blue note 2-3

19
►The Bimonthly Newsletter of the Dorchester County Democratic Party◄ We are now entering the most important time for a County Party primary elections and general elections. This is when all of our organizing and fundraising and making our voice heard will come to a crescendo! Remember the mission of the County Party: to get Democrats out to vote, and to get Democratic candidates elected! Every- body should be spending several hours a week meeting our mission! How? First, contact your Precinct Executive Committee Member or Precinct President. They should have lots that you could do: register voters, keep the Democrats in your precinct informed and up to date, volunteer to help one of our candi- dates, make telephone calls for the candidates, volunteer to work at our headquarters, volunteer to work with one of our important committees, send donations to our Democratic can- didates, do some door-to-door canvassing (we have a list of people who voted for Democrats in your precinct), volunteer to help the elderly to vote with an absentee ballot, or volunteer to drive them to the polls. If you are so inclined write letters to the editors, remind them that Democrats stand with the people on the correct sides of all the issues! The bottom line is that this is the time to make our State, and especially Dorchester County, turn BLUE. If you are a Pre- cinct President and Executive Committee member, this is the time to earn your title! Every precinct President should have at least one get-together by the June 8 th primary for five, 10 or 20 Democrats in your precinct hot dogs and potato salad is all you need and then all who attend can call one or two of their Democratic friends in the precinct and urge them to get involved. Before you know it, you will have an energized precinct that turns BLUE. Let me know if you have any questions, and es- pecially let me know of your successes! See you at the next breakfast on June 19! Richard Hayes, County Chair June 8th Primaries Are Here! ARE YOU READY? PLEASE NOTE: The candidate ads featured within this edition are paid adver- tisements, and their inclusion in the Blue Note is not to indicate nor imply any endorsement from the Dorchester County De- mocratic Party. The DCDP cannot endorse any candidate in this primary election stage. INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE Be Sure to VOTEpage 2 Join us on Election Nightpage 3 Our Primary Election Candidatespage 4 State Executive Committee Newspage 5 Truth About the New Healthcare Lawpage 7 State Party Convention Recappage 9 Dorchester Delegates Add Resolution to State Party Platformpage 11 Democratic Candidates for Governor Debate at State Conventionpage 13 DCDP Committees: Get In On The Actionpage 15 Calendar of Eventspage 19 MEMORIAL DAY IS MONDAY, MAY 31 Memorial Day is an important opportunity to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of America's servicemen and women to se- cure our freedom, as well as the immense sacrifices they make in service to our coun- try. Democrats continue to work hard to offer America’s men and women in uniform the resources and the support they need, both on the battlefield and off. On Memorial Day, the DCDP honors the men and women of our country who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our free- dom.

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Primary Election Edition!

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Blue Note 2-3

►The Bimonthly Newsletter of the Dorchester County Democratic Party◄

We are now entering the most important time for a County Party – primary elections and general elections. This is when all of our organizing and fundraising and making our voice heard will come to a crescendo! Remember the mission of the County Party: to get Democrats out to vote, and to get Democratic candidates elected! Every-body should be spending several hours a week meeting our mission! How? First, contact your Precinct Executive Committee Member or Precinct President. They should have lots that you could do: register voters, keep the Democrats in your precinct informed and up to date, volunteer to help one of our candi-dates, make telephone calls for the candidates, volunteer to work at our headquarters, volunteer to work with one of our important committees, send donations to our Democratic can-didates, do some door-to-door canvassing (we have a list of people who voted for Democrats in your precinct), volunteer to help the elderly to vote with an absentee ballot, or volunteer to drive them to the polls. If you are so inclined write letters to the editors, remind them that Democrats stand with the people on the correct sides of all the issues! The bottom line is that this is the time to make our State, and especially Dorchester County, turn BLUE. If you are a Pre-cinct President and Executive Committee member, this is the time to earn your title! Every precinct President should have at least one get-together by the June 8th primary for five, 10 or 20 Democrats in your precinct – hot dogs and potato salad is all you need – and then all who attend can call one or two of their Democratic friends in the precinct and urge them to get involved. Before you know it, you will have an energized precinct that turns BLUE. Let me know if you have any questions, and es-pecially let me know of your successes! See you at the next breakfast on June 19!

Richard Hayes, County Chair

June 8th Primaries Are Here! ARE YOU READY?

PLEASE NOTE: The candidate ads featured within this edition are paid adver-tisements, and their inclusion in the Blue Note is not to indicate nor imply any endorsement from the Dorchester County De-mocratic Party. The DCDP cannot endorse any candidate in this primary election stage.

INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE

Be Sure to VOTE—page 2

Join us on Election Night—page 3

Our Primary Election Candidates—page 4

State Executive Committee News—page 5

Truth About the New Healthcare Law—page 7

State Party Convention Recap—page 9

Dorchester Delegates Add Resolution to State

Party Platform—page 11

Democratic Candidates for Governor Debate at

State Convention—page 13

DCDP Committees: Get In On The Action—

page 15

Calendar of Events—page 19

MEMORIAL DAY IS MONDAY, MAY 31

Memorial Day is an important opportunity to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of America's servicemen and women to se-cure our freedom, as well as the immense sacrifices they make in service to our coun-try.

Democrats continue to work hard to offer America’s men and women in uniform the resources and the support they need, both on the battlefield and off.

On Memorial Day, the DCDP honors the men and women of our country who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our free-dom.

Page 2: Blue Note 2-3

You can watch a video on how to use the electronic “touch screen” voting machines at this website address: http://www.scvotes.org/how_to_vote_video On that page, you can choose to see video instructions, and from two different options based on your type of Internet connection (“low bandwidth” and “high bandwidth”). You can also choose the option of “Interactive Flash Demo.” Just remember to click on each “click here” instruction to advance that demonstration page by page.

It’s very likely that you can vote absentee if you know you won’t be able to get to the polls on June 8th.

If your work schedule or school schedule won’t let you make it to your precinct location on time, or if you’ll be away on vaca-tion that day, you qualify for absentee voting. So are any dis-abled persons, as well as those who care for the disabled. All senior citizens can cast their votes by absentee, too. (And so can all of us who work as poll managers or who volunteer to be poll watchers!) There are other reasons you can qualify for absentee voting, too—just go to http://www.dorchestervotes.org/absentee-voting/ to see if you meet the criteria.

If you do qualify, all you have to do is show up at one of the vot-ing locations to complete an application; it will be reviewed on the spot and, if approved, you get to vote right after.

The two locations for absentee voting are: the Voter Registra-tion office in the Kenny Waggoner County Services Building (201 Johnston Street in St. George), and the County Council Building (501 N Main Street in Summerville).

Both locations are open from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Mon-day through Friday (except Memorial Day) through June 7.

This Summerville location is open for the very first time, too, and to better accommodate the large number of voters who live in the lower half of the county.

You can also apply for absentee voting by mail, too. You just fill out an application that is available online (http://www.dorchestervotes.org/absentee-voting/absentee-ballot-application/). You’ll receive an approval notice by mail.

If you apply for absentee voting by mail, though, you’ll have to act quickly! Your application for absentee voting must be re-ceived by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 4th, and your ballot will have to be submitted by 7 p.m. on June 8th (election day).

If you don’t live in Dorchester County and want to vote absen-tee, see this website to learn the contact information of your county’s Board of Voter Registration: http://www.scvotes.org/how_to_register_absentee_voting

Where do I go to cast my vote? To learn the address of your voting location, go to this website: https://webprod.cio.sc.gov/SCSECVoterWeb/voterInformationSearch.do Just select your county, enter your first and last names and your date of birth, then hit “enter.” The next page will show you all your precinct information, including the address of your voting location. On the top-right of that page, you can click on “get driving directions to the Precinct,” too, which will show you a precise map starting at your home address.

Be sure to VOTE on Tuesday, June 8th!

How do I use those electronic voting machines?

I won’t be able to make it to the polls on election day. Can I vote absentee?

What will the ballot look like for my precinct? Go to this website (http://www.dorchestervotes.org/2010/05/04/sample-ballots-for-june-8th-primaries), and select the “DEM bal-lot style” link next to your precinct name. You’ll get to see the total slate of candidates you’re eligible to vote for, and in the same way it will appear on the electronic voting machines.

What do I need to bring to the polls? You must bring at least one of the following forms of identifica-tion: your South Carolina driver’s license, your South Carolina picture ID or your voter registration card. If you only want to use your voter registration card for identifica-tion, please know that it must be signed! Also, poll managers can request another form of ID other than the one you present, too, so it might be best to bring more than one just to be safe. One thing you should NOT bring is any campaign materials. In fact, you can’t even wear a campaign t-shirt at the polls! If you do, you won’t be allowed in the building to vote.

