SENATOR’S TEAM CAN’T DECIDE HOW TO HANDLE THOMAS RAVENEL
Advisors to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (RINO-S.C.) are fiercely divided over how to handle the entrance of Lowcountry businessman and reality television star Thomas Ravenel into the 2014 U.S. Senate race.
One faction – led by Graham campaign manager Scott Farmer – believes Ravenel’s candidacy is all about attracting viewers to his reality television show, Southern Charm .
“Ignore him,” Farmer reportedly counseled Graham during a recent strategy meeting.
According to Farmer, a “ratings-driven” candidacy from Ravenel is not a threat to the two-term incumbent, because it means the former State Treasurer is unlikely to pump significant amounts of his fortune into the race.
Two of Graham’s other advisors – veteran GOP political consultant Richard Quinn and social conservative advisor Bob McAlister – argue that Ravenel’s bid spells real trouble for Graham, and are counseling aggressive response measures (independent of the exploits of various special interest groups supporting Graham’s candidacy).
“Exhibit A” in their pitch to Graham? The candidacy of S.C. Sen. Brad Hutto, a credible Democrat who only jumped into the race when Ravenel started making noise about running. Hutto is expected to receive extensive national Democratic support – and many Democratic donors have reportedly discussed forming a special interest group of their own to target Graham.
In fact according to our sources, they’ve already got a poll-tested advertising message in the works.
More on that in a moment …
So … which advisors is Graham listening to? Well, earlier this week he made his first acknowledgment of Ravenel’s entry into the race, saying a campaign for U.S. Senate was no “audition for a reality show.”
Ravenel fired back immediately, saying “the difference between my reality TV show and Lindsey Graham’s reality TV show is simple: His is costing taxpayers trillions of dollars – and thousands of American lives.”
“And unlike my show, you can’t change the channel when his show comes on – and you can’t stop paying for it either,” Ravenel continued.
Advantage “T-Rav …”
Graham coasted to victory in a low-turnout Republican primary last month, but he’s still struggling in a general election matchup. A solid forty percent of the state’s GOP electorate wouldn’t “piss on Graham if he were on fire,” as one activist put it, and many of them – including several GOP executive committeemen – have rallied behind Ravenel’s candidacy.
If Ravenel can build a coalition around these disgruntled Republicans – as well as fiscally conservative centrists who are upset with both parties and apolitical South Carolinians who don’t vote but are attracted to his star power – that’s the makings of a diverse and potentially potent constituency.
Then there’s the rumored Democratic hit on Graham, which our source described as “the ultimate silver bullet.”
“If Ravenel can’t beat him, this (ad) can,” a Democratic consultant familiar with the proposed concept advertisement told FITS. “Every donor who saw it reached right away for their checkbook.”
Wow …
Obviously if things remain as they are now, Lindsey Graham would win a third term in the Senate – probably with around 42 percent compared to Hutto’s 34 and Ravenel’s 24 percent. But that’s the thing … it’s becoming abundantly clear that over the next three-and-a-half months, things are not going to remain as they are.
85 comments
Graham could run no campaign and still win.
Graham could run no campaign and still win.
If you wouldn’t mind, tell him to do that and save all that money for retirement. This election will cost him a couple of million and surely he has better things to spend that money on ;-)
Yeah … let him sit back and run no campaign. That’s a great idea!
Nobody’s going to vote for a cokehead or a democrat in a South Carolina senatorial race. Sorry for your delusion.
If you wouldn’t mind, tell him to do that and save all that money for retirement. This election will cost him a couple of million and surely he has better things to spend that money on ;-)
Speaking of delusional, you actually think Graham is spending his own money on this campaign?
Koch money is free money.
Oh really??? Nobody’s going to vote for a cokehead or a democrat in a South Carolina senatorial race???? BUT THEY WILL VOTE FOR A FAGGOT!!!
There is PROOF T-Rav is a cokehead and Ervin (whoever he is) is a Democrat. Now what is your PROOF that Graham is a faggot? Perhaps it is like the PROOF Sic Willie screwed Haley.
There’s a reason Graham likes being around the men in uniform so much.
Yes.
You like it up the pooper shooter, do ya? Sick. Very very sick.
(thinks he’s in middle school where GHEY jokes are funny)
Good answer.
More absolutely shocking news from deep within the Ravenel campaign bunker. The Quinn crowd (who gets paid to muckrake, run ad campaigns, etc.) wants to spend bunches of LG’s millions on TR (and, naturally, take their cut). Just shocking. What’s more shocking, though, is that any literate adult would actually believe that TR could grab almost a fourth of the vote in November. I don’t know how many kajillions of dollars of TR has under his mattress, but enough TV time to pull that off would likely take it all. The nice thing about the compressed campaign time frame of a late entry fringe candidate is that most of his spending info won’t come out until after November. We’ll be able to tell, though, if he’s really dumping multiple million dollar piles of cash into TV time and big mail numbers. I am still betting he doesn’t, and he certainly won’t raise it.
