As a precursor to the November 4th mid-term elections, I recently shared my thoughts as the official PoliticusUSA South Carolina ‘winners and losers’ pundit. That’s some tough duty, given that my home turf is arguably the most reliable radical right state in the union. So what party does the radical right favor? The Tea Party Republicans, of course.
In my initial submission on the subject, I assessed the governor’s race and the statewide races, all squarely in the Republican column unless all that voter fraud we’ve heard so much about comes rising to the fore. Maybe the 10 ID fraud cases out of 146 million voters from 2000-2012, will move to South Carolina, tilting the outcome toward Democrats.
Today, I’d like to limit my observations to the seven races for the Congressional House Seats. I’ve already conceded the two Senate seats to Republicans Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott. I am just as readily conceding 6 of the 7 House District seats to Republicans, with the one exception being the venerable, 74-year-old, African-American Democratic House member, Jim Clyburn..
So let’s take a look at these house races. House seats are won by incumbents by a 90% clip, Democrat or Republican. Since every candidate for the 6 Republican seats and 1 Democratic seat are incumbents, the challenger’s chances are miniscule at best. And with the serious money almost always going to the incumbent and with the Republicans all being a little to the right of Attila the Hun, prospects for the Democrats running for the 4 available Republican seats (2 are unopposed) are nil.
That’s right, nil. I wouldn’t bet a box of Krispy Kremes on a Democratic win against a serving Republican house member from South Carolina. Just as hard to beat is the lone Democrat, Jim Clyburn, who plays the progressive social issue game and decidedly the “kiss the nearest corporate and Wall Street heinie” conservative game. As stated on this site before, Clyburn plays that game as well as anybody in funneling staff members to high profile lobbying gigs and getting his daughter, Mignon, appointed to the FCC by the president. She’s in her second term and so far, has been on the right side of the net neutrality issue. However, if you start hearing “two-tier” and “fast lane” from Mignon, dive for the phone and call the FCC.
At least, Papa Clyburn will fight for minority rights, decent wages, the Affordable Care Act and women. That being the case, he realizes that in South Carolina, if you want to glue yourself to a Congressional seat, you bow to certain inevitable realities, as in regulatory and multi-national realities.
Here are my predicted outcomes for the mid-term payoffs for Congressional House races in the 7 Districts in South Carolina. Beyond all common sense, District one is a lock. The seat is occupied by Marshall ‘Mark’ Sanford, who won last year’s special election to fill Tim Scott’s seat. Sanford was benefactor of the worst run major campaign in the state in recent memory. That race pitted the disgraced, lying, skirt-chasing former rep and SC Governor, Sanford against Elizabeth Colbert Busch, best known as the sister of comic/political commentator, Stephen Colbert, slated to inherit David Letterman’s Late Night seat on CBS sometime next year.
A serial killer with halitosis could have whipped Sanford. Ms. Colbert, who appeared to have everything going for her, including an early 9-point lead, renounced her liberal credentials, “I’m an INDEPENDENT businesswoman and I LOVE guns” and gave away the seat to a moral and ethical lowlife. Not even the Latin spitfire he cheated with can tolerate him anymore and has cut all ties.
For all his blather, brother Stephen came up short in appearances, both his own and his famous liberal pals, and money. So, goodbye nine-point lead, and hello humiliating defeat. The final kick in the shin for 2014, Sanford has no opposition.
The District 2 Republican incumbent is a guy who will have “you lie” carved on his tombstone. Yes, it’s Joe Wilson and in ever-civil and ever-hypocritical South Carolina, screaming “You lie” to a U.S. President is seen as a fine reason to firmly press the iVotronic touch-screen, enabling Joe to continue his outbursts; mainly because he does nothing else in Congress.
Former Clemson baller, Jeff Duncan from the 3rd District, graduated from the South Carolina House to the big show with his American Legislative Exchange Council membership in tow. Incumbent Duncan, reliably empty of accomplishments, but with a string of A plusses from the most radical of right-wing organizations, is an ardent Southern Baptist who will steamroll over a Democratic lady named Wrobleski-Mullis.
Then there’s the flagrantly sexist Trey Gowdy from District 4, using his seat on the House Education and Workforce Committee to do everything in his power to embarrass a long-time dedicated public servant. You recall a couple of years ago, his rude, insulting and patronizing inquisition of former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on the subjects of contraception and abortion in the health care realm. While ripping into Sebelius’ lack of legal knowledge, I noticed that Gowdy would look down at his notes whenever a specific constitutional question was asked as he “expertly” sliced and diced a non-attorney. A right-wing website version is here.
I’ve noted on this site before that at a hearing on immigration by the House Judiciary Committee, lawyer Julian Castro, former mayor of San Antonio, made Gowdy look like a first-year law student still trying to find the Constitutional Law classroom. That’s because Castro is a Harvard-trained lawyer. Bully Gowdy’s comeuppance was most satisfying.
Like Attorney General Eric Holder, Sebelius was kicked to the curb in a forced resignation a couple of years later. Such clearly pressured and indefensible actions do little to inspire confidence in the one guy who should have raised at least a modicum of hell instead of simply “moving on.” And you wonder why the coat tails have yet to appear.
The 5th District is owned by Mick Mulvaney, another one of those far-right, A plus ranking political extremist who exist on the fringes of atom-sized benefits to man and womankind.
I’ve already talked about Jim Clyburn’s District 6, the only Democratic Congressional District of the 7 in the state. A fun way to pass the day is to look at Roll Call that publishes the votes on major legislation in Congress. The SC delegate numbers, when not doing favors for financial houses, are always the same; 6-1 either for or against. The ‘one’ is always Democrat Clyburn.
As for District 7, Tom Rice Jr. is seeking a second term. Rice is a lawyer and a CPA, so he’s got the gray matter. It’s just that it’s misdirected. Considering the Republicans seem to see a terrorist hiding behind every bush, it’s puzzling that Rice would vote against a bill to study the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack. Terrorist, schmerrorist; when the Kochs tell you how to vote…that’s how you vote. Don’t worry Charlie and Dave; he’ll win.
There you have it. Clyburn and a bunch of order-takers. Starting November 5, plan for 2016.
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