'Seriously... You're Dumping Me? But I'm Tom Cruise!'
Now we know one thing..... It wasn't Nicole Kidman after all. In the 'Gee, we NEVER saw this coming' department, Katie Holmes has filed for divorce from Tom Cruise - and the prenup question sare already starting. We think thye've been married five years, which could be a big problem for Cruise in California. But honestly, we really don't care...
What happened between the two? Was Cruise too possessive? Did Holmes finally realize there is a lot of difference with a man 16 years older than you? Who knows.... Our theory is that they couldn't be with each other after having seen the crappy movies each the last time out: Cruise in 'Rock of Ages' and Holmes in 'Jack and Jill'...... This has been the biggest case of a couple getting together and making shit movies since Affleck and J. Lo got together and made 'Gigli'. Yes, the only reason we posted this was so we could make that wisecrack. Have a nice weekend!
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Even Lady Liberty Can't Stand To Look After Yesterday's Mess From the Supreme Court and Congress' Contempt of AG Eric Holder....
There are some days where even we can't tolerate watching politics... Yesterday was definitely one of them. Maybe we were still worn out from the runoff. Or from being on the radio Tuesday and Wednesday, then finishing our floors. Whatever it was, we weren't looking forward too much to yesterday - and it was just as bad as we thought it would be.
There are some days when the Executive branch makes you want to puke. Other days the Judicial branch brings out a ruling that might make you shake your head. Of course, you can always count on the legislative branch to make you ill nearly every day they're in session. Yesterday was one of those rare days when all three branches were in full dysfunction - all at the same time.
Yes, we did watch the TV coverage of the Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare.. it looked good at first: it was a 5-4 vote,and Chief Justice Roberts was giving the majority opinion.. Nope. Thanks to Fox News, we had a two minute period where we thought it was knocked down - but that was only because they ruled it was unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause. But, SCOTUS blog got it right first, and noted that the government argued what they said it wasn't when they passed it - that Obamacare is a tax, and they have the power to do so... The Court agreed. Maybe Joe Wilson was right after all about Barack Obama, though there are other places to state so...
Like we say, we don't judge court rulings much. We are not attorneys here. All we do is react to it. The reaction from others was pretty quick. The stock market dropped 70 points in the first 30 minutes.... Mitt Romney joined right in, and said it would be the first thing he'd get rid of. Like we said in our post from Wednesday, this could actually be a good thing for Romney. The economy is almost guaranteed to go nowhere, and if that happens, Romney's chances for election get better... I've read where a lot of Republicans aren't enthused about promoting Romney. Well they better, because if they think just getting a majority in the House and Senate will overturn Obamacare, they are in for a surprise... If Barack Obama is in office in January, all he has to do is veto any bill or budget eliminating the program. Then Congress needs to have a supermajority to overrule it. Good luck with that!
Of course, even we worry when one party runs all three offices, Republican or Democrat. The last four years gave us Obamacare and The Stimulus, the eight before that gave us Iraq and Compassionate Conservatism... Clearly, all the power in one party's hands makes for bad policy. Getting your way often leads to overdoing it....
After about 45 minutes, we heard enough of the Court ruling... Yet, we knew we still had the hearing in the House for the Contempt of Congress charge against Attorney General Eric Holder... Holder has been about as worried over this as Roger Clemens was a couple years ago. Honestly, we totally skipped the vote, and watched a series of funny movies for the next six hours. If we're going to watch comedies, we'd rather watch the ones that make us laugh.. The one interesting thing we saw was that 17 Democrats did agree - and the rest walked out, which tells us they didn't want to have their names attached to supporting Holder. Maybe it is the only way left to apply pressure to get the info needed from Holder to resolve this properly, but we hate partisan ugliness like this...
So, what are our thoughts about all of this? Well, we see a section of lower middle class people - those who make $30-40k a year, like a lot of people in Florence - will be paying fines for not having health insurance that their employers don't offer. Obama won, but Justice Roberts put it squarely in his lap that Obamacare IS a tax, and that was the only way it would be legal.. That's a huge political liability for Obama, and the GOP will be more than happy to slap that label on him...
Yes, we've seen some politically ugly days in Washington: The Clinton impeachment. Watergate. LBJ's daughters.. But rarely did we see a single day where DC was in full-blown dysfunction from all three branches at the same time ... It made us long to be one of those regular citizens - the ones who go through life oblivious to politics, and the goings-on in our capital : where the only thing on their minds are taking the kids to school, making dinner, and catching SportsCenter for the latest score. Of course, that's not us.. We love this stuff, but we enjoy it more when people come together, like tomorrow at the inaugural Four Horsemen Invitational, where yelling and ugliness are not tolerated. It's all about the love... and the beer and barbeque! Maybe THAT'S what DC needs.
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I found this one on my sister's Facebook page, which is from a recent Obama visit to Zumbrota, Minnesota - close to where her boyfriend lives... We're not positive what's going on here, but our guess is either of two things: either this girl is threatening to stand like a flamingo until Obama admits it's the private sector that power the economy - in which case, she's STILL standing that way - or, this is this is the smallest, blondest Iraqi girl, and she's preparing to throw her shoe at him!
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We're Suggesting That the Unconstitutionality of Obama's Main First Term Achievement Might Actually HELP Him? Maybe....
OK, now that the 7th District race is over, it's time to get back to stirring up stuff in things other than the GOP.... We went back onto Bill Pickle's radio show this morning - mainly to accept the heckling for handicapping the race so badly - when we eventually went onto other national issues. We have two big things coming up tomorrow: the possible censure of Attorney General Eric Holder, and infinitely more important, the ruling by the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of Obamacare..
While the general consensus is that if Obamacare is knocked down, it will be viewed as a huge repudiation of the President, which would play a major part in him not being re-elected. That could be true, but there is a possibility that it would do the exact opposite - that Obama could actually win from losing this case.. How is that even fathomable? We'll explain it, but you always have to keep in mind, this is DC we're talking about here - anything is possible.
OK, here is our conspiracy theory... With most things, the problem with Obamacare isn't the principle - it's the money. We'd all like to have health insurance, but how the hell do we pay for it? Ever since it was passed, US companies have been trying to prepare for this, and it has absolutely killed the growth of the US economy.
Back in 2010 and 2011, they weren't as concerned, because the law was 2-3 years away. If you needed to hire more employees, you hired them, and the unemployment rate dropped. 2013 is right around the corner now, and along with Taxmageddon, it's staring businesses square in the face. How daunting is it? American corporations made a profit of $826 billion in 2011, an all-time record. Sounds great, right? It is... They're becoming more efficient .
