“Tumpy” Campbell: A Legend In His Own Mind
There’s an old expression about an apple “not falling far from the tree,” but in the case of Carroll A. “Tumpy” Campbell III, it frankly doesn’t apply.
Not only that, we’re not even sure that the distance between Tumpy’s apple and the tree of his late father - former S.C. governor Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. - can be measured using today’s technology.
Gov. Campbell was a hard-charging, take-no-prisoners reformer - a conservative workhorse with unimpeachable character, imposing strength of purpose and an agile, at times cunning mind.
“Tumpy” is a status quo, big government hack who would probably be flipping burgers or “detailing” your car right about now were it not for the fact he was born with his father’s name.
He’s a spoiled brat with limited intellectual capacity - to say nothing of intellectual curiosity - whose career is a monument to entitlement and misplaced ego.
Personally and professionally, Campbell is a walking bad idea, which is why we weren’t at all surprised to see him touting himself for governor this morning on SC Hotline.
From the story:
I have been approached by a full spectrum of South Carolinians from business leaders to concerned citizens asking me to get involved. I truly believe the people of SC are looking for a change in leadership.
I will be exploring a run for Governor between now and the first quarter of next year. Â If the feedback is positive and I can raise enough money to launch a serious effort, then I may take a shot. You know some of my potential opponents have been unofficially running for quite a while. I definitely have some catching up to do if I decide to run.
Take it from us people, the 2010 governor’s race isn’t the only area where Tumpy Campbell has “some catching up to do.”
And last time we checked, once brain cells are gone, you don’t get ‘em back - which in this case is even more relevent considering how few of them Campbell had to begin with.
Assuming he is foolish enough to run, however, here are just a few of the hurdles he would have to overcome (well, aside from the fact that his brain is the size of a pea) …
*He’s Not A True Conservative
Campbell’s tenure on the S.C. Ports Authority board demonstrated he is 100% aligned with the command economic, big government forces of State Sen. Hugh Leatherman and the rest of the RINO Caucus. It also showed how low he would stoop to mislead the public about his true government philosophy.
*He’s Been Invovled In Multiple Scandals
Campbell was a central figure in a scam to funnel campaign contributions from Indian Gaming concerns to elected officials, which will no doubt cost him dearly among social conservative voters. Also, Campbell’s removal from the Ports Authority board for misrepresenting his lobbying activities shows just how far he was willing to stretch the truth in order to hang onto power.
*His Personal Indiscretions Are Widely-Known
Campbell’s romantic involvement with a certain Lowcountry TV reporter (who has since shilled for his interests in her reporting) raised a lot of eyebrows, particularly considering that his wife Elizabeth Campbell was (is) such a class act. Obviously, we’re not ones to talk about indiscretions with the media, but then again we’re not running for governor, either.
Oh, and then there’s the whole “Tumpy” thing, which we’ve never understood.
Anyway, Campbell has about as much chance of securing the Republican nomination for governor as he does securing the starting defensive end position for the Carolina Panthers, but it’s funny how seriously he’s taking himself all of a sudden.
Comments
By GnuBerry on November 18th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Somebody doesn’t like Tumpy Campbell.
By fitsnews on November 18th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Gnuberry,
Such perspicacity.
FITS
By Who is this guy?? on November 18th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
This is the same guy who couldn’t beat Andre Bauer at his lowest??? He thinks he can compete for Governor now? His father = a legend. Him = a disaster. If voters are looking for something new, it is not him.
By Ben on November 18th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I don’t know Tumpy but gosh doesn’t he look like a douchetastic version of his notsodouchey father. Like, Carol+douche= Carol jr. I’m not a math guy but this formula feels right.
