already know the Dems don’t after 2008.). They failed in their attempts, and now it seems Mr. Greene’s funds came from the US Government and the State of South Carolina:

[snip] State law enforcement officials wrapped up an investigation of Greene’s finances after questions were raised about how he could qualify for indigent defense and afford to pay more than $10,000 to seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

Greene’s surprise June 8 upset victory over former circuit judge Vic Rawl initially caused many to speculate Republican operatives had secretly bankrolled Greene’s primary entry fee to sabotage the primary. Rawl’s defeat left Greene the Democratic challenger to U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.

The source of Greene’s money is none other than the U.S. government and the S.C. state government, said SLED director Reggie Lloyd.

“That’s who bankrolled Greene’s entry fee for the primary,” said Lloyd, whose agency worked with 5th Circuit Solicitor Barney Giese in the investigation. “The U.S. government and the state of South Carolina funded his filing fee.” [snip]

Yes, all of the funds have been accounted for after a thorough investigation:

[snip] Last October, Greene received a $5,843 check from the U.S. Department of Defense in connection with his discharge from the military last year.

“That brought him up to more than $8,200,” Lloyd said.

Greene continued having a checking account balance of about that amount into March, when Greene received a federal income tax refund of $2,173 and a state tax refund of $932, Lloyd said.

“At that point, he had more than $11,400 in his account,” Lloyd said.

Greene was also getting a $1,100 monthly unemployment check, Lloyd said. Since Greene lived with his father and had few expenses other than “haircuts and groceries,” his unemployment check was another source of government income for the discharged veteran, Lloyd said.[snip]

In other words, you and I bankrolled Alvin Green’s filing fee. Hooray for us! Ahem.

I am so sure that a sincere apology to the State Republicans is forthcoming from Rep. Clyburn immediately. Ahahahahahaha. Just kidding.

Now that the funding from Greene’s filing fee has been identified, with no malfeasance on his part, I can now turn to one of his brilliant ideas for job creation. Since Obama has been so busy suing one of the 50 states instead of, oh, working to create jobs, for instance, perhaps Obama could use this idea from Alvin Greene.

And that idea for job creation is – are you sitting down? Crafting action figures of Greene. I am not kidding you. Seriously. He said this. Out loud:

[snip] “Another thing we can do for jobs is make toys of me, especially for the holidays,” Greene said in the article. “Little dolls. Me. Like maybe little action dolls. Me in an Army uniform, Air Force uniform, and me in my suit.”

“That’s something that would create jobs,” Greene continued. “So you see I think out of the box like that. It’s not something a typical person would bring up.” [snip]

Well, I have to give Greene that – this is NOT something a “typical” person would consider. Creating jobs by having action figures made of themselves. Yikes. Though I have to say, I am pretty surprised that Obama has not considered this as a “Works Project.” I mean, the man has already written two autobiographies, so clearly, he thinks pretty highly of himself (my recently departed mother said she couldn’t get through his first one – she thought it was incredibly boring. That from a woman who was a voracious reader and who always finished any book she was reading. Except Obama’s. Telling, that.) Having an “action figure” seems right up Obama’s alley. Just saying. I can’t believe Alvin Greene beat him to it.

That, friends, is the kind of “thinkificating” of the newest Democratic candidate for US Senate from the Palmetto State. Never mind that no one would BUY the damn things, so how the workers making them would be paid is still a mystery. But Mr. Greene has not exactly come off as a Mensa candidate in his interviews anyway (or on his new website). No matter how hard the State Democrats worked, no matter how many (false) allegations they levied, and no matter how much they tried to overturn the will of the people, even if they had no idea for whom they were voting (his name was listed first), Alvin Greene IS the Democratic candidate for US Senator from SC.

You just can’t make this stuff up.

As she begins her general election race for South Carolina’s top statehouse job, Republican Nikki Haley is part of a group of candidates this year who are simultaneously pursuing another goal: to be their state’s first female governor.

Women are running to break the political glass ceiling in eight states that have never had a female governor, including California, New Mexico and Minnesota. Currently, six women  three Democrats and three Republicans  serve as governors.

In South Carolina, Haley beat four-term Rep. J. Gresham Barrett in a runoff election for the GOP nomination Tuesday. Haley will face Democratic state lawmaker Vincent Sheheen in November in the race to succeed Republican Gov. Mark Sanford, who is term-limited.

“South Carolina just showed the rest of the country what we’re made of,” Haley said after her victory. “It’s a new day in our state, and I am very blessed to be a part of it.”

The prevalence of female candidates for statewide office has been a defining narrative of the 2010 election season, particularly for Republicans. There are 13 GOP and 10 Democratic women running for Senate, according to the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers.

