SC

2013 Vote: “Mayorhood” Reelected In Columbia SC

Columbia, S.C. mayor Steve Benjamin was reelected by a broad margin in this week’s municipal election in South Carolina’s Capital City – which came as a shock to no one given his commanding lead in the polls. The incumbent thrashed challenger Moe Baddourah by a whopping 64-36 percent margin –…

Columbia, S.C. mayor Steve Benjamin was reelected by a broad margin in this week’s municipal election in South Carolina’s Capital City – which came as a shock to no one given his commanding lead in the polls.

The incumbent thrashed challenger Moe Baddourah by a whopping 64-36 percent margin – which makes sense when you consider Baddourah sounds like the name of an al-Qaeda operative.

A third candidate – former FBI analyst Larry Sypolt – dropped out of the race with a week to go and endorsed Benjamin. Sources tell FITS Sypolt is in line to receive a job with the City of Columbia’s much-maligned police department as a reward for his late conversion to Team Benjamin.

Ahhh yeah … “Mayorhood … Mayorhood always up ta no good.”

Anyway, Benjamin’s victory means Columbia, S.C. will move full speed ahead with his vision of “public safety,” “infrastructure” and “economic development.”

Awesome, right?

Oh well … taxpayers are shelling out big money to provide Benjamin with a chauffeur now, so hopefully we won’t have a repeat of what happened in the aftermath of his 2010 electoral victory.

 

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93 comments

shifty henry November 5, 2013 at 10:23 pm

Al?…. Al Capone?…. Is that you?

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junior justice November 5, 2013 at 10:31 pm

No, it’s Vito Corleone!

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shifty henry November 5, 2013 at 10:39 pm

(overheard) TeeBone: “Uh, Ruben, tomorrow morning there’s a guy I want you to meet—his name is Captain McCluskey.”

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CorruptionInColumbia November 5, 2013 at 10:25 pm

The citizens of Columbia (who voted him back in) get exactly what they deserve. I hope their taxes quadruple over the next year. Fucking idiots!

Thank God the people in Lexington had a little more sense than to re-elect a known crook. Good going, people!

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King-tut November 5, 2013 at 10:32 pm

Couldn’t have said it better! Typical libturd sheep!!

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ColaTown November 6, 2013 at 5:58 am

Uh…yeah…Lexington elects great leaders…ok…u funny!

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CorruptionInColumbia November 6, 2013 at 6:37 am

At least they wised up this time and didn’t send Halfass back for another term.

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King-tut November 6, 2013 at 7:27 am

Aka’ halfwit!

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Cynthia November 6, 2013 at 4:14 pm

Knew the indictments were coming, and still spent a bunch of money on signs. What an ginormous ego.

King-tut November 6, 2013 at 7:46 pm

That same ego won’t let him concede with honor and go away. He feels he’s entitled to be mayor. I say…get a life Halfwit!

King-tut November 6, 2013 at 7:33 am

Enlighten us….. Name a (Lexington) elected official who was re-elected AFTER involved in a scandal?

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CorruptionInColumbia November 6, 2013 at 11:22 am

I’m with you King-tut, but playing Devil’s advocate, unopposed ones like Metts went back in. Summers (also unopposed) went back in even though she has demonstrated she has something less than zero concern for the taxpayers and how their money is spent.

We did make tremendous progress in finally unseating Jake, though!!!!

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King-tut November 6, 2013 at 7:51 pm

Yes, unseating Jake by a write-in was priceless!

Smirks November 6, 2013 at 7:33 am

Lexington BARELY had enough sense.

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idcydm November 6, 2013 at 7:35 am

As apposed to Columbia.

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King-tut November 6, 2013 at 7:37 am

I agree, the turn-out was disappointing. But at least Lexington had enough sense. Can’t say the same for Columbia.

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King-tut November 6, 2013 at 7:40 am

I agree, the turn-out was low. But, at least Lexington had enough sense, which is more than we can say for Columbia.

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Town Voter November 6, 2013 at 8:21 am

YES, I was shocked, amazed and disapointed how many votes Halfacre received after all of his questionable activities and alliances with known corruption and immoral activity!

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Lexington Voter November 6, 2013 at 7:33 am

Amen! We got rid of the Danny Frazier (called King Fish by Mayor Halfass) butt boy and sychophant . The bottom dwelling sucker fish Halfass is gone and now we need to rid ourselves of the remainder of the Lexington Ring trash and their allies: Meyers, Metts, James, Peeler, Harmon, Livingston, etc.
I took note of the businesses with Halfass signs and walked out of one, after expressing my displeasure. None of the others will get my money either!
We need to rid the County of this Gaffney style immorality and rifraft Peeler brought to the County!
Now we need to do the same with the Idiot Joe Wilson.

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Betty Boop November 6, 2013 at 8:38 am

Honey, Randy can thank the likes of Danny Frazier, the Peelers, Tim James, Hazel Livingston and others.
Myers, Metts and the rest of the Lexington Mafia need to be next.
Knotts and Halfacre were the start, now let’s finish the job!

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Anne of Green Gablesw November 6, 2013 at 9:37 am

I’ll never forget my conversation with Randy, when I warned him about Frazier and Peeler; he informed me, “I support them no matter what they did”, and then turned and walked off!
That was enough for me.

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CorruptionInColumbia November 6, 2013 at 11:17 am

True that. We also need to clean out the spendthrifts and would-be Bob Cobles and James Holdermans on County Coucil, who shamelessly squander OUR hard-earned dollars, taken from us under threat of force. Debbie Summers, Johnny Jeffcoat, Bill Banning, Brad Matthews, and the rest of that riff-raff need to go!

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Dear Lord Please November 6, 2013 at 12:08 pm

All of this Danny Frazier bashing…..He has gone shamelessly, where no man has gone before! He is singlehandidly cleaning up lexington County. SLED could not (would not) do it, the high Sheriff Metts was too linked in to do it, the Feds have not done it, the voters blindly and with deaf ears would not do it. Before it’s over he will rid us of the immorality, the corruption, and political scum which wafts over Lexington County like the Cayce Sewer plant!
He has made much progress; but , much is left to do:
The remainder of the Lexington Ring and it’s associates
The Lexington Mafia and it’s members
The meth cookers which cover the County like buzzard turds
The inbred politicians amoung us
Time to finish cleaning house folks, lets give ourselves a Lexington County and Towns we can be proud of!
No more James, Meyers, Wilsons, Cromer, Metts, Owens, Peelers, Livingston, Stambolitis, Bedinger. Our children and future generations will thank us!

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snickering November 6, 2013 at 5:11 pm

Isn’t Haley from Lexington?.

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The Unknown Comic November 6, 2013 at 9:53 pm

Was there a beauty pageant there too?

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snickering November 7, 2013 at 12:09 am

Politics is the Hollywood for UGLY people.

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Smirks November 5, 2013 at 10:27 pm

Wonder if DoT changed the interstate signs to say “DUI Crackdown NOT In Progress” yet?

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upstate November 5, 2013 at 10:46 pm

“White Flight,” reminisce early to mid 20’th century in northern city’s has hit the deep south. Hard to overcome the sheer # of black voters who are going to vote strictly on racial lines.

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Mike at the Beach November 6, 2013 at 1:03 am

Worked out really well for Detroit. NPR this morning reported that 85% of the downtown office space is now vacant there. Maybe Steve-O can do that for the folks in Cola…plenty of room for all of his “economic development” then.

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sweepin November 6, 2013 at 5:43 am

“White flight” does not fully explain Benjamin’s 2:1 vote margin in a city that is just 42% Black.

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claire November 6, 2013 at 7:12 am

White people that are on the “corporate” dole make up the balance of the votes. The University/Chamber of Commerce Crowd/State Government Lobbyist Crowd are all their with their hands out awaiting government contracts, subsidies and handouts.

The Black people supply the votes, the select White people get the BIGGEST benefit.

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Guest Poster November 6, 2013 at 8:36 am

Corporate welfare – much more insidious and expensive than entitlement programs.

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Welfare Queen November 6, 2013 at 9:30 am

Have any #’s to back that up or are you just speaking with an agenda?

If that agenda is “all forms of welfare should go”, great. Based on what you wrote I really doubt that.

YallCalmDown November 6, 2013 at 9:56 am
Welfare Queens November 6, 2013 at 10:14 am

“$92 Billion on corporate subsidies vs. $59 Billion on social welfare:”

You clearly didn’t read your own link:

http://thinkbynumbers.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/energy-subsidies-chart.jpg

You counted “tax breaks” as subsidies in your disingenuous attempt via hyperbole. They even call out “direct spending” separately.

That is total bullshit and even your link talks about the difference.

Now, just so you are clear on my agenda, I’m not for crony capitalism or any kind of welfare to anyone.

HOWEVER, when you claim that “subsidies” are tax breaks you are spouting bullshit.

They made the money, and using their crony contacts they are able to keep more of it over businesses on Main St.