Page 3: Blue Note 2-3

How important is your one vote? VERY important! In 1974, Louis Hyman was elected Senator for New Hampshire. Hyman won by only two votes, and even though almost a quarter-million votes were cast in that election. That’s less than one-thousandth of the votes. In 1994, Frank McCloskey won his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives by only 4 votes. In 2008, Al Franken was elected to the U.S. Senate from Minnesota by only 312 votes. About 2.9 million votes were cast in that election. In 2008, Christine Gregoire won Washington’s gubernatorial election by only 133 votes. Over 2.8 million votes were cast. In 2008, Mike Kelly was elected to Alaska’s House of Representatives by a 1 vote margin out of over 10,000 votes cast. And in 2006, right here in our very own South Carolina, our Democratic Party’s candidate for Superintendent of Education won by only 455 votes out of over 1.1 million—that was only about 0.04% of the vote. Remember this information on the upcoming June 8th primary election date. What if you choose not to vote that day, and a candi-date you favor winds up losing by only one vote? How will you feel then?

Don’t put yourself in that position! Make sure your voice is heard on June 8th!

Join us on

Election Night! We’ve all done a lot of work for these primary elections, which we’ll continue doing all the way until Election Day. When the polls close at 7 p.m. that evening, though, we can start celebrating to reward ourselves for all the work we’ve done so far. Starting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8th, the DCDP invites local Democrats to gather at Lalo’s Restau-rant (in the Publix complex at 1585 Central Ave in Summerville) where we’ll have a small private room, complete with television to watch the re-sults as they come in. We’ll also get direct up-dates right from “the swamp,” too. We’ll treat to some of the food, and you can al-ways order more for yourself. The kitchen will close at 9 p.m., but we can always put in final or-ders right before then. And the bar can stay open as long we’re there that night, as late as 2 a.m. Poll workers, poll watchers, campaign volunteers and candidates alike will be with us that evening. We hope you’ll join us, too!

What you need to remember

about Tuesday, June 8th!

Polls open at 7 a.m.

Polls close at 7 p.m. (as long as you

are in line before that time, you will

still be able to vote!)

Remind your family, friends,

neighbors and coworkers about the

election.

You can’t wear any campaign t-shirts

or buttons to the polls.

Bring your driver’s license or state

identification card, or bring your voter

registration card. (Just to be safe,

bring both!)

And most importantly, when asked

which primary election you wish to

vote in, request “Democrat!”

Page 4: Blue Note 2-3

Robert Ford

www.robertfordforgovernor.com

Jim Rex

www.jimrex.com

Vincent Sheheen

www.vincentsheheen.com

GOVERNOR

Frank S. Holleman III

www.hollemanforeducation.com

Tom Thompson

www.tomthompson2010.com

SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION U.S. SENATE

Alvin M. Greene

Vic Rawl

www.vicrawl.com

Robert Burton

www.robertburtonforuscongress.com

Ben Frasier

Gregory Brown

www.gregorybrownforcongress.com

James “Jim” Clyburn

(incumbent)

www.clyburnforcongress.com

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

(incumbent)

[email protected] [email protected]

Matthew Creel Kenny Waggoner

COUNTY COUNCIL—DISTRICT 3

Christine Jackson

www.jacksonforsc.com

www.steveyeomans.com

Steve Yeomans

STATE HOUSE—DISTRICT 98

OUR CANDIDATES IN THE JUNE 8th PRIMARY ELECTION

Page 5: Blue Note 2-3

The South Carolina Democratic Party Executive Committee

met in Columbia on May 20 for its first meeting after the

recent Democratic Conventions in each county. Dorchester

County was represented at the meeting by newly elected

state committeewoman Marty Turney and me. I have served

as the executive committeeman for the past 14 years.

The state meeting was called to order by Carol Fowler, state

party chairwoman. Fowler reported that the recent state

party convention in Columbia had been a great success,

with much higher attendance than was anticipated. She also

reported that the state party is in good financial order.

Also discussed in the meeting, the South Carolina Democ-

ratic Party has arranged for three debates between the three

Democratic candidates for governor. One debate will be

held in Charleston on June 1, and will be televised by

WCSC-Channel 5. A watch party is planned at Manny's

Neighborhood Grille in Charleston. Also, Jay Parmley re-

ported that the state party is developing a new website that

will be more user friendly.

One of the duties of the State Executive Committee will be to

hear election protests from the June 8 primary and the June

22 runoff, if needed. Chairwoman Fowler explained the

appeal schedule and warned that the Executive Committee

might be called on to meet several times in June to hear

appeals. The Executive Committee has the final say on ap-

peals by Democratic candidates.

