According to conventional wisdom, South Carolina is the most racist state in the union.

It’s a place where white parents swaddle their newborns in Klan hoods, and the Boy Scouts earn merit badges in noose tying and cross burning.

Which is why it’s been something of a shock to me that Nikki Haley managed to surge ahead in South Carolina governor’s race despite the fact that her skin is, um, a little on the brown side, you know, since she’s an Indian American and all that.

Hmm. Maybe the Palmetto State isn’t so racist after all. OK. At least no more than Boston. (I kid. I kid. Nowhere in the United States is more whites-only than Beantown.)

That said, I’ve been waiting for somebody to play the race card when it comes to this whole sordid Nikki Haley-Will Folks mess.

But now RedState’s Erick Erickson has done just that. This is what Erickson says:

It was Clarence Thomas who talked about the high tech lynching the left put him through during his confirmation battle. The left went straight for the pubic hair on the coke can — forget everything about his qualifications, intelligence, or jurisprudence. He had to be stopped.

Down in South Carolina we are seeing another one. Pulling the noose ever tighter, stringing everyone along, the good old boys in South Carolina don’t want the uppity Indian lady becoming Governor because she’s made life too miserable for them.

So we’re having a high tech lynching with Will Folk’s pulling the noose. The media is playing along because they love the spectacle of lynchings, even when they say they don’t. It’s payback time and a ratings bonanza all rolled into one.

Seriously, man. You think this is a racially motivated attack? By Buddha’s bulging belly, bubba, quit commenting on something you know absolutely nothing about.

And while you’re at it, you may want to reconsider your overly enthusiastic defense of Haley. Folks is a douche, but there’s a good chance there’s more here.

UPDATE: Now Erickson is claiming that Folks was paid to make his allegations against Haley and that he knows who’s behind this.

Who paid Will Folks? He was alleged offered money. A LOT of money. In fact, RedState now confirms through a whole heap of sources that he’s been trying to sell this story for a year.

We know who bit.

We know who didn’t bite.

We know who paid Will Folks to push this story out there.

Oh, and you guys in the media, you’ve let Folks string you along. We’re going to string you along.

Tune in later for the answer.

Update: Previously, Erickson not only defended Gov. Mark Sanford in the wake of the Luv Guv scandal, but he offered these, um, facts proving Sanford’s innocence:

First, we need to be clear on the facts — not the media speculation:

* Sanford did tell his staff and family where he was going.
* Because he was traveling without a security detail, it was in his best interests that no one knew he was gone.
* His political enemies — Republicans at that — ginned up the media story.
* When confronted by a pestering media, things went downhill.
* Again though, at all times there was no doubt that Sanford’s staff and family knew where he was.

Now, here is all you need to know about this whole entire story — the reaction from the erstwhile Republicans angry at Sanford for not being a fiscal squish and from the media all go back to their core belief that without Sanford manning the barricades of government at all times, the government will collapse and people will starve, die, and forget how to read and write.

That’s it.

But that did not happen. Life in South Carolina went on. The world did not end. Government did not go off the rails. That the media and politicians would react as they did says more about their world view than anything else.

It is refreshing that Mark Sanford is secure enough in himself and the people of South Carolina that he does not view himself as an indispensable man.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s wrong this time. Let’s wait and see.

Update: Erick Erickson is now promising to release his evidence tomorrow that Will Folks was paid to smear Nikki Haley.

Here’s Erickson’s tweet about the subject:

Tune into RedState in the morning for the answer. It’s taking a bit longer to translate everything into third-person prose.

Hmm. I hope that he has some sort of documentation and, not, you know, a single interview from a single subject speaking anonymously about what happened.

If that’s the case, then I can tell you right now who was behind this: Barack Hussein Obama.

Just kidding. Satan perhaps. And if not him, then some South Carolina politico that Erickson doesn’t know diddly about.

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According to conventional wisdom, South Carolina is the most racist state in the union.

