My Ravenel Post…
[Alex Stroman]
In yesterday’s “First Round,” we linked to The State Newspaper’s short piece on the Common Cause organization calling on disgraced former Treasurer Thomas Ravenel to reimburse the state for a special election that must be held since he resigned his office.
It has been said that Thomas Ravenel was on the “top of the world.” He was the son of a popular state senator and US Congressman, and was himself a graduate of The Citadel and self-made millionaire. During his run for US Senate in 2004, he self-financed his campaign, starting out as an unknown candidate and ending with a third place finish behind the former Governor David Beasley, and US Congressman Jim DeMint. When that race was sent into a run-off, Thomas Ravenel threw his support behind Jim DeMint, who finished second in the primary. Senator DeMint went on to win the run-off and the general election. This past term he filed to run for Treasurer just as filing ended and ended up winning the race with money and name recognition he had built up the previous cycle.
While campaigning, Ravenel’s drug use was whispered across the state. His opponents did not use this information and some believe it was because they didn’t want to ruin this rising political star’s political career. However, Thomas Ravenel allowed the drug use, and subsequently himself, to ruin his life.
Thomas Ravenel is paying the price for his illegal use and distribution of cocaine. Although he has not been convicted, he has resigned his office, entered rehab and has already been “charged by society.” His family is shamed, and I believe he is personally shamed.
The Common Cause of South Carolina is wrong to try to make headlines by calling for Thomas Ravenel to “reimburse the state for its one-day special legislative session to elect his successor.” Thomas Ravenel is already paying for the wrongs he committed in this state. The price he pays for his wrongdoing is much more than $32,000 Common Cause hopes to collect; the greater cost is the lifetime of political potential that won’t be met. There is no use, in my belief, to try and shame him even more.
July 28th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Common cause is a gaggle of liberals, just grasping for headlines that in some way will make them seem relevant.
Thomas is before the legal system now. It will exact an appropriate penalty for his deeds. Honorable people with decent souls understand this. The dark hearted among us clamor for revenge…and in doing so show themselves as morally deficient.
May God have mercy on Thomas, and indeed everyone that suffers from dependency on the scourge of drugs.
July 28th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Interesting post and take from a historical perspective. I would like to think that I would have done more and in fact would have done had these rumors as you state been anything more than rumors.
I wonder at times how much our disdain for the matter at hand has to do with our own political aspirations for a man with so much talent. This of course if true would be a very selfish take as it seems that rehabilitation is what folks with this dependency actually need and so maybe the best interests of Thomas are finally being served in some perverse way.
We politicos build these special folks up to believe they are invincible we put them on a pedestal and eventually they believe it as do we.
We are as much to blame for our disappointment in them when they fail to maintain the image we have helped to craft for them. At the beginning and the end of each and every day we are only human, flawed with each our own shortcomings.
~Jeffrey Sewell
July 28th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
Jeffrey - thank you for your comments, but we have to disagree with this statement:
“We politicos build these special folks up to believe they are invincible we put them on a pedestal and eventually they believe it as do we.
We are as much to blame for our disappointment in them when they fail to maintain the image we have helped to craft for them.”
No one, and I mean NO ONE, built Thomas Ravenel up past what he thought of himself. Thomas Ravenel is one of the most arrogant and self-centered people in South Carolina. To place the blame on anyone but him is absolutely wrong.
I didn’t force him to buy coke. I didn’t force him to give coke to his friends. I didn’t force coke up his nose. Did you?
Thomas Ravenel is to blame, no one else. He has disappointed an entire state.
July 28th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
“Common Cause” makes “Common Sense”
What T-Rav has done is corrupt and illegal.
Campaign finance violations, ethics violations, and “distributing cocaine”.
The circumstances that T-Rav finds himself in “suffers from dependency on the scourge of drugs”. Although this may be true, he also suffers from “lack of judgement”,”lack of accountability”, and he also suffers from his “illegal activities”. May God have mercy on all of the other people that he has distributed cocaine to.
I am a Republican, and I take offense to Wally’s(Wallace) insults to Common Cause and playing the God card. Common Cause makes Common Sense and T-Rav should pay hellava lot more than $32,000.
July 28th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Annon…
Take all the offence you want. Your dark heart must love to see the mighty fall.
I will keep the God card…and you can have the revenge card…
Life is to short to revel in the misery of others.
July 28th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
Thanks for the comments y’all. I certainly understand all sides of the issue, but I think that my post agrees with Jeffrey’s comments about elected leaders. Thomas Ravenel is an elected leader, but the current investigation he is under is due to his practice of illegal drugs, not of any wrongdoing in the Treasurers office. We, the people, looked past his “arrogance” and elected him to the job of treasurer.
The post isn’t about Ravenel so much, nor is it about his pending charges, but rather Common Cause calling for Ravenel to reimburse the state–and that’s ridiculous and cruel. As Wallace just stated “Life is too short to revel in the misery of others.”
July 29th, 2007 at 12:07 am
Alex,
Do you honesty believe that doing coke while handling our tax dollars is not a violation of his oath of office?
July 29th, 2007 at 1:34 am
Ladies & Gentlemen, I know most of you and know that you are good of heart. I am amazed by the talent in our field of SC politicos that range from 16-60 years of age; you are in the 90 percentile of the next range of leaders, incredible folks.
Thomas is my friend and will always be without condition, having said that let us not judge that we be judged ourselves.
Regards,
~Jeffrey Sewell
July 29th, 2007 at 3:15 am
Hey Wally - “gaggle of liberals”, “dark heart”, “revenge card”, and “revel in the misery of others”.
What are you talking about?
T-Rav’s Grand Jury Indictment is about illegal activities. I believe the Grand Jury, Charleston Police, SLED, FBI and the US Attorney’s Office.
All of your other comments listed above are pure B.S.
July 29th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
In South Carolina last fiscal year, 97 percent of all federally indicted cases ended in guilty pleas, records show.
“We consider the investigation ongoing,” McDonald said. “If it’s appropriate to add charges, that is something that will be done.”
The way you can get your sentence reduced in the federal system is to plead guilty and to give substantial assistance (to authorities),” said longtime Columbia criminal defense lawyer Jack Swerling.
In South Carolina last fiscal year, the average drug trafficking sentence was about 11 years, compared to seven years nationwide.
Chief U.S. District Judge Joe Anderson, who is presiding over Ravenel’s and Miller’s cases, has a reputation for fairness and staying within the guidelines, Strom said.
“Our judges stick to the guidelines,” he said.
August 1st, 2007 at 2:04 am
Trafficking is not limited to the substantive offenses of purchasing, possessing, and selling large amounts of controlled substances. Conspiring and attempting to do those acts also constitute trafficking. The part of the trafficking statute pertinent to this case is as follows: “Any person who knowingly … attempts[] or conspires to … purchase … ten grams or more of cocaine … is guilty of a felony which is known as ‘trafficking in cocaine.’” S.C. Code Ann. § 44-53-370(e)(2) (2002).
August 22nd, 2007 at 2:11 am
It IS, what it IS!
COCAINE DISTRIBUTION! If his sentence is reduced from 20 years to a matter of months or nothing. What is the message the Prosecutors are sending to the Drug Smugglers? Hey, CRIME PAYS! CRIME PAYS BIGTIME! If you hire the right attorney and pay them enough money, you’ll get off with minimal punishment.
We should all be very proud of our justice system.
September 23rd, 2007 at 5:33 pm
hi. nice blog . thanks.