►The Bimonthly Newsletter of the Dorchester County Democratic Party◄

October/November 2012 Volume 4, Issue 5

As of today’s date of October 1, we have 37 days left to campaign for

Miriam Birdsong, Patsy Knight, Joseph Jefferson, David Mack, Seth

Whipper, John Matthews, Paul Tinkler, Robert Ford, David Pascoe,

Bobbie Rose, Jim Clyburn and President Barack Obama!

You have shown great enthusiasm in the past 60 days, keeping our

Summerville Election Headquarters crowded with volunteer workers

for our Democratic Party campaigns. The enthusiasm and effort have

been strong, and now we are coming in for the home stretch, and we

must raise the bar on our efforts so we can get our candidates elected.

Why? Because our Democratic candidates stand for Fairness, Support

to voters, Support for those who have less than we have, and Support

for Strong Public Education. Democrats will balance the budget, but

our priorities will put our children first – we believe we are called to

ensure our children, the next generation, will have good schools to

learn in, food to eat, medical care when needed, and good living-wage

jobs available when they graduate for high school and college.

These are not the Republican’s priorities – they are much more wor-

ried about getting rid of regulations that have given us clean air and

clean water, giving away millions of dollars destined for public educa-

tion for private school vouchers, and reducing taxes to a level that is

causing our infrastructure to crumble. Their plan will make South

Carolina look like a third world nation.

You do not need any more motivation to work hard for our Democratic

candidates. So please call us and volunteer as much of your time, and

give as much as you can financially to our critical campaigns. And

make sure everybody you know votes on November 6th!

Be sure to join us for a great celebration at our Party Headquarters on

election night!

Richard Hayes, Chair

Dorchester County Democratic Party.

THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS!

IN THIS ISSUE Our annual dinner—page 2 Rison wins Distinguished Service Award—page 4 Edisto River Stump—page 4 Remembering Bert Cicenia—page 5 Our candidates—page 6 Voting absentee—page 8 At the National Convention—page 9 Updates from the party office—page 10 Obama vs. Obama—page 12 Why I’m a Veteran for Obama—page 13 Dinner sponsors—page 14 Calendar—page 16

By Debbie Mortellaro, Fundraising Committee Chair

Our 2012 Alice J. Cicenia Dinner is over but certainly will not be forgotten. With this being an election year, a fired-up crowd of 130 loyal Democrats attended our annual fundraiser, held at the Holiday Inn Express on Saturday, September 29. Elected officials including Dorchester County Councilman Willie Davis, Summer-ville Town Councilman Aaron Brown, State Sen. John Matthews, Representatives Seth Whipper, David J. Mack, III, who was also our keynote speaker, and Patsy Knight were there, as were candidates Miriam Birdsong, running for Dorchester County Council District 6, Paul Tinkler, for SC Sen-ate District 41, and Bobbie Rose, for U.S. Congress, Congressional District 1. Fran-ces Townsend, Chairperson of Dorchester County School Board District 2, and school board candidates Harry Blake and Louis Smith were also in attendance. Candi-dates and elected officials briefly spoke during the program. State Party Executive Director Amanda Loveday and neighboring Berkeley County Party Chair Melissa Watson also attended the dinner. The evening began with a warm welcome by DCDP Chair Richard Hayes followed by the invocation, delivered by Rev. Luther

Williams, Pastor of St. Luke Baptist Church. DCDP vice-chairs Ethel Campbell, Dorothy Brown, and Jeni Atchley, led the Pledge of Allegiance. While the Alice J. Cicenia Dinner is our annual fundraiser, it is also a time for Dor-chester Democrats to come together to get reenergized as we pursue our mission of turning Dorchester County blue, and to recognize those who have dedicated their lives to this cause. Last year, we estab-lished The Alice J. Cicenia Distinguished Service Award, presented to individuals who have worked tirelessly in the pursuit of Democratic values. This year’s recipient is Dr. David E. Rison. With wife Susan and daughter Jennifer in attendance, David was presented the award from Chairman Hayes, who stated that David exemplifies the meaning of public service through his life’s dedication to the Democratic Party, and his many years of service to the DCDP. David expressed his gratitude for receiving the award. This year’s dinner also featured the finan-cially successful silent and live auctions. Items included original art works by local artists, gift certificates, theater tickets, and much more. Again this year Rob Groce and Steve Yeomans served as auc-tioneers, drawing big laughs and helping

