What Makes The GOP Establishment Worse Than The Democratic Party Establishment (Asking For A Friend)

Too extreme for the Scouth Carolina Democratic establishment?

A question that often comes up in the comments section-- which has about 3 regular commenters-- is about why anyone (myself generally) could assert the Democratic Party is better than the Republican Party. Wishful thinking, mostly... although the Democrats aren't really as bad as the Republicans have become. Basically, Pelosi and the Clintons have made the party into the Republican Party of their childhood-- and keep in mind Hillary was a full on Republican activist right into her twenties. Basically, the Democrats are now a version of pre-Goldwater Eisenhower and Nixon Republicans. Sorry to bring it up just before an election but is that what you signed up for.

I noticed recently, for example, that the DCCC hasn't been giving Randy Bryce any help even though he's got the biggest barrage of smear ads from Paul Ryan's SuperPAC than any other candidate in the country. The DCCC is sitting on its hands, helping a crap grab bag of random faceless, meaningless Blue Dogs and New Dems from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party instead, what we generally refer to as Democraps. So Blue America started the IronStache Fund to do what the DCCC should be doing by taking on Ryan's SuperPAC. This is an unlimited money fund and we went to some wealthy donors to ask for big checks. And we've gotten some. But one that was promised was a hefty 50-figure amount from a labor union. It hasn't arrived and it would have even if they sent it by pony express. So I asked a union president tight with these guys. He told me Pelosi and her team have been telling unions not to give me to Randy and to give it to conservative Democrats instead. What can I say?

In early September I did a post about how the Democratic establishment-- the swell folks whose pig-headed incompetence brought us Trump-- is trying to fix the 2020 primaries against Bernie. They're using all their energy not on getting Democrats in the midterms elected but on claiming that swingy New Hampshire and Iowa are no longer important in the primary process but that the real first primary of importance is in South Carolina. South Carolina? Where the creaky Clyburn machine controls the dilapidated excuse for a political party? And Nevada... that's important too, especially because the Harry Reid machine calls the shots there. After all, the stole the star caucuses for Hillary.

This week, Meg Kinnard, writing for the AP, did a revealing party on how the South Carolina Party (ie, the Clyburn machine) is welcoming Bernie. Their perspective is that his "visit isn't wanted or helpful to their candidates in advance of next month's election." You know how crucial southern states are to Democratic presidential candidates, right?

The state, home to the first-in-the-South presidential primaries, is accustomed to hosting candidates testing out their messaging and building activist and donor relationships ahead of a national run. But some party stalwarts say Sanders' left-leaning, progressive message doesn't resonate in a state where Democrats know they will need crossover support to win in many races.

Amanda Loveday served as executive director of South Carolina's Democratic Party and previously did communications for U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state's lone congressional Democrat. Asked about Sanders' visit to South Carolina, she said the trip is not in the best interest of the state's Democratic candidates.

"I just think it's extremely selfish of Bernie Sanders to think he could walk into South Carolina without an invitation from a candidate and think he's going to be welcomed with open arms," Loveday said. "It's hard for me to think of an actual, legitimate Democratic candidate who would stand on stage with him here."

Sanders' Tuesday announcement of his planned trip to South Carolina came the same day that the state's Republican governor aimed to link him to his Democratic challenger. In a new digital ad , Gov. Henry McMaster pointed out that, despite his self-portrayal as a moderate, state Rep. James Smith has boasted of his endorsement by Our Revolution, an offshoot of Sanders' 2016 presidential effort.

In response, officials with Smith's campaign said they "welcome the support of citizens who voted for Bernie Sanders, as well as those who voted for Donald Trump, and everyone in between."

In 2016, Sanders proposed free public college tuition, a "Medicare for all" health care plan and $15 hourly minimum wage. He finished a distant second to Hillary Clinton in South Carolina's 2016 Democratic presidential primary, with only 26 percent of votes cast.

A spokeswoman for Sanders didn't immediately respond Wednesday to an email message seeking context on his visit to South Carolina or information on which candidates with whom he'd appear while in the state.

In an email release, Our Revolution announced Sanders had been invited by the organization's South Carolina arm and would speak at an Oct. 20 rally in Columbia. The only South Carolina Democrat listed among the speakers is Justin Bamberg, a state representative who endorsed Sanders in 2016 and served as a surrogate for him nationally.

Boyd Brown, a former Democratic state representative, said Sanders' messaging is too extreme, particularly in a state like South Carolina, where all statewide-elected offices, both legislative chambers and all but one congressional offices are held by Republicans.