I am politically active for a “cause” and I can tell you there is great unhappiness in the voting public. This is a year where most anything can happen. I am not for or against T Rav or anyone else in this sense, I just am saying that there is a lot of distrust, anger and unhappiness out there and it is not all in the Tea Party.
” There is a lot od distrust, unhappiness out there. “Right. There is a lot of unrest all across the political spectrum. Anything can happen in Nov. The “kick them all out ” crowd could really do damage to the establishment in both parties.
Of course, you may be right. I don’t think so, but I’m not delusional enough to believe that all political outcomes are 100% predictable, either. I go with the numbers, though, because empirical data is tough to beat. The same chant was echoing throughout the primary- LG is vulnerable; This is our best shot; There’s unrest in the hinterlands; Blah, blah, blah. Then he spanked the snot out of the whole field on night one, and did so with some breathing room, even. The biggest change between primary night and the first Tuesday in November will be three months of exposure for Ravenel. Hutto will get what he gets, plus maybe a tiny sliver of crossovers, but SC Republicans simply don’t have a long history (or any history, really) of crossing over to vote Dem. Ravenel? The more exposure the better. When it comes down to it, most SC conservatives won’t pull the lever for him because he is just a silly, narcissistic buffoon, even by SC standards. If Ravenel thought he seriously had a chance, maybe he would two million bucks of his own cash into the race, but I don’t think he will. This is a vanity race for him, I believe. We’ll see in November, but if I was a betting man I’d still put my money on Graham.
Mike: Once again, you provide the most sane analysis of the campaign on this thread. Lindsey beats lothario and liberal evey time.
Thanks, but I have an unfair advantage- not being emotionally invested provides one a certain level of perspective. Wishing something was so has never been much good as an analytical tool.
“Ignore him,” Farmer reportedly counseled Graham
———————————-
As anyone who has ever had siblings, spouse or children know, ignoring someone, is not easy. It takes planning, perseverance and restraint. It may be the right strategy, but it requires resources, surrogates and plenty of tongue biting.
Think how many times Smirks has tried to ignore Grand Tango.
Think about how many times everybody tried to ignore GT. If there was a Kickstarter campaign to create an Internet blocker of all things Tango/Peterkin, I would gladly donate a few smackers, as would Smirks.
And this Scott Farmer should be fired if he doesn’t think TR is a credible threat; TR’s ego and his delusions of relevance will help him burn through his hard-earned (HA!) fortune for 4% of the vote.
I haven’t tried ignoring GT. He’s too amusing to ignore.
But you are Grand Poo-Tang.
I thought Willie was GrandTango. Now I’m confused.
— 5+
Any voter who truly despises Graham and votes for T-Rav is a complete rube who might as well have stayed home.
The only votes that have any chance of defeating Graham are those cast for Hutto by usual Republican voters.
Yes, yes — I realize this is casting pearls, etc.
Prove it.
I think the election will do that. Cast your vote for the drug dealing baby daddy and see what happens.
What a bunch of made up kr@p.
sic(k) willie is so desperately digging deep in his moronic “black ops” bag of silly dirty tricks to help his fellow convict.
And, all sic(k) willie can hope for is a cameo in season two of t-bone’s silly TV show.
sic(k) willie knows t-bone has no chance.
Besides, if t-bone was to beat Graham (as likely as our Funding Editor being chosen as Playmate of the Year), his Federal conviction for drug dealing would prevent him from ever-ever-ever getting the kind of security clearance he would need.
And, do your think the Secret Service would allow a convicted drug dealer who served time in a Federal Prison to ever have a meeting with our President?
No. t-bone is toast. Tell him to run for school board.
We assume he will send his baby to Edisto Island public schools?
As a school board member maybe he can have a positive impact on his community and continue to block Howie the Voucher Clown’s Voucher Scam.
BIN News Editorial Staff
Flare and Balanced
Graham is a felon yet to be charged and brought to justice.
NSA can’t save Graham .. .and neither can Obama. . .HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAA!!!!
and the committed felony is?
Think about it, if T-Rav can have a reality TV Show, FITS can have a reality Blog.
I’m here — and I’m real….
It looks like the ones making money off a “Serious” campaign are pushing it. The one watching the purse strings, is likely correct.
Anyway: A suspect Richland County billion dollar tax is in the news. And Lexington County’s penny tax vote is coming.
