Monday, June 21, 2010

SC6 Endorses Pratt for the 6th District ...

We Haven't Played Kingmaker In a While......

Forget all the newspaper endorsements and nods from present and former politicians.... When it comes to needing one person's opinion on who should represent the GOP in the 6th Congressional District, there is only one place to check - right here! The way we figure it, we're worth at least a 20 point swing just on our say so..... Actually, we were going to sit the whole thing out - especially since we have that whole District VP Gig and all. But we decided that if we did it at the last second, it wouldn't be considered being unfair. After not a lot of contemplation, mostly because the candidates made up our minds for us fast, we are endorsing Jim Pratt for Congress.....

Yeah, yeah, we know - no surprise here. We'll be honest - Pratt stands little to no chance of victory in November. All along, we have said that a real sense of victory in November would be to get 40% of the vote. In a 53% black district, with another 1/3 of whites being Democrats, that would be a sign that at least someone was thinking at the booth.... Right now, that is the best we can do.

So, why are we picking Pratt? From the beginning, when we had no idea who was running, we had a vision of what the ideal candidate would bring to the table. First and foremost, could this person think on their feet at a podium next to Jim Clyburn, go toe to toe with him, and call him on every piece of bullshit that he spouts? Secondly, does this person have the ability to bring some kind of finances to mount a decent campaign? I always thought I had the first part, but I definitely didn't have the second... Lastly, does the person have a set of sensible yet organized and detailed policies for America and the 6th District? Of the three people that ran, Jim Pratt was the best choice to us....

No, I don't think Pratt is perfect in the first category. I'd like a little more fire and enthusiasm. Be a pain in the ass, but have fun the whole time.... However, Pratt has at least ha some experience in public speaking, and organizing his thoughts without sounding rehearsed. I'm sorry, but from Day One two years ago, I got the impression that Nancy Harrelson was too rehearsed, almost to the point where she was espousing beliefs that she didn't really have... We need people like Nancy working in the party, but running for office is for a special breed...

As far as the second point, Pratt has some $$ to work with, and with his billboard business, he's got lots of free advertising all across the district. Case closed. Harrelson and Colleen Payne couldn't keep up with it... On the third point, we're not 100% behind what any of the candidates are for. I'm pretty sure Pratt is a FairTax advocate, which makes me worry that he's not as smart as we hope he is. In our book, FairTax is a smoke and mirrors, good in theory only policy that has no practical application in the real world - and it goes against every Conservative's pricple of smaller government. Rebate checks for food, and a 23% rate at the checkout counter? You can keep that BS.... This is where Pratt will need to tighten up if he wants to be taken seriously in November.

Are we overstating our importance to this race? Maybe , but we don't think so... For most of you, the 6th District of South Carolina is a playtoy that you pull out of the closet every 2 years. For us, it's our bread and butter. Few people know or have more friends in the district than we do. It's our home still, and we actually care what happens to people there, whether they're a Republican or Democrat. This is our best chance to get anywhere in the race for Congress, and we need to put our best available person on that podium. To us, that person is Jim Pratt....

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

We will know in about an hour and some change. I hope you are right.

Anonymous said...

I voted for Pratt, but Nancy H was much more proactive and had a better ground game leadng up to election day. I got a couple of phone calls and emails from her campaign, but didn't hear anything at all from his campaign.
Here's hoping he pulls it together for a decent showing in November.