However, with the unsure estimates of just how much Obamacare will cost ($175-200 Billion), business is scared. Think about it... Obamacare could cut their profits by 20-25% - and not all of them are making money. Many could go under. This is why they aren't taking anyone on right now - they're standing pat with what they've got...
Now, enter the Supreme Court knocking down Obamacare... Yes, many will lose their Health Care, but this huge shroud of uncertainty has now been taken off of Corporate America - the people who ACTUALLY create jobs. How many more job can $200 billion in the private market create? At 40,000 a year, that translates into about 5 million jobs. We'd take half that. More people are working, making more money and being less dependent on the government. Budget deficits drop without raising taxes, and the whole thing accelerates up because Americans with jobs buy stuff... Sounds great!
Yes, with millions of people working, the unemployment rate drops, and if you ever seen our post correlating unemployment and re-electability , you'll see that as long as voters think the economy is going in the right direction, they'll stand pat with the incumbent. It may sound scary, but by proving to Barack Obama that his economic theory is completely wrong and unconstitutional, we could actually assist him in being re-elected. Funnier things have happened....
No, Obamacare is not the only reason Republicans and Independents will have to not vote for Barack Obama in November, but 2012 is all about the economy.... If tomorrow somehow relieves the pressure on American Business, voters won't give a flip - they'll re-elect Obama. Will he deserve the credit for it? Absolutely not, but when has that ever stopped a politician from taking credit for good news that he actually retarded? We rest our case. Yes, this post is political blasphemy, but it's more based on economic reality. Life is full of unintended consequences - Happy Accidents - and tomorrow could very well be an example of Obama stepping in shit. If it puts millions back to work, we'll live with it. We won't like it, but we'll live - after all, we've made it this far!
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Tom Rice Has Plenty to Smile About After His 12 Point Win Over the Former Lt. Governor, Will Face Tinubu in November Election....
Like we said, if we were great at predicting races, we'd be working for Rasmussen or Real Clear Politics.... In a race that many thought would be tight, Horry County Council Chairman Tom Rice pulled off a comfy 12 point win over Andre Bauer in tonight's 7th District Runoff. And the win was pretty convincing districtwide. We were planning on doing a post from the Florence HQ for Bauer, to put you inside of a campaign team as the numbers came in. We didn't make it that far, and the Bauer camp went to Myrtle beach anyway....
Yep, it was a pretty short night... We decided to first stop around the corner to the Florence County Elections Office to see if any results were in. The poll workers were lined up nicely, escorted by Kenney Boone's finest to make sure nothing funny happened. We went inside and we knew the night was almost already over. Thirteen of the sixty precincts had reported, and Rice was up by 11 points. When I saw that, I told Renee Woodberry - who was calling in results to Stephanie Rawlinson, that it they won. I also knew it was over when I saw Sunny Philips there. Sunny NEVER loses...Bauer slowly closed the gap, but in the end, Rice won Florence County by 4 points - and Darlington County went with them. For him to win, Bauer needed to win the Pee Dee by at least 15-20 points. Game Over...
In hindsight, it's a lot easier to tell why someone won or lost. Like most races, it was partly what the winner did, and what the loser did or didn't do... We'll go over some of them here quickly, because right now, it doesn't really matter, does it?
Voters Wanted the Adult in the Room
This morning, Bill Pickle asked me on his radio show what the differences were between Rice and Bauer. My answer was temperament. Voters would choose what type of congressman they wanted personalitywise, becuase they two are pretty similar. I referred to Tom Rice as the adult in the room, meaning he was levelheaded, unemotional - maybe even boring. I was about to give the good points about Bauer, when one of Andre's supporters called in, and went apeshit, spewing the talking points from Bauer's TV ad. Then the time for the segment ended.. Rather than letting me make a solid argument for him, he solidified what many worry about Andre - that he lacks maturity. I disagree with that, but what the voters think is what it is...
Homefield Advantage
While he eeked out small wins in the Pee Dee, the Grand Strand went for Rice in a pretty big way.. Voters prefer to vote for the candidate they can identify with. Rice was born, raised and spent his entire career there. I've been in South Carolina for 15 years,and I'm still and will always be considered a Yankee.. Andre could never convince voters he was a Grand Strander, especially having been in the area for a generally short time.
Bauer's Ads Sucked
I saw my first positive ad for Bauer - this morning! And the ad wasn't event from his own campaign... Basically, he did the ad blitz backwards. The ads he ran for the first 13 days were negative and pretty deceptive. We hate going negative, but if you are going to do it, do it late, so your opponent doesn't have 12 days to counterpunch - especially a generally low-key guy like Rice. My guess is that they finally got some poll numbers that told them that the negative ads were backfiring, and they tried to make up for it on the last day. Too late. Yes, Andre Bauer has nigh negatives, but there are plenty of attributes that he had that made him a better candidate than Rice, but he forgot to show them..
The Political Mona Lisa Vito Syndrome
Like Marisa Tomei's character in My Cousin Vinny, politicians have biological clocks that tick LIKE THIS, and some insiders that used to support Bauer didn't this time around, because they felt he was running out of the need for an office, not love of an area. We didn't get that feeling, but again, it's what voters think. It's tough to overcome that carpetbagger tag in a new district like this, and Andre didn't close the deal. The big question is if Andre Bauer has run his last campaign? Maybe. It's difficult to see that star falling until it's already down, but in hindsight, Andre's cache has been on the decline for two years now. It happens to most of us. Besides, the private sector isn't so bad...
So, the voters have given their decision, and they are going with the levelheaded accountant, rather than the hardcharging political pro... Rice now takes on Gloria Bromell-Tinubu, who thumped Preston 'Mulligan' Brittain by a 3-1 margin. If we have any advice for Rice, it's to bone up on his debating and delivery skills. Tinubu has been around the block, so even though Rice has the numbers (28,000 Republicans voted today, as opposed to 13,000 Democrats at last count), he needs to be solid, more confident and polished when the debates come around in the Fall...
Congrats to Tom Rice and his team for a good campaign, and now it's time for all of the infighting and stupidity that was all too prevalent in the primary and runoff to end. Nothing is guaranteed for us yet. Less than 20 percent voted, and Tinubu will have plenty of street money working for her on Election Day. With Romney and Obama on the ballot, there should be much higher turnout - at least there better be...
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We Put Our Quarter in the Machine, And Zoltar Has Told Us Whether Andre Bauer or Tom Rice Will Be 'Big' Tomorrow Night..
