S.C. Candidate Calls Opponent Patronizing (Hollings seat race)

[Rose Siding]

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"I don't want to get her started again, but I'm afraid she really doesn't understand how Social Security is set up," DeMint said.

"Jim's only response to anything I say is: 'She doesn't understand,'" said Tenenbaum, the state education superintendent. "Frankly, Jim, that's a little patronizing. And really, you've got daughters of your own. You really ought to not do that anymore."

DeMint apologized, but soon made a similar statement while he defended calling Tenenbaum a "nice lady" on the campaign trail and in radio ads.

"I won't make that mistake again because I no longer believe it," DeMint said. "I'm sorry I called her a nice lady," he said. But "the fact is she doesn't understand a lot of the things she is talking about," DeMint said.

The pair were questioned about a state Republican Party platform item that says gays should not teach in public schools.

"I don't think they should," DeMint said. "We need the folks that are teaching in schools to represent our values."

"To say that a homosexual can't teach in a public school is really a bad thing and it's just un-American," Tenenbaum said.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-south-carolina-senate,0,1833218.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines