South Carolina Ping
Posted on 12/15/2005 9:23:54 AM PST by PJ-Comix
COLUMBIA-One day after Carroll A. Campbell Jr. died, a Democratic party operative tried to post on the Internet remarks accusing the former governor of being part of a racist mob 35 years ago, prompting a political firestorm.
Phil Bailey, political director for the Senate Democratic Caucus, apologized for the comments he submitted to a political Web site and offered his resignation to Sen. John Land, the Democratic leader.
Land rejected the resignation, calling the 25-year-old's actions "a youthful indiscretion."
But Campbell's friends, state Republican Party leaders and even high-ranking Democrats criticized Land for not firing Bailey. They said the remarks smear the two-term governor who suffered a fatal heart attack Dec. 7 at the age of 65.
The uproar stems from a submission Bailey made Dec. 8 to Laurinline, a Web log, or blog, popular among South Carolina political observers.
"Gov. Campbell also will be remember (sic) for teaching South Carolina how many white boys it took to tip over a school bus full of black children in Timmonsville in the late '60s," Bailey wrote. "I hope Saint Peter asked him about that incident."
South Carolina historians said the comments were historically inaccurate. While Campbell led a rally from Greenville to Columbia against forced busing in January 1970, he was in no way connected to an incident in March 1970 when a mob overturned a school bus in Lamar.
That's part of the reason Laurin Manning, a University of South Carolina law student who moderates the site, refused to post Bailey's comments. "I have to accept responsibility for everything on the site whether or not I write it," she said. "I delete comments that are inappropriate."
The text of the submission was obtained by The Post and Courier and later verified by Manning.
Bailey wrote as "anonymous," but the origin was traced to a computer at the South Carolina Democratic Party.
When asked about the submission, Democratic officials identified Bailey as the source.
"He does not work for the South Carolina Democratic Party. The Senate Democratic Caucus is a separate entity that rents office space across the hall and uses our computer system," said Lachlan McIntosh, executive director. "This is disgusting, outrageous and factually wrong."
McIntosh said Bailey was taken off the system Tuesday after he discovered a previous case in which Bailey posted comments on the Internet favoring Clearwater Sen. Tommy Moore over Florence Mayor Frank Willis in the Democratic 2006 gubernatorial campaign. The party does not favor candidates in a primary and Democratic officials formally apologized to Willis.
Bailey said Wednesday he was "sorry for any continued pain I have caused the Campbell family, their friends and supporters."
"I let my worst partisan instincts get the best of my judgment and for that I am deeply sorry," he said.
Land put Bailey on probation but said, "I'm not ready to cast him aside for one mistake."
Campbell's former chief-of-staff Warren Tompkins said Land's actions "amount to a slap on the wrist."
"It's outrageous that Mr. Bailey would slander and libel the good memory of a great governor who has recently been laid to rest," said Tompkins, a GOP consultant.
Tompkins, Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson and even Moore, a Democrat, said Bailey deserved to be fired.
"I would accept his resignation," Moore said. "That is despicable, obviously not true and way out of bounds." He said the entire Senate Democratic Caucus would likely reconsider Bailey's continued employment soon.
Contact John Frank at (803) 799-9051 or jbfrank@postand courier.com.
So Bailey a little dirty tricks sneak. What is his DUmmie Screen Name?
Democrats celebrate death.
SC4Bush
Apparently not familiar with anonymizer.com.
And apparently not smart enough to trot down to the library and send his message from hotmail or yahoo.
I wonder what this will mean to KKK Byrd.?
Disgusting double standard. First Michael Steele, now this, among countless other incidents. If the perpetrators of any of these 'dirty tricks' were conservatives they would be in deep doo-doo in their own party. No conscience on the left.
South Carolina is exactly the wrong state for the evil donkey to pull a stunt like this. I might lead to even more new Republican officer holders and provide a perfect excuse for worried rats to jump parties saying they were "embarrassed and dismayed" by the whole thing.
You mean the state that gave us Flimbsy Graham? Talk about a RINO that needs a clue by four injection!
Sounds like Phil Bailey "made his bones" in the dem party
LOL. You're quick!
Hmm.
Maybe we should not accept this statement, "When asked about the submission, Democratic officials identified Bailey as the source" at face value.
It seems a bit too coonvenient to blame this on some kid who "...does not work for the South Carolina Democratic Party."
I wondered about that too. Something fishy here.
The left LOVES to try and paint southerners as racists. But I lived for 42 years in New York, Boston and Connecticut and heard waaaay more racist remarks in the northeast than I've ever heard in the south.
Certain Democrats just don't have any shame nor decency. This is the same type of behavior that was displayed for the whole notion to see during the funeral of the Senator from Minnesotta, a funeral that turned into a political rally.
bump
If the law student didn't allow it to be posted to the site, how or rather who leaked it to the press...
Peach, I never knew what bigotry was until I lived up north - Pennsylvania. It was very strange living up there, down here you interacted with blacks on a daily basis no matter what job they or you held. I didn't see a single black the whole time I lived up north and that was for two years.
"morally reprehensible or downright mean!"
Like "This is disgusting, outrageous and factually wrong" and that was said by a Democrat official.
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