A Ron Paul Democrat?
On Tuesday June 10, 2008, something interesting happened here in South Carolina. For the first time in a long itme, an authentically populist conservative won a close race in a very important political primary.
Bob Conley is a virtual unknown who defeated an establishment candidate supported by the usual coterie of party insiders and special interest groups. The primary victory was narrow (1,058 votes) and the turnout was very low (only 17%), but nonetheless Conley, a conservative, observant Catholic from a blue-collar background, will be his party’s candidate for the U.S. Senate come November—as a Democrat.
“Flattop Bob,” as he is often called, would likely be the first to tell you that he was a long shot to win the Democratic nomination, as he is no conventional Democrat. Whereas his opponent, well-known lawyer and longtime party activist Michael Cone, was the safe and obvious establishment choice
Maverick Conley bolted the GOP a few years ago over amnesty, war and trade policy and was a vocal supporter of Ron Paul’s presidential bid.
Though his primary campaign was poorly covered by the media (a blessing in disguise), Conley represents a unique combination of dissident, anti-establishment themes running on the fringes of both major political parties and his candidacy is perhaps the best hope for putting a paleoconservative in the U.S. Senate this November.
While most of the grassroots conservative support in the Palmetto State was focused around former Republican National Committee member Buddy Witherspoon’s effort to defeat the pro-amnesty, McCain-enamored, Lindsey Graham, Conley was then, and remains now, the most consistent conservative in the race. Conley’s Buchananite views on trade and immigration are as tough as anything Witherspoon was offering, and his advocacy of sound money strikes a chord with many fiscal conservatives that would otherwise never give a Democrat a second look. It is also not unreasonable to assume that Conley’s traditional Catholic positions on abortion and gay marriage were contributing factors to his success.
Though Conley lacks the ground support that drives most populist insurgencies, the political realities on the ground in South Carolina are ripe for an underdog candidate of his ilk. In contrast to Conley, incumbent Lindsey Graham has elected to run as the moderate in the race. Graham’s attempt to marginalize his Democratic opponent as an extremist, ultraconservative is an odd tactic for a man who is regarded with contempt by a huge portion of the GOP’s base. In South Carolina, “moderate” is a dirty word and extreme is often seen as a synonym for principled. Graham’s positioning of himself as a centrist may have helped in a primary race where low turnout allowed for socially liberal retirees from the Northeast to wield a disproportionate amount of influence. In a general election race, where turnout is expected to be relatively high, this sort of tactic defies all logic. With Graham willfully contributing to the narrative of Conley as the race’s true conservative, the real issue will be securing the Democratic base.
On the surface, an overt opponent of multiculturalism would seem to be at a distinct disadvantage, but again the circumstances work in Mr. Conley’s favor. Conley’s trade position will likely be attractive in the upstate where the textile industry has been ravaged by outsourcing. The phony economic nationalism of John Edwards played well enough in his home region to give him one of his strongest showings in the primary season. Conley’s more authentic version is complimented by a cultural conservatism that Edwards lacked. While it’s not a lock, if a serious effort is made, the former engineer could sweep the region.
Perhaps the best news for the Conley campaign will be his presence on the same ballot line as Barack Obama. Though it is unlikely that a Democrat will win South Carolina in the presidential race, it was only a few months ago that Obama received more votes in the state’s Democratic primary than the top two Republican presidential candidates combined. In SC, thirty percent of the population is black, Obama’s appeal to them is undeniable and they unquestionably remain enthusiastic about electing one of their own. A record turnout of Democrats voting straight ticket would no doubt benefit Conley.
Though it may be tempting to write him off due to his lack of funds and organization, it’s worth noting the electoral upheaval that took place in Virginia just two years ago. While Jim Webb was not a political neophyte, he was an underdog, running against an establishment Republican in George Allen. Allen was viewed by many politicos as the best possible GOP candidate for president in 2008. Despite early polls that showed him far ahead of Webb, Allen lost in large part because of Webb’s ability to build a broad constituency around a variety of populist issues. Graham is an even more egregious symbol of unrepresentative government than Allen was, and Conley is in a much better position politically than Webb was.
The day after the primary race, a mutual friend sent me a message about his pal “Bob” who ran for the Democratic nomination and “accidentally” won.
Accidental or not, the unique candidacy of “Flattop Bob” Conley may be just what the doctor ordered for the second stage of The Revolution. A Democrat, in the cradle of secession, who asks that we help fight the neocons and advance “the cause of liberty” by supporting his candidacy. I like the sound of that.
Comments
Would Conley be a virtual Republican, or just another compulsive liar like Webb?
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Just made a contribution (three figures).
Lindsey Graham is one of the worst Republicans out there.
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Ron,
I still like Webb and think the paleo disappointment with him has more to do with unrealistic expectations than it does with Webb being a liar.
Still, Conley appears to be much better on all the issues than Webb ever was.
Webb is basically a union Democrat with Southern roots. That is all he ever was. Conley is a hybrid of “Pitchfork Pat” and “Dr. No”.
