SC Outdoorsmen, Veterans Support Soaring Energy Costs?
Forget all the hypocrisy and double-talk coming from most of America’s (and South Carolina’s) free-spending politicians for a moment … believe it or not, there’s a much bigger problem going on in Washington, D.C. and Columbia S.C. these days.
Call it a “betrayal of constituencies.”
Simply put, groups and associations that are supposed to represent the people’s interests (or at least various segments of the populace) have chosen to sell out their constituencies in an effort to provide political cover to powerful state and federal politicians.
We’re currently seeing another example of this disturbing trend in the case of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was called a “traitor” and nearly booed right out of an auditorium at Furman University last week for the increasingly liberal positions he is taking on a smorgasbord of pressing issues.
“If you don’t like it, you can leave,” Graham told his constituents.
Yeah … that went over really, really well.
Among the issues that’s raising folks’ ire? Graham’s support of Sen. John Kerry and Sen. Barbara Boxer’s “Cap and Tax” proposal, which the Obama administration itself was recently forced to admit would result in a $4,000 annual increase in energy costs paid by the typical American family.
Frankly, that’s the last thing that South Carolina families – already suffering from historically high unemployment and low income levels – need to be dealing with right now.
Anyway, with Graham taking considerable public heat for endorsing such left-of-center proposals, it’s not surprising that pockets of insider special interests have been rushing to his defense.
What is surprising? The fact that two of those special interest groups claim to represent solidly conservative constituencies in South Carolina – outdoorsmen and veterans.
The S.C. Wildlife Federation, for example, signaled its strong support for Graham this week – claiming to endorse “comprehensive climate and energy legislation.”
Wait … what?
You’re telling us that a majority of hunters and fisherman in South Carolina want to pay $1,700 more a year in energy costs? All to pay for a bill that won’t actually reduce emissions?
Please.
Next up is a political organization called “Vote Vets” – which ostensibly speaks on behalf of military veterans in South Carolina. This “group” released a 60-second radio ad this week (immediately following Graham’s disastrous town hall) praising the liberal Senator for his position on “Cap and Tax.”
At the forefront of the “Vote Vets” organization in South Carolina is none other than Sen. Phil Leventis (D-Sumter), one of the state’s foremost big government backers – not to mention a guy who is currently under investigation for waging a taxpayer-funded vendetta on behalf of a racist campaign staffer.
“Senators, we’re counting on you to stand up to big oil and special interests,” Leventis says in the ad.
Hmmm …
We’ll ask the same question here that we asked about the state’s hunters and fishermen a moment ago – do the majority of South Carolina veterans want to pay $1,70o more a year in energy costs to pay for a bill that won’t succeed in reducing emissions?
Hopefully at some point South Carolina’s hunters, fishermen and veterans – not the special interest groups who claim to represent them – will make their voices heard on this issue.
We suspect that when they do, Sen. Graham won’t receive quite such a ringing endorsement …
EDITOR’S NOTE: Another popular S.C. political blog, Sunlit Uplands, has some interesting commentary on Lindsey Graham … check their story out by clicking here.
Comments
By EM on October 17th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
My twitter folks are asking me who can replace Lindsey Graham next election…good question. So many rhinos, so few Republicans or Conservatives. Do you have a suggestion.
By Um,no on October 17th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Because it would (allegedly) raise energy costs, no other issues matter? That’s the entirety of your analysis? I don’t think the intellectual pool gets much shallower than than that.
By Dismayed on October 17th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Do we want to pay? No, it isn’t fun. However, do sensible people understand that we must start to pay the real costs of what we consume, which includes the cost of protecting the environment so that it will remain livable? Yup. There is no free lunch, and wishing won’t make it so.
By BIN News Editorial Staff on October 17th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Our Funding Editor always says you measure the depth of the cr@p sic(k) willie spreads by measuring the length of his (always) wacko posts.
The longer his wacko post, the deeper his bullcr@p. This was a medium to slightly long post by sic(k) willie. Indicating more than average cr@p.
There’s no need to address specifics since he is a serial political pimp. We only wonder who paid him to post this wacko cr@p.
sic(k) willie. You are what you eat – and what you post. This wacko cr@p is really dragging you deeper and deeper into the sewer.
BIN News
Flair and Balanced
P.S. Out Funding Editor went to the Clemson game but was too cheap to take the entire staff this time.
By Pat Hendrix on October 17th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
What’s fits solution? Converting the metric from fahrenheit to celsius?
By drayton on October 17th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Let’s face it, there aren’t many politicians with scientific training. Most pols are lawyers and haven’t been trained to think like a scientist.
As a result, it comes as no surprise that Sen. Graham and Congressman Bob Inglis would tend to swallow the propaganda on global warming without hesitation.
After all, if Al Gore’s movie says it, then it must be true.
By reprobate on October 18th, 2009 at 8:26 am
….pretty obvious that the Left Loves Lindsey.
