Jack & Jill Politics

Last night, I watched the Daily Show. John Stewart did a lengthy segment on Alvin Greene, the victor of the South Carolina Senate Democratic Primary. You can watch it for yourself. I agree with Stewart that Alvin’s ascendency to be the Democratic challenger for Republican Jim DeMint’s U.S. Senate seat should not be blamed by Democrats there on Republicans. That’s just not productive. Clearly the party was asleep at the wheel, invested little to no energy in the primary, thinking that DeMint is unbeatable.

No, I think it’s clear that Alvin Greene just sorta happened. A fluke. To me, it’s actually almost inspiring that a man with no website or organization of any kind, with just a vague sense of urgency, would scrape up his last dime and throw his hat in the ring to be South Carolina’s next Senator. He seems as astonished, blind-sided & unprepared as the rest of the nation was for what ended up happening. He’s not a politician and therefore is clearly camera-shy. I think the media has been a bit hard on him there.

The trouble Greene got in with the porn & the college student is a shame. And of a serious nature. Mr. Greene is a little…well, different. Still: if this had happened to a Republican, the party would have swooped down on him and re-cast his story as an incumbent-smashing unemployed everyman – a regular guy/veteran who wants to make Congress work for the little guy. Mr. Greene Goes to Washington and all that. The Tea Party is rife with these characters in the current election cycle. Why shouldn’t the Dems have their own version? Or is the Democratic Party dubious that another black man of humble origins with a dream could make it all the way to the top?

Current polls put DeMint at 58% and Greene at 21% – and that’s with a barely articulate Alvin who’s not even trying that hard! Think of what he could do if he actually had some support! What the heck, I say — why not get that guy some media training, a website, a campaign manager and turn him into a folk hero. Sen Jim DeMint is one of the most conservative members of the Senate. He’s anti-abortion, opposes the President at every turn he can, refers to health care reform as Obamacare and thinks we should just round up and deport all illegal immigrants – which is inhumane at worst and impractical at best. He’s all for building a giant fence between the U.S. and Mexico and making English the national language.

I’d take 10 Alvin Greenes over that guy. I’d like to see the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee give Greene a chance…