Charleston Currents #12.15 | Feb. 24, 2020
GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER? The Charleston Gaillard Center will be home to a nationally-televised political debate on Tuesday night by CBS. Find out more about what’s happening in Charleston in Today’s Focus. Photo by Sam Spence.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Political world to descend this week on South Carolina
COMMENTARY, Brack: Graham to get mute button for 6 months
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: S.C. Ports Authority
NEWS BRIEFS: One80 Place meets $24 million goal for affordable housing campaign
FEEDBACK: Pettigru quote is very familiar
MYSTERY PHOTO: Water tower
CALENDAR: Jazz standards set for March 9 at College of Charleston
Political world to descend this week on South Carolina
Photo credit: Shelby del Vecchio
Staff reports | It will seem like you won’t be able to turn a corner this week in Charleston without bumping into a presidential candidate, a staffer, a reporter or a camera crew.
The political world — with reporters from as far away as Sydney, Australia — will descend upon the Palmetto State in search of the “what’s next” in the horse race of a presidential contest known as the Democratic presidential primary.
The week will start with town halls by CNN, followed by a Tuesday evening Democratic debate aired nationally from the Charleston Gaillard Center to Saturday’s first-in-the-South presidential primary. Republicans elected to not have a primary. But that won’t keep away GOP President Donald Trump, who will have a rally Friday in North Charleston in what some critics see as part political-stalking, part-voter intimidation and part-spurring of members of his party to interfere with the Saturday election.
Here’s a list of what’s happening in the week ahead across the state:
CNN town halls in Charleston. Here are town halls being hosted by CNN at Memminger Auditorium in Charleston:
- Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg at 8 p.m. Feb. 24;
- Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders at 9 p.m. Feb. 24;
- Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar at 7 p.m. Feb. 26;
- Former Vice President Joe Biden at 8 p.m. Feb. 26;
- Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 9 p.m. Feb. 26; and,
- Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 10 p.m. Feb. 26.
Steyer’s week in South Carolina. Billionaire Tom Steyer will hold several events next week before the Democratic primary Feb. 29.
- 12:30 p.m. Feb. 26 in Georgetown. Info.
- 5:30 p.m. Feb. 26 in Myrtle Beach. Info.
- 8 a.m. Feb. 27 in Orangeburg. Info.
- 4:30 p.m. Feb. 27 on Johns Island. Info.
- 8 a.m. Feb. 28 in Sumter. Info.
Presidential candidate’s spouses luncheon. A luncheon with spouses of current Democratic presidential candidates is slated for noon Feb. 25 in the Cedar Room in Charleston. More info.
Final debate before the primary to be held in Charleston. The 10th 2020 Democratic presidential debate is Feb. 25 at the Gaillard Center in Charleston. It will be broadcast by CBS.
First in the South Dinner with candidates. Charleston will host the First in the South Dinner 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Charleston Marriott. More info.
Buttigieg in Columbia. Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg will attend a Get Out the Vote Town Hall 7-9 p.m. Feb. 28 in Columbia. More info.
Trump in North Charleston. Incumbent Republican President Donald Trump will hold a Keep America Great Rally 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at North Charleston Coliseum. More info.
Graham to get mute button for 6 months
Public domain caricature via Flickr, Creative Commons 2.0 (CC BY 2.0)
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Now is the perfect time to go on a media diet of one of our U.S. senators, Lindsey Graham.
Graham’s sycophantic bad karma isn’t needed these days. For the next six months, I’m taking a vacation from Graham and his increasingly irrelevant rhetoric. When he’s a guest yet again on one of the Sunday political talk shows, I’ll turn off the TV. When there’s a story in the newspaper, I’ll ignore it. I’m unsubscribing to any email lists that mention him.
When Graham first went to Washington in 1995 as a House member, he seemed optimistic — a conservative who wanted to shake things up and who would talk straight enough that many Democrats grudgingly often agreed. Outspoken views and service as one of the House managers in the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton got him noticed. Interestingly after the Clinton trial, he argued for witnesses to be called in that trial — exactly the opposite position in this year’s trial involving a Republican, President Trump.
After Graham won election to the U.S. Senate in 2002, he latched onto another maverick, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona. This dynamic duo often defied traditional Republican positions, again earning respect from independents and some Democrats for sticking to principles, such as the need for bipartisan immigration reform. During the 2016 presidential election, Graham famously criticized Trump as a bigot and said he wouldn’t vote for him.
But as McCain moved toward death in 2018, something happened to Graham. Perhaps it was a political calculation to keep power. Perhaps he became rudderless, a fish out of water. Trump’s critic became Trump’s biggest enabler.