By Liberty For Me on October 18th, 2009 at 8:57 am
See…the communists come out fast when you hit a nereve!!! Thanks..This fake military agenda must be exposed.The Truman Project and all its Communist affiliates must be exposed….we need tons of attentin and articles to this!!
By Old Bike Dude on October 18th, 2009 at 10:38 am
OK allow me to lay out the problem with defeating Sen Graham. Jim DeMint can win along the coast with a type of republican voter that is the result of yankee neocon contamination. These yankee infiltrators have all the money and God knows they love to talk. So a fellow like Demint benefits from these occupiers.
Now in the upstate we have a completely different type of republican. These are the the folks who are democrats that can’t accept blacks as equals. They are the offspring of Ol Strom, who as you will remember, was a democrat until his black kids wanted to go to school with his white kids. So he switched parties and invented the code word “states rights” as a means to identify his fear and belief that “they just want our white women”. Hell the NFL and MTV took care of that.
Therefore the upstate republican will always vote for a candidate such as Sen Graham, that is, one which allows them to get the big government they want but without selling out to “those folks across town” who vote for democrats. Or as those I know in the SCV like to say,”democrat-it’s new for the N word”.
By CNSYD on October 19th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Old Bike Dude, You are so right about all the Yankee carpetbaggers that now occupy the coast. They get very upset when called that by posts in the P&C. The bigger statewide problem is all the Yankee carpetbaggers that invade our legislature, i.e., Davis, Ryberg, Mulvaney, etc. not to mention the chief carpetbagger in the Governor’s mansion.
By Don't know what you are talking about on October 19th, 2009 at 9:16 am
CNSYD- You hit it on the head with the legislative carpetbaggers (Davis, Ryberg,etc.)
Will- As a hunter and as a war time veteran, I can tell you I support anything we can do to clean up this environmental mess we have. Yes, I am more than willing to pay $1,700 more a year if it will ease the burden on generations to come.
By Old Bike Dude on October 19th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
CNSYD, could you be onto something big? Is this reconstruction all over again? Time to invest in swamp land and cypress trees!
The last reconstruction was because of the War of Northern Agression. The new reconstruction is a result of affordable home air conditioning. Air conditioning is the debbil.
By Wade on October 19th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
As a hunter who hasn’t inherited a diamond mine, or married a millionaire heiress, I will gladly let “Don’t know what you are talking about” pay the gratuitous $1,700 enviro tax for me.
Obviously, there are a lot of rich “do-gooders” out there who don’t mind another tax–go for it! You obviously have a lot more money than the rest of us!
By Workin' Tommy C on October 20th, 2009 at 11:20 am
These responses constitute some of the strangest thinking I’ve ever encountered here:
“Because it would (allegedly) raise energy costs . . .”
Is there a gov’t. program that actually SAVES money over doing it any other way???
“[D]o sensible people understand that we must start to pay the real costs of what we consume, which includes the cost of protecting the environment so that it will remain livable?”"
–REAL costs? What are they and why is cap and trade just another corporate welfare scheme of made up costs to benefit rich elites at the expense of the working middle class among others? Truly bizarre if you really believe what you’re saying. Is there a cynical bone in your body?
“This was a medium to slightly long post by sic(k) willie. Indicating more than average cr@p.”
–Which justifies multiple maniacal responses in a execrable attempt at sarcasm? BTW: How many of the responses are from the same person?
“Therefore the upstate republican will always vote for a candidate such as Sen Graham, that is, one which allows them to get the big government they want but without selling out to “those folks across town” who vote for democrats. Or as those I know in the SCV like to say,”democrat-it’s new for the N word”.”
–Ad hominem attacks sprinkled among nonsense. Reminds me of cancerous polyps and the other stuff that fills up a person’s colon.
“See…the communists come out fast when you hit a nereve!!! Thanks..This fake military agenda must be exposed.The Truman Project and all its Communist affiliates must be exposed….we need tons of attentin and articles to this!!”
–Now THIS is supposed to be a knee-slapper, eh? Oh, how droll! The irony absolutely KILLS me.
“The bigger statewide problem is all the Yankee carpetbaggers that invade our legislature, i.e., Davis, Ryberg, Mulvaney, etc. not to mention the chief carpetbagger in the Governor’s mansion.”
–Is any of that justifiable by the data available?
“Will- As a hunter and as a war time veteran, I can tell you I support anything we can do to clean up this environmental mess we have. Yes, I am more than willing to pay $1,700 more a year if it will ease the burden on generations to come.”
–Now if this response isn’t perfect tongue-in-cheek satire of the cap and trade corporate welfare bill, someone REALLY needs help!
–”Drayton” was one of the very few making any sense. He was both on topic and more than capable of stringing together coherent thoughts in his sentences:
“As a result, it comes as no surprise that Sen. Graham and Congressman Bob Inglis would tend to swallow the propaganda on global warming without hesitation.”