Another order of business was the election of the Executive

Council. The state party’s Executive Council is made up of a

man and a woman who are elected Executive Committee

members from each congressional district. I have served on

the Executive Council as the male representative from Con-

gressional District One and I sought re-election. I was op-

posed by Cedrick Spain of Horry County. Spain and I tied in

the caucus vote. It was decided to vote again for the position

at the next State Executive Committee meeting to settle that

tie. The caucus elected Susan Smith of Georgetown County

as the woman representative.

State Party Executive Committee News By Dr. David Rison, the most Excellent Executioner of all Executives

Willie Davis

County Council, District 1

(incumbent)

[email protected]

State Representative, District 97

(incumbent)

www.patsyknight.com

Patsy Knight Ashley Cooper

Lieutenant Governor

www.cooperforsc.com

Other Democratic Candidates That’s right, folks. We have candidates in many other elections, too. Because they have no opponent in the primary race,

though, they won’t appear on the ballots until the November General Election. And two of our local ones (Willie Davis

and Patsy Knight) don’t even have any declared Republican opponents, meaning that it’s almost guaranteed they won’t

even have to appear on the ballots in November. Uncontested victories for our local Democrats!

Robert Barber

Comptroller General

www.barber2010.com

Matthew Richardson

Attorney General

www.richardsonforscag.com

Tom E. Eliot

Commissioner of Agriculture

[email protected]

Marjorie Johnson

Secretary of State

www.marjoriejohnson.net

These are names to remember for this November!

Page 6: Blue Note 2-3

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Page 7: Blue Note 2-3

The Truth About the New Healthcare Law End the silly rumors about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act! There are tons of rumors going around about the law recently enacted that provides health insurance to the millions who currently live without any. And those rumors are so false it ain’t funny. The worst ones going around, though, are claiming that the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will in-crease our taxes. And that’s not the case. To find out exactly how this new law will affect your own individual taxes, go this website: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/what-health-bill-means-for-you/ It’s very specific, too, and uses many specific factors to help you learn ex-actly what it might cost. You enter your current type of insurance, the number of people in your home, your income and marital status, and it will tell you exactly how the Patient Pro-tection and Affordable Care Act will affect you individually. And for 99 percent of us, it won’t have any effect on our taxes at all. Please pass this link on to others, too. Put an end to their silly arguments by providing them with actual, specific fact that can offer the truth based on personal details.

Use this site to learn how the healthcare bill might affect you and your taxes:

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/what-health-bill-means-for-you/

This is going to increase my taxes by including my insurance payments as income!

No, it won’t. First of all, any insurance payments you make for your employer-provided insurance is already part of your gross income. In the past, that part was not included in your total in-come that is reported on your W-2 statement, though. Now it will show up on your W-2. But it still remains untaxed. You will not pay any more money in taxes because of this.

This will make our country go deeper into debt! No, it won’t. In fact, it will reduce federal debt by $131 billion over the next 10 years, and by taking away from wasteful Medicare spending.

This insurance is too expensive! No, it isn’t. It’s less than average, in fact, and the costs of insur-ance provided under this Act are pro-rated. A family of four mak-ing all the way up $88,000 a year can actually get assistance in payments, too.

My money will be used to pay someone else’s insurance costs! No, it won’t. You pay your insurance. I pay my insurance. Nobody else is going to pay for anybody else’s insurance.

This act will insure illegal aliens! No, it doesn’t. In fact, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act specifically excludes illegal aliens.

Congress can’t legally do this! Yes, it can. Go see the U.S. Constitution. Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 gives congress the authority “to regulate commerce,” and is also supported by Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 (also known as the “Necessary & Proper Clause”). Congress has always had authority on this. And when they didn’t exercise this authority under George W. Bush, the costs of health insurance doubled, and millions of Americans lost their insurance.

The federal government is overstepping its authority! The federal government is doing its job, which is to protect this country and its citizens. Tell anybody who complains to remember it the next time they get in their car (which has s afety standards thanks to the federal government) and ride on the interstate (funded and maintained by the federal government) to get their social security check or welfare check (provided by the federal government), and deposit it in their bank account (protected by insurance from the federal government). The federal government is guaranteeing our right to affordable healthcare insurance.