“Part of it is timing and history,” said Meg Whitman, a Republican who is running to be California’s first female governor. “You’ve got a generation of women coming of age (who) are now engaging in the political process.”

Yes, like with so many things, it is all about timing, especially for so many women to be running at the same time:

Thirty-one women have served as governor in 23 states, according to CAWP. If at least three of them win in the November elections, a majority of states would either have a woman in the governor’s mansion or have had one in the past.

Debbie Walsh, the center’s director, cautioned against putting too much stock in such benchmarks, though. New female governors may be elected this year, but three are retiring or face term limits, including Jodi Rell, R-Conn.; Linda Lingle, R-Hawaii; and Jennifer Granholm, D-Mich.

The percentage of women holding statewide executive offices has declined from 28.5% in 2000 to 22.9% in 2009, according to the center’s statistics.

Conservative Women Have Success

“Having so few at any one time is part of the challenge,” Walsh said, noting that statewide elected positions can serve as launching pads for presidential campaigns. Case in point: Hillary Rodham Clinton ran for president in 2008 as a Democratic senator from New York.

What’s significant about 2010, Walsh said, is that “we are seeing more Republican women stepping up and taking the risk.” In the past, she said, female GOP candidates have been more moderate than their male counterparts. This year, a fresh brand of female conservatives is having more success in primaries.

Several of those candidates, including Haley, have been endorsed by former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

“Most of these women are not just Republicans, they are conservative Republicans,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, which supports female politicians who oppose abortion rights. “This is the moment to seize because the environment is right,” she said.

Plenty of Democratic women also are taking a stab at being their state’s first female governor, including Florida’s chief financial officer, Alex Sink, and state lawmaker Elizabeth “Libby” Mitchell, who is running in Maine.

Diane Denish, who was elected New Mexico’s first female lieutenant governor in 2002, is now seeking the state’s top job. She said the number of women running nationwide “sends a great message to women and girls that anything is possible.”

Because her Republican opponent, Susana Martinez, is also a woman, the state is guaranteed to make history. In a statement, Martinez said she appreciates the “historic significance of this election, as well as the elections taking place in other states.”

That’s pretty cool, actually – no matter who wins, it will be historic. Huh – where have I heard that before? I know, before people started acting like only an Obama win would be historic. Ahem. Yes, history will be made with wins by a number of these women, but that’s not all there is to it:

Many of the female candidates, including Whitman and Martinez, have downplayed the gender issue in their own campaigns  arguing that it doesn’t matter whether a man or woman is victorious, as long as whoever takes the job gets results.

“That, to me, doesn’t matter as much,” said Sarah Franks, a 34-year-old teacher who voted for Haley, but not because she’s a woman. “I mean I think it’s neat, but that doesn’t matter as much as just getting some new blood in the system.”

True that. New blood cannot hurt considering where we are now. Still, I admit I am happy that women are rising to this level, and so many qualified women at that. But of course, we cannot deny that sexism is alive and well in this country as we all well know from the debacle of 2008. And I think most of us can agree that women still have to work harder than men to get to the same levels, and even then, as we know from the Obama v. Clinton debacle, that far more qualified and experienced women still do not beat out the younger, less-qualified men. So, yes, I am glad to see that so many qualified women are running, and in some cases, will definitely be making history. That’s just cool.

As noted above, many of the women running are politically and socially conservative. But, that does not necessarily mean they are not feminists, as I have said for some time, and as Kathleen Parker points out in this piece, True (or false) Feminism:

Proving one’s feminist bona fides has become the latest challenge for women aspiring to public office.

Is she a “real” feminist who walks in lockstep with traditional feminist orthodoxy? Or is she a faux feminist, i.e., a woman who has benefited from traditional feminism, become all that she could be, but, alas, thinks independently on certain sacred tenets of the sisterhood?

The latest debate emerged recently when pundits on both sides of the widening chasm weighed in on the number of pro-life (and pro-life-ish) Republican women running for public office. The back-and-forth seems to have begun when feminist Jessica Valenti criticized Sarah Palin in The Washington Post for declaring herself a feminist.

The implication: A pro-life woman can’t really be a feminist.

Soon thereafter, Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review senior editor and author of “The Party of Death,” declared in The New York Times that 2010 is the year of the pro-life woman, listing all those on today’s ballot who happen to be pro-life.

Among them: Sharron Angle in Nevada, who will oppose Harry Reid for the U.S. Senate; South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley; former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who won the Republican nomination in California for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Barbara Boxer; Susana Martinez, who became her party’s nominee for governor of New Mexico.

Seeing so many accomplished women reach the top of the political heap, not to mention their professions in some cases, should be cause for feminist celebration — except for that one thing. Thus, left-leaning feminists in the blogosphere have responded breathlessly, which I mention only to suggest passion rather than to imply debutante tendencies, though who can be sure?

