Porn in the mailbox: SCRG & the race for House Seat 115
One of this year’s more interesting State House races takes place in a district where the race should be far from interesting. Given the strong GOP lean of House District 115 in Charleston County, the race should be over already.But this year, the race for this seat is far from normal.
State Rep. Wallace Scarborough has been the center of a lot of recent media attention. First a hostile confrontation with utility workers, followed by publicity of the divorce contest between Scarborough and his estranged wife.
Personally, I wasn’t too keen on the media dragging the personal stuff out, a position which I’m sure Mr. Scarborough shares.
Now, we have free porn in the mailbox, courtesy of the folks at the SCRG, which takes Scaborough's Democratic challenger, Eugene Platt, to task for some poetry he published. Take a look for yourself at what got sent out – in plain brown envelopes, presumably to make sure children didn’t see the mailing.
For this mailing to go out suggests there may be concerns that Platt, a semi-perennial candidate who is a long-time incumbent on the local Public Service District board, may have a shot at taking this seat from the GOP, so they felt a need to tear him down.
But is it really fair to attempt to regain ground THIS way?
In 1994, I helped run a House race in which we beat Platt two-to-one, without making his poetry a public affair. We knew about it, but didn’t feel it was something we needed to discuss to prevail.
While the mailing attempts to mischaracterize him as a danger to his community and/or a lurking pervert, especially with the positioning of the quoted content and poem titles next to the title of the book, the Charleston Post and Courier reports that it hasn’t gotten the desired response.
This was a low blow - but as most political operatives don't have to go home to face the mud they've slung, or the people they've offended, that makes it easier to do stunts like this.
In no way is Eugene Platt the bad person that this mailing would suggest he is. In reality, he is a genuinely decent person. Normally, I wouldn't vote for him, but after getting a mailing like this … well, that’s enough to make even me consider it
Of course, a response from SCRG is welcome (but not expected) ...
This will backfire. SCRG has went too far.
Harrell attacked groups who "come prepared with misleading names, and they want you to think they represent South Carolina's values. The reality is these organizations come from places like New York and Washington, D.C."
http://earlcapps.blogspot.com/2006/04/pot-meet-kettle-state-house-vs-scrg.html
Now that SCRG is spending money to bail out someone who pulled out his wee-wee (literally) and stepped on it (figuratively), they're ok.
Imagine what he'd be saying about them if they went after one of his own during the primary like that?
Will Harrell hold another press conference to attack the dangers posed by these groups who receive out-of-state funding?
I'll bet you a box of Reeese's donuts, or Maurice's BBQ, that Harrell will thank them for their support and not say an unkind word about them.
What he does will say much about how much of a self-centered, self-righteous pompous ass he is.
I know his parents raised him better than that - they're much better people, and so are his brothers.
but put something up they don't like and they run like cockaroches when a light is turned on. i hate to use the words "hypocrite" or even "chickens***", but in this case, both labels seem to fit them well.
thanks for calling a spade a spade on this issue, even if it is not being a very loyal republican nazi stormtrooper in doing so.
I recall that former Lt Gov. Nancy Stevenson had roughly the same degree of questioning of her charachter for her "throbbing" romance novel that had been published.
I think that Denver and the bubbas at SCRG took the wrong page from Rod's playbook this time, but it is perhaps quid pro quo for past pot shots from other 529s (and equivalents, since McKain Feingold exempted the tabloids, e.g. City Paper, et al).
It still is the game of LBJ's "don't have to chtch your opponent in bed with his mistress, you only have to get him to deny it."
go take a look.
At least Ear isn't persona non grata in Charleston like the queerasfolks blogger. Both might CLAP CLAP CLAP for Wallace's predecessor, though I haven't heard that Earl has earned the disfavour of the rest of Charleston's delegation.
All I gotta say was "hell no, not that skank ... " - not then, not now, not ever.
As to the other anon who probably licks Mike Campbell .... boots, probably that ranting Garett kid. He never did like me, but he never could take a joke, so no big loss.
As always, thank to you, anon, and the others for posting. When it comes to issues like this, I appreciate when people are willing to speak up and give us more to think about.
Ahhh for manufactured credibility, like the Valerie Plame kamakazi launched at the Bush Administration.