It’s a place where white parents swaddle their newborns in Klan hoods, and the Boy Scouts earn merit badges in noose tying and cross burning.

Which is why it’s been something of a shock to me that Nikki Haley managed to surge ahead in South Carolina governor’s race despite the fact that her skin is, um, a little on the brown side, you know, since she’s an Indian American and all that.

Hmm. Maybe the Palmetto State isn’t so racist after all. OK. At least no more than Boston. (I kid. I kid. Nowhere in the United States is more whites-only than Beantown.)

That said, I’ve been waiting for somebody to play the race card when it comes to this whole sordid Nikki Haley-Will Folks mess.

But now RedState’s Erick Erickson has done just that. This is what Erickson says:

It was Clarence Thomas who talked about the high tech lynching the left put him through during his confirmation battle. The left went straight for the pubic hair on the coke can — forget everything about his qualifications, intelligence, or jurisprudence. He had to be stopped.

Down in South Carolina we are seeing another one. Pulling the noose ever tighter, stringing everyone along, the good old boys in South Carolina don’t want the uppity Indian lady becoming Governor because she’s made life too miserable for them.

So we’re having a high tech lynching with Will Folk’s pulling the noose. The media is playing along because they love the spectacle of lynchings, even when they say they don’t. It’s payback time and a ratings bonanza all rolled into one.

Seriously, man. You think this is a racially motivated attack? By Buddha’s bulging belly, bubba, quit commenting on something you know absolutely nothing about.

And while you’re at it, you may want to reconsider your overly enthusiastic defense of Haley. Folks is a douche, but there’s a good chance there’s more here.

UPDATE: Now Erickson is claiming that Folks was paid to make his allegations against Haley and that he knows who’s behind this.

Who paid Will Folks? He was alleged offered money. A LOT of money. In fact, RedState now confirms through a whole heap of sources that he’s been trying to sell this story for a year.

We know who bit.

We know who didn’t bite.

We know who paid Will Folks to push this story out there.

Oh, and you guys in the media, you’ve let Folks string you along. We’re going to string you along.

Tune in later for the answer.

Update: Previously, Erickson not only defended Gov. Mark Sanford in the wake of the Luv Guv scandal, but he offered these, um, facts proving Sanford’s innocence:

First, we need to be clear on the facts — not the media speculation:

* Sanford did tell his staff and family where he was going.
* Because he was traveling without a security detail, it was in his best interests that no one knew he was gone.
* His political enemies — Republicans at that — ginned up the media story.
* When confronted by a pestering media, things went downhill.
* Again though, at all times there was no doubt that Sanford’s staff and family knew where he was.

Now, here is all you need to know about this whole entire story — the reaction from the erstwhile Republicans angry at Sanford for not being a fiscal squish and from the media all go back to their core belief that without Sanford manning the barricades of government at all times, the government will collapse and people will starve, die, and forget how to read and write.

That’s it.

But that did not happen. Life in South Carolina went on. The world did not end. Government did not go off the rails. That the media and politicians would react as they did says more about their world view than anything else.

It is refreshing that Mark Sanford is secure enough in himself and the people of South Carolina that he does not view himself as an indispensable man.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s wrong this time. Let’s wait and see.

Update: Erick Erickson is now promising to release his evidence tomorrow that Will Folks was paid to smear Nikki Haley.

Here’s Erickson’s tweet about the subject:

Tune into RedState in the morning for the answer. It’s taking a bit longer to translate everything into third-person prose.

Hmm. I hope that he has some sort of documentation and, not, you know, a single interview from a single subject speaking anonymously about what happened.

If that’s the case, then I can tell you right now who was behind this: Barack Hussein Obama.

Just kidding. Satan perhaps. And if not him, then some South Carolina politico that Erickson doesn’t know diddly about.