It's a tad late, and we got sick earlier today, so we're going to bed soon so we'll be nice and perky for tomorrow's appearance on In the Pickle Barrel... In all honesty, we have no real polling to go on, and when that happens, we sometimes are accurate - and sometimes we are dead wrong. We're flying blind, but we'll take a stab at tomorrow's 7th District GOP Runoff between Tom Rice and Andre Bauer....
We'll try to do this briefly, but to explain our partially scientific guess on the vote. Here it goes.. Voting and elections are very emotionally involved, but we're numbers people here. Our thoughts on this are simple - everyone who voted for Rice and Bauer will do so again tomorrow. You don't change your mind when you're right the first time. Bauer took that 32-27. That leaves 41% of the total vote up for grabs.
We simply broke up the 41% into two groups: Jay Jordan's 22%, and the 19% remaining from the Myrtle Beach based candidates. We'll do the Grand Strand first. Tom Rice will take it, but it won't be a landslide - solid, but not a landslide. Rice got Randal Wallace's and Chad Prosser's endorsements. Andre got Katherine Jenerette's nod. This will give Rice a sizeable edge in the area, but not all 19%. Our guess is he'll pull about 60-65% of what's left, which is about 12 of the 19 percentage points. Onto the Pee Dee...
The main thing Bauer has going for him is name recognition, and it showed in the Primary. In every county, he either finished first or second. So, a dominant amount of people had Andre as their first or second choice. With Jay Jordan staying out of the endorsing game (the only one it seems), Florence and Darlington Counties were a bonanza of available votes - even more so than the Grand Strand. Bauer's organization is much stronger here than Rice's, so we see about 60% of the undecideds in the Pee Dee, which translates into 13 of the 22 percentage points for Bauer... Time to add it all up.
Primary Strand Pee Dee Total
Bauer 32 + 7 + 13 = 52
Rice 27 + 12 + 9 = 48
Like we said, we're doing this mostly by the numbers, but there is one intangible that we will add into his: Andre Bauer never loses a close race. That, and his organization is stronger. Rice has the FCGOP assist a lot, and although they work hard, they don't have the strongest track record. But hey, our election prediction record isn't perfect either. Obviously, it's going to be pretty close, and if Bauer fails to get his people out, Rice could very easily win with a better turnout than in the Primary. Lots of variables... Zoltar has given back the card and it says 'Andre Bauer, you wish is granted'. We'll see....
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Thanks to Lin Bennett for finding this one. There may be a couple too many 'World's Most Interesting Man' spinoff ads, along with Willy Wonka and the cat popping out of the kaleidoscope pics - but this isn't one of them. For anyone who read about the story about subsituting wedding gifts with donations to the Obama campaign, this picture is hilarious...
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7th District Runoff Candidate Breaks Out the Big Guns Of Endorsements On the Last Campaign Day in Florence...
Attention Kmart shoppers... The runoff campaign is almost over, the store will be closing shortly, and you will need to go to the voting booth by 700PM tomorrow. Yes, at long last, this ugliness that has been the 7th District runoff will graciously come to an end. Thank God, because we can't take much more of this! Not so much the campaign stops, though they are a tad repetitive by now... We just can't take anymore of the distortive ads and Facebook rants back and forth from both sides. Personally, we hear a lot of people say they will vote for whoever wins in November, but we have a hard time believing that from some of the things we've read from some.
Thankfully, this is our last post before we vote, then go on Bill Pickle's radio show to talk about this and hopefully a lot of other things in the morning. In a tight race like this, having the appearance that your campaign is gaining momentum is important, so both are unloading all the shells from thier shotguns. The last thing you want is to lose by a point or two, and wished you had done something you passed on.
Tom Rice definitely did that today, as he crossed the district on a bus tour with an All-Star list of his biggest endorsers: Governor Nikki Haley, former Governor Jim Edwards, and ex Pee Dee congressmen Ed Young and John Napier. In a race where the Pee Dee is the wide open spot for undecided or second choice voters, Rice made a clear play for upping his credibility in an area where Andre Bauer clearly has better name recognition. The time for policy stands is long over - the last days are all emotion and getting out the vote - and Rice and Haley even more so made pleas for their vote tomorrow.
Judging by the latest Rice ad, and Haley's specific words, there is a clear tack of the Rice campaign: Andre Bauer cannot be trusted. Haley admitted that she felt Bauer has abandoned the reform movement, and there is a bit of bad blood leftover from 2010. That tends to dampen the message, but she did have an effect train of thought that others hadn't used. She felt Bauer gave in on accepting Stimulus funds, and he gave up his values for the ease of compromise. She asked 'what will he compromise on in DC? Will Obamacare not be so bad? What about increasing the debt limit?' Yeah, a bit towards the extreme, but it was probably the best speech we had ever seen her give.
Is Andre Bauer untrustworthy? Of course not... We're at the very last minute of this race -the time when the biggest bullshit bombs get tossed. We hate runoffs, because the guy that you had no problems with two weeks ago is suddenly the biggest threat to our very safety and freedoms if he/she gets elected. Our best advice during these races is to wear ear plugs to avoid the distortive messages, and just enjoy the event itself, which is what we always do...
As if the Governor stopping by wasn't big enough, there was a rumor that Tea Party groups would come to Florence to protest Haley's visit.. Luckily, it didn't happen, and word was they opted to wait til they got to the Beach... An interesting moment was seeing Tommy Phillips waiting outside, possibly to throw apples at anyone causing trouble in his town. Treasurer Dean Fowler stopped by and the two chatted about the race for a minute. It reminded me of Stonewall Jackson's famous last words..... 'Let us cross the parking lot, and rest under the shade of the trees.' Or something like that.
Overall, it was Rice's biggest event of the campaign in Florence. I'd estimate there were 125-150 attendees at Locals, where we took the time to read the menu, thus allowing us to save about $3 over our last lunch there.. Like Andre Bauer's event last week with Mike Huckabee, getting a big name to stop by for you definitely gets the people out. I tried to get a pic of Haley, but I was too far, and my camera phone gets fuzzy if you move at all. I might need to start bringing the Kodak with me again..Here's a few of the pics that actually came out well...
Darlington County young guns Matthew Blewitt and District 62 candidate Ronald Page stopped by, and stayed late... Page noticed the same the same error from Napier that I did, when Napier said Rice would 'bring the district to new depths' ... Oops, guess he meant heights!
