Kneejerk Henry Gets McMastered
In a nifty opinion-editorial published in this morning’s Washington Post, S.C. Attorney General “Kneejerk” Henry McMaster was exposed far more efficiently than any of the “sexual deviants” he’s ostensibly cracking down on via his politically-motivated crusade against the Internet marketplace “Craigslist.”
Simply put, “Kneejerk” Henry got owned, or as some would say, “McMastered.”
Basically, McMaster’s ongoing effort to generate headlines for himself has inadvertently generated some real headlines – national ones. And surprise, surprise – once again those headlines make South Carolina politicians look like a bunch of thick-drawled, sanctimonious morons, which naturally most of them are.
Anyway, from the Post op-ed:
South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster is giving even the normally sleazy Attorney General title a bad name. This is an office that has little to do with protecting the public and everything to do with making high profile attacks on targets that will generate a lot of positive press. All that press leads to a run for higher office …
Earlier this month McMaster, who is of course eyeing a run for governor, threatened criminal prosecution against Craigslist management if pornography and ads for prostitution were not removed from the site. Craigslist took extraordinary measures to comply.
But quiet compliance isn’t what McMaster is looking for. He wants handcuffs and a trial, the kind of stuff that (former New York Governor Eliot) Spitzer got. He issued the following statement on Saturday “As of 5:00 p.m. this afternoon, the craigslist South Carolina site continues to display advertisements for prostitution and graphic pornographic material. This content was not removed as we requested. We have no alternative but to move forward with criminal investigation and potential prosecution.”
Now – and this is really the key point here – assuming McMaster really does care about cracking down on explicit sex ads, is his “press clip tour” actually targeting the websites that are pushing them?
Craiglist doesn’t think so.
But instead of just saying they don’t think so, they’ve informed McMaster’s office of what they claim are far more egregious examples of explicit Internet content …
The craigslist adult services section for Greenville, SC has a total of 1 ad for the last 3 days, featuring a photograph of a fully clothed person. The ‘erotic services’ section for Greenville, which we recently closed, has 8 ads total which will expire in two days, and even for these ads the images and text are quite tame.Meanwhile, the ‘adult entertainment’ section of greenville.backpage.com (careful with link, NSFW), owned by Village Voice Media, has over 60 ads for the last 3 days, and about 250 in total. In sharp contrast with craigslist, many of these ads are quite explicit, quoting prices for specific sex acts, featuring close-ups of bare genitalia, etc.
We reviewed the Greenville “back page” as well, and it’s not even close. Craigslist is like reading a children’s book by comparison.
Of course – as is almost always the case in Palmetto politics – the facts don’t appear to matter much to the people making decisions.
McMaster is targeting Craigslist for one reason – they’ve been in the news and he can generate easy headlines by going after them. Oh, and since it’s part of his “official duties,” that means taxpayers have to pay for his media barrage/ frivilous prosecution.
Never mind that Craigslist isn’t actually the root of the “problem,” or even really representative of the problem – McMaster obviously thinks a sufficient number of Republican primary voters will be stupid enough not to see through his spin.
The silver lining?
Even in South Carolina, there is a point of diminishing returns when it comes to politically-motivated pandering – which McMaster has already learned once the hard way.
Like “Kneejerk’s” last attempt to generate positive press for himself on a sex crimes (sorry, alleged sex crimes) story, at some point we predict this tale will also blow up in his face.
If it hasn’t already …
Comments
By Liberty fo me on May 18th, 2009 at 11:36 am
What a McDumbass….He makes himself look like a fascist.Right when the moral majority has figured out they should have been for freedom and personal moral judgements.
There is no crime when there is no victim!!
This is not the 80’s……….Do your job McDumbass and dont try to stand on a soapbox to stomp on others freedoms.
By weighing in on May 18th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
couldn’t have been said better. His office and his goons have been milking this thing entirely too much. Craigslist is of national profile and 24hr news channel always need stories so their “panels” can have something to talk about.
But what is most frustrating is that the Free Times, The city papers all have these ads all over and can be picked up on the street or at a local Moe’s franchise (kids everywhere), with very little effort.
And what about all these damn “spas” around town. Who the hell gets a 3am massage? I mean come on Henry, if you are serious about this, crack down on the stuff in your own damn back yard that is licensed by the city, county, and state.
So you got 2 choices Henry, put up or shut up, or push for it’s legal regulation and tax the sh#t out of it. But quit the damn grandstanding and maybe have your boy go try to find you that extra 5-6% of the electorate that you will never get to get you to 50% if you decide to run for Gov.
By unravelled on May 18th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Thats why I just use meetsafe.tk to find my local “masseuses.” Too many scams on craigslist.
By Pat Hendrix on May 18th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
By Charlie Condon standards, this is small taters. Condon set a new benhmark for pandering and stupidity.
By CNSYD on May 18th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
To quote Gomer Pyle, SURPRISE!, SURPRISE!, SURPRISE! What mental giants does McMaster have advising him or was this brainstorm his own?
By BossMan on May 18th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Henry is getting a bit desperate. Now is the time for him to mount up his white horse and charge off to eradicate prostitution, clean out the atheists, run the queers out of the state( you too Lindsey), and ramp up the war on drugs.
By Drebbin on May 18th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Amazingly enough, this guy is the AG!
Henry was asked by an old lady the other day why prostitution is allowed in this state and henry said its not allowed and i plan to crack down on it but its just not as easy to locate prostitutes. You have to do better than that she says, Well since u think its so easy why don’t u come up with a few names, contact numbers etc. She looks at him and says “Shit” Craig tried to give you a list and ur trying to screw him, why would i give u one!?