Other False Rumors Going Around About the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Page 8: Blue Note 2-3

RE-ELECT

Kenny Waggoner

V

O

T

E

Dorchester

County Council

District 3

32 Years

Experience

Serving

Dorchester

County

County Council Chairman 6 Years

Vice-Chairman 4 Years

VOTE JUNE 8TH

Dear Friends, As your councilman, I have served you and Dorchester County for 32 years. During that time I have served as both Chairman and Vice-Chairman of County Council. I have the experience and the knowledge to continue this service as we lead Dorchester County towards managed growth, right-sizing County Government and improving traffic and road conditions in our County. I am not a developer or an owner of large tracts of land. My one and only purpose as your councilman is to serve you, the people of Dorchester County. I hope you will vote for me on June 8th. I look forward to continuing to work with you. Thank you for your support,

Kenny Waggoner County Council District #3

PAID FOR BY RE-ELECT WAGGONER TO COUNTY COUNCIL

Page 9: Blue Note 2-3

By Deborah “Scoop” Mortellaro The annual meeting was called to order by Carol Fowler, Party Chair. The report of the Credential Committee listing the official delegates to the convention was adopted. The proposed rules of the convention were also adopted as printed. Candidates running for election and reelection who have served in the Armed Forces were recognized. Representative John Spratt from South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District was the first speaker. “I belong to the party that looks like America,” Spratt said.

He shared that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease but decided to run for reelection again in spite of the illness.

Spratt gave an update on the progress of the economy since the Recov-ery Act was passed in 2009. The economy has grown six percent, he said, and the country is gaining jobs for the first time in 24 months. Laws have been passed expanding children’s healthcare and an environmental bill is in pro-gress. “We need to arm ourselves with the facts because the facts are in our favor,” he stated.

Following Rep. Spratt’s lively speech, 3rd Vice Chair of the SCDP Jamarr Brown nominated the slate of convention officers. These were adopted. The meeting was then chaired by state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter from Orangeburg County

House Majority Whip and 6th District Represen-tative James Clyburn was the next speaker. He discussed the progress made under the leader-ship of President Barack Obama. This includes an increase in the number of Pell Grants for college students and easier ways to pay off student loans. Stressing the importance of this administration’s invest-ment in technical schools and community colleges, Clyburn said “Doctors need plumbers, plumbers need lawyers and lawyers need electricians. We are all in this thing to-gether.”

He then focused on the recently passed Healthcare legislation and the immedi-ate changes families will realize. These include hav-ing college students able to stay on their parent’s healthcare insurance until they are 26 years old, chil-dren with diabetes or chronic illnesses no longer able to be denied health insurance, closing the “donut hole” on drug plans

for seniors who will receive a $250 reim-bursement, and tax credits to small businesses offering health insurance to their em-ployees. Carol Fowler announced the recipient of the 2010 Chair’s Award to be Matthew Richard-son of Columbia. She praised Richardson for his dedication to the party and the help he has provided her since she has

been chair. Richardson is also running for State Attorney General. The three candidates run-ning for governor were introduced. They are state Sen. Robert Ford of Charleston, State Supt. of Education Jim Rex and state Sen. Vincent She-heen of Camden. Each candidate presented their reasons for running for governor. There was a special tribute to honor the mem-ory of former South Carolina State Treasurer Grady Patterson who died in December 2009. Party leaders John Land and Harry Ott from the state Senate and House, respectively, ad-dressed the convention. Several current House

members were introduced as were those running for of-fice. The Resolutions Committee presented its report for ap-proval. In addition to the report, two new resolutions were presented for approval. The Resolutions Committee report and the two new resolutions were all

adopted. Convention Rules and Party Rules were also adopted.

The meeting was adjourned shortly after.

Following the convention, a barbecue lunch and stump meeting was held. Practically every Democratic candidate running for a federal or statewide office spoke to the crowd in the ballroom that hosted that event.

A debate amongst the three Democratic candi-dates for governor closed the day at the Co-lumbia Convention Center.

SCDP 2010 Annual Convention

Rep. Spratt addresses the convention

Summerville councilman Aaron Brown (L) speaks with Rep. Jim Clyburn (R)

State party chair Carol Fowler (L) and county party chair Richard Hayes (R)

Dorchester County Delegates get front row at the 2010 convention

Tim & Bekah Patrick, delegates from the

Oakbrook Precinct

Patrick Labbe (L)

and Susen

Shapiro (R)

David Rison (L) and Marty Tur-

ney (R), Dor-

chester County’s representatives to

the state party’s

Executive Com-mittee

Page 10: Blue Note 2-3

Paid for by Christine Jackson for SC House District 98

Page 11: Blue Note 2-3

A total of 60 resolutions were proposed by the state De-mocratic Party at its recent annual convention. All 60 were quickly approved by the state delegates, too.

