Making Government Work?
Like numerous other South Carolina politicos, we read (and absolutely loved) former U.S. Senator Fritz Hollings’ recent biography, Making Government Work. In fact, we have an autographed copy of the first edition in the FITS library, which we frequently reference in our work.
It’s an elucidating narrative, and we’ve often found ourselves wishing that more politicians of the fiscal conservative school possessed Hollings’ sheer force of personality and legendary one-on-one negotiating skills.
Of course, you can’t always judge a book by its cover (argh, argh, argh), which a hearing-impaired Hollings demonstrated during a public forum on broadband Internet access held in Charleston, S.C. last week.
In contrast to the statesmanlike persona cultivated in his book, Hollings decided to give newly-appointed FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn a little unpublished lesson in realpolitik.
After the first session of the forum had concluded, Sen Hollings leaned back in his chair and beckoned for Clyburn.
“If I were king for a day, I would have this hearing a week before the vote, after my commitments were assured, and then shut it down,” Hollings blurted loudly at Clyburn.
“Y’all are doing like the health care crowd, giving (opponents’) too much time,” Hollings continued. “Just ram this through and get it done.”
Ah, “making government work,” indeed.
Comments
By southernmapart on October 11th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Reality check.
By No Name on October 12th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Hollings just like Strom….. and now Lindsey…. was a very effective Dixiecrat….an SC politician who functions on the premise of “Protection”.
“The Protection Rackets”
Since SC lost the War of Northen Aggression ……The Federal government has been taking our hard earned State money…without strong seniority in the Senate ….able to cut deals with other Senate leaders …often from the other party…..we…. the great Dixecrat protectors of our State’s rights …can not grab federal dollars for military bases……and keep alive our textile and apparel industry( oops) ….we have to compromise…it is for the State…for the little people…. who just do not know how bad it could be without our Protection and deal making.
Sadly…this is actually quite true…..but rather than adress the problem…the Protection Mafia….our politicians… enables the pressure to endure and by cause and effect…..cultivates the greater entrenchment of the self interests that profit from these mafia like moves.
Withdrawing Protection before our Federal crats or other State’s put the guns down is stupid…so it is a Mexican stand off right now with a very “green” young leader who is not ready to lead us out of anything …just like Bill Clinton warned us in Columbia.
Having a strong\smart\flexible personality\prick like Lindsey is not a bad “Last Don” of SC.
Moves like supporting Cap and Trade with another mafia don like John “The Ketchup Bottle” Kerry… is just Lindsey’s way of winning more chips and taking chips away from the the scary “Witches of Eastwick Maine”.
Hollings was a pro…I wish he would be more active in advising a variety of folks.
By Chucktown Import on October 12th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Your use of elipses makes me want to punch you.
By Joseph Reynolds on October 14th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Reading that creates a mental picture of a beatnick bar with hazy smoke and incense filling the air, listening to a poet wearing a turtleneck and a goatee read it.
It is torture.