By Trevor on November 18th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Is Tumpy Campbell seperated or divorced from his wife Elizabeth Campbell? The reason I asked is because this picture of Tumpy and the Charleston reporter Amick seems to be from 2008.
http://www.charlestonmag.com/partyscene/wpg2?g2_itemId=9692
By William on November 18th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
This is some particularly harsh venom you’re spewing here. You must think you appear to be intellectual or possibly clever with such musings, but it’s too bad you come off as someone with a vendetta. You make no credible points, and it’s pretty obvious you have a personal beef with Mr. Campbell, almost as if you feel threatened by him or his potential candidacy. What gives, man? Jealousy? Envy? And, when did fitsnews become TMZ? “His personal indiscretions are widely known”- really? Widely known where? Maybe you can remove the lemon from your mouth before you write your next column/rant/whatever you want to call it. Your credibility is waning…
By Humpty Tumpy will fall off the wall on November 18th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Amen to all of the above- the way he got booted off the Ports Authority Board and the way he felt “entitled” to be on it in the first place shows him as a shallow spoiled RINO.
Maybe he can scam some lobbying money off the Indians to run his campaign - nobody else would be foolish enough to give him any .
By The real scoop on November 18th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
The unedited version of the SCHotline Interview:
Jeffrey Sewell:
Mr. Campbell thank you for agreeing to the call and if we may be so bold as to jump right into the issue of the call — we are hearing some chatter about you considering a run for Governor of South Carolina in 2010? I know, I know, it sounds insane – hell, it is insane – but that’s what we heard your mother and your brother saying the other day at Miyo’s. Insane, right? I mean, the IQ requirement alone knocks you out contention, doesn’t it?
Carroll Campbell:
Actually there is no IQ requirement in the state constitution, so yes, I am considering it, why would I not? Ever since Gov. Sanford removed me – me! – from the ports authority board of directors on the trumped-up notion that a paid lobbyist for one of the entities dealing with the port somehow had a conflict of interest, I have lost confidence in my ability to illicitly benefit from the system at the taxpayers’ expense.
With our economy where it is, our elected officials should be working together to find a solution rather than promoting personal agendas. I certainly don’t have all the answers – hell, to be honest, I don’t really know the questions – but I do know that it has something to do with pyramids, pipelines and pillars, and I also know that our current governor hasn’t done a fucking thing to build them. I believe our state needs to agree on a set of architectural plans for these things and then we need take to take actions together to make it happen. Personally, I’d like to see the things put right by the Wade Hampton statue on the south grounds. But hell, they could go anywhere. We need to stop squabbling about where to put them and to, well, put them. Does that make sense?
Jeffrey Sewell:
Um, let’s move on. Now, who is asking you to run, is it just your mom and your brother?
Carroll Campbell:
No, that’s pretty much it.
Jeffrey Sewell:
What’s your time frame for making a decision?
Carroll Campbell:
I will be exploring a run for Governor between now and the first quarter of next year. If my mother agrees to raid the trust fund, then I may take a shot. Seriously, the shelf life of the Campbell name is running out, and let’s face it, that’s all I have. Some my potential opponents have been running for quite a while and I have some catching up to do. But I’ve done that before, you know, catch up. Like when I took that prep course for my GED. I ended up nailing that bitch!
Jeffrey Sewell:
Some of your critics may say that you are running on your father’s name, how do you feel about that?
Carroll Campbell:
Hell, that’s the only thing I’m running on. Isn’t that clear?
Jeffrey Sewell:
Painfully. How do you restore confidence in our Government?
Carroll Campbell:
Haven’t you been listening to me? It is all about restoring our faith in bedrock things like pyramids, pipelines and pillars – or, as I like to call them, the Real Triple P. Just imagine how confidence in our government would soar if one could stroll the statehouse grounds and see big-ass replicas of the Real Trips? Damn! And we do this by unifying all elected officials to work towards building those damn things – not next week, not next year, but now! The Executive branch must work across party lines to: a) get them designed; and b) get them built, and in that order. Because, you know, you can’t built them before you decide what they ought to look like. And then have the courage to make it happen. No single party has a monopoly on how the Real Triple P should look. Likewise, the Legislative Branch must be willing to work towards that common goal. We can’t have a contentious relationship between the Executive and Legislative Branches and expect to get those damn things built.
Jeffrey Sewell:
What will you change about how the Governor runs our State?
Carroll Campbell:
Everyone has their own style. I would use visuals of the Real Triple P and take them on the road. Not just charts and power points, but staffers actually wearing Real Triple P costumes.
Jeffrey Sewell:
There has been a lot of discussion about your brother running again for Lt. Governor. Is he running and have you discussed running as a team?