There was still one resolution blatantly missing, however, inspiring Nancy and Clayton Seufert of North Charleston, who represented Dorchester County as state delegates, to introduce one more.

At the South Carolina Democratic Party’s annual conven-tion on Apr. 24, four of the resolutions proposed by the Platform and Resolutions Committee directly pertained to labor and labor unions, including one in favor of the Em-ployee Free Choice Act.

The state government’s legislature is trying to stamp out the Act before it can become a federal law, though.

The resolution proposed by the Seuferts called for the state Democratic Party to firmly oppose those efforts.

Republicans in the South Carolina General Assembly are attempting to bypass any ruling the Act may apply, and by adding a new amendment to the state constitution. First introduced to the state congress in January 2009 by state Rep. Tom Young of Aiken, the bill passed in March 2010. This amendment will be included on the ballots of the General Election this November. The ballots will read: “Must Article II of the Constitution of the State, relating to the right of suffrage, be amended by adding Section 12 so as to provide that the fundamental right of an individual to vote by secret ballot is guaranteed for a designation, a selection or an authorization for em-ployee representation by a labor organization?” The true intentions of that amendment are hidden in the language, according to the Seuferts, both of whom are active in labor unions. Nancy Seufert is a member of the American Federation of Government Employees, and her husband Clayton is an officer of the Charleston Central Labor Council.

The Employee Free Choice Act, currently under review by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, would not take away any right for workers to have a secret ballot, though. In fact, the bill would improve the speed in which labor union chapters could be formed, and by eliminating one common method that employers use to stop progress in their creation.

Currently, an employer can refuse to recognize a newly-formed union chapter as representative of its employees, even if 100 percent of the workers provide signed authori-zation for the union to represent them in contract negotia-tion.

To further delay such negotiations, an employer can re-quest all employees to engage in a secret ballot election.

The Employee Free Choice Act would eliminate that secret ballot, thus enabling laborers to achieve union representa-tion much faster for negotiations, and without any delay tactics commonly employed by employers.

“(Rep. Young’s) amendment is an assault on the working people of this state,” Nancy Seufert said when introducing the proposed resolution.

“When the Employee Free Choice Act passes at the federal level, this will mean South Carolina will not abide by fed-eral laws,” if the state constitutional amendment passes.

“It also means that South Carolina will most certainly be embroiled in a lawsuit costing our state hard tax dollars on a case it will lose,” the Seuferts added.

The Seuferts’ proposed resolution for display of party op-position to the proposed amendment passed with unani-mous support.

(This article first appeared at http://www.examiner.com/x-40596-Charleston-Democrat-Examiner)

Dorchester County

Delegates add

resolution to state

party platform Fighting for the Employee Free Choice Act

Page 12: Blue Note 2-3

Vote for former Dorchester County Democratic Party Chairman

Steve Yeomans to represent District 98!

My Goals: Create new employment by attracting new businesses

and helping existing businesses expand

Improve the educational opportunities in our state

Demand fiscal responsibility through a transparent government

www.steveyeomans.com

Paid for by Yeomans for State House, PO BOX 50071, Summerville SC 29485

Page 13: Blue Note 2-3

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR DEBATE AT STATE CONVENTION Following the SCDP convention on April 24, our three candidates for governor (Robert Ford, Jim Rex and Vincent Sheheen) squared off at a forum that was later televised on a local CBS affiliate in Columbia. Here is a summary of the candidates’ answers:

State Sen. Robert Ford Supt. of Education Jim Rex State Sen. Vincent Sheheen

Believes the state’s General Assembly

doesn’t want the governor involved in en-

ergy.

Feels the governor can have a role in en-

ergy costs, and would be the voice of the

consumer if elected. Also believes con-

sumers need to become more efficient.

Says Public Service Commissions Office

and Office Regulatory staff should work

together and have transparency. Believes

governor needs to lobby for consumers.

ON THE HIGH COSTS OF ENERGY IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Supports video poker and land-based ca-

sino in Myrtle Beach, which he says will

create new jobs and new businesses

Doesn’t believe state’s financial problems

will be solved by bringing in the gaming

industry.

Believes in “hard work” instead of gaming,

and that the state should attract new invest-

ments other than gaming.

ON GAMING INDUSTRY

Tried to filibuster 388, which changed for-

mat of public school funding when it

passed in 2006. Believes that governor has

no role in property taxes, which is only a

General Assembly issue, he finds.