And on the other end of the spectrum, we have Old Farts Ron McGill and Mal Weatherly... It was great to see Mal for the first time in years. On the other hand, I speak with Ron more than my entire immediate family combined! That's because he makes more sense than they do...
That pretty much concludes our coverage of the 2012 Runoff. It's been interesting to say the least. At it's worst, it's been ugly and threateningly divisive... Why so much this time? It's been 80 years since we had seven congressional districts, and 20 years since Republicans have felt they actually had a congressman. Rarely do we get this jacked up on a DC race, but we finally feel this is OUR seat, and when it gets that way, people involved will get emotional. We don't. Why? Because we are alien cyborgs sent to Planet Earth to observe and report this strange human activity called politics. Other cyborgs drew the straws to watch strip clubs and Football - and we're still unhappy about that. All we have left is to predict how it all will turn out tomorrow. No science will be involved - just an educated guess with a little gut feeling.
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Robert E. Lee Takes Over the Army of Northern Virginia, And Proceeds To Kick McClellan Out of Richmond.... And Then Some!
Welcome to the latest entry of our Civil War Rewind Series, where we mark the major and not so major events of the War Between the States - exactly 150 years after they occured. This one is a continuation of our 17th post, and perhaps the biggest event that turned the tide of the Civil War..
Like we said earlier, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston was wounded in battle, and while returning from the field, Jefferson Davis decided that his friend Robert E. Lee needed to get out from behind his desk in Richmond, and in command of the field. It was perhaps the best decision he ever made as President of the Confederacy...
First, we need to take a step back for a second, and give you an idea of just how tight things had gotten for the South. Though Northern Gen. George McClellan's Virginia Creeper campaign was slow, it did still progress... At over 120,000 men, it was a moving behemoth, which was supplied all the way from DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Though the Southern generals were aggressive, they fought a mostly defensive and small attack campaign. Eventually, McClellan got within 9 miles of the Southern capital. They were so close, the Yankee troops could hear the Richmond church bells toll... Then came Lee.
The first thing Lee did was rename his army the Army of Northern Virginia. Next, he needed a game plan... Like any traveling army, McClellan's troops required a huge fortification plan,which was based mostly on rail. Lee needed to interfere with the rail lines and disrupt the Union's ability to refortify easily... the second thing he noted was that the Union was split on both sides of the Chickihominy River, which made it harder for troops to aid and support each other. Lee had three choices: evacuate Richmond, set up a defensive ring around the capital, or attack. To Lee, the choice was clear: split his outnumbered troops if need be, and attack McClellan whenever he could...
McClellan thought the exact opposite of Lee.. He felt the new commander would be tentative at first - after all, even his own troops called him 'Granny Lee' and other derogatory names - so McClellan actually started the Seven Days Battles with a small victory at Oak Grove on June 25, 1862. Then McClellan did what he usually did - he fell back slightly, rather than keeping pressure on Lee. That was a big mistake... With McClellan not quite all reset from the day before, Lee attacked at Beaver Dam Creek on the 26th, despite Stonewall Jackson being late for an expected flank attack from the North. However, Jackson's prescence still did what Lee wanted - McClellan retreated back from the field. And so it began.....
As this battle map shows, where the Union started just Northwest of Richmond, Lee continued to push McClellan North and East - whether he won or not. On the 27th, Lee pushed on the Union at Gaines Mill, in hopes of again sendign Jackson to flank and gain control of the railways. But again, Jackson was late, thanks to bad direction and no accurate maps. Still, Lee had his first win...
Unlike McClellan, Lee kept the pressure on... His goal was to catch the Union troops in whole, and though there were skirmishes at Golding Farm and Garnett's Farm, the 28th was a day or movements and positioning to stop the North from reaching the James River.. Jackson was again supposed to attack a supply depot at Savage's Station with Gen. John Magruder on the 29th, but the orders Stonewall got were confusing, and Magruder's 14,000 men took on Union Gen Edwin Sumner's 26,000 men alone. Clearly, Jackson was having a bad week. Still, Magruder inflicted 1000 casualties, while having only 400, and Sumner also retreated to White Oak Swamp....
Day Six on June 30,1862 was perhaps the most important of all the Seven Days... Both amries positioned around the town of Glendale, where three crossroads met, two of which went to the James. If Lee took Glendale, and cut McClellan off, he could pin him and have a major victory... Again, Lee's plans didn't go according to plan. Lee had 70,000 men, but only 21,000 of them made it to Glendale. Jackson couldn't get past White Oak Swamp, due to a hard artillery barrage. The same thing happened to Maj. Gen. Benjamin Huger on Charles City Road. Rather than a three-pronger attack, all Lee had was DH Hill and James Longstreet in a straight ahead attack, which started late at 400PM, and continued until well past dark..
True to his famous temper that when he got in a fight, it was hard for him to quit, Lee fumed over the blown opportunity at Glendale, and he decided he had one last chance the next day at Malvern Hill. Just like he would later learn at Gettysburg, the Federals managed to reform defensive positions further east in a horseshoe shape on densely wooded, steep terrain, except for an gently sloping section near a wheat field. McClellan heavily assembled artillery in the only spot the South could come from.... and Lee came.
Lee and Longstreet felt that a hard artillery attack, follwed by a swift infantry manuever, could breach the Union line at that spot. However, the superior Union artillery pounded the Confederates, and the troops were decimated by fire when they advanced. If this sounds all too much like Pickett's Charge on Day Three at Gettysburg, you're not the only one thinking that. As usual, Lee's troops fought valiantly, inflicting 3000 Union casualties, but they paid a heavy price, losing 5000 of their own. As DH Hill later wrote, 'It was not War - it was simply murder'. The next day, McClellan finally reached the James River. The Seven Days Battles were over...
Now simply by reading this, you would think that this overall was a Union victory. Battle to battle, six of the seven went to the Union. However, when you look at the map, you see who actually won. Lee did exactly what we wanted to - he got the Union out of Richmond. All of the Union's gains on the field in the past year were wiped out in a week. Keep in mind, Richmond and Washington are only 100 miles apart. Lee managed to move the field from his backyard almost all the way to the Union's... Even though most of his plans went wrong, Lee managed to get into McClellan's head, almost knowing what he would do, and then formulating an attack plan based on that, he kicked him back far from Richmond...
Even more scary for the North, the South finally found the general that they were searching for to lead them. It also began a winning streak for them in the Eastern Theater, with one exception, for the next twelve months. The low point for the Union had begun - the long war was here. Very long.... Thanks for reading our latest entry, and check in real soon. Have a great weekend. We have a floor to install!