Carroll Campbell:
You will need to ask him if he is running, but yes, he is running. We certainly see the benefit from a cost perspective. Don’t you?
Jeffrey Sewell:
Not really. Anyway, why should someone consider you for Governor?
Carroll Campbell:
I am not part of the system. (Audible giggle.)
Jeffrey Sewell:
Thank you for your time Sir and thank you for speaking to SCHotline.com.
By nope on November 18th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Good God.
Who is this guy — It was Mike Campbell who ran for Lt. Governor (and almost won), not Tumpy. I think Mike WOULD have won if not for Jenny Sanford’s last-minute intervention — on his side. Why are you telling us what to think about Tumpy when you don’t even know who he is?
Ben: It’s Carroll, not Carol, and he’s the third, not junior. His father was junior.
Trevor: there’s a rat in separate. Tumpy may be separated from his wife (I have no clue) but he’s not “seperated.”
And Willie: Tumpy may be a really unfortunate nickname (he’s had it from babyhood and needs to get rid of it immediately).
But if he learned anything all at his father’s knee, then he will be 100 times the governor Mark Sanford is. He will get what he wants from the General Assembly, by intelligence and wile. He’ll settle for most of a principle when he can’t get the whole thing, unlike our two-year-old tantrum-throwing current governor. And what he wants will be pragmatic, really able to advance the state, not some pie-in-the-sky theory someone read him from a book.
If you’re really pining for the days of Carroll Campbell, Jr. (and I am), you could do worse that Carroll III.
By helpless laughter on November 18th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
… “by intelligence and wile.” omigod, i am dying.
By The Grammarian on November 18th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Hey, Nope, since you’re such a stickler:
“He’ll settle for most of a principle when he can’t get the whole thing” makes no sense whatsoever. You can section a principle into segments. Trying using the word “loaf,” as in, “he’ll settle for a half of a loaf when he can’t get the whole thing.” You stupid tool.
By eddy m on November 18th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
there you go again fitz news…take a good look at yourself first. remind the people in your work area that you beat the shit out of your girlfriend while working for the gov. did she ever end up with you……..i guess you were right when you said…”what do you tell you wife to be with two black eyes???? nothing you already told her twice”….quit being a player hater, and get a life
By fitsnews on November 18th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Eddy M,
Damn dude, you’re only the 50th person to post that comment today. And here we were hoping people were going to forget about that! Damn you and your cleverness!
FITS
P.S. - Interestingly enough, we’ve got some new info about that whole mess we’ve been debating whether or not to publish … stay tuned …
By Dumbfounded on November 18th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Never in a million years would I have thought the words “by intelligence and wile” would be used by someone to describe how Tumpy Campbell would, as governor, “get what he wants from the General Assembly.” Are all people in Columbia stupid?
By HP on November 18th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
..new info about that whole mess we’ve been debating whether or not to publish..
P-U-B-L-I-S-H = My Vote.
Or just e-mail the readers you know won’t tell anybody :)
By fitsnews on November 18th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Would you be one of those people, miss HP?
We probably won’t do it … after all, we’re used to people saying Sic “beat the shit out of his girlfriend” and was then “fired from the governor’s office.”
It’s revisionist history, but putting these e-mails and text mssgs out there would probably just hurt a lot of people’s lives.
FITS
By HP on November 18th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Yes-sir-ee-bob. MUM is the word!
There are people who get away with *murder* around here — literally — so most of us just take all that jazz with a grain of salt.
But we ARE curious. Morbidly.
By BIN News Editorial Staff on November 18th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
When sic(k) willie says he has information to back up one of his rants but, he won’t post it because “it would just hurt a lot of people’s lives,” why do we think he’s lying? Because, Silly Rabbit, he almost certainly is!
After all, sic(k) willie is so sensitive about other people’s lives. ;)
Remember his promise of details about a mysterious Midlands’ elected official he once claimed had a Strom problem? Did he ever deliver details? No.
And, for weeks he promised facts supporting his claim that the gub’ner paid off the family of some “poor little black girl.” Did he deliver? No.
What about facts to support the eleventy Brazillion other false rumors he’s planted? We could list all eleventy Brazillion of them, but why bother. He will only post more cr@p that he can’t back up.