Frankly, the absolute vitriol heaped on conservative women by so-called liberal women was startling (including the vitriol directed at Hillary Clinton, for that matter). As I have noted previously, when I was marching for Equal Rights For Women, I thought it meant ALL women, not just women who held the same liberal beliefs I did. I thought it was for all women to be self-actualized, not just ones like me. Parker continues:

This all would be tedious if it weren’t so entertaining. In fact, this is the crux of the crux in the arena of so-called women’s issues. Can one be a pro-life feminist, or is the question an oxymoron?

As a matter of orthodoxy, yes, but as a matter of reality, not really.

We’ve come a long way, baby, and there’s more than one type of woman roaming the vales and plains. But then, it was always so. There just weren’t many varieties of women in the public sphere, as Ponnuru points out.

Earlier feminists were almost universally pro-choice and have dominated political debate until now. Having access to abortion was viewed as the only way women could have full equality with men, who, until recently, couldn’t get pregnant.

OK, they still can’t, but we’ve now witnessed a bearded transgendering woman having babies — and fake wombs are inevitable — so anything’s possible, apparently. Good luck with all that.

Back to the point, we now see women who have managed to gain equality with men while also raising children, none more explicitly than Sarah Palin. At the risk of terminal heresy, I would suggest that behind almost every successful mother/politician/CEO is … a very good man.

Palin’s full house and career haven’t happened without the manly support of one Todd Palin. Real men don’t hold their wives back.

The reason Palin so upsets the pro-choice brigade is because she seems so content with her lot and her brood. One can find other reasons to think Palin shouldn’t be president, but being a pro-life woman shouldn’t be one of them.

Though this is ancient history for me and my generation, some of whom are now welcoming grandchildren into the world, some of the lessons we’ve learned bear repeating. Chief among them is that many women who have had babies find it harder, if not impossible, to see abortion as nothing more than a “choice” to eliminate an inconvenience.

I fall into this camp, though I’ve never been able to support reversing Roe v. Wade, which makes me unpopular with nearly everyone. Apart from legal arguments as to whether the Supreme Court ruling was constitutionally appropriate, I’m libertarian-leaning enough to insist that government should have no role in determining what anyone does with his or her body — as long as no one else is hurt.

Save your “ah-ha’s!” until the end, please. Obviously, the forming human life is destroyed, and thus I also can make a human-rights argument against abortion. I think we should.

That other women, such as Palin, want to reframe the abortion debate in new feminist terms, arguing that abortion hurts women and is, therefore, anti-woman, doesn’t bother me a bit. And it shouldn’t bother older-school feminists.

Equality, after all, means that every woman has a voice.

And that is the bottom line, is it not? For ALL women to have a voice. And this year, it may very well mean having more women’s voices in positions of power. That, to me, is exciting. How about you?

Let me understand this. Clyburn didn’t SAY Greene was a Republican plant, just that these tactics are the EXACT same ones those mean Republicans use. And, the machines on which we vote here in SC are flawed, deeply flawed machines (with which I actually agree – many of the machines we use in this country are far too susceptible to hacking, a point made by Hand Count Paper Ballots Now). Of course, I am sure Clyburn is not complaining about his own win with those same machines. Just saying. Logic does not seem to be Clyburn’s strong suit as he jumps through one hoop after another trying to blame the Republicans yet trying to claim he isn’t blaming the Republicans. Yeah, okay, Jim.

Greene’s opponent, Vic Rawl, is also claiming there was a software issue, with a “systemic” problem. He has filed a protest against the results.

And then there was Clyburn’s take on the $50 billion additional funding Obama wants for “firefighters and teachers.” They might as well throw in there “and puppies and kittens and baby ducks!” in their attempts to manipulate the masses. Clyburn must have missed his House leader on Sunday saying there was a beaucoup amount of stimulus money left, and they should use THAT instead of adding to the deficit even more. Here is Majority Leader Hoyer, and Minority Leader Boehner, discussing this very issue:

Clyburn seems to be a bit out of the loop on that one. Oops. Must be his focus on those voting machines with which he seems to have had no problems before, and those evil Republicans who are engaging in nefarious deeds though he has no evidence to support that, except his own belief. Then again, this is the same man who believed the Clintons were racist with zero evidence to support that claim, either, so…

And now to another member of the House of Representatives. That would be NC Rep. Etheridge, he of the assault on the young colleges students on the streets of Washington. Etheridge has now issued an apology for his actions:

Huh. Well, I am glad he apologized. He sure needed to do so. Interesting that he keeps injecting “partisan politics” into the apology, though. I appreciate that he has encountered difficult situations before, but that did not seem to be the issue here. Despite the attempts by the one reporter to keep trying to give him excuses (camera in his face, tired, frustrated, etc., etc.), he would not excuse his behavior. My favorite was the reporter asking if the kids were basically Republican plants…Wow. How about those “partisan politics”?