[ <a href="http://www.Charlestoncitypaper.com/Charleston/Rss.xml?oid=2016517&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

According to conventional wisdom, South Carolina is the most racist state in the union.

It’s a place where white parents swaddle their newborns in Klan hoods, and the Boy Scouts earn merit badges in noose tying and cross burning.

Which is why it’s been something of a shock to me that Nikki Haley managed to surge ahead in South Carolina governor’s race despite the fact that her skin is, um, a little on the brown side, you know, since she’s an Indian American and all that.

Hmm. Maybe the Palmetto State isn’t so racist after all. OK. At least no more than Boston. (I kid. I kid. Nowhere in the United States is more whites-only than Beantown.)

That said, I’ve been waiting for somebody to play the race card when it comes to this whole sordid Nikki Haley-Will Folks mess.

But now RedState’s Erick Erickson has done just that. This is what Erickson says:

It was Clarence Thomas who talked about the high tech lynching the left put him through during his confirmation battle. The left went straight for the pubic hair on the coke can — forget everything about his qualifications, intelligence, or jurisprudence. He had to be stopped.

Down in South Carolina we are seeing another one. Pulling the noose ever tighter, stringing everyone along, the good old boys in South Carolina don’t want the uppity Indian lady becoming Governor because she’s made life too miserable for them.

So we’re having a high tech lynching with Will Folk’s pulling the noose. The media is playing along because they love the spectacle of lynchings, even when they say they don’t. It’s payback time and a ratings bonanza all rolled into one.

Seriously, man. You think this is a racially motivated attack? By Buddha’s bulging belly, bubba, quit commenting on something you know absolutely nothing about.

And while you’re at it, you may want to reconsider your overly enthusiastic defense of Haley. Folks is a douche, but there’s a good chance there’s more here.

UPDATE: Now Erickson is claiming that Folks was paid to make his allegations against Haley and that he knows who’s behind this.

Who paid Will Folks? He was alleged offered money. A LOT of money. In fact, RedState now confirms through a whole heap of sources that he’s been trying to sell this story for a year.

We know who bit.

We know who didn’t bite.

We know who paid Will Folks to push this story out there.

Oh, and you guys in the media, you’ve let Folks string you along. We’re going to string you along.

Tune in later for the answer.

Update: Previously, Erickson not only defended Gov. Mark Sanford in the wake of the Luv Guv scandal, but he offered these, um, facts proving Sanford’s innocence:

First, we need to be clear on the facts — not the media speculation:

* Sanford did tell his staff and family where he was going.
* Because he was traveling without a security detail, it was in his best interests that no one knew he was gone.
* His political enemies — Republicans at that — ginned up the media story.
* When confronted by a pestering media, things went downhill.
* Again though, at all times there was no doubt that Sanford’s staff and family knew where he was.

Now, here is all you need to know about this whole entire story — the reaction from the erstwhile Republicans angry at Sanford for not being a fiscal squish and from the media all go back to their core belief that without Sanford manning the barricades of government at all times, the government will collapse and people will starve, die, and forget how to read and write.

That’s it.

But that did not happen. Life in South Carolina went on. The world did not end. Government did not go off the rails. That the media and politicians would react as they did says more about their world view than anything else.

It is refreshing that Mark Sanford is secure enough in himself and the people of South Carolina that he does not view himself as an indispensable man.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s wrong this time. Let’s wait and see.

Update: Erick Erickson is now promising to release his evidence tomorrow that Will Folks was paid to smear Nikki Haley.

Here’s Erickson’s tweet about the subject:

Tune into RedState in the morning for the answer. It’s taking a bit longer to translate everything into third-person prose.

Hmm. I hope that he has some sort of documentation and, not, you know, a single interview from a single subject speaking anonymously about what happened.

If that’s the case, then I can tell you right now who was behind this: Barack Hussein Obama.

Just kidding. Satan perhaps. And if not him, then some South Carolina politico that Erickson doesn’t know diddly about.

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