If we’re going to have a conversation about Senator Dick Harpootlian, we must be completely honest; and the truth of the matter is, when it comes to this man, there are three types of people: those who don’t know who the hell he is, those who love him, and those who hate him. I worked in the South Carolina legislature for over a decade, covered state politics for over 20 years, and been a Democrat for most of my voting life. In all this time I have found that no one is on the fence about Dick Harpootlian. If you know him, you have a strong opinion of him, good or bad.
Senator Dick Harpootlian is a complicated and complex character with a larger-than-life personality. In my career as a journalist operating a black-owned media outlet in South Carolina, I’ve talked to political leaders of all genders and races and from both major parties. If I were asked to list the biggest political jerks in this state, Harpootlian would be in the top five, probably rounding out the top three.
But if I were asked about white Democrats who I believe are racist, Harpootlian wouldn’t even make the list, though I could easily name about 30 who I believe are straight-up racists pretending to be allies but who know they have white hoods and sheets in their family tree. And I’m not talking about sweatshirts and bedding. And it wasn’t fruit hanging on that tree. You know what they say about apples.
Which is why a recent news article from WIS-TV caught my eye when it highlighted accusations of Harpootlian making racially insensitive comments to a Post and Courier reporter.
Side note: If we’re going to discuss racial sensitivity in the media, it bothers me that black media wasn’t included in the conversation. I feel this is worth mentioning since we’re being all racially sensitive and whatnot. Two white reporters from white-owned media outlets discussing another white man’s racial sensitivity, to me, is in itself, racially insensitive.
As someone who has spent his whole life fighting for diversity, equity, and inclusion in South Carolina’s political and economic realms, I am very sensitive to white media organizations self-appointing themselves as leaders on what is racist and who is being racially insensitive. Excluding black-owned media from these conversations shows a level of insensitivity and tone-deafness that undermines the moral standing of those who claim to lead the conversation.
It’s especially galling when it’s an organization like the Post and Courier. Let’s not forget the publication’s widely known and documented economic link to promoting and profiting from chattel slavery by running ads for the sale of enslaved black people and the capture of runaways. As a statewide business entity that can have its wealth and profits directly traced back to the days of slavery, I’d like to see the Post and Courier report on the paper’s willingness to pay reparations to the descendants of those it helped keep in bondage, particularly considering so many of those descendants still live in the Charleston area. Since they care so much about racial sensitivity, that would do much more to address the issue than getting spun up about a loud-mouthed politician.
Back to Harpootlian. As someone who has worked with him, run campaigns against him, and interviewed him, I’ve often gasped, held my breath, and dropped my head in astonishment at some of the things he’s said. However, I never felt anything he said was racially motivated. He actively practices diversity and inclusion in his brashness. Anybody, regardless of color, can find themselves a victim of one of his tirades or the target of an off-colored comment.
In a world where politicians make a show of being gentlemen, Boy Scouts, and upstanding citizens, history has taught us that, more often than not, that is all a façade. Harpootlian has consistently had the strength of character not to pretend to be anything he’s not regardless of who is in front of him. He embraces who he is, even if that is irreverent, raucous, and rude.
Make no mistake, this article is in no way an endorsement of Harpootlian or a condemnation of his political opponents. As a black journalist who openly advocates on behalf of minorities and other marginalized groups, I feel it’s my job to give context and perspective to my readers, especially when the topic centers around racism and what is racist.
So, I’d like to provide my final thoughts on Harpootlian and then provide some perspective.
With his long and proven record, two things that I feel that are off base and out of bounds are the criticism of his absence from the Senate because of his work obligations and the characterization of Harpootlian as not a true Democrat.
On the first point, criticizing Harpootlian for missing days in the Senate due to his work as a lawyer in the Murdaugh trial is unfair. South Carolina doesn’t pay its legislators a livable wage, and its unwillingness to do so is racially and socioeconomically motivated. Those who aren’t independently wealthy need day jobs. If the state paid legislators a livable wage, they wouldn’t need outside income but that would democritize the ability to run and serve. Criticizing someone for working is unjust and I have to acknowledge the sacrifice of all working individuals who balance day jobs with public service.
On the second point, to question whether Harpootlian is a true Democrat is absurd. In a blood-red state like South Carolina, a prominent white man has little to gain from pretending to be a Democrat unless he truly believes in the party’s principles and wants to see those principles guide state policy. What’s more, as a defense attorney in a state where minorities and other marginalized groups disproportionately find themselves victims of a Criminal Justice system that’s in desperate need of reform, the easy route would be to get in line and prosecute people of color. Instead, Harpootlian made it his business to give people a fair chance at justice, regardless of race. And let’s not forget that he’s run and served as Chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, a job that very few Democrats in the state wanted, not once but twice.
Dick Harpootlian may not be a teddy bear or talk about butterflies and roses, but he is an ally to African American communities an asset to all South Carolina Democrats, and an effective legislator. He openly fought against corruption in the State House. He was an effective Chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party. He fought to make the Five Points a more family-friendly entertainment district by closing down bars that were selling liquor to underage college kids. In 2008 he was one of the first state legislators to support the presidential campaign of, then Senator Barack Obama. Although being a prominent and busy lawyer he has always found ways to offer himself up for service to the citizens of South Carolina and those that identify as Democrats. Perhaps these are also reasons why he has been endorsed by U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn.
As someone who fights racism at an institutional level, I don’t use the term “racist” lightly. Calling someone a racist who is not is as wrong as being a racist. In South Carolina, where racism still remains embedded in the DNA of most of our state-run and state-owned institutions, we do ourselves a disservice when we misuse this label to characterize white people who we simply disagree with or find rude. Harpootlian may not be a “Love-everybody Liberal,” but he is an effective Democratic senator, one of the few Democrats who can give conservative extremists in the state legislature a reason to pause. Losing him would be a tremendous blow to Democrats and African American communities.