State needs comprehensive tax reform, and

with balance between property tax and

sales tax. Supports lowering of many

taxes, but also supports increasing cigarette

tax to national average.

Voted against Act 388 in state senate, and

introduced subject of tax reform to state

senate in last session. Supports increase in

cigarette tax.

ON TAX REFORM, PROPERTY TAX AND ACT 388

Would like extra 24 hours of classroom

time per week in public schools; wants

more teachers with goal of 15:1 student-

teacher ratio; supports education lottery.

Has made notable improvement to state

public education in his three years as its

superintendent; would continue same im-

provement in graduation rate and retention.

Believes lottery funds are not expanding

education budget, but only used to make

up for funding cuts.

Believes more should be invested in tech-

nical colleges, and in their direct link to

high schools so as to allow students to

learn employable skills. Concerned with

dropout rate. Believes more stable funding

is needed than is provided by the education

lottery.

ON EDUCATION AND EDUCATION LOTTERY

Says gaming industry overall would create

40,000 new jobs, and attracting movie in-

dustry would get another 100,000. Is cur-

rently working on green jobs with state

senate.

Would create office of job creation, di-

rectly under his office. Biofuels is one area

of green jobs and green energy for explora-

tion, and is already working in the state.

Believes green jobs are required as the new

normal for employment in the 21st century.

Would focus on small business growth,

and with aid of a new department in state

government. Feels there is critical opportu-

nity for clean/green jobs and energy con-

servation.

ON EMPLOYMENT AND “GREEN” JOBS

Supports use of wind turbines. Supports

offshore oil drilling.

Against offshore oil drilling, but supports

natural gas exploration.

Says state has no known offshore oil re-

sources, but would consider it if any found.

Supports natural gas exploration.

ON ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

Page 14: Blue Note 2-3

www.jimrex.com Paid for by Jim Rex for Governor

Page 15: Blue Note 2-3

Issues & Initiatives

Public Relations & Advertising

Candidate Recruitment

Fundraising & Event Planning

Voter Registration

Mission Statement: to maintain the awareness and interest of voters in our county, and by promoting the DCDP through local media, creating and placing adver-tisements, and creating other promotional tools. Examples of PR/Advertising Committee functions: create and submit press releases to media, maintain party website, provide candidates with local media infor-mation, and produce The Blue Note. Meetings: usually every other month (next for July). Contact: Rob Groce ([email protected])

Mission Statement: to encourage county residents to register to vote, aid them in their registration, and en-courage them to participate in upcoming elections. Examples of committee functions: promote voter reg-istration at public places and events, and target particular areas of the county for door-to-door contact. Meetings: when scheduled Contact: Patrick Labbe ([email protected])

Mission Statement: to organize, arrange, set up and operate party events, which may or may not have fund-raising as a primary goal. Examples of committee functions: arranging for events, including the party’s annual dinner. Meetings: when needed Contact: Pamela Ward ([email protected])

Mission Statement: to seek members of our community who have actively supported Democratic candidates and principles, and encourage them to seek elected office. Examples of committee functions: determine qualify-ing factors, look for persons who meet such factors and develop information to assist their campaigns, all without showing any official commitment or endorsement when in the primary election phase. Meetings: next meeting of this committee is proposed for the upcoming fall season Contact: David Rison ([email protected])

Mission Statement: To support the mission of the County Democratic Party by researching, debating, and determining the critical issues for votes of Dor-chester County, and to delineate explicitly where the County Democratic Party stands on these issues in support of the citizens of Dorchester County. Examples of Issues & Initiatives Committee func-tions: develop issues papers for the County Executive Party; work with the PR Committee to disseminate the key issues of the County Democratic Party, including Letters to the Editor and other articles in the local newspapers.

Meetings: usually every other month (next for July). Contact: Richard Hayes ([email protected])

Mission Statement: to ensure that every potential voter has opportunity to have his or her voice heard. Examples of committee functions: provide transporta-tion to voters in need on election days. Meetings: when needed Contact: Nancy Seufert is temporarily leading this com-mittee ([email protected])

Get Out The Vote (new committee!)

DCDP Committees: Get in on the action! If you’d like to play a more active role in the Dorchester County Democratic Party, please know that your input and par-

ticipation would be more than welcome!

Below is a listing of the DCDP’s current committees. If you see one that interests you, just contact the name listed. We

can always create new committees, so if you have an idea for a new one that would address any vital issue, contact party

chair Richard Hayes ([email protected]).