By Mike on May 18th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
One would like to think that this is so banal, so vapid, and so blatantly transparent that it would positively preclude this goober of a SC stereotype from becoming the next guv of our beloved state. Just one quick glance around the Statehouse, however, removes most of my faith in the voting populace here, so forgive me if I worry…
By you think you could do better? on May 19th, 2009 at 7:40 am
Get off his back. You really think you could do better? You try solving the crime in this state. Instead of whining all the time, why don’t y’all try to be part of the solution. Seriously, I am so sick of the whiners.
By scooter on May 19th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
I agree that anything could go wrong on Craigslist, but I use it when I need renters. No problems noted. And, try to get rid of prostitution? Why not legalize it, tax it, and make sure the girls are getting proper medical care. You can not go after Craigslist and not the ads in our local papers. This is political. But no one is buying it.
By michael on May 19th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
If you think McMaster is out of line, join the following Facebook group to show your support to Craigslist: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=82193692538
By Joshua Jones on May 20th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
RE: By you think you could do better?
This isn’t a matter of whining or thinking anyone can do better. He’s not doing anything. He’s grandstanding for votes. He’s making South Carolina out to seem like a joke. He’s doing damage, not just to his own image, but to the image of all South Carolinians.
So, do I think I could do better? I could do NOTHING and do better than this.
By Ina Heartbeat on June 17th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
The websites, easy accessibility of them, and even the newspapers you mention (VillageVoice, et cetera) are not the problem. Neither is the attorney general, or his possible hypocrisy or motives. Those are RESULTS of the problem.
The problem, (yours, mine, and ours, community) is sin.
The tempoary solution, present and future, is repentance, ( individually and corporately), and faith in God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit; faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, his wonderful substutionary death and payment for our sin(s), his marvellous resurection, and walking in that love.
The permanent solution is his return.
Easier said than done, admittedly.
By VIEHARIS on October 29th, 2009 at 7:27 am
NOW WHAT I DON’T UNDERSTAND IS THAT YOU CAN GET STOPED, HAVE SEX IN Cemetery , YOUR DRIVER CAN DRIVE OVER 115 MILES PER HOUR ON HIGHWAY 20 , OUR LEADER CAN GO ACROSS THE WORLD ON OUR TAX DOLLARS TO SEE HIS SOUL MATE. STATE TROOPERS CAN HIT BLACK MEN WITH THERE CARS AND NOT BE FOUND GUILTY, BEAT THEM HALF TO DEATH AND NOT BE FOUND GUILTY. SHERIFFS DEPT CAN PUT A MAN IN JAIL FOR SOMETHING HE DIDNT DO AND THEN SAY SORRY!!! AND OFFICER WINES CALLS HIS WIFE TO ASK IF Roland S. Corning IS THIS MANS REAL NAME AND HE’S HAVING SEX IN THE CEMETERY , WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN AREESTED. WHEN OUR LT GOV CAN GET DRUNK AND GO DOWN THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD NOTHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT ANY OF THESE THINGS WHEN IT SHOULD. ARE THEY SPECIAL PEOPLE OR WHAT. THEN THE MAN THAT HANDLES OUR STATE MONEY CAN BUY COCAINE AND GIVE HIS HOUSE GUEST COCAINE , BUT HE BOUGHT IT FROM A SMALL DEALER THAT RECEIVED THE MOST TIME FOR THIS. BUT U CAN TAKE CARE OF OUR STATE MONEY HA HA !!! AND OUR CHIEF OF JUSTISE CAN HIT SOMEONE’S CAR LEAVE THE SCENE AND ACT LIKE IT DIDNT HAPPEN AND NO CHARGES PRESSED. BUT THESE ARE OUR LEADERS? !!!! RIGHT. TO TOP IT OFF ONE OF OUR OWN REP JOE WILSON HAD THE NERVE TO CALL OUR PRESIDENT A LIAR!!!! AND ALL YALL FOOLS RAISED MORE THEN 4 MILLOIN DOLLARS FOR WHAT PURPOSE TO SUPPORT HIM HA HA!!!! AGAIN I SAY THESE ARE OUR LEADERS? BUT A BLACK MAN GETS THE MOST TIME FOR THE COCAINE THAT HE SOLD TO THE MAN THAT HANDLES THE STATES MONEY “WHAT A JOKE”.BUT OUR LEADERS RIGHT?!!! AND WALK OFF WITH A SLAP ON THE HAND, FAIR?! BUT IF A BLACK MEN /WOMEN OR YOUNG BLACK BOY/ GIRL JUST LOOK WRONG, OR IS WEARING “THE WRONG THING”, OR NOT LOOKING CLEAN CUT OR DRIVING SOMETHING WITH 24? ON IT, OR EVEN WORSE PLEASE !!!! DONT BE ON BROAD RIVER ROAD AND BE BLACK U MIGHT GET THE “DEATH SENTENCE”. SO TELL ME, DO YOU HAVE TO BE WHITE AND IN POLITICS OR HAVE OLD MONEY OR JUST ALOT OF MONEY, OR KNOW THE RIGHT PEOPLE SO WE AS A SOCIETY CAN BE TREATED FAIR IN COLUMBIA SOUTH CAROLINA OR DO ALL BLACK PEOPLE NEED HAVE THESE THING SO WE CAN BE TREATED FAIR YOU TELL ME? I NEED TO KNOW ? I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE PEOPLE ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING IN LIFE , JUST DONT TREAT ALL BLACKS THE SAME. NOW IF ANY THING LIKE THIS HAPPEN TO THE COMMON BLACK MEN , WOMEN, BOY, GIRL YOU WANT TO GIVE US THE GAS RIGHT. SO WHATS GOOD FOR ONE IS GOOD FOR ALL!!!! COLUMBIA SOUTH CAROLINA U NEED O CHECK YOUR SELF AND TREAT EVERYONE FAIR!!!!
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