We close with this.
Who can ever forget his journalist masterpiece describing his side of his CDV conviction. Check this out:
http://blogs.thestate.com/bradwarthensblog/2005/08/what_i_cut_from.html
BIN News Editorial Staff
Flair and Balanced
By From Chuck-town on November 18th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Unbelievable, you have the same opinion of the former Governor as all the others who “drank the cool-aid”.
As you state, “Gov. Campbell was a hard-charging, take-no-prisoners reformer -a conservative workhorse with unimpeachable character, imposing strength of purpose and an agile, at times cunning mind.”….
Hard-charging, yes, like an angry elephant, destroying anyone who dare cross him or any of his ideas………reformer, yes to increase his own power…..cunning mind, only because Atwater and a tiny group of advisors told him what to think, what to say and what to do. Unimpeachable character…well, I’ll let those whom Campbell, Jr., “threw under the bus ” to save his own skin, address that point.
Tumpy….sure, he’d get votes just because of his name. Other than that, I can’t think of any reason why any educated person would vote for him.
True reform and fiscal conservatism will only come to the General Assembly when all of the incumbents lose re-election and 170 new faces inherit the Statehouse. Of course, once they get that taste of power, they won’t want to give up any of it for the Governor, no matter who it turns out to be.
By HP on November 18th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
BIN — does the fleeting thought ever occur to you that there is a bigger picture to every public scene??? Criminy. There are manipulative people who have a lot of state- [and county-] funded time on their hands…they get a kick out of playing toy soldiers with people’s lives for their own megalomaniacal motives.
[BIN, go ahead, look it up]
*******************************
Not to change the subject again. Carry on………………………
By Jimmy Byrnes on November 18th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Let’s cut the personal crap. Carroll III (Tumpy) simply is neither prepared or qualified to be Governor and anyone who is marginally literate knows it. I’m sure he’s a fine fellow but this State is is dire need of real leadership and pragmatism, not another wealthy “know-it-all”
His dad was a great Governor for South Carolina but it was after many years of public service and trench-war politics before he offered to run for the State’s highest office.
By HP on November 18th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
P.S.
BIN, guess what? I wrote “Mr. Warthen” a similar letter about an equally embarrassing smear job. He can post that one, too, for all I care. I drug the paper into it after finding law enforcement corrupt when handling their own. I naively hoped the media operated on a different code. They don’t when they’re all entrenched together. Cover-Me-Sandwich=The Columbia Special.
By Yup on November 18th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
That Chas. reporter is hot.
By paulo logo on November 18th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Rankings:
1- McMaster
2- Barrett
3- Bauer
.
.
.
50- J. Sanford
.
.
.
100- T. Campbell III
Not bad for a dilletante novice.
By just me on November 18th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
First of all, we ALL know about Sic’s past. It is NOT a valid response to every article Sic writes. In fact, it is an “idiot’s” response - PLEASE, come up with something original.
And WHO is Tumpy besides a guy who cheated on his wife and WHAT has he done that qualifies him to be governor?
The answers are - he is a small businessman who has done NOTHING.
Enough of getting elected because of your name. SC needs COMPETENT people. And “Tumpy” is not that. He is just another “run-on-your-daddy’s-name” guy. No thanks.
By Whitney on November 18th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Are any of you reading these comments? It’s no wonder SC politics is the national punchline it is. Nice job “FITSnews”…..keep up the good work…your readers are actually less intellectual, insightful, and knowledgeable. You’re doing a great job.
By Hey Nope on November 19th, 2008 at 12:44 am
Because you are giving out grammar lessons NOPE, I advise you to revise your own post. See, e.g., “But if he learned anything all at his father’s knee,….” I believe you mean “But if he learned anything (at) all at his father’s knee(s),….” See also, “…you could do worse that Carroll III.” I believe you mean “…you could do worse tha(n) Carroll III.”
