Now that you've had a couple of days to analyze the result of the elections, what do you think is the reason so many incumbents were turned out of office. And don't just hit the "Joey's fault" reason. All the incumbents in Oconee were tossed!
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Post-Election Prognostications
Anti-incumbent movement.
You have a down (bear) economy, fuel costs on the rise, food costs on the rise, and well, a fed-up electorate. Couple that with lower-than-average voter turn-out, and a focused "hard-R" turn-out across the state, and well, you can see for yourself the results.
Hard-R is a term used to describe Republicans that vote in every election/primary/etc. These are the folks that ALWAYS go to the polls. Based on the outcome and the continued injection of Libertarian ideals into the Republican party, I'll make a post-election prediction here:
Look for a schism to emerge over the course of the rest of this year. The dormant Southern Democrat will re-emerge in earnest as more "conservative, but not THAT conservative" folks start to exit the GOP Tent.
For those that doubt this . . . remember . . . Anderson is SLOW to catch onto the political movements. All one has to do is go back to 2006 and look at what a number of long-time Republicans did in Columbia: They left the party.
- SSHM
South Carolina is slow to catch on,or we just enjoy being lied to by our elected leaders.The proof here is that we're sending Flimsey Grahamnesty back to the senate!!!
Oconee only lost two incumbents, so far. No run-offs. Two of the council didn't seek re-election and two lost. Ables was under the gun for a while, sort of the same as McAbee. People thought he had got money for a land deal that the county bough, or something to that effect. Plus people hated all his stinkingn chicken houses. He and brother got in a fight late one night and the brother was arrested. Don't know anything about Crumpton, people liked the other candidate better I guess. House Rep. Sandifer won by a landslide and Senator Alexander will face a democrat in November, but he won't have anything to worry about either. The solicitor stays the same also. So it wasn't bad up there.
Thank you for clarifying that for me. I had read that all were out and obviously was mistaken.
I have relatives there and they keep me informed, but that doesn't make it fact though. I have lived in Oconee so I check their daily news on the web. www.upstatetoday.com It is a good little paper.
It was not below average turnout. There were about 12% more that voted in this election over last election. It was one of the highest primary election tallies in Anderson history.
The conservatives came out to vote. They want Republicans not rinos like McAbee and Greer. Look across the state as well, many "r's" got beat because they weren't really "r's".
You trashed a lot of good republicans here, and I have no pity on your major losses. You reap what you sow. I have been doing the happy dance, because Bill " I only got 39%" McAbee lost every box except Pendleton. He even lost his home box. That should tell you something.
Sorry willieh,
It was lower than average turnout across the state. This topic is focused on races not just in Anderson County, but points beyond (as was indicated by the OP).
Go read for yourself (oh, and it's an AP story):
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/latest/lat_061008_0610Electionturnout.shtml
Allow me to quote myself to drive a point home:
Look for a schism to emerge over the course of the rest of this year. The dormant Southern Democrat will re-emerge in earnest as more "conservative, but not THAT conservative" folks start to exit the GOP Tent.
For those that doubt this . . . remember . . . Anderson is SLOW to catch onto the political movements. All one has to do is go back to 2006 and look at what a number of long-time Republicans did in Columbia: They left the party.
Doubt me?
Let's go look at two LONG-TIME Republican strongholds: Louisiana and Mississippi. In case you missed it, last month, congressional seats that had been in the hands of Republicans for a LOOOOOOOOONG time were LOST - lost to Democrats. Democrats that you could argue are Southern Democrats.
Source? Why your fav govna in Columbia:
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8491166
Beware of the Blue Dogs . . . !
- SSHM
Look for a schism to emerge over the course of the rest of this year. The dormant Southern Democrat will re-emerge in earnest as more "conservative, but not THAT conservative" folks start to exit the GOP Tent.
For those that doubt this . . . remember . . . Anderson is SLOW to catch onto the political movements. All one has to do is go back to 2006 and look at what a number of long-time Republicans did in Columbia
Well, well, well. I see you've finally emerged from the fetal position.You must have had a lot of papers to shred if it took you two days.
Your prognostications continue to suffer from the same idiocy that plgaued you prior to last Tuesday. The "schism" is already here. You just witnessed it. It also happened in Beaufort, Landrum, Dorchester, Spartanburg and Lexington, but you were probably too busy updating your resume to notice.
But, if you want to keep singing that song, let the band play on. this is fun.
That's just it MT. Go ahead and bury you head in the sand and ignore the fact that folks are exiting the Republican Party. It helps to understand just how far behind the political curve Anderson County is. By my current estimations (and the estimations, indirectly of the authors of the following articles) Anderson County is about two years behind the political curve.
