Last friday, my Senator in the South Carolina State Senate, Kevin Bryant (R-Anderson) posted a ridiculous picture to his campaign blog. He's getting a lot of media play out of it, mostly negative.
It got picked up by The Hill, Wonkette, and The Huffington Post and made it's way all the way up to MSNBC yesterday. The local NBC & CBS affiliates are going to have stories on tonight's news.
Watch as David Shuster essentially calls this GOP shill a coward for not coming on air to defend his blog post:
I'm writing this diary because there is a good Democrat running against this Republican and he needs our support. His name is Marshall Meadors and he just issued a press release standing up against Kevin Bryant and standing with Barack Obama. All of this, in a district that went over 60% Bush in 2004.
"On Friday, July 18, my opponent, Kevin Bryant, posted a tasteless, inappropriate picture on his blog depicting Osama Bin Laden and Barack Obama as being separated only by a little BS. The posting has been picked up by national news services and blogs and is now being sent around the world on the internet.
"Not only is this offensive to all Americans and shows extreme insensitivity regarding the old racial and cultural stereotypes we have been struggling to change, but it also brings ridicule to South Carolina and the people of Anderson County. It is the same kind of poor judgment we have seen over the last four years and shows Mr. Bryant’s complete lack of understanding of the issues that are of real importance to the people of Anderson County and South Carolina: education, health care, economic development and the environment."
Meadors continued, "This lack of good judgment and the atmosphere it creates are reasons I am running for the State Senate. My opponent’s actions show a kind of political arrogance that has created an atmosphere where politics takes precedence over policy. This preoccupation with political advantage at the expense of substantive dialogue on the issues illustrates why we are making such slow progress with the improvement of our public schools, the provision of health care, the creation of new jobs and the protection of our natural resources. It is conduct unbefitting any elected official, particularly a member of the South Carolina Senate."
He continued, "When elected, I will spend my time in the Senate seeking to earn the trust of Andersonians and South Carolinians by working to improve our State and create opportunities for our families. I am determined to see improvement in our public schools; provide access to our health care for approximately 700,000 uninsured or under insured individuals in our state; bring new and higher paying jobs to Anderson and South Carolina; and put policies in place to protect our natural resources and environment. It is time for a change and a new direction in Columbia."
To tell you more about Marshall Meadors, he's a physician who has been practicing in our community for about 20 years and has been active in almost every community and cultural benefit during that time. He is focusing his campaign on education, healthcare, and economic growth while his opponent is obsessed with all the usual social issues in the Republican's bag of tricks.
Consider making a contribution to Dr. Meadors. He needs our support for standing with Barack Obama.
Here are the fundraising numbers in the race so far:
Bryant (R) - $21,853 during Q2, $70,408 cycle, $65,378 cash on hand.
Meadors (D) - $50,047 during Q2, $57,301 cycle, $25,327 cash on hand.
Senator Bryant has been able to build up that money for the past for years, but Dr. Meadors has come in with guns blazing - doubling the incumbent's fundraising during the last quarter.
Please consider helping him out. I know a state senate race in South Carolina isn't the most exciting, but send a little if you can. Democrats in the South need to get the message: Stand with Obama!