In a devastating January Rolling Stone story, “How Lindsay Graham lost his way,” McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign manager, Steve Schmidt, compared Graham to a pilot fish: “a smaller fish that hovers about a larger predator, like a shark, living off of its detritus. That’s Lindsey. And when he swam around the McCain shark, broadly viewed as a virtuous and good shark, Lindsey took on the patina of virtue. But wherever the apex shark is, you find the Lindsey fish hovering about, and Trump’s the newest shark in the sea. Lindsey has a real draw to power — but he’s found it unattainable on his own merits.”
Across South Carolina, observers on both sides of the aisle are disappointed, even embarrassed, by today’s version of Graham. Most of the dozen folks who offered thoughts on Graham wouldn’t speak on the record.
One seasoned politico: “Heck, Lindsey Graham doesn’t even agree with things he said three years ago. I don’t buy that it is some kind of blackmail forcing his changing positions — it is just who he is. A hollow man. I don’t need to hear more of that.”
An analyst: “He clearly works for Trump these days. Oddly, I don’t think it’s because he necessarily agrees with Trump on many things; I think he just thinks it’s a way to be relevant in the current political environment. He’s not the only one in government doing that. Unfortunately, I think all those folks will find there’s a long-term constitutional cost to their decisions. They are doing lasting damage.”
State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, didn’t mince words, noting she stopped listening to Graham a while back: “I used to think he knew better and was playing the game to keep the right wing Trumpsters in his corner. Now I’m not so sure that he doesn’t believe all the nonsense he spouts.”
Political historian Dan Carter, who now lives in North Carolina, says he’s turning off the news, in general, to keep his health in check. “Why in heaven’s name has someone who professed to worship John McCain lick the boots of a man who repeatedly defamed his hero? … Various writers have ascribed various psychological motives for his disgraceful sycophancy. But in the end, I still fall back on the words English biographer John Boswell wrote to Samuel Johnson. ‘Men’s hearts are concealed. But their actions are open to scrutiny.’”
The mute button will get a workout over the next six month. But by Labor Day, we’ll stop using it. In November, Graham faces re-election and a serious Democratic challenger.
- Andy Brack is the editor and publisher of Charleston Currents and Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com
S.C. Ports Authority
Founded in 1942, the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) owns and operates public marine terminals at two port facilities, the Port of Charleston and the Port of Georgetown, in addition to inland ports in Greer and Dillon, S.C. These facilities are owner-operated terminals, meaning the SCPA owns the terminals, operates all container cranes, manages and operates all container storage yards and leads all customer service functions in both the yard and the lanes.
SCPA promotes, develops and facilitates waterborne commerce to meet the current and future needs of its customers, and for the economic benefit of the citizens and businesses of South Carolina. In fact, SCPA facilities in Charleston, Dillon, Georgetown and Greer drive $53 billion in annual statewide economic impact and 1 in every 11 SC jobs is attributed to the Port.
- For more information, visit www.scspa.com.
- To meet all of our underwriters, click here.
One80 Place meets $24 million affordable housing goal
Illustration courtesy One80 Place
Staff reports | A recent $250,000 grant from Dominion Energy pushed One80 Place, a local nonprofit developing affordable housing for the homeless, over a $24 million goal to build more housing.
The multi-million-dollar project, known as 573 Meeting Street, will be a permanent home for more than 70 formerly homeless individuals, and the second floor will be a brand-new family shelter for women and children. Annually, One80 Place re-houses or prevents homelessness for nearly 1,000 individuals.
“Partners like Dominion Energy make ending homelessness possible,” said Stacey W. Denaux, One80 Place’s CEO. “This unique building will pull women and children out of immediate crisis with a brand-new family shelter.
“Having truly affordable apartments, on the peninsula, will be a game-changer for so many homeless individuals working in the hotels and restaurants that make Charleston such a desirable destination,”
The challenge of building affordable housing in downtown Charleston – close to jobs, services and public transportation – is the high cost of construction, the nonprofit said. Public funds from the city of Charleston, the S.C. State Housing Finance and Development Authority, and the S.C. Department of Mental Health, which totalled $13.7 million, were not going to be enough to keep financing down. One80 Place needed to raise $4.5 million in private philanthropic funds to make the project work.
Thanks to 85 private citizens, corporations and foundations, the organization said it raised 96 percent of its fundraising goal by December 2019, a release said. The donation that put the campaign over its goal was a $200,000 grant from Dominion Energy.
“Our commitment to South Carolina goes well beyond the delivery of safe and reliable energy,” said Rodney Blevins, president of Dominion Energy South Carolina. “We are proud to partner with One80 Place as they work to meet critical community needs and provide affordable housing for those who need it most.”
One80 Place plans to break ground on the project this summer. 573 Meeting Street will be built just steps from One80 Place’s current location, on the site of its original shelter, which was demolished in 2017.
