NOBLE COLUMN: Smoke Signals on the Political Horizon for South Carolina | Columnists | Summerville Journal Scene

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NOBLE COLUMN: Smoke Signals on the Political Horizon for South Carolina

Published Thursday, January 05, 2012 3:59 PM

By Phil Noble
Summerville Journal Scene ®

Tis the season not just for eggnog and holiday celebration, but also for politics. Yes, I know, we are all pretty well sick of politics in general and all the presidential candidates crisscrossing our state in particular. However, there are some unusual smoke signals coming from all the heat and passion of the presidential primary that may be important for South Carolina’s future.

Let me begin with an obvious disclaimer: I’m a Democrat. Thus, I’m clearly no insider in Palmetto State or national Republican politics, and I don’t claim to have any special knowledge about who’s going to win or lose the GOP primary on January 21. However, I have a long-held passion for all things South Carolina, and I do think there are some interesting developments this political season that we should all pay attention to, as they could have a real impact on our state’s politics.

First, the debates, and Lord knows there have been lots of them with more to come. By my unofficial count, there have been 18 televised debates and they have all pretty much had the same format. There’s a long line of mostly white guys in dark suits standing in a row behind lecterns trying to beat the crap out of each other while attempting not to appear “negative” and hopefully to wedge in a clever sound bite that may get them on the cable news shows.

Although no single debate has been crucial to any one candidate, the net effect overall has been positive. Each candidate has had a chance to have his or her say before the American people, and if folks have their interest piqued, they go to the various candidates’ Web sites, learn more, follow them in the news a little more closely and begin to form a loose opinion and perhaps get involved in their campaign. Wash, rinse and repeat this process a couple of dozen times and we begin to get a real sense of who they are — some benefit and some suffer.

As just one example, Rick Perry skyrocketed in the polls when he first announced but has steadily lost ground in virtually every debate since then. Despite tons of Texas oil money trying to prop up his campaign, as they say at the Perry family’s hopelessly ill-dubbed hunting camp, “That dog just won’t hunt.”

Here in South Carolina in the pre-TV campaign advertising age, we had a similar debate tradition. For a few weeks just before the Democratic Primary (there weren’t any Republicans back then), all the statewide candidates met on the courthouse steps in each of the 46 counties and debated. People came, listened and formed their opinions from direct side-by-side exposure to the candidates — not filtered through the news media or perverted by 30-second attack ads. The TV debates serve the same function for a national audience.

We need to revive this debate tradition in South Carolina and demand lots of debates among candidates, especially those running for statewide offices.

Second, ideas matter. It is a frustrating truism that campaigns have become mired in meaningless sound bites, and a press release with six bullet points has taken the place of a serious, thoughtful policy paper. However, this primary season has shown that ideas do matter and those candidates who have policy ideas — even if a little loopy — can get a fair hearing. Ron Paul has built and sustained his campaign on a clear set of libertarian principles. Though most consider at least some of his ideas radical, he does have specific policies and proposals that have attracted staunch followers.

Last summer, Newt Gingrich’s campaign was left for dead at the Tiffany’s diamond counter, but he has clawed his way back largely on the strength of the perception of him as a “thinker” with lots of ideas about solutions for our problems. Even Herman Cain, the pizza man with the too-complicated-by-half personal life, was able to be taken quasi-seriously, at least for a few weeks, based in no small part on his 9-9-9 tax reform plan.

And issues, or more accurately his flip-flops on issues, have impacted Mitt Romney as well. The single biggest hit on him has been from those who care passionately about specific issues such as abortion and simply don’t trust him because of his inconsistencies.

We have a myriad of vital issues in this state that will determine the shape of our future. Recently our politicians have largely ignored these issues and instead focused on petty partisan bickering and relatively trivial issues. Perhaps our state’s politicians will learn a lesson from the presidential primary that ideas do matter and people do care about issues; then, they can begin to get down to the serous business.

Third, people are fed up with politics as usual and really want something different. Naturally, the Republican candidates focus all their rage on Obama and blame him for all of our nation’s problems, but this disgust with politics as usual goes beyond narrow partisanship. Whether it’s the tea party movement or Occupy Wall Street, the message is the same: Our government is broken and our politics corrupt. We have been corrupted by big money — from special interests that lobby for bailouts in Washington to state legislators that protect special tax breaks and sales tax loopholes here in South Carolina.

Though few people have heard of them today, I suspect that the newly-formed reform outfit, AmericansElect.org, will have a big impact on the November election. This summer they will conduct a national online convention that will pick a bi-partisan ticket for president and vice president. They will be on all 50 state ballots, and I believe they will nominate serious candidates that, while not winning, will have a significant impact and create a third option for campaigns in the future.

This same disgust with both Democrats and Republicans is starting to bubble up in SC as well. There are rumblings, especially in the Greenville business community, about finding an independent candidate to run for governor in 2014.

Obviously, it’s still way too early to tell if all this smoke will ultimately be fanned into the flames of a real fire of reform. However, we do know that these strange smoke signals are out there on the horizon and that a brush fire can start easily and quickly burn down the desiccated and tinder-dry edifice of politics as usual.

As for me, I’m reminded of that old, Vietnam-era adage: Maybe you really do have to burn down the village to save it.

Phil Noble is a businessman in Charleston and serves as the president of the South Carolina New Democrats, an independent reform group started by former Governor Richard Riley. You may contact him via phil@scnewdemocrats.org; visit www.SCNewDemocrats.org.

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