Dave Weigel called Alvin Greene the “the kind of opponent candidates dream about,” but he didn’t know the half of it.  Jim Geraghty noted that the new Democratic nominee to run against conservative stalwart Sen. Jim DeMint in South Carolina hadn’t filed any paperwork with the FEC on fundraising, but perhaps he just didn’t want to get in any more trouble with the law than Greene already faces.  The Democratic nominee  isn’t just “wholly unserious” — the AP reports that he’s been charged with a felony obscenity offense that could get him five years in prison:

South Carolina’s surprise Democratic nominee to challenge U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint is facing a pending felony charge.

Court records show 32-year-old Alvin Greene was arrested in November and charged with showing obscene Internet photos to a University of South Carolina student. The felony charge carries up to five years in prison. …

Records indicate Greene showed photos to a woman and talked about going to her room at a university dorm.

Um … wow.  Just … wow.  The Associated Press had better be sure of its reporting, because if this turns out to be another Alvin Greene, they’ll have to have their checkbooks handy.  They did call and ask for a response, but Greene told them he had no comment.

I guess this eliminates the whole family-values campaign, then?

Assuming this is true, Greene hasn’t yet been charged, but he had to put up a bond to get his release after the arrest.  Didn’t the state Democratic party do any sort of background check on their candidates?  This is exactly the kind of scandal that can not only eliminate any chance of beating DeMint but will also resonate through the down-ticket races as well.

Again, assuming this is true, does the party have any way to get Greene off of the ballot?  He won an open primary, which unlike conventions, are usually the final word in nominations.  I’m sure that South Carolina Democrats are frantically checking the answer to that question right now.