One80 Place’s mission is to end and prevent homelessness one person, one family at a time. Today, One80 Place re-houses or prevents homelessness for nearly 1,000 individuals annually. Services include housing case management, shelter (160 beds nightly), a community kitchen, a health clinic, legal services, and employment training services.
Also in the news:
Gun reform stalled. Charleston legislators say a bevy of bills — from those seeking to curb gun purchases for some to others that want to expand gun access for all — are likely to meet a quiet demise in the second year of a two-year session that is laser-focused on education and Santee Cooper.
“We’re at a standstill both with gun reform and gun expansion,” Charleston Democratic Sen. Marlon Kimpson last week told sister publication Statehouse Report.. “I don’t think you’ll see any of those bills come to the floor this year and, if they do, it will be purely for political posturing.”
Senate Bill 139, which would allow anyone to carry a weapon without a permit, is on the Senate calendar for second reading, but falls further behind every day on the chamber’s contested slate. Carrying weapons without a permit is known by supporters as “constitutional carry.”
But most bills on either side of the issue remain without hearings in committees. Kimpson is a sponsor of Senate Bill 731, which would expand background checks, also known as closing the Charleston loophole. The bill has been pushed every year since a white supremacist slayed nine black church goers in Charleston in 2015. It would extend the wait time for FBI background checks from three days to five days in South Carolina. It is stuck without a hearing in the Judiciary Committee.
Charleston Democratic Rep. Wendell Gilliard also is sponsor of pending gun-safety legislation .
“There will be other tragedies until we either put up or shut up. That’s the bottom line,” he said this week. “When you look at South Carolina, as a whole, we need gun reform. Guns are any and everywhere and the statistics prove it.”
The Giffords Law Center, a gun safety group that h says stronger gun laws prevent gun violence, recently gave South Carolina an “F” for its “weak” gun laws. South Carolina has the 12th highest gun death rate in the nation, and the state is ranked seventh for exporting guns used in crimes elsewhere. Read the full story here.
- Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com
Pettigru quote is very familiar
To the editor:
Your quote by Petigru is how I started my book, Candidate Without a Prayer.
“South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum,” observed Congressman James L. Petigru, shortly after South Carolina seceded from the Union in 1860 and declared itself a republic. Had television existed, no doubt many of its politicians at that time would have been fodder for late-night comedians.
I’ve lived in South Carolina since 1976, and stories that make our local politicians famous no longer surprise me. The comedy group Capitol Steps takes its name from the escapade involving former congressman John Jenrette, who had sex with his wife on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in the late 1970s. More recently, our former governor Mark Sanford had sex with his “soul mate” in Argentina, which he mistook for the Appalachian Trail. Come to think of it, South Carolina may not be “too large for an insane asylum.”
— Herb Silverman, Charleston, S.C.
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Water tower
So here’s a scene in South Carolina that may look familiar. Does it to you? Where is it? Send your best guess to editor@charlestoncurrents.com. And don’t forget to include your name and the town in which you live.
Our last Mystery Photo, “Tranquil scene,” was a photo taken by Sitka, Alaska, resident Thomas Jacobsen in Poinsett State Park in Sumter County. Several alert sleuths guessed it, including Jay Altman of Columbia; Montez Martin and Kristina Wheeler, both of Charleston; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas.
Martin shared a Wikipedia summary of the park: “Sumter County donated 1,000 acres for the park, which opened to the public in 1936. Many buildings still in use at the park were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps from locally quarried coquina rock. Coquina is a young limestone in which fossil seashells are still readily apparent. Poinsett State Park was the first of many parks built by the CCC in South Carolina. During the days of racial segregation, the nearby state park for blacks was Mill Creek Group Camp. The park was closed in 1963 for a year, along with all of South Carolina’s state parks, due to a Federal court order to desegregate the parks, and it wasn’t until 1966 that all its facilities were reopened. The park’s historical elements were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.”
- Send us a mystery: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send it along to editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
Jazz standards set for March 9 at College of Charleston
Photo credit: College of Charleston.
Staff reports | The 2nd Monday Series at the College of Charleston School of the Arts will present the CofC Faculty Jazz Ensemble March 9 to perform jazz standards, arrangements and originals. Performers will include Robert Lewis (saxophones), David Heywood (flute), Tyler Ross (guitar), Gerald Gregory (piano), Ron Wiltrout (drums) and Frank Duvall (bass).
Each member of the jazz faculty is a working professional in the field, whether touring the world with big name acts or leading their own regional groups. This is the rare opportunity to see them all on stage for one fantastic concert, according to the college..
The event will take place 7:30 p.m. March 9 at the Recital Hall in the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 Saint Philip St. Admission is $15 general / $10 students. More info and tickets are available at go.cofc.edu/secondmondaymusic. Tickets also will be sold at the door. Seating is on a first-come, first-served.