BUT, at least they created something of value first. Unlike Shaniqua with her 8 kids and missing daddy over at Section 8 housing or Cletus whomping on his wife and kids every day at the trailer park.

Shaniqua and Cletus are the dead weight around the neck of taxpaying society.

Nice try though.

BrigidBernadette November 6, 2013 at 12:32 pm

The Shandonistas.

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herewegoagain November 6, 2013 at 7:26 am

42 o/o population and 100 o/o of the problem in five points and most of all the crime in columbia.

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Smirks November 6, 2013 at 7:48 am

Not all black people are thugs, dude.

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Squishy123 November 6, 2013 at 11:01 am

But are all thugs black people?

Squishy123 November 6, 2013 at 11:01 am

But are all thugs black people?

Smirks November 6, 2013 at 7:46 am

Keep in mind this is a low turnout election, so if, for instance, Steve worked his ass off to get black voters to the polls, it could skew things.

It isn’t a stretch to say black voters often relate better to a black politician and would be more likely to vote that way, although I am fairly certain that he has a lot of white supporters. What really did it IMO is lack of interest for his competition.

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? November 6, 2013 at 8:25 am

Actually, if you assume that 95% of blacks cast a vote for Benji, which would be 40% of the electorate, also more likely to actually vote when a black is running, it fully explains the 2:1 margin.

Everyone should be able to understand that here because it’s what drove the forms of government in SC after civil war.

As far as the while electorate goes, you have A LOT of government workers there. USC profs, admins, etc., surely a much higher percentage than those employed by the private sector in Columbia.

Businessmen are not highly looked upon by this crowd despite the fact they are paying everyone’s salary, and nothing screams “Republican” more than that, they aren’t going to vote for someone that would run Columbia like a business man, which was one of Moe’s campaign talking points.

So given the demographics in the city of Columbia it all makes perfect sense.

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Squishy123 November 6, 2013 at 9:09 am

It does when you consider who voted? When 80% of the hood gets bussed to the polls and only 20% of the white neighborhoods bother to vote it can easily be a 2:1 margin.

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BrigidBernadette November 6, 2013 at 12:34 pm

Early voting is private voting, please oppose all early voting expansions!

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Smirks November 6, 2013 at 7:40 am

I know a good number of white folks who (unfortunately) voted for Steve too, though.

Steve is the new Bob. Most people are going to show and reelect the incumbent because they don’t know their head from their ass.

In a low turnout election, really the winner is whoever churns out the most voters. Benji does that. I’m not sure people were climbing over themselves to vote for Moe, just against Benji. He was going to win no matter what.

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venomachine November 6, 2013 at 8:03 am

Moe’s campaign really wasn’t much more than “I’m not T-bone.”

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CorruptionInColumbia November 6, 2013 at 11:24 am

Hell, that should have guaranteed him a landslide!

I believe he did criticize the status-crook, er status quo, for their wasteful spending at the old Bull Street complex and at the run down warehouse.

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Jay Ellington November 6, 2013 at 3:20 pm

Moe could not have been less prepared for the “debate” if he’d been abducted by aliens 2 years ago and dropped off in front of the WIS studios 5 minutes before air time. He’s had months to prepare and that’s all he could come with? He should have used his allocated time to verbally beat the hell out of Tbone.

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grumpycoot November 6, 2013 at 8:02 pm

Steve is the new Bob only blatantly more corrupt.

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King-tut November 5, 2013 at 11:03 pm

Wonder if T-bone Benjamin will strike again?!

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euwe max November 5, 2013 at 11:09 pm

Another victory for the NAACP and liberal goals in Southern Carolina. Today, Columbia – tomorrow, your daughter!

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CorruptionInColumbia November 6, 2013 at 5:12 am

Did anyone else read the piece on Benjamin on The State’s site, this morning? Talk about turd polishing!!!!! Cliff LeBlanc takes turd polishing to a new level with this article.

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johnq November 6, 2013 at 6:14 am

Ah, the gnashing of teeth from the racist crowd is music to my ears!!

Your days are numbered, get used to it! LoL!

LOVE IT!!

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SCDEW November 6, 2013 at 8:26 am

That job isn’t gonna go find itself.

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Henry MixMaster, Slumlord November 6, 2013 at 10:44 pm

It’s not racist if you think the guy is a crook. In fact, if the rumors are true, he’s an enterprising crook: prostitution, graft, fraud and he still has time to bang a newsanchor in addition to his wife.