Further, aware that I may be ironically stating this on this blog, I am not sure S.C. needs a “new” type of leader who claims he learned his political lessons working with “the legendary Lee Atwater.” (See, http://www.carrollcampbellandassociates.com/home/carroll-campbell.html) We saw the Atwater/Rove tactics turn Americans against McCain/Palin, Elizabeth Dole, etc. this past election cycle. Do we need a governor who appears to boast of learning such political tactics? But, nope, you are correct; Atwater’s theories are not some “pie-in-the-sky” theory read from a book. They are just plain-old tactics like playing on racial fears (see what Atwater did with Willie Horton against Dukakis), fears of mental illness and race (see what Atwater did to Tom Turnipseed), etc.
Indeed, in the very campaigns Carroll III talks about working on for his father along side Atwater, Atwater and the team used anti-semetic push- polling and an over-eager 3rd Party candidate recruited solely by Atwater to paint Campbell’s opponent Max Heller as a “foreign-born Jew who did not believe in Jesus Christ, tanking Heller’s campaign.
“Nope,” if a man who seems boastful of these roots shaping his political career is your “cup of tea,” then I am glad you and I disagree.
Let us unite around an honorable man like Gresham Barrett. A Citadel graduate, military veteran, small business man, small community man, committed to his (one and only) wife/love interest and his children who works hard for his district in Washington and pushes true conservative values (despite his err in judgment on the recent bailout vote).
By angelina on November 19th, 2008 at 12:47 am
The Real Scoop: You are my hero. I want you to run for governor.
As for Tumpy, obviously some consultant out there is feeling left out of the 2010 Gubernatorial Gravy Train and is desperate for a candidate (read: stupid egomaniac). While there are plenty of stupid egomaniacs in this state, it is hard to find one who has enough money to feed a consultant. One of them really hit paydirt with Tumpy!
By Red Bank Bar on November 19th, 2008 at 4:14 am
Carroll Campbell and unimpeachable character have never before appeared in the same sentence.
Carroll made Strom Thurmond and Bill Clinton look like monks.
I saw Dick Harpootlian call Carroll out in Garibaldis, taunting/daring him to run for office again. He promised a bimbo explosion and Campbell uttered a quick F-bomb before turning tail and running.
By Explain Whitney... on November 19th, 2008 at 4:47 am
Whitney…Please, explain. SC politics is a national punchline? Humm…Let me see if I follow. We have one Senator who has risen to national prominence, being the (R) presidential candidate’s right hand man for the past two years and who just had a meeting with Obama. We have another Senator who is growing in national fame for his crusade against pork-barrel legistation and who is challenging the corruption of the likes of Ted Stevens in a current bill to strip his party affiliation if re-elected. We have TWO Congressmen who are being considered for very important positions in our new president’s administration (one of which is currently the majority whip, making him the third most powerful US Congressman). We have a Governor who was recently asked to write an op-ed for CNN, who was touted as being on the shortlist for McCain’s VP, and who has a strong national reputation. We have a state Rep. Chairman who is on the shortlist as for being the next RNC chair. Our primaries are usually considered the decisive SE primaries (hints us voting for both candidates this year). Explain to me again how SC politics are a national punchline???
By floridanewpolitics on November 19th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
New survey out on Tumpy Campbell’s prospective candidacy. Highlights are as follows:
Tumpy Campbell — 2 percent name identification.
11 percent thought he was one of Snow White’s seven dwarfs
8 percent thought he was the son of Donald Trump
4 percent thought he was a scion of Campbell soup company
less than 1 percent thought they have met him at a Campbell family reunion
Results not significant as many thought we were saying “Dumpy”.
When asked if they would vote for Carroll Campbell for Governor again if he runs in 2010, an astounding 43 percent said they would, 21 percent said they would not, 14 percent said they were undecided, and only 22 percent correctly noted that he was deceased.
When asked to identify his picture, less than 1 percent correctly identified him, 4 percent thought he was Mike Campbell, 11 percent thought he was Brad Pitt, 20 percent thought he was Pee Wee Herman, and 30 percent thought he was Scott Peterson. The remaining 34 percent declined or were unable to identify him.
Full crosstabs may be viewed by contacting the Florida Statesman with Statescraft.
By Jethro on November 19th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
So who would he hurt most? Gresham in the Upstate? Would he do well in the coast, where merrill is the only possibility?
By My 2 cents on November 19th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
No adult named Tumpy will govern any further afield than the end of his nose.