The people need a VOICE. Why is FITS mired in a gossip campaign for a slimy politician.
Great (and pertinent to the people) read here: http://scdigest.blogspot.com
Mainly, the Graham strategy will revolve around how much money Quinn and McAlister can make off the campaign. They stand to make hundreds of thousands of dollars each over the next few month and believe me maximizing their take home pay is what they care about.
This state is run not by politicians, but political consultants.
Here, HERE!!!
Who cares?
Graham and Haley are my Queens!
Ravenel is the Court Jester!
Does he swing both ways?
Graham’s insiders know, he is going to get it shoved up his punk ass and broken off by the T. There are just so many many many things and youtubes to do it with. You see, Graham has a reactive personality. He is a creature of habit. He is easy to size up and predict. He is stuck in his ways and can not change. And along comes a much younger, clever, wittier, intelligent man who hands Grahams ass to him. And rightfully so. You can NOT keep doing and saying the things that Graham has done, says, and not expect it to be used to put you in your place – and take you down.
Graham is already washed up. And he doesn’t even know it.
To Graham’s cohorts, cronies, and circle of idiots: YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED. That’s R-E-A-L-I-T-Y. Whacha gonna do now? Try to remove the hundreds of Youtubes of Dickhead Graham? pffft!!! Calling voters “bigots” and trying to ram millions of criminal illegal aliens down the citizen’s of South Carolina’s throat was a very stupid and brainless thing to do.
Bend over and kiss you pathetic tyrant assess GOODBYE. You will be lucky to escape prison time.
This is a really delusional post.
People who won’t vote for Ravenel:
*Straight ticket voters
*Republicans who like or are indifferent to Graham
*Democrats who support Graham
*99% of the votes that will go to Hutto
People who might vote for Ravenel:
*Republicans that don’t like Graham and won’t vote Democrat
*People who normally wouldn’t show up to a midterm election
*Very small fraction of people who legitimately support Ravenel
It’s not that Ravenel won’t win, it’s that he can’t win. The math simply isn’t there. If you can’t see that, you are too far gone to save.
Exactly. Like I said, Lindsay could run no ads, make no appearances, do nothing at all, and he would still pwn Ravenel by 50 points.
Yes. He does not need to do anything but sit on that fabby ass of his, which I am sure you admire (his add, that is).
Only in YOUR mind. Serious cognitive therapy might save you. Now with that said, I will pray for you.
November isn’t very far away, I guess we’ll see who is right.
So, are you saying you are going to try to pay Smirks gay away? Good luck….
Wrong! Straights might very well vote for T-Rav.
“Ms Lindsey The Freaky Farm Boy” How many “pen names” does Sic Willie use?
Better a Democrat than Miss Lindsay. He must pay for his quisling ways.
Is Graham tried to make war with Canada yet?
He’s in the process of trying to find an Islamic-based group that he and Obama agree is worthy for that endeavor and their backing.
War by proxy (CIA)…. thought provoking, eh?
Heck .. even all the radio talk show host in Charleston think Graham is a douche.
Thanks for the low country undate Honest Abe. Tell all 12 listners on the AM dial i said hello and we are so jealous that yall get to see T-rav every day.
edit: update
Stream it, spy man.
Oh wow! … Graham is reported to be so pissssst off with Ravenel’s come back, he has been screaming profanities!! Sheeshus! Whats the matter Ms Lindsey? Can’t handle your UGLY TRUTH???
OMG! They are laughing at Graham on WTMA in Charleston!!!
I will never get over the embarrassment of belonging to the same species as Smirks. He is vile, worthless, a less than nothing. He is a weed, a fungus, the dregs of this earth. Also he is are a technicolor yawn. And did I mention that he smells? Anyway, Smirks has all the appeal of a paper cut.
My Sample Vote
Gov – Ervin
Sen – T-Rav – yeah baby.
This is the most bullshit piece I have ever read – my eyes are now brown.
Jimmy Fallon Jokes About Lindsey Graham’s Gender in Paycheck Fairness Act Bit ….During his opening monologue on NBC’s Friday broadcast of “The Tonight Show,” host Jimmy Fallon took aim at Senate Republicans that blocked the so-called Paycheck Fairness Act, a measure that would supposedly prevent wage discrimination against women.
Fallon proposed what some Republican senators would earn if they were women, showing female doppelgangers of each respective Republican senator. But for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), they were the same… http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2014/04/12/Jimmy-Fallon-Jokes-About-Lindsey-Grahams-Gender-in-Paycheck-Fairness-Act-Bit
Lindsey Graham tweeted a joke about GOP Senator John McCain being assassinated.