raise big money, with this year’s silent and live auctions adding over $2,100 to our coffers. Rep. Mack’s keynote address touched on many common Democratic themes. Filled with personal stories and anecdotes, Rep. Mack also focused on the serious side of politics, stressing that we Democrats should not let others define who we are nor should we fear being labeled “liberal.” Jackie Moorer, Chief Delegate from Inter-national Longshoremen’s Association 1422, presented a donation of $2,130 to the party. In accepting the donation, Chairman Hayes presented a plaque to Mr. Moorer in appreciation of the union’s generosity. The evening concluded with Councilman Willie Davis honoring the late Dr. Erbert F. “Bert” Cicenia, who passed away on Sept. 5 while staying with family in Hawaii. Dr. Cicenia, who was Alice Cicenia’s husband, was a stalwart in the community and long-time contributor to our party. Councilman Davis talked about Dr. Cicenia’s life’s work, including the establishment of Coastal Center, a residential facility for mentally disabled children. A plaque hon-oring Dr. Cicenia will be given to his fam-ily.

Annual Dinner a Big Success

BY THE NUMBERS

Advance Tickets Sold: 124 Total Attendance: 130 Rob Groce’s Original Estimate of Attendance at this Year’s Dinner: 90 Number of Days Rob Will Sleep in the Doghouse Due to his Low Estimate: 3 Highest Auction Bid (for hand-crafted quilt): $250 Total from Auction: $2,117 Total Net (approx.) from Dinner, Auction and Donations: $8,800

The president joined us that night….and Rob and Steve tried to sell him….but Ethel kidnapped Obama and took him home.

Jackie Moorer from the local ILA presented a check to the party.

A silent auction (above) and live auction (below) raised over $2,000.

At the dinner

State Rep. David Mack III (right) gave an inspiring address as this year’s keynote speaker.

(Photos on this page by John A. Kauth)

By the Distinguished Deborah Mortellaro This year’s recipient of the Alice J. Cicenia Distinguished Service Award is Dr. David E. Rison. The award was presented to David at our annual dinner in honor of his life of public service and dedication to the Democratic Party. David has been active with the Dorchester County Democratic Party for many years, serving an unprecedented three terms as party chairman, and remains our State Ex-ecutive Committeeman, a position he has held since 1996. As you will read in this edition of The Blue Note, David was an alternate delegate at this year’s Democratic National Convention held in Charlotte, was previously a full delegate in 2000 when Al Gore was nominated as our presidential candidate, and was an alternate delegate in 1996 when President Bill Clinton was re-nominated for a second term.

David has been elected to serve as an Electorate for South Carolina for this year’s presidential elec-tion. A native of Arkansas, David received his Masters Degree and Ph.D. from the University of California in Los Ange-les. He was appointed Professor of History and Chair of the History and Political Science Department at Charleston Southern Univer-sity, and is now Professor Emeritus following his retirement. David’s teaching and research interests have included American History, the South in American History, and African-American History. He has several publications and has received numerous awards for his research. He is a member of a number of professional organizations including the American Histori-cal Association, Southern Historical Associa-tion and South Carolina Historical Society. Active in the community, David has served

as a member of the board of the South Caro-lina Humanities Council, the Dorchester Al-cohol and Drug Abuse Commission, and is a member of the committee which worked on the current referendum for the School Board, which will be on the ballot in Novem-ber. David is the third recipient of the Alice J. Cicenia Distinguished Service Award. Named for the late Alice J. Cicenia, who worked tirelessly in the pursuit of Democ-ratic values and for whom our annual fund-raising dinner is named, this award was first presented in 2011 to the Honorable Hazel S. Parson-Starks, former mayor of Ridgeville, and to the late Kenny Waggoner, a Dorches-ter County Councilman for 34 years, whose family accepted the award in his honor.