Also on the calendar:
Ahead at Gaillard Center: Enjoy something a little different soon at the Charleston Gaillard Center on Calhoun Street:
Old Crow Medicine Show: 7:30 p.m., March 1. Old Crow Medicine Show started busking on street corners in 1998 New York state and up through Canada, winning audiences along the way with their boundless energy and spirit. They eventually found themselves in Boone, North Carolina where they caught the attention of folk icon Doc Watson while playing in front of a pharmacy. He invited the band to play at his festival, MerleFest, helping to launch their career. Tickets are $39.50 to $85.
VIVA MOMIX: 7:30 p.m., March 7. Combining illusion, beauty, magic, fun and inventiveness, VIVA MOMIX features everything that MOMIX is known for. Recognized internationally for presenting work of exceptional innovation and physical artistry, MOMIX is a company of dancer-illusionists under the direction of Moses Pendleton one of America’s most innovative and widely performed choreographers and directors. Sponsored in part by the Charleston Concert Association. Tickets are $25 to $87.
White the Wild Things Run/Walk 5K: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., March 7, Caw Caw Interpretive Center, Ravenel. Explore the center’s scenic trails in this event during which an awards ceremony will include food and beverages. Cost: $32. Ages 10 and up. More: http://www.CharlestonCountyParks.com.
Wine, Women and Shoes: 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., March 12, Charleston Gaillard Center, Charleston. This annual fun event benefiting Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina brings together outstanding footwear, a fashion show, and great wine and food. For ticket info and more, go to: WineWomenAndShoes.com/FloCrit.
Trolls: 6”30 p.m., March 13, Medway Park, 2069 Medway Road, James Island. The Charleston Parks Conservancy will offer Movie Night in the Park with games and activities before the showing of “Trolls” at dark (approximately 7:27 p.m.). Food truck Street Bird will have food and drinks available for purchase. Rated PG, “Trolls” is the story of Poppy, the happiest Troll ever born, and the curmudgeonly Branch who set off on a journey to rescue Poppy’s friends and the Troll Village. More: facebook.com/CharlestonParksConservancy
Walk for Water: 9 a.m., March 21, Riverfront Park, 1061 Everglades Ave, North Charleston. Thousands will rally for Water Mission’s 14th annual Walk for Water, which encourages participants to carry buckets along the three-mile route to simulate the daily trek millions of people make to collect water in developing countries. Cost: $25 for adults, $10 for youth, children 4 and under are free. Register online.
Visual Vigil: March 21 to May 3, City Gallery, Prioleau Street, Charleston. The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs presents Visual Vigil, a new exhibition by artist Susan Perkins. The show is designed to be an active conversation on the effects of mass shootings; the installation is made up of contemplative pieces that represent the lives lost and communities affected by mass violence from 1903 through present day. An opening reception will take place March 20 at 5 p.m. An artist’s talk will be held on 2 p.m. March 28. A community discussion about gun violence and gun reform will be held 6 p.m. April 21. More info.
Pet Fest 2020: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., March 21, Mount Pleasant Palmetto Islands County Park. This year’s Pet Fest will feature a day of exhibits, demonstrations, experts, contests, adoptable pets, and more at Charleston’s premier pet festival. Pet Fest attendees who adopt a pet from the Charleston Animal Society at the event will receive an Individual Park Pass (value $30) to select county parks. Admission to Pet Fest is $8 per person.
Quintet to perform for parks: 5:30 p.m., March 21, McLeod Plantation Historic Site, James Island. A quintet of the Charleston Symphony will perform “LIsten to Spring” as a fundraiser for the Charleston County Parks Foundation. Guests are invited to enjoy popular music under the stars at the historic site from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The Charleston Symphony Brass Quintet will take attendees on a musical journey from New Orleans to Broadway, with detours to Europe and South America. Tickets are $75. Proceeds will go to support the foundation’s Pass It Forward Project. Tickets are available at CharlestonCountyParksFoundation.org.
ONGOING
Lights of Magnolia: 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., through March 15, 2020, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, West Ashley. Enjoy nine acres of Chinese lanterns, dragons and more at the venerable garden’s new evening attraction. The lantern festival includes custom-designed installations of large-scale thematically unified lanterns, a fusion of historic Chinese cultural symbols and images that represent the flora and fauna of Magnolia. Learn more online. Tickets are $11-$26. Parking is easier now. For more information and frequently asked questions, click here.
Early morning bird walks at Caw Caw: 8:30 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday, Caw Caw Interpretive Center, Ravenel. You can learn about habitats and birds, butterflies and other organisms in this two-hour session. Registration is not required, but participants are to be 15 and up. $10 per person or free to Gold Pass holders. More: http://www.CharlestonCountyParks.com.
- If you have an event to list on our calendar, please send it to feedback@charlestoncurrents.com for consideration. The calendar is updated weekly on Mondays.
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