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It all started a few weeks ago when, during a television interview, Lowden announced that our country doesn’t need this new law that offers affordable medical insurance to the many Americans currently liv-ing without. Instead of this national insurance plan, all we need is … chickens!

Yes, that’s right. Lowden—a millionaire casino executive and former beauty queen— says we simply need chickens to pay our doctor bills.

“I’m telling you that this works. You know, before we all started having health care, in the olden days our grandparents, they would bring a chicken to the doctor(.) I mean, that’s the old days of what people would do to get health care with your doctors. Doctors are very sympathetic people. I’m not backing down from that system.”

Latest GOP Fool: we don’t need insurance, just chickens

(But a brand new law now prevents chickens from voting! Honest!)

(L to R) DCDP members Janet Rosenzweig, Harshad

Vyas and Susen Shapiro attend the ACLU screening

of “American Violet,” a film based on the true story

of a young African-American mother who was falsely

arrested and jailed for drug trafficking. With the

help of the ACLU and her community, she challenged

the local criminal justice system and prevailed.

The film is now available for rental and sale. (This

photo first appeared in the April edition of the ACLU

Newsletter.)

At the Movies!

You probably heard of Sue Lowden, a Republican candidate for US Senate from Nevada.

After all, she’s had her name in the news quite often lately. But each time, the news just gets worse and worse.

But, wait! It gets better! Because of the high rate of public criticism Lowden received after making that comment, and because of an-ticipated protests in response, the Nevada Board of Elections cre-ated new rules for its upcoming primary election: anyone wearing a chicken costume to the polls will not be allowed to vote. (This is true! We’re not making this up!)

In the interest of fairness to her original statements, The Blue Note now attempts to examine the practicality of such a healthcare sys-tem. According to research done by The Huffington Post, the aver-

age cost of a good bird from a chicken farm is about $1.92. The average cost of an MRI in the United States is $3,700. To have such a procedure then, you’d need about 1,927 chickens. The average cost of an appendectomy is $22,718.70, but under this plan, you could cover the surgery with only 11,833 chickens.

Of course, different plans could be provided to the doctors, too. If a preferred provider, for example, you could possibly offer the chicken already cooked, and perhaps give the doctor a choice in options between Popeye’s and KFC.

Page 18: Blue Note 2-3
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June June 1

Gubernatorial Debate Watch Party 7:30 p.m. ‘til 9:30 p.m. at Manny’s Neighborhood Grille

1680 Olde Towne Road, Charleston Please RSVP by contacting Lindsey Maxwell

[email protected] or 803.799.7798

June 6 Town Hall Meeting with U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn

4 p.m. at St. John’s High School Auditorium 1518 Main Road, Johns Island SC 29455

June 8

Primary Election Day 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Get out and vote in the Democratic Primary!!! To learn the address of your voting location, go to:

https://webprod.cio.sc.gov/SCSECVoterWeb/voterInformationSearch.do

June 8

Primary Party! 7 p.m. ‘til at Lalo’s

1585 Central Ave (Publix complex) Come celebrate all our primary efforts,

and while we wait for the election results!

June 12 & 13 Democracy For America Campaign Academy

Burke Middle School 244 President St in Charleston

2-day training for election campaigning (complete with lunch!). Cost is $60 (early registration).

Please register by going to: www.democracyforamerica.com/2010SCTraining

June 19

Monthly Breakfast Meeting 9 a.m., Shoney’s on N Main St in Summerville

Guest Speaker is Vic Rawl, candidate for US Senate! $11 includes buffet breakfast and coffee

June 28

Executive Committee Meeting 7 p.m. at Ridgeville Town Hall

105 School St in Ridgeville

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Check out our website:

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Follow local politics on examiner.com! For Democratic Party news in the Lowcountry: www.examiner.com/x-40596-Charleston-Democrat-Examiner For news on the elections in the Lowcountry: www.examiner.com/x-44755-Charleston-County-Elections-2010

Just click on “subscribe” below the title of any article to receive email alert when new articles come out! (It’s free!)

July

July 4 Independence Day Celebration

(We’re trying to cook up something for this holiday; stay tuned!)

July 17

Monthly Breakfast Meeting 9 a.m., Shoney’s on N Main St in Summerville

Shoney’s on N Main St in Summerville

July 20 Dorchester County Democratic Women

7 p.m., County Council Chambers 500 N Main St in Summerville

Calendar of Events