Dr. David Rison Winner of this year’s

Distinguished Service Award

On Saturday, August 18, a crowd of about 80 attended the Edisto River Stump held at Givhans Ferry State Park. The event, held in the Community Building and overlook-ing the scenic Edisto River, featured a buffet meal, bake sale, flea market, on-site massages, face painting, activi-ties for children and, of course, stump speeches by our candidates. Candidate Miriam Birdsong, running for Dorchester County Council District 6 and incumbent Representatives Patsy Knight, Seth Whipper and Joe Jefferson all gave stump speeches. Carol Tempel, candidate for SC House District 155 in Charleston County also spoke as did Berke-ley County Party Chair Melissa Watson on behalf of Bob-bie Rose, who is running for U.S. Congress, Congressional District 1. Other candidates in attendance were Harry Blake, running for school board in Dorchester District 2 and Andy Strick-land, running for sheriff of Colleton County. Elected offi-cials Aaron Brown and Willie Davis also attended.

At the stump!

State Rep. Joe Jefferson State Rep. Patsy Knight

State Rep. Seth Whipper County Council candidate

Miriam Birdsong

I got to know Bert and his wife Alice when my family and I moved to Summerville in 1979. Alice was the chair of the Dorchester Democ-ratic Party and Bert was the superintendent of the Coastal Center. Bert and Alice had moved to Summerville from New York City in 1964 to help establish the Coastal Center, a facility for people with developmental disabilities. Because Bert worked for the state of South Carolina he was not as active in party affairs as was Alice, but he always supported her. I became involved with the Dorchester Democratic Party, and Alice and Bert asked me to serve on the Hu-man Rights Commission for the Coastal Center. Bert had established the body of concerned citizens to act as an appeals body for the pa-tients at the center. Bert was worried about patient abuse and let it be known that he would not tolerate it. During my years on the Commission, I don’t recall that any patients were abused. Bert would later help create the Children in Crisis emergency shelter in Summerville. Bert had an interesting career before he came to South Carolina. He organized and played in a swing band in New York, and also worked as a dance instructor for Arthur Murray. During World War II, he served as a physical training instructor in the Navy. He never left the United States, and when the war ended he held the rank of lieuten-ant commander. Bert was committed to physical fitness his entire life. He worked out on his treadmill into his 90s. After he retired from the Department of Mental Retardation in 1989, he remained active in civic affairs. He was a member of the Rotary Club, and a board member of South Carolina’s Special Olym-pics. In 1992, he ran for election to the State House from District 94. His wife Alice had moved on to the position of State Committee-woman for the Dorchester County Democratic Party, and I served as party chair. We all worked hard for Bert’s campaign, but he was not successful. Bert, however, continued to be active in many ways in the community. He was particularly concerned about children. He was a driving force behind the crea-tion of Children in Crisis in Summerville. Bert was devastated by Alice’s death in 2001, but continued to remain active in the Summerville community. As late as 2010 he was elected a delegate to the state Democratic Convention. Bert and I drove up together. He liked to talk about his days in the Navy. He never forgot his love of physical fitness. He wanted to room at the Hilton Hotel in Co-lumbia, because it had a physical fitness center. Bert was a great friend of the Dorchester County Democratic Party and its members. He never forgot his devotion to helping others that marked his entire life. He was a good friend to me and to many others in our community. Although he lived to be 95 years old, he died too soon.

We’ll Miss You, Bert By Dr. David Rison

A personal reflection on the recently departed Dr. Erbert Cicenia, a significant party member and contributor

June 9, 1917—September 5, 2012

Our Candidates President Barack Obama (i)

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Jim Clyburn Congressional Dist. 6 (i)

www.clyburnforcongress.com

Bobbie Rose Congressional Dist. 1

www.bobbieroseforcongress.com

David Pascoe 1st Circuit Solicitor (i)

John Matthews Jr. State Senate Dist. 39 (i)

Paul Tinkler State Senate Dist. 41

www.tinklerforsenate.com

Patsy Knight State House Dist. 97 (i) www.patsyknight.com

Robert Ford State Senate Dist. 42 (i)

Joe Jefferson State House Dist. 102 (i)

David Mack III State House Dist. 109 (i)

J. Seth Whipper State House Dist. 113 (i)

Miriam Birdsong County Council Dist. 6

www.miriambirdsong.com

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By Debbie Lodge, the Queen of Poor Excuses

The U.S. Department of Justice blocked implementation of a new law that would have required South Carolina voters to present a photo ID in order to vote. While Nikki Haley and the Republicans are spending your taxes to appeal this deci-sion as of late September, the Voter ID law for South Carolina has not taken ef-fect.

