It’s Always Something: January 2012

Friday, January 27, 2012

Governor Haley promises to help Business in SC by fighting agains Unions.

In Greenville, South Carolina Governor Haley spoke at the first annual "ecoplosion" (Economy Explosion?), promising to keep South Carolina attractive to Business by--among other things--enacting harsher regulations against Labor Unions.
The Greenville News, 1-27-2012

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

ZAIS DON'T CARE

SC's Secretary of Education Refuses Federal Money

(story from Free-Times)

http://www.free-times.com/index.php?cat=1992912064017974&ShowArticle_ID=11011701121303535

Monday, January 23, 2012

CARTOON: GOP DILEMMA reprise in light of Santorum's failure to correct supporter...

GOP Dilemma:UNINFORMED SUPPORTERS:

Senator McCain corrected one at a rally in 2008:

Today, Rick Santorum did NOT correct a woman who said the POTUS is "a Muslim," and and "illegal President." Santorum laughed, as if agreeing with her.

Are Republican candidates so anxious to identify with the anger permeating their party that they are willing to allow lies about the President become part of the rhetoric?

(even more) DRAWINGS from CHARLESTON, Jan 19-20

Andrea Mitchell and Eugene Robinson on "Morning Joe" Friday, Jan 20, 2012...

When Robinson appeared on the set, the crowd started chanting: "Orangeburg, Orangeburg!"

(Orangeburg, SC, is his hometown--and mine.)

Robinson grinned and looked happy to acknowledge the audience's enthusiasm.

I was too busy drawing to chant, but it really surprised me to be pretty well surrounded by Democrats in the "Morning Joe" peanut gallery at the Mills House in Charleston.

In fact, during a commercial break, Joe Scarborough asked, "How many of you are Democrats?

The cheers were deafening.

I could see it surprised Joe, too.

State Representative Bakari Sellers of Denmark, SC ...

Calmly presented a strong and cogent argument for his views--even when challenged by the State GOP Chairman (who was not in my line of sight).
It was hard for me to see Rep. Sellers, too--I had to peer around a post to draw him.
My son and daughter both called me during the "Morning Joe" show--one of them told me to stop sticking my head around that post--it looked funny on TV!

South Carolina's Inimitable James Clyburn--third-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives
(also from Orangeburg!)

Living proof that one need not be disagreeable to disagree. Clyburn is well-known and obviously well-liked by the pundits. He makes the case for his Democratic constituency with authority and humor.

Writer Joe Klein, who, as a TIME reporter covering the 1992 Primary, wrote the book PRIMARY COLORS under the pseudonym "Anonymous."

That book was turned into one of my favorite movies--written and directed by Mike Nichols--with gorgeous music by Ry Cooder. A wonderful cast led by John Travolta and Emma Thompson make this a must-see political movie.
Klein is a rather sardonic political observer who never forgets that something could always go wrong.

Mika Brzezinski, co-host of "Morning Joe,"
is the daughter of Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was Jimmy Carter's Foreign Policy advisor. The show works because she is a strong advocate for her mostly liberal viewpoint. Joe Scarborough the "Joe" of Morning Joe" is a quite conservative former congressman from Florida. He is is passionate, articulate, and very funny. He is also given to long rants about politics. Mika is a good counterpoint to that.
It is no secret on the show that Joe and Mika attended a speech by Newt Gingrich some months ago, and that, during the speech, Gingrich--with Mika and Joe in the first couple of rows--declared that Jimmy Carter's foreign policy was "the Worst Ever...(the way Newt "superlatives" everything)."
Joe was so angry he got up and walked out. Mika stayed for the whole speech.

Charleston, South Carolina's own Stephen Colbert
This is a really bad drawing because Colbert has such a mobile face that it is almost impossible to draw him from life. Especially when he is not in character: playing a serious, self-important TV Pundicator.
(I made up that last word. Copyright, Colbert...)
He is doing a superb job of exposing the newly legal, easily corrupted SuperPACs who can collect unlimited money from anonymous donors and bury the opponents of their chosen candidates in negative ads as long as the SuperPACs don't "coordinate" with their chosen candidates.
Colbert was running for "President of the United States of South Carolina" last weekend--using Herman Cain as his stalking horse, because he couldn't get his own name on the ballot.
My old high school friends in Charleston know his family. At one of our beach gatherings, one of them said, "My cousin says that her son-in-law is the toast of New York."
What's his name?" I asked.
"Stephen Colbert," she answered, not using the French pronunciation.
I made them all stay up and watch his show that night.