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venomachine November 6, 2013 at 8:01 am

I’m just glad I live in the county across the river.

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venomachine November 6, 2013 at 8:05 am

I do have to say, though, that as much as I disagree with T-bone, he gets his agenda done. Gotta respect that, even if I disagree with it.

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GrandTango November 6, 2013 at 8:26 am

Yet FITS “LIKES” Benjamin, despite the fact that Columbia is rushing toward Detroit, faster than any other city in America.

FITS (and his ilk) are why Liberal-Tarians are SO SO Dangerous. Notice FITS is LOUDLY silent about Mcauliffe in Va. (who he GAVE us)….

If you care about the safety of your children, and the security of the United States as God’s country, you need to Slap FITS sio F#*k!*g hard upside the head, that the stupid bastard’s teeth break…(figuratively, of course)…

Liberals are convincing the Terminally Ignorant Liberal-Tarians, like FITS, that he is somehow how sophisticated to support third-party leftists, that Filthy, $#!*-faced Anti-American Liberals are stealing our country…

For FITS to S*ck-off the “independent” liberals….he is as bad as Hitler would have been taking over our states and our country…They HATE freedom, and only crave power to control good people.

We have not faced an enemy as horrifying as Christie, FITS, McCain, Graham and Obama since we bombed the Nazi-Kamikazes into hell in 1945.

If you don’t get serious now, about these worthless pieces of $#!t, like FITS after Va. You need to get the F*$* out my country…

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YallCalmDown November 6, 2013 at 8:39 am

He’s baaaaaack…..

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CorruptionInColumbia November 6, 2013 at 11:32 am

… like herpes lesions on the genitals of the Fitsnews site!

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Halfvast Conspirator November 6, 2013 at 9:32 am

You forgot to write b@$t@rd

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shifty henry November 6, 2013 at 9:36 am

GrandTangerine, this is one of the rare posts on Fitsnews where Shifty wants to give BOTH an UP and a DOWN vote, but it’s impossible —

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CorruptionInColumbia November 6, 2013 at 11:34 am

I know what you mean. I disliked the first part but he was so on-target at the end.

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FudgePackerAtChocolateMonkey November 6, 2013 at 11:41 am

Tango. I know we both said things to each other that were hurtful when you left my apartment last night but I want you to know that it hurts without you being here. I’ve pulled flecks of your fecal matter from my foreskin and am going to have them suspended in resin so I can wear them like a pendant and they will always remind me of you and the times we spent together.

The smell of your santorum under my fingernails makes me think of you as I lay here crying.

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? November 6, 2013 at 12:05 pm

dude…that’s seriously and truly “lol” funny

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TyroneButterballs November 6, 2013 at 8:27 am

I smell a little racism in this diatribe.

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Hmmm November 6, 2013 at 8:38 am

A little?

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Tyrone is a nice name November 6, 2013 at 10:16 am

You are smelling yourself.

Go change your diaper.

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just another guy November 6, 2013 at 8:36 am

I am just glad I live in Greenville and left Columbia 13 years ago. Biggest waste of assets I have ever seen. EVER. You have 3 major interstates that form a belt around the city and two others with in an hour and half. Columbia could be booming just because of that, instead it is bombing. All the while the General Assembly keeps sending money to Charleston and leaving Greenville, the growth engine of the state, to fend for itself.

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Slartibartfast November 6, 2013 at 2:42 pm

Ditto.. Although I like the Lowcountry, too. Columbia is becoming a cultural sewer.

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Squishy123 November 6, 2013 at 9:07 am

Now he’ll sit back and collect that six-figure paycheck that he’s pushing for.

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xx November 6, 2013 at 12:37 pm

He most likely has much more than a 6 figure income already. The pay increase is a drop in the bucket for him. If you are the mayor of Cola., any big law firm will pay you quite well just for the prestige of having the mayor on letterhead.

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Squishy123 November 6, 2013 at 9:12 am

Things must be wonderful in Columbia, the people have spoken and voted all of the incumbants back into office. Columbians must love high taxes, every event receiving city sponsorship, increased fees, etc… Yep, things are perfect in Columbia these days.

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Henry MixMaster, Slumlord November 6, 2013 at 10:45 am

Benjamin is the puppet for the establishment crowd. As strong mayor he’ll be the bully that does their bidding until he outlives his usefulness or Jim Clyburn dies/retires and T Bone becomes his handpicked successor.
Once he outlives his usefulness for these folks, there will be rumblings of indictments, criminal wrongdoing, multiple affairs, etc. For now, the folks don’t care. Once he pisses them off, well… Until then we get Lil’ Cromartie or Marion Barry, if you prefer.