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Mark it down on your calendar... After a few discussions, and finally being back in South Carolina, we will be appearing on 'In the Pickle Barrel' as Uncle Bill Pickle's guest on Runoff Tuesday... That's a pretty big day to be on air discussing Bauer vs. Rice, but we think we're up to the task. Could we spend two hours talking about that race alone? God, we hope not!
Nope. It's been a long time since we've been on WJMX 970 AM and 97.9 FM (the last time was when our good friend TJ did morning drive), so we have a lot to chat about... We have the Mayor's race, the ballot fiasco, Social Security reform, Taxation reform, The Four Horsemen, the Presidential Race and our discovery of the correlation between Unemployment and electability. Yes, we will tout our theory until everyone in America hears it - or until it proves wrong, which could be November....
I offered to go on air Monday, but Bill said he already had a guest - which it appears is our fellow Horseman Earl Capps! Truly, it is The Four Horsemen's world - everyone else just lives in it. We'll be sure to crank call Earl once or twice, and we fully expect retribution on Tuesday, but it'll be fun. In the Pickle Barrel goes on at 8-10 AM, so please listen in, and feel free to call in any questions and comments...
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It's Sunday again, and for once, we are getting the usual Sunday fare out on time... Not a bad week overall for the political cartoons. Just like blogs, decent material to work with makes out jobs easier.. Last Friday's Immigration directive was the top story. It's never an easy topic to solve, but we're okay with the rule that was passed, though a negotiated law through Congress is always the better way - if it can happen.
Like most voters, Sheldon Adelson has had to get used to helping Mitt Romney - with his money. We never noticed how much Romney does look Robert Wagner! It could have been worse than calling him 'Number 2' - at least he's not 'Evil'. Maybe he'll get Romney some Killer Sharks with frickin' lazers on their frickin' heads....
Lastly, we missed posting on Roger Clemens getting off the hook for perjuring himself to Congress over steroid use... To the jury, we could agree with you more! Guys, get back to work that actually matters... Steroids and boxing don't matter.
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Horry Council Chair Has Lunch Meet & Greet With Florence Voters at Local's Restaurant on Second Loop....
About 72 hours from now, all of the polls will be closing, and we'll have our candidate on the Republican side for the 7th Congressional District seat.. Maybe it's because we spent all day pulling carpet and installing laminate flooring, or because the AC went down the tubes, and it's 84 degrees inside the house - or maybe because the tenor of the campaign has gone down with it - but we can't have the end come soon enough....
Naturally, all runoffs seem to end up with both candidates arguing with each other, and the staff getting more and more immature and angry. It comes with the territory... But, just like that 10th hour of a 12 hour road trip, you start to get antsy for the end to come, and for everyone to get back into that familiar, comfortable area of hating Democrats... It's been six months plus of unending infighting in the GOP, and we're tired.
Tom Rice seems tired of this a little too. Runoffs are the ugliest part of campaigning, and to us, it seems against Rice's constitution. With all the attacks against him from Andre Bauer's campaign, he's had to go into more of an upset and agitated mode. He's such a level guy, that it's hard to tell how genuinely mad he is over the barrage of ads, some of which even we will admit are a bit distortive.. We probably saw him as emotional as we ever will today, and even then, it was Spock-like... The man just doesn't let his emotions out, or he is a robot! We're pretty sure he's not, though..
Even during the meet and greet at Local's, Bauer's staff wouldn't let him go... In the parking lot, one of Bauer's staffers left flyers on all the cars windshields. We wouldn't call it a very classy move, but these campaigns often have younger, hungry people working for them, who don't always do the smartest thing.... Chalk it up to youthful enthusiasm.
It didn't bother Rice much, but some of the FCGOP staff, who are clearly for Rice, were more than displeased with the stunt.. You can't blame them. It really was a waste of time, because we don't expect anyone who was here would have changed their vote from a flyer. In our opinion, anyone who bases their vote on a flyer or a TV ad should probably have their voting rights taken away. Then again, who'd be left?
It was already a pro-Rice crowd, so Tom basically stuck to the basics: he touted his resume, then admitted that he unfortunately also had to place a negative ad at the last minute. He spent a bit more time having to defend himself against the attacks than he probably would have wanted to, but that's the point of negative advertising, right? To throw your opponent of his/her game..
Not that it's a guarantee it will work for Bauer.. Rice has an advantage in his native Horry County over Bauer, so if he can pulls a decent share from the Pee Dee, beating Bauer is very possible. He did get the endorsements from Florence County Treasurer Dean Fowler, outgoing Coroner Bubba Matthews, and former Johnsonville City Councilman Brad Richardson, who all spoke for him today. It's also obvious he is also getting support from the FCGOP once Jay Jordan dropped out. Is it enough? We'll see..
While the repetitiveness of campaign stops can be tedious for all of us, reviewing the eateries never is... The food at Locals is good, but it was frigging expensive! I got a Western Burger, which was a 1/3 lb angus patty with cheddar cheese, jalapenos and BBQ sauce, which was about $7.50 (with no fries) and adding in fried pickles and a Pepsi was $12.00 !!!! Honestly, for that money, I'd go to Five Guys or Cook Out and spend half that, and have more to eat. It was good, but not THAT good..
If you still haven't seen Rice in Flotown, and you are still sitting on the fence (which we hope you wouldn't be by now), he will be back at Locals for lunch on Monday... It's 87 degrees now at 1100PM, my AC guy still hasn't called, and the hardwoods are going slowly and poorly. Maybe that's why this post seems so cranky. Don't expect any different tomorrow I guess..
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Nikki Haley Gives Tom Rice the Thumbs Up in the 7th District Race, But Rice Gives Thumbs Down to a Debate, and Preston Brittain Gets a Do-Over....
Much like the pile of paperwork you often have on your desk at work on a late Friday afternoon, we have the same problem with the upcoming runoff - which is now runoffs - in the Pee Dee and Grand Strand. There's too much going on.. So, we're just going to take our arm, lay it across the right side of the table, and swipe it left until we reach the other side, and the desk is clean - at least for now...
As far as the top stories, it really depends on what party and/or candidate you are for... Since we are not sure exactly who you're for, we'll just list them out briefly, and you can choose whatever you care about - call it Blog A la Carte !!
