Bauer should drop out of gubernatorial race
by baynardwoods on Feb.03, 2010, under Commentary
By Andy BrackLet’s give a big hand to gubernatorial candidate Andre Bauer: He’s wrapped up the intolerant, racist, elderly vote with recent comments linking government assistance to stray animals. Maybe all the lieutenant governor now has to do to garner the GOP nod is expand his base by speeding more cars, crashing more planes and punching more walls.
What he really should do is save the state from four years of being the continuing butt of national jokes. How? By dropping out of the governor’s race. Regardless of your political party, South Carolina just can’t afford Bauer’s immaturity and mouth to get in the way of where the state needs to go.
After years of bad behavior with planes and cars, Bauer’s mouth has finally caught up with him. At issue is his deplorable comment last week on taking away government assistance for people who didn’t pass drug tests or attend PTA meetings. At an Upstate political gathering, Bauer recalled his grandmother telling him to stop feeding strays: “You know why? Because they breed. You’re facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don’t think too much further than that. And so what you’ve got to do is you’ve got to curtail that type of behavior. They don’t know any better.â€
In a Sunday story in The Greenville News, Bauer said he didn’t regret the comments, but said using the “stray animals†comment probably wasn’t the best metaphor.
By Tuesday, the spin was in full control. He told The State in a story printed that morning that he regretted the comment because it was being used as an analogy, not a metaphor.
By Tuesday afternoon, he was throwing more gas on the fire by “explaining†his comment about strays to the S.C. Radio Network: ““If you can’t take care of them, take them to the animal shelter. But what happens when you feed them all the time and they become dependent of the food and you go on vacation? They’ve learned how to not take care of themselves. They’ve become dependent on you, so what happens to them? I should have never used that metaphor. I never dreamed people in the media would try to turn this thing around instead of saying ‘hey let’s have an honest discussion.â€
Bauer’s words have been roundly criticized and are, as the Times and Democrat of Orangeburg wrote “not some kind of Democratic overreaction.†The Rock Hill Herald said he was reckless and used “spectacularly insensitive language.†Bauer was “not only cruel and derogatory, but counterproductive,†according to the Myrtle Beach Sun-News. And Warren Bolton at The State, who said he ate free lunches when he was in school, noted Bauer’s remarks were “an affront to every parent and child who might not come from financially stable homes.â€
What’s bothersome, though with Bauer’s cycle of telling the comment to a friendly Upstate audience followed by not regretting it, regretting it and then saying it again, is the very real possibility that what he did was a calculated political move to inject some life into a dull, somewhat sputtering campaign.
Like him or not, Bauer long has been a determined, savvy campaigner who shouldn’t be underestimated. Just ask Sen. Phil Leventis or former Rep. Robert Barber, both of whom narrowly lost to Bauer in statewide races.
But Bauer’s brand of unenlightened, retail politics isn’t what will move South Carolina forward. Leaders of all political stripes are calling for real leadership in wake of the disaster of the Sanford years. And real leadership is not something that Bauer has shown through the years. Instead of governing, he’s been the eternal candidate who has run his mouth.
South Carolina deserves better from its next governor than someone who kowtows to the lowest common denominator. After the last week, it deserves just about anybody but Andre.
Andy Brack is publisher of Statehouse Report. He can be reached at: brack@statehousereport.com.
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February 4th, 2010 on 1:08 pm
A hike on the Appalachian Trail is all that is needed here.
February 5th, 2010 on 8:17 am
Andre doesn’t help disabled people at all. He and his office ignore us, place blame on us, guessing we will breed.
What is truly breeding though is a totally corrupt government who places blame on the poor , elderly and disabled.
February 8th, 2010 on 12:41 pm
The political left always rises to the top like grease in a pot of swill. One questionable analogy to make a point and Anre Bauer is tarred and feathered by the hypocrites. Grow up!