Posted on 09/15/2008 2:06:01 PM PDT by upchuck
CAYCE -- On a recent Thursday evening, the South Carolina Democrat sharing the top of state ballots with Barack Obama strode through a restaurant parking lot where the bumper stickers featured the presidential candidacies of Ron Paul, Bob Barr and Chuck Baldwin.
Inside the family eatery just outside Columbia, a mix of independents, Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and Constitution Party members waited. A smattering of members of Southern heritage groups were in attendance. Copies of "Free the South: A Blueprint for Peaceful and Legal Secession," rested on a couple of tables.
In a year when South Carolina voter registration shot up because of Obama's candidacy, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Bob Conley is a decidedly odd fit. It's a role the 43-year-old engineer and flight instructor seems to relish.
"The job of a U.S. senator is to represent his state and the interests of his state and that means the people of the state," said Conley, sporting his trademark flattop haircut and a striped tie. "And that means we go around and we talk to folks of all different strata and philosophy because my job in January is to represent these folks in Washington."
For all his talk of diverse backers, Conley is a man without a base.
He once ran as a Republican for an Indiana state House seat, then bolted for the Reform Party. After moving to North Myrtle Beach, he joined his local GOP committee and backed Ron Paul in this year's South Carolina presidential primary. Five months later, he won a lackluster contest to become the Democratic pick to face powerhouse Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham in November.
"He is naive and inexperienced," state Democratic Party Chairwoman Carol Fowler said last week. "I'm not sure where his votes are coming from."
Conley is not publicly endorsing Obama -- that's his personal business, he said, adding that his dream ticket would be led by Pat Buchanan, with Paul as vice president. When asked where he thinks he'll draw support considering his party's leaders don't appear to like him, Conley shoots back, "Democrats, Republican, Libertarians and vegetarians."
"I think the American people and the people of South Carolina are recognizing there's a certain strata in the political class that doesn't represent them," Conley said.
Conley met Paul, the candidate who brought him back to the GOP, after the primary and Paul congratulated him, but won't be publicly backing him against Graham. "He's not endorsing against incumbent Republicans as a matter of policy," Paul spokesman Jesse Benton said.
"It's something we really weren't expecting," Conley says. He's not empty handed, though. The campaign says it picked up an endorsement from Baldwin, the Constitution Party's nominee.
He doesn't pull any punches when talking about Graham, who has emerged this election season as John McCain's wing man. Conley calls him McCain's "mini-me" and "personal valet and bag boy." Conley talks of the need for energy independence, getting out of Iraq, and warns of a North American union of Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.
A sign of that shows up in North Carolina's newly issued driver's licenses, which have a hologram that outlines North America. "And it's just part of this drive to eliminate our sovereignty and make us part of this new world order that (former President) George Bush was talking about 17 years ago," Conley says.
It all resonates among the three dozen people in the Lizard's Thicket dining room.
"I'd vote for him any day over Lindsey," said Dean Weems, a Lugoff resident who believes Graham went too far in backing illegal immigration legislation that was decried as offering amnesty. "He just votes his mind without regard for the people."
Graham campaign manager Scott Farmer declined to respond to the criticism. For now, Graham's campaign also has not committed to meeting Conley in any pre-election debate. It's a logical move that potentially quashes free publicity for a challenger who finished his primary with a $3,692 debt and $983 cash on hand. Graham had $3.6 million to spend.
The dinner meeting ends with Conley's campaign passing around brown, plastic bread baskets. They come back with a couple of $20s, loads of singles and some checks. Someone brings out a cake and the crowd sings "Happy Birthday" in a week-late recognition of Conley's 43rd.
That he has zero interest in representing us was more than proved last summer when he conspired with McCain, Kennedy (the swimmer) and others to try and ram through a most unpopular amnesty for illegal aliens. We were all screaming NO! Graham totally ignored us. We crashed the Senate switchboard with our tremendous volume of calls. Graham totally ignored us.
If Graham is not going to represent us then he needs to go.
This November, for the first, and I hope last, time in my life I'm going to vote for a Democrat, Bob Conley, to replace Graham.
Please consider joining me. We all agree that one of the most serious problems in Washington is the entrenched insiders that get elected over and over and over and... Here's a chance to make a difference.
Bob Conley represents a real challenge to Graham. I briefed Witherspoon on the immigration issue. He wound up with 33% of the vote in the primary. Conley is far better on immigration than Graham. This race may be closer than some think. If I lived in SC, I would be very tempted to vote for Conley.
Where Waffle House patrons eat after hitting the lottery. :)
Grahmnesty was reportedly pushing McCain really hard to name Lieberman VP.
Besides being a worthless RINO turd, Grahmnesty has always seemed rather light in the loafers to me ...
WoW...talk about bite off your nose to spite your face.
I'm one of those "loud folks" that Lindsay told to "Shut up!"
Screw you, Light Loafers!
I'm one of those "loud folks" that Lindsay told to "Shut up!"
Screw you, Light Loafers!
F(r)agmeister ping!
Sorry upchuck, I loathe Lindsey about as much as I do Obama but there is no way I can vote for a democrat. I told my dad some time back that if he ran for office as a dem that I would not vote for him, and I meant it. I wrote in another thread that it makes it easier if you vote straight repub and that way you don’t have to actually make a ck mark by Lindsey’s name.
Sorry for the double post. Either FR, or my laptop is screwing up.
He’s being bi-partisan just like your boy McLiberal by voting with the ‘Rats. Quite the Maverick doncha know.
Agreed, voting for a Democrat is not smart. I will have to vote for Grahamnesty but I expect we will be rid of him if McCain wins as McCain is likely to award him a cabinet position. Then Gov. Sanford can appoint a real conservative and straighten out the Grahamnesty mess.
Those of you taking me to task for voting for a RAT may be unaware that Graham himself has said Conley is more conservative than he is. Sorry I don’t have a link to that.
We’re also the people he called bigots. I’ve never regretted voting for any candidate until him and I don’t intend to do it again.
BUMP!
He doesn't pull any punches when talking about Graham, who has emerged this election season as John McCain's wing man. Conley calls him McCain's "mini-me" and "personal valet and bag boy." Conley talks of the need for energy independence, getting out of Iraq, and warns of a North American union of Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.
Finally! Someone calling out Lindsey for what he really is: Juan McQueeg's bitch and effeminate manservant.
In Rome, the Senators had their own “body servants”.
There are conservatives still left within the Democrat Party?!!!!
Where are they and who are they?
So far as I have seen they have been silent as church mice on the slandering of Sarah Palin.
Read the article from The Post and Courier in Charleston just a few days ago.
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