Part I: Florence Hearts Huckabee
The big news yesterday was the arrival of former Arkansas Governor and 2008 Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee in Florence to support Andre Bauer. One thing is for sure - busting out a national candidate sure brings in the locals. The Art Trail Gallery on South Dargan Street was packed with about 150-200 people (we ran out of fingers and toes) to see the popular figure. Event wise, it was pretty standard - Huckabee did make himself available for pictures (which we never do), which was nice, and they finished up at the nearby Thai restaurant. It's a well-known hangout for P-Luv, but luckily he is in Omaha for the College World Series, so both Bauer and Huckabee avoided any Democrat interrogations..
The more important thing about it was who was there - and that was almost everybody. Here, we have City Councilman Glynn Willis chatting with Ranger Ron McGill, but we could have taken 20 pics of the people there. the only odd point to us was the introduction was given by Myrtle Beach Tea Party head Gerri McDaniel. One would think someone from Flotown could take care of that, but since the FCGOP appears to be leaning (to put it gently) towards Tom Rice, we assume they didn't feel comfortable about it, though we're sure someone there could have done the job.. We'll post again on the gallery soon...
Part II: Ice Cream Beats Debates Anyday
Team Bauer got on the warpath today, when they learned that Tom Rice would not be attending two events between now and Tuesday's runoff. He seems to have overbooked Saturday with a lunch event in Florence and an Ice Cream Social. What is an Ice Cream Social anyway? Are there lots of hot women there, because it does sound like fun... After all, when it's 92 degrees, which would you rather do - eat Moose Tracks or Debate with the South Strand and Waccamaw Neck Republicans? In Rice's place will be recent 7th District candidate Randal Wallace... If there is anything to be learned from all of this, it's that Wallace does appear to be in line for something in a Rice win. Hell, if the guy trusts you enough to debate for him, do you doubt you'll get some gig in his office? The whispers at first didn't make believers out of us, but this sure does. Wallace has been going full bore for Rice since June 12th, and it may pay off next week...
Part III: Preston Brittain Gets a Mulligan
Let us introduce you to this week's biggest loser: Gloria Bromell-Tinubu! We suppose that makes Preston Brittain the big winner, but he is also a big loser. How can you be both? Only in Democratic politics - or maybe South Carolina politics would be more correct... Yes, Preston Brittain is one lucky little corker. He managed to run a crappy campaign by all accounts, do miserably at the debates, get his butt handed to him by 13 points, despite his opponent seemingly running a campaign so invisible that Alvin Greene asked where she was - and he gets to be in the runoff because Dick Harpootlian likes him better. Our suggestion to Chad Connelly: don't EVER think of pulling BS like this.
This is a no-brainer.. Yes Brittain has a second chance that he shouldn't be getting ( if the Elections Commission said ahead that Vick votes don't count, then that is what should have been ruled likely), but he will still lose whenever the runoff is done - and he will be the crybaby scourge of the SC Democrtaic Party, all by age 31.. Why? Because now Tinubu will have to drop even more money to get to November - money she needed to save to fight Bauer or Rice. Nice going, Gilligan!
Part IV: Nikki Haley Gets In On the Action
Guess that Mister Cuddles joke post from yesterday was wrong after all - but it seems correct today. That's becuase Governor Haley finally dropped her two cents into the Zoltar coin slot and said 'I Wish Tom Rice Beats Andre'.... No word if she got the coin into his mouth, indicating her wish was granted, but we'll find out Tuesday. If Will Folks was right about trying to get Jay Jordan to endorse for her, it turns out she had to do it herself. Isn't that what always happens with men and women? Now the big question: how much does it matter? Ehh, not so much, mainly because everyone in the GOP knows these two ran against each other only two years ago. Secondly, both are known commodities: that always means that voters either love them or hate them... That drifts off into the third reason - almost all voters minds are made up by now. We don't see too many undecideds out there anymore, so we doubt Nikki's endorsement will put Rice over the top. If he wins, he probably had it anyway, but it's some insurance....
That's the latest poop over the past day or two. Sorry for being late with the Huckabee news, but we had to run to Laurinburg again (we'll formally announce why soon) and got back late today.. While two weeks doesn't seem like much time, we're ready for this to be overwith about as much as the candidates. We'll find another event or two between now and then.... and maybe we'll even go out on a limb and pick a winner!
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Boy, that Tom Rice sure doesn't play fair, does he ???? Not only is running against Andre Bauer for the 7th Congressional seat - he's hanging out with his girlfriend!! No, we're not sure when this was from, but Bauer's mascot, Rudy, sure seems to be jealous of the 'moderate' hug Rice is giving Emily Stewart... It looks like even though supporters of each candidate aren't playing very nice this week, the teams are.
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His Name Is Mister Cuddles... And He's the Only Thing That Hasn't Endorsed Andre Bauer or Tom Rice in Tuesday's Runoff !
With the huge 7th Congressional District GOP runoff only five days away, the campaigns have been locked in mortal combat for endorsements all week. Awash in a flood of recommendations from former Presidential candidates and congressmen to dog catcher and bloggers (the bloggers ranked just behind the dog catchers), voters are dazed and confused by all the political bullets flying back and forth... SC6 has done some homework, and we are able to confirm what you probably already thought - EVERY single person in the 7th District has endorsed one or the other of the candidates. There is no one left - except one, and we found him!
Meet Mister Cuddles.... he is officially the ONLY living or inanimate object in the District yet to endorse Tom Rice or Andre Bauer in Tuesday's runoff - and apparently, he's staying that way... We found him yesterday on our way back from Laurinburg yesterday. The stuffed dog puppet was sitting on the side of Highway 381 between Clio and Blenheim when we came upon him.... We asked out of curiousity who he was voting for, and he muttered 'I'm staying neutrered - I mean neutral - in that race.' We asked why, but he refused to answer.. Since that time, he's been sitting pretty quietly on top of the dresser in our guest bedroom, and it appears he will stay that way until Tuesday...
Now, to some it may seem strange to seek the advice of a stuffed animal for guidance in a political race..... but when you think about it, he has no axe to grind or any profit motive behind it either. To us, it seems pretty wise to not give advice, especially when no one is asking.. Perhaps he's waiting for one of the campaigns to call and make some kind of offer - like Congressional Aide in Charge of Animal Affairs. If anything like that happens, we'll let you know. Until then, our advice is for you to ask one of the other 600,000 plus endorsers for advice. Better yet, make up your own mind....
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What's the difference between weather forecasting and economic forecasting? Weather forecasters are about 80% accurate, and economic forecasters WISH they were that accurate. We get mad at the weatherman on TV for that once a week boo-boo.... Why not economic weathermen? We do....
