Meeting Politicians

U.S. Rep. John Spratt at Kalmia Gardens


Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of meeting U.S. Rep. John Spratt and his lovely wife Jane at a drop in hosted by S.C. Sen. Gerald Malloy and his equally lovely wife, Davita, at Kalmia Gardens.

Rep. Spratt had the opportunity to speak to the large crowd, answer questions, and share his vision for the growth of his native state of South Carolina. You can read more about him Here and more Here

It was wonderful to see so many people who live and work in Darlington County, such as individuals from Coker College, South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics, Darlington County School District, Sonoco, local businesses, clergy, and retirees. There were over 300 people total that visited the drop in, and John and Jane greeted them all.

Once again, I am struck by how affable people are in the South. I cannot imagine another state where you can call your politicians by name as easily as you can in South Carolina! Jane Spratt greeted people as they arrived; when she asked where I was from, she shared memories of time she spent in my home state. Rep. John Spratt shared with the guests a phone call he received from an elderly woman; she had seen an ad, and was afraid he was cutting her Social Security. It bothered him so much that he felt the need to share it with the crowd. That connection to real people is a common thread that I have witnessed since I moved here. People call their elected officials by their first names, and that speaks volumes for the style of government that is uniquely South Carolinian.

The issue of negative campaign ads was brought up by several of the people I spoke with, and the concensus seems to be "what a waste of money on all these negative ads!" It is a shame that the money spent on all that couldn't be funneled into more needed, worthwhile charities. Not to mention how ridiculous some of the claims end up being when properly researched. One older gentleman said that he had a very disturbing phone call from a campaign group that asked very personal questions. One can certainly hope that this type of behavior will not be allowed to continue.

Unfortunately, we live in a society that is driven by our media, so we must suffer through a deluge of print, television and radio campaigns for weeks prior to November 7. Some may be true, some not. What you can do, however, is to arm yourself with the truth. I urge you to research each person running for office with an open mind.

Personally, I was raised to vote for the PERSON, not the party. I love the former Sen. Bill Cohen, Republican from Maine just as much as I loved Gov. Ann Richards, Democrat from Texas. Likewise, I cannot imagine any men that are more committed to their office and their constituents than Sen. Gerald Malloy, D. and Rep. Jay Lucas, R. The people in office that can walk across party lines to work together to come up with workable solutions for the greater good for local, state and national issues are the ones that deserve our vote.

The person running for office should be how you make your choice in the ballot booth; no one is in there but you. We are so fortunate as Americans to have the right to vote, so use that vote responsibly. Don't blindly follow a party; don't blindly believe each e-mail you receive nor negative ad you watch.

This season, get out and meet everyone running if you have the opportunity. Go to their websites, read non-partisan accounts of their records.

Don't forget to VOTE!