Everything is falling into place in South Carolina and the Democrats are smelling blood in their quest to maintain control of Fritz Hollings Senate seat. Inez Tenenbaum thoroughly trounced Jim DeMint in their second to last debate last evening, in which she took him to task for his right wing ideological views on well, just about everything.
The best part is that the newspapers agree with her. Today the Sun News from Myrtle Beach endorsed her candidacy. The typically conservative area that is one of the nation's tourist hostspots would be especially hurt by the radical 23% national sales tax that DeMint has cosponsored. In their endorsement, the Sun News also notes that DeMint's judgement should be brought into question with his recent comments about unwed pregnant women and homosexuals being unfit to teach in the public schools and then his reluctance to apologize.
The flagship newspaper in South Carolina,
The State added weight to Tenenbaum's momentum by endorsing her. Her experience as Superintendent in which she was able to cross the aisle and work with both parties to enact legislation, bring accountability, and effect positive change to a school system that has been in need of major reform. In a partisan atsmosphere, she has been able to excel.
In Brad Warthen's article in the The State, he notes that "we found it disturbing the way he kept intimating that the only way anything good could ever get done in Washington is if the Republicans are in control. As one of my colleagues noted, this ignores the fact that to achieve positive changes that will fly with the public, either party really needs to line up bipartisan support. It also dismissed the idea that a Democrat could ever want to do anything good. This is repugnant."
He goes on: "By contrast, Mrs. Tenenbaum has spent the last six years achieving impressive gains on most measures of educational improvement (those few statistics Mr. DeMint loves to cite out of context notwithstanding), and done so as a Democrat in a state where the Republicans control the State House. She has embraced Republican ideas -- the Education Accountability Act, No Child Left Behind -- and made them work for South Carolina students, in spite of great reluctance and even resistance within the education establishment. (By contrast, Mr. DeMint has never had to actually implement any of the grand theories he and his fellow ideologues in the House espouse.)
In light of this record, it is a foul slander to suggest that she is some sort of Nancy Pelosi in conservative's clothing."
Lee Bandy , the dean of political reporting in South Carolina, notes in his column that: The Greenville congressman has exercised poor judgment, contracted a bad case of hoof-in-mouth disease and allowed his Democratic opponent, Inez Tenenbaum, to get under his skin.
"It has been amateur hour," says Francis Marion University political scientist Neal Thigpen, a GOP activist.DeMint's troubles began with his embrace of a proposal to abolish most federal taxes and replace them with a 23 percent national sales tax. Critics said it was a dumb idea to bring up in the middle of an election campaign."
Bandy who is known for speaking his mind goes on: Last Sunday, DeMint appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" with Tenenbaum.
Big mistake.
Moderator Tim Russert made mincemeat of the congressman.
DeMint sounded like a broken record. He had a standard reply to any question about whether gays should be allowed to teach: "That's a local school board matter."
Over and over."
So let's summarize, Jim DeMint's campaign has been called "repugnant", oversimplified, "amateur hour", a case of poor judgement, he was turned into mincemeat, and two of the South Carolina's most influential newspapers have whole heartedly endorsed Inez who they describe as independent, capable, strong, and willing to work with anyone for the betterment of her constituents.
Verge of history here folks.