Currently, registered voters must provide only one of the following forms of ID to vote: S.C. Driver’s License or S.C. DMV ID Card or S.C. Voter Registration Card (without photo). Remember that the ad-dress listed on your ID must match your current residential address. If you have recently registered to vote by mail and are voting for the first time, but did not submit proof of ID with your appli-cation, you must bring an additional ID,

such as a current and valid photo ID or a copy of a current utility bill, bank state-ment, paycheck or pay stub, county tax bill or other government document (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security) that shows your name and address in the county where you are voting. What if you don’t have any of the required forms of ID and don’t think you can obtain one before the Election on November 6th? If you are already a Registered Voter you may vote by mail-in-absentee ballot. A photo ID is not currently required for this nor will it be required should the new law take effect.

No Excuses—VOTE!

There are 11 qualifying reasons allowed for voting absentee:

Person will be on vacation outside their county on Election Day

Person is a member of the Uniformed Services or Merchant Marines or is a spouse or dependent residing with them

Person, for reasons of employment, won’t be able to vote on Election Day

Person is Physically Disabled

Person is 65 years old or older

Person is serving as a juror in state or federal courts on Election Day

Person is admitted to the hospital as an emergency patient on the day of election or within four days before the election

Person has a death or funeral in the family within three days before the election

Person is confined to a jail or pre-trial facility pending disposition

Person is attending sick or physically disabled person(s)

Person is a certified poll watcher, poll manager, or county election official on Election Day

5 EASY STEPS TO VOTING ABSENTEE BY MAIL 1. You must first request an absentee ballot application. You may request one from the Dorchester County Voter Registration Office in St. George either in person or by phone, online, postal mail, email or fax (see information below). 2. You will then receive an application by postal mail or if you are requesting the application online, you must print it. Online forms are available at www.dorchestervotes.org . 3. Request the application as far in advance of the elec-tion as possible and return the completed form as quickly as possible to the county voter registration office or no later than 5:00 p.m. on the 4th day prior to the Election (Friday, November 2, 2012). 4. You may return the form in person or by mail, email or fax. You will then be mailed an Absentee Ballot. Mark the Ballot following instructions on the ballot exactly. The ballot must be witnessed and but anyone who knows you may sign as your witness. 5. Return the ballot no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day to your county voter registration office either in per-son or by mail. You may have another person return the form for you, but you must first complete an Authoriza-tion to Return Absentee Ballot Form which is available from your county voter registration office. You may check the status of your registration or your absentee ballot online at www.scvotes.org by clicking on the VOTERS tab on the left side of the main page.

IN PERSON ABSENTEE VOTING In Person Absentee voting is the only form of Early Voting currently available in South Carolina. A voter may apply for an absentee ballot and vote the same day at his local Voter Registration Office if ballots have been prepared and he or she meets one of the qualifications for absentee voting. You can just show up to early vote at the times and dates listed for the following locations:

St. George Voter Registration Office, Waggoner Building 201 Johnston Street Oct. 8 to Nov. 5 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday

Summerville County Council Building 500 N Main St Oct. 22 to Nov. 2 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday

MOVED RECENTLY? If you have recently moved and have not updated your voter’s registration information go to www.dorchestervotes.org and download a Change of Ad-dress form or request one from the Dorchester County Board of Elections. If you have not done this by Election Day you may still be allowed to vote using FAILSAFE voting. You can either go to the County Board of Elections, fill out a change of address form and vote a full ballot OR you can return to your old polling place and vote using a FAILSAFE ballot which is limited to only Federal, State and County offices. If you have moved from out of state, you may vote an absentee ballot containing only the Presidential candidates.