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CorruptionInColumbia November 6, 2013 at 11:31 am

In the photo attached to this article, that hat…. did he steal it from EW?

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BrigidBernadette November 6, 2013 at 12:37 pm

I saw E.W. in the Kroger the other day. Looking slimmed down a little.

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shifty henry November 6, 2013 at 1:18 pm

This is the photo Sic Willie should use for future articles — he looks guilty!

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Anon. November 6, 2013 at 11:01 am

At least 5 Points is a safe place now…

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scotty November 6, 2013 at 11:52 am

A large part of the T bone vote came from his artsy libturds who are domiciled in Shandon, Heathwood and Forest Hills. This is the crowd who pushed his fat ass after Bob checked out.

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BrigidBernadette November 6, 2013 at 12:49 pm

They want that good grant money flowing to the Arts Commish, Humanities Council, Gay Pride, blah blah blah, every last non-profit in line for thousands of dollars of hospitality money and then they can keep their clique going in the style to which they have been accustomed. They’re in with the in crowd, and would support him and Obama for that matter even if they burned the city to the ground and took a dump on the White House lawn. These are the Shandonistas. They want Columbia to be like New York, with lots of arts programming, but fail to realize it was capitalism, not the taxpayer, that built those institutions.

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? November 6, 2013 at 1:09 pm

I really like all aspects of your reply. Very well done. NY is finally starting to reap what has been sewn from years of wealth destruction and gov’t confiscation of its wealthy residents money.

It is well on its way to California style wealth evacuation.

That being said, let me offer one small thought:

“would support him and Obama for that matter even if they burned the city to the ground and took a dump on the White House lawn.”

First, it would matter 99% of the time which newly elected Moron resides in the White House. The top 5 financial contributers to Obama and Romney were the same.

Second, the White House lawn would not be an ideal place to take a dump for political reasons because it would be impossible to distinguish your particular pile of shit from the rest.

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? November 6, 2013 at 1:09 pm

edit: “wouldn’t matter 99%”

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elephant in the room November 6, 2013 at 12:42 pm

I’m excited. Soon we will have more strip clubs and red dot stores.

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Jay Ellington November 6, 2013 at 1:16 pm

A friend of mine saw suburbans full of Benjamin’s constituents pulling up at the polling place. My guess is that community organizers are rounding them up, giving them something and driving them to the polls. ACORN is alive and well.

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BrigidBernadette November 6, 2013 at 1:24 pm

Early voting is private voting! See Dreher the Saturday before any election. Mini-vans, buses, they’d wheel them in on gurneys if they could.

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Jay Ellington November 6, 2013 at 1:47 pm

Benjamin will never know what’s it’s like to be elected by virtue of the awesome job he’s doing. Screw him and that horse he’s riding in on.

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BrigidBernadette November 6, 2013 at 2:11 pm

Why aren’t we talking about the real news–Todd Kincannon banned from Twitter? Taxes shmaxes. Yes, you can buy a book on Amazon for the cost of the late fee, the parking meter and then the ticket, and the risk of catching bedbugs, but the libraries need meeting rooms to pick up the slack for job training, ACA sign ups, and other Agenda 21 related activities, they need that 59 million, they’ll be giving out flu shots next. They get more tax money than mental health. And the Good Lord knows we need expanded mental health treatment in the midlands, after yesterday. Local media did a lousy job yesterday as well. But yet I learned the band at Benji’s victory part was playing Smooth Operator. Abysmal job at WIS, the State, LTX did have a ticker up for a while. I doubt most people even knew there was an election yesterday.

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Cynthia November 6, 2013 at 4:30 pm

He’s just a black Nikki. No shame.

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miss suzanne November 6, 2013 at 4:48 pm

Why is his pinky finger nail long?

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shifty henry November 6, 2013 at 6:00 pm

to scratch his head and clean his ears……

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BrigidBernadette November 6, 2013 at 6:51 pm

Ewwww, that’s so pimpish.

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King-tut November 6, 2013 at 7:42 pm

Not a honorable bone in Randy Halfwit’s body. Desperate times calls for desperate actions! Now, Halfwit claims, of all people, his wife and a few faithful friends had a hard time voting. Really? Let me guess….he found 19 liars?

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shocked November 7, 2013 at 6:34 am

Amen! That trogladite brain probably was not working correctly with all the new voting technology.
I’ll bet Danny Frazier had no trouble voting for Half ASS!

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