Graham said that he favored former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL) as a 2016 presidential candidate. What a fucking idiot!! BUSH?????!!!
Graham easily gets 50%+ in this 2.1 man race.
Ravenel 24 percent? Please. Stop.
Jean Toal may think she has hidden Brad Hutto’s sins deep enough in her SS ODC, but Graham’s advisers have the goods. They will use it when and if they have to do so. T-Rav is not going to draw 24% of the vote.
Like forcing stations to not air Death Valley Days and Bedtime for Bonzo starring Ronald Reagan, the Real Housewives of Tradd Street may be held off the air, akin to Paul Adams forcing David Mack off the air some years ago, but does it draw more attention to T-Rav and depict Lindsey Gauleiter as a heavy handed thug. Brer Rabbit, lay low an say nuthin’ looks a better alternative
Tommy needs to drag a 10 thousand dollar bill through the D.C. gay bars for a Graham sex scandal. He should hire P.I.’s for both his opponents. That simple. The old, “I owned up to my faults, will they” gambit.
Graham could come out as gay, gay marry his boyfriend, and he’d still pwn Ravenel
Offer your ass to him. It’s what you really want, isn’t it. Ha ha ha ha ha
“You may be right
I may be crazy
But it just may be a lunatic you’re looking for
Turn out the light
Don’t try to save me
You may be wrong for all I know
You may be right”
– Epistle to the Galoshes 1:3
Some of Lindsey’s best friends are fetuses.
Lindsey Graham flip-flops, now supports defunding Obamacare. Before this recent primary, he didn’t.
Graham says immigration bill must pass for GOP to survive, weeks after threatening to kill it.
“If we don’t pass immigration reform, if we don’t get it off the table in a reasonable, practical way, it doesn’t matter who we run in 2016,” [Graham] said. “We’re in a demographic death spiral as a party.
The only way we can get back in the good graces of the Hispanic community, in my view is pass comprehensive immigration reform.” (Meanwhile, polls reflect that 73% of Americans want illegal aliens deported; moreso with the non stop invasion taking place on our southern border).
Lindsey Graham Flip-Flopped on Senate Nominations, Pledged to Break Principle He Voiced.
Graham Flip-Flopped On DADT To Cover McCain: Suddenly Claimed DADT Study Is Flawed
“I respectfully disagree with President Obama’s decision not to release the (Bin Laden Death) photos. It’s a mistake,” Graham said.
In 2009, Ms Lindsey fought almost singlehandedly to keep additional photos of harsh inmate abuse in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison out of public view. “Every photo would become a bullet or IED used by terrorists against our troops,” he said, while threatening to block funding for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq if the pics were released. He and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) put out a joint release explaining their desire to suppress the pictures. But in the case of Laden, he wanted them made public to the world. Flip Flop Flip Flop.
Scamnesty Graham Flip-Flops On a Dime, Says “Send Them Back” (illegal aliens). Just several weeks ago, Graham said this. BUT hold on … wait. This is an election year!! Before Graham made this most recent statement, he was advocating Amnesty and allowing more illegals to come into our country. Flip Flop Flip Flop ….. But hold on again. Now he is back (in secrecy) SUPPORTING amnesty yet again! In fact, he is reported to be saying that we need to let these 10s of thousands of invading aliens from Central America STAY in the USA – that we need to TAKE CARE of them! … FLIP FLOP FLIP FLOP …… When you look at everything Graham has said and done, taking in the totality of it all, it is easy to come to the conclusion that he is FUCKED UP!
Regarding U.S. Citizens accused by the rogue and lawless Obama Administration of supporting terrorism , senator Lindsey Graham has stated before the senate, “When they say, ‘I want my lawyer,’ you tell them: ‘Shut up. You don’t get a lawyer. You are an enemy combatant, and we are going to talk to you about why you joined Al Qaeda.’”
– U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, 2011
On January 28, 2013, Graham was a member of a bi-partisan group of eight Senators which announced principles for comprehensive immigration reform while the majority of voters across the entire United States of America opposed any form of amnesty for those who broke our immigration laws (many which are Felonies).
Graham is one of the loudest voices in Washington when it comes to sacrificing our liberties for security. Since the NSA scandal became news, Graham said that he’s “glad” the broad surveillance programs exists, hinted that he would be willing to censor the “your” mail.
“Privacy is a citizen’s right to choose what information you prefer to tell the public about, and what you choose to keep to yourself,” said Matt Kibbe, President and CEO of FreedomWorks. “Senator Lindsay Graham recently asserted that violating the Fourth Amendment to implement warrantless government surveillance is not only acceptable, it’s welcomed.