Perhaps Sanders' popular message would work; theirs sure doesn't

"Bernie does not resonate in South Carolina," Brown said. "He'd be doing us all a favor if he just got lost."

A revival of Sanders' 2016 effort, Charleston County Democratic Party Chairman Brady Quirk-Garvan added, does nothing to help voters who want to put the bruising primary process behind them and may be looking toward other possible candidates, including former Vice President Joe Biden, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, all of whom have recently or will soon spend time in the state.

...[M]ost Democrats were not on board with what he was pitching," Quirk-Garvan said of Sanders' primary campaign. "For many, even people who backed Sen. Sanders in the primary, they're looking for some new ideas."

In that vein, Brown suggested, people attracted to Sanders' ideas should support traditional Democratic platform planks, like Medicaid expansion and an overall fight for better wages.

"If he comes to South Carolina, he'll have his 15 people will show up," Brown said. "I hope it's worth it to him, because he's doing greater damage to the party overall."

In 2016 South Carolina went strongly for Trump against the Machine candidate-- 1,155,389 (54.94%) to 855,373 (40.67%). South Carolina has been a political graveyard under Clyburn's thumb. The last time a Democrat won is was Georgia neighbor Jimmy Carter in his first-- albeit not his second race. That was over 4 decades ago.

2012- Obama- 44.09%
2008- Obama- 44.90%
2004- Kerry- 40.9%
2000- Gore- 40.90%
1996- Clinton- 43.85%
1992- Clinton- 39.88%
1988- Dukakis- 37.58%
1984- Mondale- 35.57%

1980- Carter- 48.04%
1976- Carter- 56.17%

South Carolina was one of only 6 states where Goldwater won instead of LBJ. That was the first Southern Strategy election where the Democrats ceded the solid South to the racists. The last time the Democrats elected a freshman senator was 1966, when someone discovered that Olin Johnson's had passed away at some point and Fritz Holling was elected to fill the rest of his term. It was all over for the Democrats when Hollings retired in 2004. Jim Hodges was the only Democrat to be elected to the governor's mansion since 1982. This year, state Rep. James Smith is going up against Henry McMaster, who took the office when Nikki Haley was appoint UN Ambassador. The latest poll shows him losing to McMaster with 36.7% of the vote. Trump has a 54% approval and a 43% disapproval in the state. Perhaps Amanda Loveday should take a walk-- and leave presidential candidate selection to the voters. Neither James Smith nor any of the state's congressional candidates is going to the Our Revolution rally in Charleston on October 20 (including not Joe Cunningham whose district includes Charleston. A former Clyburn aide, she now works for New Paradigm Strategy, a p.r. firm in DC.

If I were James Smith, I'd start campaigning on Bernie's agenda. He obviously has no chance whatsoever campaigning on a Republican-lite platform

In his Post and Courier column Friday afternoon, Brian Hicks reported on how the Democratic Machine is rolling out the red carpet for Bernie, the most popular senator in America again. "Usually, the idea in politics is to court old white men-- not run screaming from them. But South Carolina Democrats obviously didn’t get the memo. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has graciously offered to campaign for Palmetto State Dems just before the midterm elections, and... crickets.

Based on the Democratic reaction, Sanders would probably be more welcome at a Trump rally or pro wrestling show. Which are kind of the same thing.

Amanda Loveday, former executive director of the state Democratic Party, called it “selfish” for Sanders to show up in South Carolina right now, and predicted no legitimate Democrat would share the stage with him.

And that wasn’t even the nastiest thing said.

“He’d be doing us a favor if he just got lost,” former state Rep. Boyd Brown suggested.

Talk about curbing your enthusiasm.

Perhaps this has something to do with Sanders calling himself a democratic socialist-- a phrase that strikes terror in the hearts of Southern moderates.

"Moderates"-- as in conservatives, which is how the political class distorts the word. Hicks reminds his readers that "[C]andidates trying to play the middle need to remember that the edges sometimes wrap around. Back in 2016, some Trump voters said they might have gone for Sanders had he been the Democratic nominee. The truth is, people of all stripes have a lot more in common than many politicians give them credit for-- and not just a shared disdain for Hillary Clinton. If Dems ever want to win, they need to tell people how they differ from the Republicans, and quit sweating a weekend with Bernie." Yeah. maybe it would help to tell voters the party favors positions popular with Democratic voters, like Medicare-For-All, raising the minimum wage, free state college, Job Guarantee, all those policies Democrats from the Republican wing of the Party-- like Boyd Brown, Amanda Loveday and Brady Quirk-Garvan.