Monday, March 05, 2012

This Is Not How You Get Elected to Congress ......



7th District Candidate Goes On Facebook Rant, Calls For Horry County GOP Chair's Ouster Over Being Snubbed?


     We'll be honest on the GOP race for the new 7th District seat... So far, we don't have a candidate that we have gone right out and said 'That's the Guy/Lady for the Job!'...  Most are pretty much talking the same game, so it's been easier at this point to whittle down the 'Nope' candidates than endorse one. It's a long process, but there's still plenty of time to go.  While the Top Shelf, established people are playing it safe for now, one is swinging big....and missing.


     Last month, we met Renee Culler for the first time in Kingstree, and we were hopeful that maybe she might be a candidate that came out from nowhere, made a good showing and earned some respect for the future.  That is what we really were going for back in 2004, and that honestly is the best she could do this year.  This field is too packed with established candidates for her to anything else.  All I had was Gary McLeod. She has Andre Bauer, Tom Rice, Randal Wallace and Chad Prosser to deal with. All have resumes, and all have won real elections. Say it with me now, in your best Cajun accent.... 'Nah Gonna Doo It!'


    Last month in Kingstree was OK. She was short, and to the point. Her message needed polish, but that's expected.  Yeah, we soon afterwards heard about a couple things back in Texas, but we held off on saying anything, as we will today.. As a former candidate, we gave her advice, but she declined to take it, at least for now...  However, the last two weeks, the wheels have been coming off the wagon for Culler, and it's getting strange - and ugly.


    Being a woman candidate, the best way to get the ball rolling is to get the female GOP activists on your side, and networking for you.  They are out there, and there are plenty of women who are focused solely on electing female Republicans... However, Renee Culler has taken a couple bad steps already, and the ladies are not going to go to war for her...


   First, she appeared on Bill Pickle's radio show. I listened to it myself, and it was far from stellar.  It was a tense, jumpy, and over-caffeinated like performance.  She was all over the place, high-pitched, and nervous.  Every question was answered like that particular issue was the end of the world.  There were not stats, which tells us they are actually doing their homework, just Tea Party-like rhetoric, with no real plans on how to fix it.  One minute, it was cutting the budget, the next it was spending money to deport every illegal alien.  One question: HOW?


   Besides brains, there is one trait all good candidates have - Confidence.  Being cool under fire is paramount. That is how you make your points.  You are interesting but calm, and then you rise your tone a little to get the people listening. A lesser question comes along, you drop it back down..  Whatever it is, you act like you knew it was coming, and your voice says "I got it handled".. Her interview was like a motorcycle running wide open for an hour, with no decelleration. It doesn't make you sound passionate - it makes you sound unhinged.. It was so bad, that Stephanie Rawlinson called Bill, and got on within 72 hours to discuss Women in Politics to try and right the ship, lest anyone think THAT'S how all GOP women are.


   Hey, it happens. But, Culler has taken on a dumber and more destructive path this weekend.  She is actually calling for the ouster of Horry County Chair Johnnie Bellamy.. For what, you say?  Well, all I got from Renee's Facebook tirade was she went to an event this weekend for two hours, and Bellamy blew her off.  Yeah, I've been there. You want blown off? Try working 11 hours, then driving to Chucktown for a party meeting, and when you get there, they tell you 'We're behind schedule - try to keep it under 2 minutes'.. Ugh!  It sucks, but getting face time is up to you.. You are the candidate, so it's your responsibility to BE SEEN.  If not, make the most of it, because she's not the only vote out there, and say hi to everyone else.  Then call and ask what the hell happened...


    From all accounts, the two have never met. I know I've never met Johnnie Bellamy. I hear things, but I always reserve judgement for when I actually meet them.  When you call for a county chairman's ouster, you now are calling out the party, and all those that chose her.  You are questioning not only Ms. Bellamy's skills, but those of who voted her in.  In short, you just pissed off about 40% of people who are involved in the party process.  The ones who knock on doors, bury signs, watch polls - and tell ten other people who don't known shit from shinola who to vote for.  OOPS....


   Even though we haven't brought up the Texas problems, Renee Culler has.  The problem is she makes it sound like a conspiracy theory of half of the state of Texas against her.  Again, discussing it, and giving the impression of 'someone effed with me, but I got it handled' would go over better.  Add it to the Bellamy affair, and Culler starts to look like a person who will go to the ends of the Earth to ruin anyone who she felt dissed her.  It doesn't make you look like a fighter that we should elect to Congress - it makes you look unhinged, and almost paranoid...


    This field is too deep for Culler to be swinging at windmills, all at the expense of her and her family.  I suggested it once, and I'll suggest it again, before the deadline comes:  Save your money, and more importantly, save your aggravation and embarrassment .  This job isn't for you... Drop out, and find other ways to make America better.


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