Carolina Politics Online

Man, this thing is getting huge!  Mark Lutz, a managing partner of the technology company Virtual Factory Inc. based in Quincy, Massachusetts is the eighth Republican to jump into the race to replace Congressman Henry Brown.  According to the Post and Courier, Lutz intends to focus on his lack of political experience as one of his strengths against his many opponents.  We are supposed to have a citizen legislature, after all.  The article also notes that Lutz is a supporter of the Fair Tax, a plan that would eliminate the Federal Income Tax and replace with a national sales tax.

Lutz makes the twelfth candidate to join this Congressional race, along with seven other Republicans, three Democrats, and one Independence Party candidate.  The current crop of candidates are:

• Councilman Ryan Buckhannon (R)
• Col. Robert Burton (D)
• Carroll “Tumpy” Campbell III (R)
• Robert Dobbs (D)
• Katherine Jenerette (R)
• Charleston County School Board member Larry Kobrovsky (R)
• State Representative Tim Scott (R)
• Councilman Paul Thurmond (R)
• Dick Withington (D)
• Stovall Witte (R)
• Jimmy Wood (I)

Paul Thurmond, son of the late Senator Strom Thurmond, a very controversial figure in American history, but beloved politician of South Carolinians, has decided to throw his hat into the ring to get the Republican nomination to replace the retiring Congressman Henry Brown.

Paul Thurmond is only 34 years old, but his father died in 2003 at age 100, which means Strom was incredibly old when he fathered his son.

Thurmond joins an ever crowding primary which includes Katherine Jenerette, Carroll “Tumpy” Campbell III, and Isle of Palms of Councilman Ryan Buckhannon.

This information is courtesy of The Hill.

Apparently, I was correct in my speculation that Brown’s Democratic challenger in 2008, Linda Ketner, is exploring the possibility of a second bid for the seat now that Mr. Brown is thankfully retiring.  Ketner is reported to make a decision within the next week as to whether she will pursue the seat again.  I think her entry can make it a more  competitive race, but should she choose not to run I think whoever wins the GOP nomination will cruise into Election Day rather easily.  The Democrats don’t seem to have anyone else who I would consider to be a top tier candidate.  Ketner’s hesitancy is a concern over the national political environment right now and it’s a valid concern.  As each week passes the political atmosphere is becoming more hostile to the Democrats, practically a complete reversal from what we’ve seen in the last two election cycles.  In fact it’s become so hostile that the current U.S. Senate race to fill the late Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat in the reliably Democratic state of Massachusetts has actually become competitive according to polling.  If Ketner runs I think she will have to distance herself from the radical leadership of her party and paint herself as more of an independent Democrat who won’t be afraid to say no to Nancy Pelosi if it’s in the interest of her constituents, a quality we haven’t seen from Mr. Spratt up here in York County.

On the Republican side the field is much more diverse.  Three Republicans have already officially declared their candidacies.  They are Reagan conservative Katherine Jenerette, Carroll “Tumpy” Campbell III, and Isle of Palms city councilman Ryan Buckhannon.  Buckhannon and I go “way back.”  According to The Hill, the late Senator Strom Thurmond’s son Paul Thurmond is also considering entering the fray.  It’s hard to say who would be the early front runner in this crowded of a field.  Jenerette is definitely the anti-establishment candidate and I could see her ginning up the support of the tea party movement.  Campbell and Thurmond could both gain the support of the local and national GOP as they would be “insiders” due to their family ties.  I don’t think  Buckhannon will go very far in the race. I just don’t think that a small town councilman will be able to compete in a race with such high profile names in the running.

So this could shape up to be a very captivating House race when it is all said and done.  It will all depend on where the chips fall and the decisions made within the coming weeks.  We’ll keep our eyes and ears open.

Republican U.S. Rep. Henry Brown, a farm boy who rose to became one of South Carolina’s most powerful politicians, announced Monday he will not seek a sixth term in Congress so he can spend more time with his family.

“While this has been a difficult decision to make, I’m convinced that this is the right time for me to step down,” Brown said in a statement.

The LA Times

And I couldn’t be happier to see him go.  Brown is another glutinous “earmarker” wasting away our tax dollars on piggish pork to bribe his way into reelection after reelection.  A fresh new face is needed and Brown’s retirement will undoubtedly bring out multiple candidates on both sides of the aisle.  Reagan conservative Katherine Jenerette has already declared her candidacy for a second attempt at the seat.  I’m curious to wait and see if Brown’s Democratic challenger from 2008, Linda Ketner, will reconsider a bid now that Brown is out.

The National Journal cites a few other potential Republican candidates including Carroll “Tumpy” Campbell III, Isle of Palms councilman Ryan Buckhannon, and attorney Mark Fava.

I guess that means Councilman Buckhannon will now have more time on his hands to walk the beaches looking for illegal sand castles.

This article on the mayoral race in the Isle of Palms just happened to catch my eye.  One of the candidates running is city councilman Ryan Buckhannon.  You may remember him as the sandcastle sentry whom I wrote about almost a year ago over the proposed ordinance to fine people for not knocking down their sandcastles.  He replied rather irately and then attempted to deny that he even sat on the committee that made the proposal, even though the Isle of Palms’ government Web site listed him as a member.

Anyway, this election is about to wrap up as I write this.  We’ll see who wins.  In the meantime, have a flashback to March 2008 and be amused.

Update:  The race is headed to a run off.

I was in Columbus, OH the past few days and drove back to Charlotte this afternoon.  Just outside of Columbus the guy on the radio started talking about Isle of Palms Councilman Ryan Buckhannon’s quixotic bill to fine people hundreds of dollars for not knocking down their sand castles at the beach.  Apparently, the councilman isn’t going to be a laughing stock just in South Carolina.  His stupidity has made it to the national airwaves.

ISLE OF PALMS – Building in the sand is free, but beach lovers who leave their castles behind could soon pay the price.

Under a new proposal, beachcombers could get a $128 to $500 ticket for not flattening sand castles and not filling in holes when they’re through. City leaders intend to discuss the proposal more in the next month.

Isle of Palms City Councilman Ryan Buckhannon, who sits on the public safety committee that formulated the law’s first draft, said the provision is part of a bigger proposal aimed at stopping droves of tourists from leaving items and large holes behind.

“It’s a disposable world now,” he said.

Tourists often abandon their tents, coolers and surfboards for others to enjoy. The proposed law would require people to pick up after themselves and knock over sand castles before leaving the area.

Buckhannon said the holes are the real problem. A police officer recently fell into a hole and twisted an ankle. Councilman Michael Loftus said he knows of others who have done the same while walking the beach at night.

The Post and Courier

Somewhere a village is missing its idiot.  That dim witted boob would be Ryan Buckhannon and Isle of Palms anointed him City Councilman. There is always some twit in government who thinks its their responsibility to pass a law to solve every single teeny tiny issue that pops up.

I can perfectly understand having policies enforced to keep people from leaving stuff on the beach and trashing it up. That’s absolutely acceptable, but sandcastles? His proposal is so idiotic someone should have just slapped some sense back into him, assuming there was any there to begin with, when he brought the inane proposal forward. The clear irrationality of how this would even be enforced should shame the man with gargantuan embarrassment. Will the Isle of Palms pay police officers to stand on the beach all day monitoring the building and demolition of every six year old child’s sandcastle? If they have the time to do that then they have too many law officers on the force.

If I had read this without knowing what paper it came from, I would have assumed that this was a parody from The Onion.