For those of you unfamiliar with his work, reporter Wayne Washington over at The (Columbia, S.C.) State newspaper is a great fiction writer … particularly when he’s on the subject of higher education.
Seriously … he’s like a friggin’ advertorial for South Carolina’s failed higher ed system, which continues to do less with more (of parents’ and taxpayers’ money) as it gets a free ride from the state’s legacy media.
Anyway, while Washington deserves most of the grief he gets (he’s the quintessential liberal reporter, people), we almost feel sorry for him today as he endures the wrath of S.C. Senator Robert Ford – who vented his spleen in a three-page letter to the reporter on Monday.
What did Washington do to get Ford so pissed off?
Well, he didn’t mention the Senator in a story he wrote last month about the James E. Clyburn Transportation Center – a multi-million dollar boondoggle on the campus of S.C. State University that is being audited by the state. We covered this issue last month, and included Ford in our headline by virtue of his status as the lawmaker who initiated the audit request.
“Like most issues that I have initiated since I have been a State Senator, the State Newspaper has found it convenient not to report on the issue,” Ford writes Washington.
Ford then launches into a brief history of his involvement in the civil rights movement as well as the role he has played in numerous political issues which he claims “have been deliberately ignored by the State Newspaper because they were attached to Robert Ford.”
“I don’t care what (State publisher) Mark Lett and (editoral page editor) Cind(i) Ross Scoppe tell you with bigotry and their elitist attitudes; it is your job to interview the initiator of the news,” Ford continues.
Ford wraps up his diatribe by letting Washington know his place on the civil rights totem pole.
“All you had to do in life is show-up and the silver platter was available to you because of the work and commitment of people like Robert Ford,” he writes.
Wow.
As much as we like Ford – and have praised him in the past for his courage on issues like parental choice – he’s clearly out of line here. Washington deserves plenty of criticism (and he probably should have included Ford in the story, too) but wethinks Ford doth protest too much.
WEB EXTRA
Robert Ford’s Letter to Wayne Washington
By Cherie August 18, 2010 at 3:35 pm
The white senators play Ford like a violin.
They feed Ford watermelon and fried chicken and — yaw-sah — he votes whatever way they tell him to.
He no more represents his constituents than the man in the moon.
By dufarge August 18, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Ford says he wants people to remember him? Oh, but I do. He’s the Dem who sent a letter to African American voters to endorse not the Dem candidate for Senate in District 18, but Rep Andre Bauer. I think we should call him DR Ford, as in Dem?Rep, he just doesn’t know for sure until whoever has the $ shows up to tell him.
By Darth August 19, 2010 at 9:40 am
dufaerg, when Robert came to SC we was indeed a Big R Republican, of the party of Lincoln. Alas Darth Ford was seduced by the Democrat side of the farce, maybe at the hands of the sith lord Darth Riley.
On the same count wasn’t Robert in the mix with Emperor Riley that endorsed Lindsey Graham in ’08 since the Democrat nominee wouldn’t support Obama? just askin’
By Mikey August 19, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Let’s not leave out Roddie Burris and Warren Bolton while we are bashing the State. Those don’t have 2 independent Boucher between them.
Maaaaaaan sheeeeeeeet
By General Washington August 19, 2010 at 8:53 pm
It is so wonderful
To be blessed with radiant beauty
A genius mind,
To be a winner that welcomes
Success with an unshakable faith
That battle all the odds,
To know your place in the world
And be in touch with who you are
To be an ambassador to love
With an unlimited talent,
To possess strong nurturing powers,
Sharing joy and peace to all,
To be a compliment to your
male counterpart, family and
friends, giving support
and understanding as needed
It is so wonderful
to be a woman.
-Sen Robert Ford