Uh Oh. Clyburn: Greene may be GOP plant (SC Senate Dem Nominee)

[Perky]

Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) on Thursday speculated that his state’s Democratic Senate nominee might be a “Republican plant.”

Alvin Greene’s primary win Tuesday stunned South Carolina Democrats, who only found out after he had secured the nomination that he was charged with showing a college student obscene photos last fall.

South Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Carol Fowler has called on Greene to resign, but the previously unknown unemployed Army veteran said Wednesday that he’s not going anywhere.

Asked about the puzzling case during an interview Thursday, Clyburn, the third ranking House Democrat, told liberal radio host Bill Press that there were “some real shenanigans going on in the South Carolina primary.”

“I don't know if he was a Republican plant,” Clyburn said, adding that Greene “was someone's plant. What is an unemployed guy doing paying $10,000 to run for the United States Senate? That just doesn’t add up.”

Greene had no campaign infrastructure to speak of and his candidacy generated very little press attention. Still, the Democrat was able to win 59 percent of the vote Tuesday, earning his party’s nod to take on Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).

Clyburn indicated that the circumstances were too bizarre for the election results to be legitimate and encouraged the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate the charges currently pending against Greene.

“I think there's some federal laws being violated in this race, but I think some shenanigans are going on in South Carolina,” the congressman said. "I would hope the U.S. attorney down there would look at this."

Fowler told POLITICO Thursday she would welcome an investigation into the source of Greene’s filing fee.

“I would accept any help in finding where he got the money or confirming that it was his own money,” said Fowler.

More 2010 POLITICO


Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0610/38358.html#ixzz0qSczbZ00

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

1. I could be wrong, but I thought that parties can basically do anything they want

in terms of naming their candidate. Primaries are NOT required and I don't know that they have to adhere to the results of a primary. Couldn't they have a caucus or convention and overturn their own primary?

I saw a talking head say that he won just because his name came first alphabetically which is just totally pathetic. How can South Carolinians be so clueless to vote a Senatorial candidate that no one knows ANYTHING about?

[LiberalFighter]

5. Primaries are probably required in every state for federal offices.

Most likely, it is when there is an open spot in a primary that the party can then select a candidate.

[Freddie Stubbs]

12. No, they must adhere to state and federal laws

[benddem]

15. most likely

it was cross over voting by Republicans. SC is open primary state. Another good reason to dump those laws.

[Clintonista2]

2. Is there any way for Tim Kaine to remove him?

[LiberalFighter]

6. DNC has no authority to remove any candidate. That is determined by state laws.

[Mz Pip]

3. Are there Open Primaries in SC?

If Repubs can vote for Dems in the primary then I would be really suspicious of all of this.

[Catbird]

8. South Carolina primaries

You can vote in any primary. You are then limited to voting in that party's runoff if there is one. So Republicans and others can vote in the Democratic primary. There were enough controversial Republican contests this time that I'm not sure a lot of Republicans would have been willing to do this.

I once voted in a Republican primary because there were no Democratic races where I thought my vote would be critical and there was a particular Republican I was adamantly opposed to. Although this person won the primary, the Democrat won the general election.

I am also suspicious of this vote, but I haven't decided where to direct my suspicions yet. :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat:

[Mz Pip]

10. CA just passed an open primary initiative

THe top two vote getters, regardless of party would face off in the general election.

I voted against it, but it passed.

[Tarc]

4. This is a bit tinfoil hat-ish

So the GOP plants a rogue candidate into a primary he had little chance of winning and didn't campaign, to run against DeMint, a darling favorite of Tea Partiers and the GOP establishment alike expected to crush any opponent in the Fall?

[LiberalFighter]

7. If that is the case then DeMint must be scared to lose.

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. Not necessarily

It may have been the state GOP rather than DeMint. Most observers didn't think that Rawl had much of a chance, but he did at least have a campaign organization and has raised some money. His candidacy may have increased Democratic voter turnout slightly, helping Democrats in other races on the ballot.

[kaiden]

9. The South Carolina Democratic Party should replace Greene

with Lee Mercer, Jr.!

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. The fact that an a young, unemployed guy has $10,000 to blow on the filing fee is suspicious

It is not uncommon for long-shot candidates to spend thousands of dollars of their own money, but they usually tend to be older and wealthier.

[newspeak]

14. I thought the two running against Reid here in Nevada

were repug plants. After reading their sites-one ranted on about evil socialism and communism--and the other actually spoke at the Searchlight teabagger rally. I wondered, "why are they on a democratic ticket?

[HughMoran]

16. Creepy

:wtf:

[frazzled]

17. This is reminiscent of the Scott Lee Cohen win in the IL primary

A total unknown won the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor (he had ads that focused on unemployment and ran "job fairs"). It was immediately discovered that a history domestic abuse, a prostitute girlfriend, anabolic steroid use, a really ugly divorce, etc. were part of his resume. The big movers and shakers in the state (from Governor Quinn to Senator Durbin, AG Lisa Madigan) called on him to withdraw. He refused for about two days, and then exited the race. Upon which the party selected a new Lt. Gov. candidate.

Was this a Republican plant in SC? I kind of doubt it. But even if it were, it doesn't really matter. People didn't have to vote for him. Reporters didn't have to ignore his candidacy by failing to report on him. The vast majority of voters are capricious, ill-informed, gullible, and engaged in random acts of close-your-eyes-and-pick-a-name. What we like to call democracy is a freaking game of Paint Ball out there. You can give all kinds of post-mortem analyses about why this guy got nominated, but it really boils down to an uninformed populace. Sometimes I feel our great 200+ year experiment in democracy is coming to a very ignominious end.

[WI_DEM]

18. You have to pay $10,000 filing fee to run for US Senate in SC?

[Perky]

19. Oooh o0h ooohh I just thought of who could replace Greene

This Guy





Can you imagine the debates with DeMint?