Local Paper Recruits Home-based Political Hack to Attack Black School Voucher Advocate

What could be more dangerous to South Carolina Democratic power mongers than a majority population in the state that can actually read, write, and think for themselves?

The question posed above may get to the real root of the problem. If children aren’t subjected to the daily propaganda and brainwashing that they are bombarded with on a daily basis for 12 years in the public school system, what will that do for the naked power grab that the Democratic Party is now involved in and what would it mean for its future?

In an article, “Ford pushes school tax credits” (3/25/2009),the local Charleston, SC newspaper, The Post and Courier, apparently found it prudent to push their own political agenda by recruiting a local Democratic Party propagandist, Phil Noble, Jr., to attack a black Charleston County state senator, Robert Ford, for changing his position to one of support for a state school voucher system and to ensure that the proper amount of caustic party line cynicism was injected into their “news” article. In an attempt to water down his national renown as a propagandist and political hack, Phil Noble was described as “a Charleston businessman and president of the S.C. New Democrats”.

Robert Ford is a black state senator from Charleston County’s district 42 who has served his district in that capacity since 1993 and previously served on Charleston City and County Councils beginning in 1974 until his election to the state Senate.

Mr. Noble, in typical demagogic style, doing his best to incite both white and black sentiments was quoted as stating the following regarding Senator Ford’s proposed school voucher bill,

“It will lead to the re-segregation of our schools and lead to worse education, not better,” Noble said. “Howard Rich is nothing but a carpetbagger who is trying to use our school children as lab rats in his radical social experiment.”

By invoking both “carpetbaggers” and “re-segregation”, Mr. Noble’s covered the field of inflammatory prejudices both black and white in one sentence, an extraordinary accomplishment. Bravo, Phil!! Simply amazing!!

Mr. Noble is, without a doubt, one of the most virulent antagonists of a school voucher system. He has gone so far as to publish and support a website, Stop Howard Rich where he “exposes” out of state funds for (Republican) politicians in South Carolina on both state and local levels.

So, what’s new????

What not do the same expose on Democratic candidates … say for example, James Clyburn.

Now … let’s see.

This gets really interesting. According to OpenSecrets.org – Center for Responsive Politics , in his last campaign, Mr. Clyburn received about 70% of his 2008 campaign contributions from PAC’s or political action committees, not exactly grass roots support, with over $200,000 coming from lawyers and law firms. His largest single contributor was Blackstone Group ( $29,900)which is a Wall Street  alternative asset management and financial services company that specializes in private equity, real estate and marketable alternative investment strategies as well as mergers and acquisitions (M&A), restructuring and fund placement advisory services. This isn’t exactly what I would consider home grown South Carolina support, but it is consistent with the fact that Mr. Clyburn’s second largest contributing industrial sector is Securities and Investment ($180,501) followed by Pharmaceuticals/Health Products ($151,228).In fact, according to OpenSecrets.org, during the last election cycle Mr. Clyburn received 74% of his funding from out of state sources which has left him with a war chest totaling more than $1,000,000 in unused funds.In the last two election cycles the majority of Mr. Clyburn’s campaign financing has come from out of state sources.

So, what’s Mr. Noble’s beef … other than practicing a little duplicity? Mr. Noble specializes in getting funding … from any source … for his clients. Mr. Noble’s “business” is a political consulting firm which specializes in answering the question, “Where’s the money?”, and securing it for his clients who are ideologically of his same ilk. As one of his numerous websites proclaims, Phil Noble founded PoliticsOnline, the premier international company providing fundraising and Internet tools for politics … Democratic Party politics. Mr. Noble does own a local business, Phil Noble + Associates, Inc.

As a self proclaimed “New Democrat”, he’s really an old school Democratic Party hack in a fancy new set of clothes, touting that at the age of 9 he “campaigned” for John Kennedy, who’s expertise seems to be blowing smoke screens and slinging mud in a single direction … against anyone opposing his proclaimed “progressive” views.

Robert Ford, by evolving to a position of supporting a school voucher system, has clearly put himself into Mr. Noble’s sights.

While accusing Howard Rich of being a “a carpetbagger who is trying to use our school children as lab rats in his radical social experiment”, he condescendingly refers to Robert Ford as good and honorable man but is on the wrong side of the school choice issue, while simultaneously hammering him for taking money from Howard Rich who is an ardent supporter of school voucher systems. Frankly, I’m surprised Mr. Noble didn’t just go ahead and refer to Mr. Ford as an “Uncle Tom”(“a good and honorable “black” man who is on the wrong side of the issue”), a favorite slanderous moniker for blacks who break with the hardline ideology, since he did in all but name only.

Frankly, I’ve found a new admiration for Robert Ford who has taken the time to investigate how the school choice works in other states. Unlike Mr. Noble and people like him, Mr. Ford isn’t blinded by senseless ideology which precludes thinking outside of a radical and inflexible ideological box.

It’s ironic that Mr. Nobles would refer to any student as a “lab rat” but it might be an appropriate analogy for what they’ve been for the past 40 or so years being forced to stay in a failed public school system.

Thanks, Mr. Noble. Maybe you came up with the right term but just applied it to the wrong group. I think the flourishing of private and parochial schools in South Carolina is anything but a failed experiment and maybe it’s time for those you claim to be representative of actually have a chance to make a choice … if you don’t fear the consequences. A failed public school system can’t get any lower than that and as Mr. Ford puts it,

“If the school’s not doing its job, then we’re supposed to take the money and give it to little Johnny’s mama to go to any school that she wants to send him to, (to) make sure little Johnny grows up to be one of y’all one day.”

Give ’em hell, Robert.

Maybe Mr. Ford has finally realized this senseless fanatical support for public school systems is less about education, or even money, than it is about ideological control and brainwashing … and school vouchers threaten the core of the control and brainwashing process … the public school system … the ultimate “social experiment” as Mr. Noble puts it.

Update(3/29/2009): Apparently, I spoke too soon. Within the “comments” of a follow up article on 3/27/2009, School choice bill takes fire, one of the commentors made the following statement:

Posted by “redreader” on March 27, 2009 at 1:02 p.m.

I’ve noticed that neither the P&C reporter nor any of the commentators have mentioned the influence of New Yorker Howard Rich and his money (and his friends’ cash) that is funneled to politicians who support vouchers, tax credits, whatever you want to call it. Ford has been on the receiving end of a full-court press from these people and their checks. Look it up on the SC.gov website for donations to him. You’ll find a certain address repeatedly listed.

Robert Ford has only ever supported positions that have campaign donations behind them and he’s either too vain or stupid (or both) to realize he’s been made into an Uncle Tom (my emphasis).

Maybe “redreader” is Mr. Phil “incognito” finally venting his true feelings and frustration. I knew I would see this reference to “Uncle Tom” at some point.