Dylan
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Conley was a Republican and run in 2000 as a GOP candidate in Indiana, I think. The fact that he voted for Ron Paul in the primary and is proud of it speaks volumes! I hope the local Ron Paul meetup groups organise a meeting with him, to check him out and verify and then organise a grassroot campaign for him and provide him with funding. They should also add him to http://www.paulcongress.com The Democratic Party
accomodates a wide range of views and people. Conley’s Democratic opponents called him the Republican in a Democratic race. There are already two Ron Paul Democrats running for congress. (Dr. Paul can probably not endorse them over the party line). A Ron Paul Democrat in senate would be highly welcomed and also demonstrate the bipartisan appeal.
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Bob is the real thing!!!!!!! He is NOT a Jim Webb. SUPPORT HIM!!!!!
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Ahh . . . a conservative Southern Democrat; pardon my skepticism but here in SC we’ve been there, done that. Gun-totin good ole boy at home; Teddy Kennedy clone in DC. Something about crossing the Potomac.
IF he were elected (little chance) the test case, as usual, would be the first vote on killing babies; somehow they can’t ever get that one right in the party of McClellan.
Here’s hoping for the “real thang.”
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The more conservative Democrats the better. Too many conservatives have been trying to
shove people into the GOP as if though it was parlimentary style government. But you
can’t have that kind of party without a parliment. That’s not the way American parties
developed. They are a collections of ideologies, ineterests and groups,
not solely one thing or another.
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Sean Scallon, go to Britain, Canada, Australia or New Zealand and see parliamentary parties that are very definitely “a collections of ideologies, interests and groups,
not solely one thing or another”.
America wants, needs and deserves a President and a party committed to family values, the protection of workers and consumers, strictly limited and strictly legal immigration, fair trade and fair tax, constitutional checks and balances, universal health care, national security, Social Security, energy independence, environmental responsibility, Second Amendment rights and responsibilities, Civil Rights, America as an English-speaking country, and foreign policy realism.
The party that could have been if the Catholic Encyclicists in the North, Share Our Wealth in the South, and the Farmer-Labor Party in the West had ever succeeded in combining their efforts; since it was a very old-school Southern white Democrat who in fact brought about Civil Rights as President, backed by an all-white Congress, then references to racism among the Southern Agrarians and others in that coalition are either immaterial or simply inaccurate.
The Civil Rights Movement would have been a child of this party; let it now be one of this party’s parents. Do not the black churches believe in family values? Are not African-Americans among the worst losers from the absence of strictly limited and strictly legal immigration, and of an absolute commitment to America as an English-speaking country? Do not Civil Rights include Second Amendment rights?
The Republicans cannot now be this party. It is up to Barack Obama, beginning with his choice of running mate, to demonstrate that the Democrats can be. If he does not, then it will be time for a wholesale realignment, as so tragically failed to happen in 1936. Nominating Webb and electing Conley would be very important steps in the right direction.
, http://davidaslindsay.blogspot.com
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Tony-
Bob Conley is NOT Ted Kennedy in disguise- He is against the murder of the unborn, period, and his votes in the Senate will reflect that. Give him a cahnce. When you vote for him in November, you won’t be holding your nose, and you won’t regret it either.
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Regarding Webb, lets not forget he was, after some soul searching, against Amnesty.
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Agnes,
I admire your loyalty and I admire Mr. Conley’s convictions; but the pressures within the Party of Infanticide are unrelenting. Remember Casey, “pro-life” Democrat from Pennsylvania? Remember his pro-life votes in the Senate? Neither do I.
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Maybe abortion dynamic is different, but on amnesty, votes of Dem senators were key in killing it.
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Tony,
Bob would NEVER bow to the pressure!!!! I know him personally and he is what he says he is.
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Tony,
Even if you’re suspicious of a guy like Conley, what is the alternative? Voting for Lindsay Graham? A guy who is pro-amnesty, pro-war and pro corruption? Abortion is not the only important issue. In fact, I’d say it pales in comparison to the imperial war machine and its monumental costs. Abortion is a domestic issue that can be dealt with after we stop these establishment goons from selling out country out from under us.
And Conley is a devout Catholic who is right on abortion anyway.
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Where does that pressure come from that conservative democrats feel to tow the party
line? Largely it comes through fundraising. If you’re a conservative Democrats, you
either have to rely on sources of funding that blunt the populism that makes one a
Democrat: the local big business interest, the big labor union or EMILY’s List. Unless
you are independently wealthy, its tough to maintain your conservative views.
Perhaps in this day and age of internet funding and the fact Conservative Democrats are
looking after their own and discovering their identity as an independent bloc, maybe this
may change, we’ll see.
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This guy’s the real deal, everyone. He’s going to be the Pat Buchanan of the next generation. DONATE NOW!!!!
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Hey, Dylan.
Have you discovered this guy yet?
http://unqualified-reservations.blogspot.com/
I honestly think you would love him.
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I just donated $1000.00 and I’m one of the most frugal people you’ll ever meet.
If just ten more people reading this blog donate that much we can start a landslide that will wipe out the big corporatist, war-mongering, imperialist, Lindsey Graham! Lindsey will need to spend several million dollars spreading his lies in order to stay in power. Bob won’t need that much but he’ll need enough to get the word out.
I’ve met Bob Conley and know people who’ve known him quite a while and I can tell you he is one DEVOUT Catholic. He is a principled supporter of the working man and lover of our Constitutional liberties. He is not a rich lawyer. He is a hard working man who has sacrificed his career and a lot of income to run. We should be thankful that someone of his caliber will, as our Founding Fathers intended, take time out of his life to truly represent us.
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