And how about those faux reporters trying to give this guy an out anyway possible (someone stole your lunch money! You didn’t get enough sleep! Someone called you a stupid head!)? Holy cow. Why didn’t they just give him a script of their own making, for pete’s sake? Though to his credit, Etheridge did not take any of their ready-made excuses for his actions. He is right – it is inexcusable, and he is LUCKY that those kids didn’t file charges against him, though I suppose they still could.

I don’t know what is in the water in the House of Representatives, but it is some good stuff. Wow.

This is an update, but feel free to consider it an Open Thread, friends!

I think the headline says it all, but just so you understand, it wasn’t his fault he lost. It’s all those damn Uncle Toms and racists to blame:

State Sen. Robert Ford said “Uncle Tom” is part of the reason he lost his bid for governor.

Ford, a black civil rights crusader who has served Charleston in the Senate since 1993, told The Post and Courier on Friday that his fellow Legislative Black Caucus members turned their backs on him and instead supported his white opponent, Vincent Sheheen.

“Uncle Tom was alive and well before, during and after the Negro and African-American struggle in this country, and obviously he is still alive today,” Ford wrote in a June 10 letter addressed to his “beloved Legislative Black Caucus members.”

Uncle Tom is a term used in contempt of blacks who are regarded as slaves to whites. It comes from the 1852 book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

Ford acknowledged that he is “bitter,” but he said that does not change the situation. He accused Sheheen, a state senator from Camden, of not supporting diversity because, Ford said, Sheheen does not have any black men or women employed at his law office.

“The reason I am hurting right now is not because I lost,” Ford said. “It’s because they supported a candidate who doesn’t practice diversity.”

Sheheen’s campaign on Friday had no comment on the letter or Ford’s comments.

Wow. Well, good for Sheheen for not ratcheting up this claim with a response. Though honestly, any attempt at a response automatically puts Sheheen on the defensive. But Sheheen didn’t have to respond:

State Sen. Darrell Jackson, a Hopkins Democrat who is black, said Ford is wrong about Sheheen.

“Robert is one of my dearest friends,” Jackson said. “He is absolutely wrong and off basis with this. And I think he knows that. I think right now Robert is hurt and he said he is bitter.”

Jackson said Ford and Sheheen have chosen to share an office in the Senate office building. If Ford’s claims about Sheheen were true, the two wouldn’t share their workspace, Jackson said.

He also noted that Ford and Sheheen have a black administrative assistant. Sheheen also has selected a consulting firm run by a black man to work for his gubernatorial campaign, Jackson said. Also, Jackson said, Sheheen told him that he does not do the hiring at his law firm.

Jackson also said that every major piece of legislation that influences minorities in the state has Sheheen’s support.

“It’s not fair to Vincent,” Jackson said. “I love Robert, but I really have to speak up.”

Despite his hurt feelings, Ford said he “loves” Sheheen and believes he is a “good person.”

“I am going to work like hell to see to it that he wins,” Ford said.

Ford’s accusations come as South Carolina grapples with another racially charged situation.

Sen. Jake Knotts, R-West Columbia, called GOP front-runner Nikki Haley a “raghead,” a slur against her Indian-American decent. The Lexington Republican Party met Thursday night and voted to censure Knotts and ask him to resign.

Haley, a state representative from Lexington, faces U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett in a runoff for the Republican gubernatorial nomination June 22.

Sheheen won the Democratic nomination for governor Tuesday with 59 percent of the vote. Ford garnered 18 percent and ran on a controversial platform of bringing back video poker and building a casino in Myrtle Beach.

The third Democratic candidate, Jim Rex, state superintendent of education, took 23 percent of the vote. (Reach Yvonne Wenger at ywenger@postandcourier.com.)

Damn right it isn’t fair to Sheheen to be labeled this way because Ford has “hurt feelings.” Lucky for Sheheen he has an African-American office mate and colleague who is willing to speak up against this charge. Otherwise, it would be a label hung on Sheheen’s neck he did nothing to deserve except beat Ford in a political race.

I respect what Ford did in his past, the work he did on behalf of Civil Rights. That is no small thing. When someone who has no experience, no qualifications, did no campaigning, and has little more of a platform than, “Get South Carolinians Back to Work,” as in Alvin Greene, beat out a white guy who has been in office, it is hard to use the race card (as noted by a commenter). Ford came in dead last. That means the voters didn’t really buy what he was selling.

Grow up, Ford – take your hits like an adult already. You ran, you lost. Now try and be a role model for graciousness in losing, not modeling the petulance and dirty tricks of the Whiner in Chief. It is beyond tiresome and unbecoming. It is just sad.