In person: Voter Registration Office, Waggoner Bldg 201 Johnston Street in St. George By phone: 843-563-0132 or 843-832-0132 Online: www.dorchestervotes.org Postal mail: Meredith Murray, Manager of Registration Board of Elections and Voter Registration 201 Johnston St, St. George SC 29477 By email: vote@dorchestercounty.net By fax: 843-563-0168

At the State Democratic

Convention in May, I filed

to be a delegate to the Na-

tional Democratic Conven-tion in Charlotte but I was

unsuccessful. However,

after one of the elected

delegates had to withdraw

for health reasons, I was

tapped to fill the alternate position of the person who

took his place. I was very

pleased to able to attend

this important Conven-

tion.

I have been active in the Dorchester County Democ-

ratic Party for years. Since 1996, I have been the Ex-

ecutive Committeeman, elected to represent the local

party on the state Executive Committee in Columbia.

I attended the 1996 and 2000 Conventions. My

daughter Jennifer was an elected delegate to the 2004 Convention.

The delegation was housed in a hotel away from

downtown Charlotte, where the Convention was held,

but buses carried us to the Convention each day. We

got to the Time-Warner Center around 4:00 p.m. and

did not leave until the Convention was adjourned each day, sometimes after midnight. As an alternate, I

often sat high in the Center, while the delegation was

seated on the floor of the arena. I could see and hear

well, but I missed the interaction with my friends in

the delegation.

Each night had many speakers, and one speaker al-

ways stood out. On Tuesday it was Michelle Obama.

She told America about her husband Barack. Her

speech was meant to humanize our president and all

the Democrats in the hall felt that it did. On Wednes-

day night, former president Bill Clinton gave a point

by point attack on the Rom-

ney platform in his folksy

manner. Clinton proved

again that he was the smartest person in the

room, no matter if the room

holds 10 persons or 10,000.

He held the convention in

the palm of his hand.

Thursday night was devoted

to Barack Obama and Joe

Biden. South Carolina’s Jim

Clyburn spoke briefly. Joe

Biden gave a subdued

speech praising Obama and leading up to President Obama’s during prime time.

Obama accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination

for president and then talked about what he had done

in his first term in office and what he planned to do if

reelected. I was fortunate enough to have delegate

credentials for the final night, and I was on the floor when Obama spoke. The hall was galvanized by his

speech. Thursday night was a great night for Democ-

rats.

All in all it was a wonderful experience. I hope that

Democrats who watched the convention at home were

as energized by the Convention as were the delegates on the floor. For South Carolina Democrats, who are

often in the minority, it was exciting to be with so

many Democrats from around the county. Democrats

left Charlotte on Friday with the strong feeling that

President Obama would be reelected. Polls show that

most Americans think he will be the winner in Novem-ber. In 1936, with the economy in much worse shape

than it is today, FDR was reelected in a landslide. Re-

publicans carried only two states in the middle of the

Great Depression. Most Democrats don’t expect a

landslide, but do feel that President Obama has cer-

tainly earned a second term.

At the National Convention By Dr. David Rison, Alternate Delegate of the 1st Congressional District

By Nancy “am I blue” Seufert Yes, the rumor is true. The DCDP received a very generous donation from Rep. James Clyburn for Obama signs, bumper stickers, and pens, after he found out of our plight. To catch everyone up, our State Executive Members were told by the State Democ-ratic Party that we were not going to re-ceive signs. Well, that didn’t sit well with your Executive Committee. Based upon that, a letter went out to Rep. Clyburn detailing our plight. With the help of Travis Williams , who has a great relation-ship with our congressman, Rep. Clyburn wrote a check to the DCDP. This allowed the DCDP to purchase 250 yard signs, 1,100 bumper stickers and 560 buttons. We are giving this away for free! Well, almost; there is a slight catch. We are asking that you pledge three hours to get President Obama and our Democrats re-elected/elected. How can you fulfill the pledge? I am so glad you asked! The DCDP needs your help

Make calls for President Obama, ei-ther at the DCDP headquarters or at home. We have some phone lines dedicated to that, and if you have unlimited minutes on your cell, you can use that, as well. Contact Rob

Groce (regroce@sc.rr.com) about these President Obama calls.

Make calls/canvas for Bobbie Rose. She is running against Tim Scott for Congressional Dist. 1. Contact Jeni Atchley at jeni_atchley7785@yahoo.com

Make calls/canvas for Patsy Knight. The Republicans have targeted Ms. Patsy’s house seat. Contact Dot Brown at dbrown8820@sc.rr.com to volunteer.

