For years, I told friends who were born in North Carolina that this states political scandals, villains and idiots were nothing compared to South Carolinas gothic parade of blatant crooks, backward ignoramuses, vicious backstabbers, and rabid crackers. It may sound odd, but Im glad the rest of America has finally caught on to the weird, retro ways of my home states politics, courtesy of Gov. Mark Appalachian Trail Sanford; Lt. Gov. Andre Im not gay, dammit! Bauer; Rep. Joe You Lie Wilson; state GOP officials who compare the U.S. First Lady to an escaped gorilla; anonymous flyers linking Sanford romantically to the ugly-as-sin former education honcho; and, of course, U.S. Sen. Jim Demint, a rightwing ideologue who cant decide which color to dye his hair. Theyre an entertaining, albeit dangerous, bunch, and, believe me, there are plenty more where those came from. For instance, two S.C. GOP county chairmen Edwin Merwin of Bamberg County and James Ulmer of Orangeburg County -- co-wrote a Sunday newspaper editorial in which they said Demints tight-fisted ways mean hes watching over the nations funds -- like a Jew would.
"There is a saying that the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies, and the dollars taking care of themselves," wrote Merwin and Ulmer.
Even the Palmetto Scoop, a conservative news Web site, was stunned: Umm who in mainstream America thinks its a good idea to write something like that in a guest editorial? ... Its people like Ulmer and Merwin that make many folks fear for the future of the once Grand Ole Party."
[caption id="attachment_15015" align="alignnone" width="260" caption="Sen. Jim Demint on a black hair day"]