Senate Goes South

American Spectator ^ | 08/05/03 | The Prowler

[Pokey78]

THE CLINCHER
It wasn't really a surprise that South Carolina Sen. Fritz Hollings yesterday announced he won't run for re-election next year. What was surprising was how old he seemed in doing so. "He was practically unintelligible," says a reporter who read a transcript of the now-senior senator's remarks. "He couldn't put two sentences together that made any sense."

Hollings was not gracious about his exit. He called President Bush "weak" and as much as said that the president was a puppet of adviser Karl Rove.

Senate Democrats in recent weeks had begged Hollings to reconsider his decision, in part because of concerns that the party was facing an already brutal 2004 campaign cycle.

Hollings will retire next year having served as his state's senior senator for all of two years. The 81-year-old spent more than a record 35 years in the Senate as a junior senator by dint of the fact that he followed in Sen. Strom Thurmond's footsteps.

As The Prowler reported earlier this year, Hollings appeared to be leaning toward retirement since he hadn't held a fundraiser for himself this campaign cycle. His making it official all but guarantees that Democrats will not regain control of the Senate in 2004. The Republicans, who face tough campaigns in Alaska and Illinois, are assured better than 50-50 shots at making up those seats in Georgia, where Sen. Zell Miller is retiring, and now in South Carolina. Rep. Jim DeMint is a favorite for the Republican nomination, along with the state's former attorney general Charlie Condon.

Former Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges was thought to be a strong option on the Democratic side, though already several other state politicians are studying the race.


CAROLINA STATE OF MIND
There is a belief inside the presidential campaign of Sen. John Edwards that he reaching a point where, as one staffer put it, "he will have to either fish or cut the line altogether." This after Rep. Dick Gephardt identified South Carolina as a critical state for his own political future, as well as that for gaining the full endorsement of the AFL-CIO membership.

Gephardt, who received an endorsement from the Teamsters late last week, is trolling for further union support in South Carolina, a state whose industrial base has been hammered for decades by free trade initiatives and the like. Edwards had been focusing much his attention on South Carolina, expecting that as a Southerner, and a native son, an early win here would propel him deep into the abbreviated Democratic primary season.

But Gephardt's need to get as much union backing as he can to ensure his campaign's survival has seen him turn his attention to the South. "Iowa is in decent shape," says a Gephardt adviser. "Dean and Kerry will be a handful, but we have the organization there. Now we focus on South Carolina."

Some Democrats are encouraging Edwards to pull back and to prepare his Senate re-election campaign in North Carolina, where he is expected to face a strong challenged from Republicans.

"It's getting to the point where the Senate races are looking pretty grim," says a Democratic Senate staffer. "We've lost Miller, Hollings, we may lose Edwards and maybe even Graham [in Florida]. That's getting close to giving the Republicans a real shot at 60 if everything breaks right. We know it won't, but still. If Edwards wants a future in this party, he may have to swallow his pride and think about the bigger picture."

[Lunatic Fringe]

I dont think we'll hit 60 in 2004, but we will sure get close. I think the Senate will end up 55-44-1 in 2004.

[Lancey Howard]

"He was practically unintelligible," says a reporter who read a transcript of the now-senior senator's remarks. "He couldn't put two sentences together that made any sense."

"Dayaz too much un-intelligibility goin' on out daya."
This writer could just as easily be talking about Byrd.

[Lancey Howard]

I dont think we'll hit 60 in 2004, but we will sure get close. I think the Senate will end up 55-44-1 in 2004.

This is the year that we need to have everything break our way. The future of the country is at stake. We need 60 Senators in order to get judges who respect the Constitution confirmed. If we can confirm enough judges who have respect for the law and for the Constitution, that would just kill the Democrats and their agenda of destroying traditional America and its families. We need to go whole hog THIS YEAR.

[Graybeard58]

Sen. Zell Miller is retiring? Damn and I thought he was the only dem who acted like he had a little sense.

[jagrmeister]

I think your estimate is on target. I see us losing Illinois and Alaska, but picking up Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and two of the following: Nevada, South Dakota, Arkansas, or Florida. I'm seeing us at 54 or 55 seats.

[votelife]

if the Alaska woman can tie ANWR around the head of the Dem nominee and pledge to support Bush's nominees, then I think we can hold Alaska...Bush can definitely make a few key visits to Alaska also.

[wimpycat]

The reporter obviously doesn't speak Southern. I saw some rebroadcasts of excerpts of his speech, and I understood every word, even if he is from Charleston.

[jagrmeister]

How do you see ANWR playing out? Is there a way to convince Alaskans that Knowles would be put under the thumb of national Democrats, just like every Democrat who goes to Washington, on the ANWR issue?

[votelife]

I expect a LOT of anwr ads in Alaska saying that a vote for Knowles is a vote for Dashcle/Democrats who have repeatedly blocked Anwr.

If the race is in doubt, I think Bush will go, especially if the overall race is looking good (kind of tough to go to Alaska).