TALK ABOUT A “SPECIAL” ELECTION …
|| By FITSNEWS || The sorry state of South Carolina politics has been on full display down in Berkeley County, S.C. lately. We’re referring, of course, to the resignation of former county sheriff Wayne DeWitt, who earlier this year lent his own high-octane chapter to the ongoing saga of lawless Palmetto lawmen.
Believe it or not, the election to replace DeWitt has been even crazier than the drunk driving scandal/ attempted coverup which cost the former sheriff his job.
Last month this website published a report in which one of the candidates accused a rival of attempted bribery. Shortly thereafter we ran a post in which that candidate’s allegation came under fire.
Since then a lot has happened …
While the accuser stood by his story implicating sheriff’s candidate Brian Adams, the other candidate in the race – Duane Lewis – ran into a major scandal of his own.
After boasting of being the only candidate in the race with a college degree (welcome to South Carolina, people), it was revealed after the GOP runoff election that Lewis’ sheepskin actually came from Western States University – an unaccredited diploma mill which was later shut down amid scandal. Questions were also raised as to whether he graduated from high school – a requirement for the position.
Lewis is adamant he has “not misled anybody about my background,” according to an interview with The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier – although it’s clear plenty of voters in Berkeley County feel misled. And the drama escalated further when Berkeley County’s “Republican” party leader – Tim Callanan – responded to Lewis’ critics by labeling them as “human garbage.”
Ouch …
Lewis’ opponents have sent a complaint to S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson alleging the GOP candidate lied on the papers he filed to seek the sheriff’s office – however they’re not optimistic given that Wilson endorsed Lewis’ candidacy last week.
“What ethical (attorney general) investigates the guy he endorsed?” one of Lewis’ opponents told FITS.
Hmmmm …
In response to all this craziness, a movement is underway (led by Berkeley County tea party leaders) to write-in Adams name on this week’s special election ballot – in which Lewis is running against Democrat Anthony Smalls. Or course thanks to South Carolina’s “sore loser” election law (which we oppose), Adams is prohibited from doing anything to campaign for the seat.
What a mess, right? Indeed …
The whole situation is sad … and indicative of the poor quality of local “leaders” in the notoriously corrupt, impoverished and uneducated Palmetto State.
We don’t live in Berkeley County and have never had a dog in this particular fight, but we asked a local resident who is active in the liberty movement what voters there ought to do.
Their response went as follows …
We’ll see if that happens …
15 comments
A lot of this craziness is being fueled by some “second string” political consultants that are active in that race. They are trying to make a name for themselves as the next “Lee Atwater” of SC.
In a just world, these consultants would be placed in stocks and honest taxpayers would all get a whack at them.
“placed in stocks and honest taxpayers would all get a whack at them”
YES! —- stocks, flogging, and tarring and feathering..!!
DING DING DING! David Carter. Go back to your parents’ house and fire up your computer for your ‘consulting business’ in their basement.
“Lewis’ sheepskin actually came from Western States University – an unaccredited diploma mill which was later shut down amid scandal. Questions were also raised as to whether he graduated from high school – a requirement for the position.”
Ha Ha! Perfect!
A fraud in charge of the PD- just perfect.
Now look, I don’t think that someone having a college diploma is the end all/be all in matters. There’s plenty of competent people out there that don’t have one and started working right out of high school.
That said, to have the balls to slam others for not having one when you got yours from a diploma mill, & maybe didn’t even graduate HS, well that’s pretty damn stupid.
I’m not sure what “skill” college teaches that’s valuable to LE that couldn’t be gained through experience…but Mr. University of American Samoa has at least got the requirement of “having balls” covered…even if it appears he’s a grade A moron.
Bull Sh*t degrees for LE “leaders” are very common prerequisite busters. I don’t know if there is so much a real need for a degree or if it is just an honestly test. Highlights laziness because in many cases the Dept. would pay for the successful completion, or used to anyways.
Looks like “Western States University” was also the place Firecheifs went to buy their diploma too:
http://www.firehouse.com/forums/t35352/
They also mentioned “Lacrosse University”; apparently there’s good demand to buy dubious diploma’s.
I didn’t follow up on the later pages in the forum, because you can pretty much see where it’s going.
I’ve never heard of a LE agency that reimburses for non-accredited institutions. Every city/county/state policy I’ve ever seen specifically requires that the institution be regionally accredited.
Rodney Monroe of Charlotte was a famous case of not so legit credentials and the rest I know of are older Florida cases. You must not have done that Google search about Police corruption in Fl. In the 90s I lived in the epicenter of bad cops as far as the Central part goes.
I know about about Florida in the 90’s, but things are a little different now (even down there)…
Used to. Most agencies pay little and many are cutting benefits to allow government to pay for pet projects.
GrandTango — the write-in candidate
Four votes…not bad out of 12,500 cast.
Shocking Alan Wilson needs to be conflicted out of a case….
What a bunch of knuckleheads down there…
Maybe now that the Adams clown has been rejected by the voters there THREE TIMES (in three entirely different ways – that may be some kind of record) he will go away and take his merry band of obsessed weirdos with him. Thank goodness I don’t live down there…I could not have listened to this for three months.
Even though Lewis almost broke 50% in a five-way race, looking at the numbers online the funniest part is that if all of the write-in kooks had thrown in behind the Democrat, they *may* have been able to turn out enough to put him in office, dependent upon how many Republican Berkeleyites would actually vote for a black Democrat (probably a no-go, but you never know). Then he would have been easy pickings for Republican in three years. Obsessed kooks don’t do the long-term thinking thing too well. As their brilliant strategery fell out, the Lewis cat will be a three-year Republican incumbent in a 60% “R” county when their next bite at the apple rolls around. Good luck with that! Adams has now lost in a general election, a primary, and a special as a write-in…I guess his ego / obsession will compel him to try primary #2 / race #4 in a few years. Then he’ll be a four-time loser, which would propel him almost into the Ralph Nader realm…
Of course, it’s worth noting that only about 12,500 people voted (out of ~115,000 registered voters), which says that, as usual, most folks didn’t have shit left to give.
The height of scuzziness among sheriffs took place in Laurens County, where Sheriff Chastain admittedly and intentionally ended the life of his unborn child by one of his employees, solely to further his own political career.
Then, he gets her pregnant again, and she gets another abortion!
Now, how’s that for good judgement?