The big bad news yesterday from DC was that the estimates on GDP and unemployment were downgraded from their original estimates - severly... The original estimates were that unemployment would drop to between 7.8 and 8.0%, and that GDP (Gross Domestic Product) would rise between 2.4-2.9%.. Yesterday, the GDP guess went to 1.9-2.4%, and unemployment will range from 8.0-8.2%, which is where is currently is.. In effect, the government admitted what we all know: the economic is stuck in neutral, if not worse...
Your first question might be how do they seem to get these wrong so often? Pretty simple... No one wants to forecast bad news ahead, because the White House often puts pressure on them to paint a rosier picture, so the press has one less thing to interrogate them. Hence, the variance of .5% on GDP and .2% on unemployment. They know if we'll gain 100,000 jobs a month (which is no change) or 300,000 (.2), but who wants to hear there are no prospects this year, especially in a re-election year??? The White House likes their pictures painted a soft red, not in black....
The change in GDP is particularly disturbing, because they're essentially saying their estimate was off between 16-25% - not exactly close, was it? So, either the economic forecasters in DC really flubbed on doing their job, or they were too scared to tell the truth. Yes, they do that. A quick look at our master thesis on the correlation between unemployment and re-election tells you why....
Like we stated if the rate drops overall between April and October, the incumbent wins almost 100%, if it is stagnant or rises, they lose - 100%. Since April was at 8.1%, it tells us a lot.... Going by the original estimate, the rate would be below 8.1%, and Barack Obama would win.. Now, chances are the rate may not change or go slightly up, and Mitt Romney beats him. Maybe they don't realize this, but we do.... Pushing back the bad news as long as possible keeps the feeling that the economy is going down the tubes long term to a minimum. In short, getting bad news as little as possible makes Americans feel better..
Now, the more important question: did they adjust it correctly, or are they still underestimating the forecast? Possibly.. the numbers they released seem to be more inline with what the economy HAD done in the last couple months, rather than what it WILL do in the future. We'll soon find out, and America will choose what to do then. Right now, America has some doubts if Mitt Romney is the man to fix the economy. If it falls further, then no matter how much they like Barack Obama, they may very well give up on him....
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Just when you think the US Government at all different branches couldn't get any stupider or more out of touch, they do something to be even dumber... We just read an MSN article that says that there is a bipartisan bill just filed in the US Senate calling for an investigation into... boxing. Like we often say, we shit you not...
This time, you can pat Sen's John McCain and Harry Reid - two Senators that you would swear have better things to address in this time of financial peril. Apparently not. You see, both of them have something in common: they both boxed around the time when Willie Pep and Joe Louis were fighting. Like most boxing fans, they watched and were outraged that Tim Bradley beat Manny Pacquiao by an effed up decision. We saw the fight, and didn't like it either. But, whereas you and I go on with life, these two morons decided that boxing needs to be organized nationally, not by state, and that how judges are picked needs to be reviewed. Yes America, you can breathe easier now....
Maybe these things do need to be addressed, but we have two big points on this (score it 10-9 on your judges card): first off, maybe corrections need to be made, but Congress has certainly proved recently that it can't handle anything involving sports (re: Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, John Edwards). they should let someone else do it. And of course, there is the big point... DO YOU IDIOTS HAVE ANY IDEA HOW STUPID THIS MAKES YOU GUYS LOOK TAKING THIS ON RIGHT NOW???? Yes, we capitalized on purpose.
America has big problems, and we don't try to make it sound like all of DC is a dysfunctional mess. But they have moments every once in a while that seem to prove us wrong... Last week, the big argument between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney was which one seemed out of touch, and which one had a better reading of America's pulse. The correct answer to this is none of them... Everyone in DC has lost a grip on where America is at, and we are the ones paying for it. Right now, we are ignoring America's real problems, and instead are focused on immigrants already here, boxing and paperwork on guns that ended up in Mexico. They are all bullshit compared to fixing taxes and getting the economy straight... but not to these misguided old farts who care more about their party winning, instead of America winning. Good job, fellas! We like boxing too - how's about giving us three minutes to beat the crap out of all of you?
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Cook Out Comes To Flotown - Backyard Burgers With a Christian Flair..
You've had one burger, you've had them all, right? As many as we've had, it's sad but true that not all burgers are created equal. As much as we love Sonic's tots, breakfast burritos and drinks, their burgers are pretty bland. So, everytime a new burger joint comes around, we give it a shot and take our chances...
Bobby was in town, so we met up for a later lunch. I drive past Cook-Out on S. Irby Street, across from Wal-Mart, and I heard a couple good things, so I suggested we try them out. Overall, it was pretty good, but more importantly, it has cut itself a niche that could bode well for the South - Christian Hamburgers, BBQ and Hot Dogs! We kid you not... You might not notice it at first, but the owners made no mistake in their message: Praise God, and pass the burgers.
No, there is no picture of Jesus and The Apostles in the dining area, nor will you see a figure like this at the drive-thru, like at the old Jack in the Box... It's very subtle, and it wouldn't surprise us if you didn't notice. It took us a few minutes..
It's just like a regular burger joint, although on the inside, it is decorated a lot better than your average Burger King or McDonald's. It's when you finally sit down to eat, that it hits you... First off, they play Christian Contemporary Music. Then, if you look at the cups and french fry bags, they have passages from the Bible on there. No, not whole quotes, just the occasional 'John 3:16' and others here and there, but you know that Christians own this place.... In a world where the food seems the same, a niche like this works. For mid-afternoon, the place was pretty busy.
I know, I know... You're saying 'What about the food???' Not bad by any means.. I got the Steak Double Burger (A1, Mayo, fried onions, pickle,lettuce and tomato). The burger was average sized, but the bun was nice and soft, and overall the taste was decent. The fries were pretty good too: not greasy, but crisp and nice inside, and plenty of them. Overall, not on the level of a Five Guys, but for under $6 with tea and tax included, it was a good deal.
We have only one complaint: the menu board is too small and crowded. It's kinda split up by different neon colors, but it could use being slightly bigger and separated, so old farts like me can read it better.. Aside from that, it was pretty good. The North Carolina-based company (the logo is the shape of the Tar Heel State) has places in Florence and Charleston, but we expect lots of them near everyone soon. Maybe they can make hats with the Palmetto State on them!
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While Tom Rice Works on a Jordan Endorsement, Andre Bauer Breaks Out His Own Arsenal of Florence Backers, Including Kris Crawford...
