With Sen. Fritz Holling's Likely Retirement Can Dems. Keep the Seat in SC?

If so, who is likely to replace him?

(I know I posted this in the other part of the forum, but my eyes deceived me and I thought that was the GD area.)

SC is pretty damn conservative, so whoever the dem candidate is will probably be a DINO if he/she wins.

I so hope I am wrong, though.

We better get going right now and raise a TON of money.

Secretary of Education and old name in SC politics. Pretty popular.

So says the whispers on the street.

Former Attorney General, a particularly bloodthirsty bastard, by the name of Charlie Condon has announced his intention to run. He is likely to get it too. Unless ... Wesley Clark is the Democratic nominee for president. Then it is quite likely that Inez Tenenbaum (the Dem candidate for Fritz' seat) will win. She's a fine candidate (our current Sec. of Ed.), but without Clark ... she's a woman and a Dem ... forget it.

If the name Condon rings a bell, he was the one that said he would put the Charleston five (I believe it was 5) "under the jail". The Charleston five were five black union members arrested and held for several months house arrest for participating in a protest. The dock owners wanted to use non-union labor to unload ships and the union naturally didn't take to kindly to that notion.

My memory is a bit vague on all this - don't quote me - but it's close.

Charlie Condon is at the top of my list of most hated politicians. That's the top, as in number one. A presidential candidate's coattails must be considered in this race. The congress is looking to be even more conservative post '04.

Congressman Jim DeMint has the backing of the White House. It looks like it will primarily be a battle between him and Condon, even though some othere GOPers might run. Tenenbaum seems like the best candidate by far. She has won statewide office twice and she got something like 59% of the vote last year. Still, this seat will be hard to defend.

Jim DeMint is the GOP fruntrunner. The last DSCC poll matched him up against both Hollings and Tenenbaum, and the results are surprising and very encouraging:

Hollings- 43
DeMint- 38

Tenenbaum- 45
DeMint- 33

In this case, Fritz's leaving is a good thing.

Former Attorney General, a particularly bloodthirsty bastard, by the name of Charlie Condon has announced his intention to run. He is likely to get it too. Unless ... Wesley Clark is the Democratic nominee for president. Then it is quite likely that Inez Tenenbaum (the Dem candidate for Fritz' seat) will win. She's a fine candidate (our current Sec. of Ed.), but without Clark ... she's a woman and a Dem ... forget it.

If the name Condon rings a bell, he was the one that said he would put the Charleston five (I believe it was 5) "under the jail". The Charleston five were five black union members arrested and held for several months house arrest for participating in a protest. The dock owners wanted to use non-union labor to unload ships and the union naturally didn't take to kindly to that notion.

My memory is a bit vague on all this - don't quote me - but it's close.

Charlie Condon is at the top of my list of most hated politicians. That's the top, as in number one. A presidential candidate's coattails must be considered in this race. The congress is looking to be even more conservative post '04.

Couldn't remember the first name, but she's going to be the candidate down there.

Speaking of right wing politicians, what about that state senator, Mike Fair? I heard that he was the most conservative politician in the state, and that he tried to make an issue out of coed dormitories at USC. Will he run?

On the Democrat side, how about Alex Sanders? He seemed to run an OK camapign seeing as how he was running against the almost unbeatable Lindsey Graham.

and the people seem friendly when I vist but their politics frighten me.

and the way I describe the difference between Southerners and Northerners is that Northerners are brusk on the surface but very friendly when you get beyond that. Southerners are very friendly on the surface but much less so later, IF you're different from them. It's a very ... can't think of the word ... this society (southern) has a lot of carpetbagger baggage. It doesn't trust outsiders.

I'm using a very broad brush here, of course. Basically, people are people.

is with his "dark secret." But, of course, Democrats are oh so virtuous and didn't stir up enough interest to cause Graham to emotionally self-destruct, which I feel may have been possible.

Pray Tell

and South Carolinians have not a clue. The fact that the guy is gay is about the only thing he's got going for him, as far as I'm concerned.

I don't see how a person in the public eye can keep it hidden unless he oe she is celibate.

I've recently moved back from Seattle. Fair is upstate, I'm in the midlands. Frankly, for the sake of my sanity, I don't pay much attention to local politics. Yeah, that guy is certifiable. A real god-boy nut case.

So the problem is getting a Dem who'll vote Dem on the issues.

Look up the TCPA and "Fritz chip". Guess who's involved in both?

Fritzie is a closet repuke, way too old to know diddles about technology anyway. 81, sheesh.

Another plus, Zell Miller, I gather, is retiring too. Good riddance.

bet his ADA rating is twice as good as his Puke colleague from SC.

If we purge all the moderate southerners from the party we won't even be able to mount a fillibuster.

Not good.

I think he has a better chance than Inez ... even though she is very popular. In talking to those close to him it seemed doubtful he would run, giving the late notice on Fritz's retirement. But who knows. As far as Condon goes ... I think there are good many repubs here in SC that can't stand / don't trust him that would problematic for him. I agree - he is one scary dude.

politically active Democrats? Why are we faced with such a number of elder statesman and no obvious replacements, or even some non-obvious ones? What is this bit about holding onto office forever and never moving on?

Is it the same as around here where there's almost nobody below 70 active in the party? Oh, and we don't even hold but 2 out of 20 elected offices here. Both of them are long-time incumbents with no apparent heirs and they've not participated in developing younger pols.

Not at all. Maybe Inez Tenenbaum can win. But even she would have a hard time.

near Charleston and I don't see a snowballs chance in hell in keeping a Dem in a office. This place is nuts and I would love to leave it.

I think Sanders or Hodges would be the best bet to keep the seat. As mentioned above, Sanders did well considering Graham had awol* closing out every one of his ads.

Also, Hodges lost to Sanford last year by only 4%, so I think he'd be a strong candidate as well. I think either Sanders or Hodges could mount an effective "I told you so" type of campaign, and give voters here a second chance to come to their senses.

Riley did run a statewide campaign for Dem nom for Governor a while back, but he got in late and it just didn't gel fast enough. I think he'd be a serious contender if he ran, tho.