Pandering Has Its Consequences
Last week will probably go down as S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster’s worst week ever.
After turning the Palmetto State into a national laughing stock (again) with his politically-motivated witch hunt of the website Craigslist, ol’ “Kneejerk” Henry was barred yesterday by a federal judge from “initiating or pursuing any prosecution” against the company.
The grandstanding attorney general took the defeat quietly, which acknowledges just how monumentally this PR stunt has blown up in his face.
Making matters even worse, AP reporter Meg Kinnard broke a story yesterday in which McMaster admitted that over the course of his six years as AG, he’s never handled a prostitution case.
“I don’t think this office has handled any prostitution prosecutions ever,” McMaster told Kinnard. “Now this is something different. This is against the biggest want ads Web site in the world.”
Of course, a source in Kinnard’s report also noted how McMaster is ignoring much more graphic ads in locally-owned news outlets because he doesn’t want to cost himself possible endorsements in his upcoming GOP gubernatorial campaign.
Which underscores a point Craigslist made earlier in the week …
Now that the battle is over, though, attention is turning to the postmortem.
Specifically, what was it that spawned McMaster’s latest PR disaster?
Seriously, aren’t there easier ways to score points with this state’s social conservatives?
Or was ol’ “Kneejerk” trying to compensate for something in particular?
Frankly, we have no doubt that McMaster’s advisors urged him to gin up this whole PR stunt in an effort to counter all the bad press he received from botching a high-profile criminal sex trial two years ago.
McMaster’s team obviously knows that his GOP gubernatorial opponents will be making hay over his handling of this case, so what better way to deflect attention than by initiating a new, higher-profile prosecution of alleged online sex peddlers?
It’s perfect, right?
Yeah, “not so much.”
Years from now, they’ll be studying McMaster v. Craigslist in PR and political science classes all across the state – and just like his botched “sex dungeon” trial, we suspect the outcome of this one won’t get any better for ol’ “Kneejerk.”
Comments
By Big Bubba on May 23rd, 2009 at 1:35 pm
McMasters had better quit worrying about Craig’s List and focus more on that little ole’ town of Cheraw and his buddies up here. It will not be good when the “piggies” start to squeal.
By UpYers on May 23rd, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Political corruption always leads to poor decision making.
By Yes Sir on May 23rd, 2009 at 4:03 pm
the best thing to come out of this is Trey Walker’s ridicolous twitter updates every 5 secs have slowed down to a screeching halt….thank God
By BIN Proletariat News Staff on May 23rd, 2009 at 4:19 pm
We fully agree with comrade McMaster.A woman does not have freedom to use her body in ways that does not further the cause of the people.As long as he does not try to infringe on her right to kill her children we will be right behind him.
Fair,progressive and for the common good
By Michael Rodgers on May 23rd, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Wow, I was just about to write a post about how I have zero confidence in McMaster representing SC in Sanford’s lawsuit about the stimulus, and one of the things I was going to mention was how McMaster completely botched that sex dungeon trial. Good job.
By Todd on May 23rd, 2009 at 10:05 pm
You reckon Queen Jean will call Henry Mc into her office again and give him another paddlin’ for being stupid?
By I just have to post about this, but this jogged my memory of the recent news with CraigslistCL and the the young boy who killed the woman. Always something new with CL and things in the news. on May 23rd, 2009 at 10:38 pm
I just have to post about this, but this jogged my memory of the latest news with CraigslistCL and the murder trial. Always a twist with Craigslist and stuff in the news.
By liz on May 24th, 2009 at 6:28 am
Mr. McMaster refuses to touch the largest crime in South Carolina that has national and global implications. He and his office ignore it.
Mr. McMaster is forcing the state of South Carolina to pay subsidies on fraudulent Medicare Part D accounts as a result .
By Wes Wolfe on May 24th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Let’s see, I basically wrote this same story a couple days ago. Maybe I should send you a whiny letter like the one you sent to The State.
By CNSYD on May 24th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Thanks to all the lemmings who blindly vote for any candidate who has a R by their name. Politicians with a R by their name have a long history of helping SC advance. Start with Reconstruction and move forward.
By Mike on May 24th, 2009 at 11:33 am
It is satisfying to sit and listen to the crickets chirping (and the rustle of the occasional tumbleweed blowing past) now that the cacophony of lame, defensive PR spin-meisters have been told (and very effectively) to please shut up. “The General,” as those in his shallow little clutch refer to him is now 0-2 on goobernatorial campaign media-whoring escapades (really 0-3, but his over-hyping of the whole internet predator thing- debunked by study after study- never got any traction). Normally I would say that this should finish his campaign early, but we all know better than that in modern politics.
By fitsnews on May 24th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Wes,
By all means, send your letter on.
Hopefully it will reference the six articles we wrote on McMaster/ Craigslist before you got off your lazy ass and did your paid consulting work for the week.
Seriously, dude. If you’re gonna be a shill for a consulting firm (like the Scoop), the least you can do is try to emulate McFogle and give them their money’s worth.
Besides, Barrett deserves (and might even enjoy) more frequent reach-arounds.
So send us your letter, but our bet is like everything else about you it’ll “come up short” and as a consequence make you more bitter towards Sic, who unlike you a) can write and b) has an audience.
And one last thing, that reminds us – when you get drunk in Five Points and tell people your website gets “twice the hits” that FITS gets, it only makes you look ridiculous.
You’re currently at 3.8% of our traffic, which is exactly where your boring, talentless ass will stay.
(Sic to typist “am I done here?”
Typist nods, “oh yeah”)
Peace,
-SIC WILLIE
By Michael Rodgers on May 24th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
I’m going to go with Wes Wolfe on this one. He was first.
By Mike on May 24th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Oh my God- that was sweet! Please publish Wes’ lame retort as soon as it arrives.
By Liberty for me on May 25th, 2009 at 7:53 am
Wes is a socialist propaganda machine…
Have you heard all the teachers and police have been fired…its the end of the world AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
By CNSYD on May 25th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Is there some reason the discussion is being shifted away from McMaster to a meaningless peeing contest between two bloggers?
By whoa on May 25th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Because that’s how Wes gets his. His motto is any press is good press. Too bad the only press Wes gets is negative blog comments about his lack of reporting ability.
By CNN on May 25th, 2009 at 10:44 am
Is that Darrin Horn in the background of that picture?
By BIN News Editorial Staff on May 25th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Wes, Anyone who can generate such a great big angry wacko rant from sic(k) willie is a hero to our Funding Editor. She wants your resume.
By Mike on May 26th, 2009 at 7:06 am
BIN,
That “rant” pretty much sums up Wes’ resume. You could just cut and paste it…
By Pat Hendrix on May 26th, 2009 at 10:52 am
As much as I enjoyed the beating delivered to this Wes dude, I’ve got to wonder about the mental stability of Will Folks. First, he wears a jersey. Enough said. Second, Folk’s narcissism borders on the pathological. Bragging about hits to this site, referring to himself in the third person and praising his own writing talents, *cough* suggest a borderline personality disorder. Third, there are entirely too many references to donkey balls in his posts. Fetish?
By Jimmy Hendrix on May 26th, 2009 at 11:54 am
WoW Man….My brother comes up with some crazy shit.And I thought it was acid that made me act like a dumbass.Maybe it is just genetics.OBAMA 2012
By Sujit on July 24th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Its true that “McMasters had better quit worrying about Craigslist and focus more on that little ole’ town of Cheraw and his buddies up here.”
Please avoid discuss other than McMaster.
By VIEHARIS on October 29th, 2009 at 7:26 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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