Another morning, another Sausage & Cheese Omelette at Bazen's Restaurant with a 7th Congressional District candidate! Day Two of the Florence GOP roundup took place early this am, as Andre Bauer gave his return of serve to Tom Rice's event here 24 hours earlier - and he smacked it back pretty hard... Was it a winner? We'll see, because the ball is still on the court and it's up to Rice to hit back. OK, OK - we're done with the tennis terms...
While the buzz of whether Tom Rice will gain Jay Jordan's endorsement, Bauer broke out some local big guns of his own today... Florence State Rep. Kris Crawford - who had endorsed Jordan in the Primary - threw his weight, stethoscope and Dr's jacket (nice touch!) behind the former Lt. Governor. He was joined by former FCGOP Chairman Joe Griffin, Florence City Councilman Glynn Willis and 2010 Solicitor candidate Rose Mary Parham. Adding that to the tabbing of him by former opponent Katherine Jenerette, along with a visit from Mike Huckabee Thursday, and Bauer has staked a good claim to the Pee Dee. At this point, Rice has cleaned up with the Grand Strand former opponents (Chad Prosser, Randal Wallace) and Bauer has cut across both, with more success in Florence. Sitting in the background during all of this still is Jay Jordan. And the world stands still until then.....
Endorsements are like Birth Control: if you do it right, you really don't need it, but it's always smart to have them as a precaution.... Never heard it explained that way before? Welcome to SC6... It looked for a minute that Bauer was getting inundated by Rice in that department, but he appears he has recovered. 2012 appears to be a year where they don't matter much, but better to have them than not. Now onto the event itself, and we'll objectively try to analyze who did better at Bazen's..
Sizewise, Rice and Bauer were pretty even. Both had that 50-60 person range, but the crowds were a bit different from each other. Rice's event was a bit quieter, and that was no surprise. Tom Rice isn't exactly a known quantity in the Pee Dee, so it was more of a fact finding event - Rice shaking hands, and people getting to know him and decide if he would get their vote. Bauer's was much louder and chattier. Why? Andre is a well-known quantity here, so it was more of a gathering of familiar people having breakfast in support. Naturally, I decided to sit with some people I hardly knew!
Honestly, I got there at 800, and Crawford and Griffin were gone. I ended up sitting with Tom Grimes, Keegan Bailey, his dad and Cody Simpson - no, not the teen heartthrob singer, the FMU Young Republican. I ended up talking shop for so long with Mr. Bailey, that I didn't realize that Bauer and his posse had left - which is why this is the only pic I took there...
Hey, I had to improvise... It's better than nothing, right? Thanks to SCNow for letting me steal their pic on the post heading.
So in review, where we thought we possibly would have a clear-cut line in the sand between the candidates, it's possibly more muddy than when we started: some things didn't happen, and others did occur that dampens a Jordan endorsement for Rice - if it occurs at all. Either way, the hysteria will keep up for seven more days. Bigger jobs lie ahead, like organizing the Get Out the Vote efforts, which is what really matters. It is going to be a close runoff, and whoever succeeds at that - not who gets the endorsements - will be the one who wins, and hopefully becomes our first Congressman....
Editors Note: As we were writing this, SCNow's John Sweeney is now reporting that Jay Jordan has released a statement, stating that he will NOT be endorsing either Bauer or Rice in the runoff... It would appear to make a Rice victory much harder, given Bauer's stronger presence and performance in the region. We wouldn't say by any stretch that this race is over, but Rice does have a harder road ahead...
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South Carolina Is Back in the Action As the Union Attacks James Island at the Battle of Secessionville...
Once again, welcome back to our Civil War Rewind series, where we note significant and interesting events from The War Between the States... Even though the war started in South Carolina, many of the major battles were everywhere else but here early on. How come? Well, Charleston was the most powerful city in the South (with perhaps the exception of Richmond, which is debatable), and after leaving Fort Sumter, the Union clamped down on commerce by blockading Charleston Harbor. With the exception of Rhett Butler, not many boats got in and out of the area.
However, as much power as the Union had on the sea, the land was still controlled by the Confederacy. All of the forts were in Southern hands, and until they could get on land, the North would not be able to mount an assault. Their first chance came in May, 1862 when a slave named Robert Smalls piloted a ship called the Planter out of the harbor and into Northern hands. In addition to the ship, he had bigger news - that the South had abandoned Cole's Island and Battery Island. This left the North with their first opportunity....
They landed on the southeastern end of James Island June 2nd, and slowly advanced on their way to Charleston along the Stono River. General John C. Pemberton saw the slow advance, and ordered that a series of earthworks be built along the route, one of which was in Secessionville.. Meanwhile, Union Major General David Hunter got what we call McClellan's Disease - that is, an irrational fear that your opponent has more troops that they actually do! He wanted to reinforce the troop count, and gave Brig. General Henry Benham to NOT attack Charleston or Fort Johnson until instructed. Benham was a bit more anxious....
Benham decided to attack before dawn with 3500 troops in two co-ordinated waves of attacks on the 750 man works under T.G. Lamar's command. Like many Union movements, things did not go well....
You see, the field facing Secessionville wasn't quite wide open. There were two hedgerows to negotiate, and a cotton field that was knee deep in weeds. So, the double-quick advance in the dark got slowed down - so badly, that the second row of troops actually ran into the first. A sort of Blue Chinese Fire Drill ensued.... The left flank got pushed wide, and ended up in the mud. Still, the Union was able to advance up to the earthworks, when Lamar rained grapeshot, nails, iron chain and glass at the troops from Michigan, New York and New Hampshire. If they had baseballs and rocks, they probably would have tossed them as well...
The fire worked pretty well, but a new earthwork is not the most secure fort, and the Union did advance, and even got to one of the parapets, when the North messed up again. The 79th New York made it there, when Union artilery was shot into the area, which basically attacked their own men, forcing them to retreat. Their best advance was thwarted by their own side....
Two more assaults were attempted, but neither were as effective as the first. The troops were getting tired, and the South had basically fortified itself. By 900 am, the battle was over. Like Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen from Back to the Future III, they did their killing before breakfast.. In all, the North had 689 casualties, with 107 dead, and the South had 207 casualties, with only 52 dead. Charleston was safe.....
While it seems like a small battle, the victory for the South averted possibly the start of a tragic series that could have ended the war two years earlier. By taking Secessionville, the Union would have flanked the harbor defenses, which could have caused the South to abandon the city, cut off the Atlantic Line railroad and set up an inland base dead center in the Confederacy to split the South. But, it didn't happen, and the War went on. No, not a big battle on paper, but anytime we can bring up South Carolina, we'll try to do it.. Thanks for reading our latest installment, and the next chapter should be in a week or so....
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