Read on:
9/16/2006 - Wave of Party Switchers Hits Republicans
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2823/wave_of_party_switchers_hits_republicans/
06/25/2006 - Democrats Dare to Dream of Recapturing the Bush Heartland
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/jun/25/usa.paulharris
Now . . . if you actually READ the articles I've linked, AND you tie it into this current year (losses in Louisiana and Mississippi) you can get to the crux of this, which is the movement away from Republicans. People exiting the tent because of the actions of a few.
If the real Republicans here would wake up and realize what is happening, it's not a time to celebrate. If anything, hand-shaking and lots of hachet-burying needs to happen much sooner than later, lest others head for greener, less Libertarian pastures.
- SSHM
It seems like this primary was a perfect example of why everyone needs to vote. Some people were smart enough to get a group of people that VOTE to support them and they won. With only a 20% turnout it makes it much easier. I'm a middle of the road person and disagree with Dems and Reps at times, so I can be swayed either way and I think I am quite typical.
SSHM, you're thesis is based on two-year old articles from a couple of socialist rags? Are you drunk or just stupid. Although I guess it's better than citing someone who died two generations ago as you did in response to another post.
Well, at any rate you just keep on trucking, because you entertain the rest of us.
MT,
Always skipping the content, are we? If you actually READ either article I linked in my last post, you would see that the articles were written in an unbiased manner and presented just the information. I'm guessing you DIDN'T read the articles and made summary judgements based on some pre-conceived or pre-scripted notions about the sources themselves.
I thought you had a bigger brain than that. Oh well . . .
As for V.O. Key, if you have ever taken a Political or Social Science class, somewhere during the course of study, you will end up reading writings and theories put forth by V.O. Key. His contributions to the science behind politics is without question, which is why I struggle again with your close-minded, pre-conceived notions on people and subject matter.
I shudder to think how you would compartmentalize and marginalize folks such as Stokely Carmichael or Ann Coulter.
. . . and you call yourself conservative . . .
- SSHM
SSHM I miss the the rain in your picture. Here's some.
Okay Kevin
How do we get this rain into the Upstate?
we could pass a bill calling for rain, but we can't over ride a veto by God. so I guess its through prayer and fasting, which by the way I need both.
You and me both
Okay SSHM, I'll indulge you, but just because I haven't shot a fish in a barrel in some time.
V. O. Key, for those of you who didn't take political science somewhere along the way, was a mid-century Southern academic who theorized that voters arn't as easily manipulated as some cynics might believe but actually pay attention to issues and the performance of their elected officials--particularly the parties.
Voters, in a nutshell, are not fools. Therefore, if Key's thesis holds true, then the very smart voters of Anderson County decided they are tired of their elected officials spending their money recklessly on big bar tabs and expensive trips in the name of economic development and then reusing to detail those transactions without a court order.
So, my closed mind and preconceived notion, spelled out clearly over the previous weeks, that people are tired of having Anderson County council members treat them like idiots, seems to have born out last week.
The great thing SSHM, is that you provide the citations to prove my point. It still remain unclear, however, whether this reflects your drunkeness or stupidity. So, give me some more. I'm having a great time.
P. S. Do you talk about this stuff on those above mentioned trips? Do prospects find Key alluring?
Sounds like something you guys in Columbia would try, rather than actually trying to fix the problems in our state....
Yet again . . . selective in your responses.
What MT is focusing on in his assessment of V.O. Key is exclusive to V.O. Key's 1961 book, Public Opinion and American Democracy.
MT ignores the following publications by Key in his (MT's) assessment of Key:
Politics, Parties, and Pressure Groups (1942) - Book focusing on the fact that elections are a contest with interested parties on opposite side of the issue. It is also in this book that the concept of "interest groups" are discovered and discussed for the first time, formally.
The Responsible Electorate: Rationality in Presidential Voting 1936–60 (1966) - Book focusing on statics and the analysis of polling data. How to interpret data on the premise that political decisions weigh heavier than psychological data.
There were many other books he wrote, but I'm going to focus on one in particular - one that shatters MT's feeble concepts of political science:
Southern Politics in State and Nation (1949) - Book covering, in GREAT detail, state-by-state, I might add, the political landscape of the South in a post-reconstruction era. His theory (overly-simplified): While everyone is a Democrat, from state-to-state, Democrats are not the same. Strong focus here on political machines that manipulated the electorate.
Manipulated the electorate . . . hmmm . . . sound familiar? I'd have to say so. The anti-progressive/anti-growth crowd here in Anderson REEKS of the same politics and political machinery of something nearly 100 years earlier.
Instead of disenfranchisement of blacks, it's now disenfranchisement of business and growth. Instead of Democrats, it's now Libertarians masquerading as Republicans (they call you folks RhINOS).
You're right MT . . . it IS like shooting fish in a barrel. Thanks for helping me out there.
Come back any time for another lesson in Political Science. I'll be happy to hold another class JUST FOR YOU.
- SSHM