Make calls/canvas for Miriam Bird-song. Miriam got removed from the ballots, but was able to make it back on as a petition candidate. We need to let our base know to vote for her. Contact Miriam at jmjbird-song@earthlink.net so you can make calls for her.

Make calls/canvas for Paul Tinkler. Paul has had a tough time, as well. After the Republicans filed incor-rectly, a repug judge allowed a special election to find a GOP candidate to go on the ticket. You can contact Mary at tinklerforsenate@gmail.com to help.

Help the two school board candidates who are Democrat that are running in the school board election. Please note: school board elections are non-partisan, and while we will help to get the word out, we need to give them

individual support.

Louis L. Smith’s campaign man-ager’s email is bdarlmathis@aol.com or louiss-mithvote4me@yahoo.com

Harry Blake’s office number is (843) 873-8970

While there are three spots open, these are the two individuals who have come to us Democrats.

Canvas the areas for Voter Registra-tion.

Since the office has made over 20,000 contacts by phone and mail, we can always use some Data Entry persons. Contact Nancy Seufert at seufert-nancyclare@knology.net .

AND MUCH MUCH MUCH MORE! Dot Brown is running our office and is coordinating volunteer efforts. Please stop by the office and let her know what a fabulous job she is doing, and volunteer to help out, too. If you can’t volunteer, we can always use your donation. Running an office isn’t cheap. And we are committed to winning this election. Checks can be made out to the DCDP and mailed to PO Box 2211, Summerville, SC 29484. (Any donation over $100 must include your job title and employer’s name.)

Or, “How the DCDP is turning Dorchester County Blue”

Updates from the office

SC New Democrats Fellows Program By Jeni Atchley, a very new Democrat

The SC New Democrats have created a weekend long fellows program. With cooperation from the National Organizing Institute the program will provide in-depth and personalized political skills training to develop the next generation of political leaders in South Carolina. The training course will cover: organization, leadership, data man-agement, how to use voter lists, GOTV, campaign management, and so much more. The first fellowship course will be in Charleston on Dec. 1 and 2. More will start in early 2013. There is a $50 cost for the training, however full and partial scholarships are available. To learn more about it go to www.neworganizing.com. To apply for the fellowship program go to www.scnewdemocrats.org.

Office Schedule By Jeni Atchley, who now claims our office as her home

Monday – Friday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Every day, we are phone banking for all the candidates: Bobbie Rose, Patsy Knight, Miriam Birdsong, Paul Tinkler and more. We also go out and canvass, do data entry, pre-pare flyers and so much more. Every little bit helps! On Sat-urdays we go out canvassing for the candidates. Every Tuesday and Wednesday night there is phone bank-ing for OFA (Organizing for America), which is phone bank-ing for President Obama. Join us if you can. Every little bit helps!

Come watch the debates! Join us at the county part office (116 W 2nd N Street in Summer-ville) this Wednesday, when we can root for the president in that evening’s debate. That’s 9 p.m. on October 3 (and we can watch it on great TV that Masi Rahman loaned to us). We’ll have the office open for the other debates this month, too (see the calendar on the last page of this newsletter).

Lowcountry League Jakes NFL Greats 2-1 Rison’s Raiders 2-1 Rising Star 1-2 Turney’s Tornadoes 1-2 Palmetto Pack GCharp62 2-1 Mamasez 2-1 Ziggy’s patriots 1-2 Rob’s Roosters 1-2 Sandlapper Section WINNING 2-1 Mort’s Killer Kats 2-1 Jay Cutler STINKS 1-2

DCDP FFL

Current Standings (Week 3)

The season’s off to a strange start, folks. Darn those refs!

Highway Cleanup on October 20 We’re back at it again! At 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20, meet us in the CVS Pharmacy parking lot at the corner of Dorchester Road and Bacon’s Bridge. We can tackle our one-mile stretch that DCDP sponsors pretty quickly, too, since much of it has been cleared for road expansion. And since we’re not having a monthly breakfast meeting for October, we can use this event instead (and can get a bite to eat afterwards!). Remember to wear closed shoes (no sandals or open-toed shoes), and also bring a pair of gloves along, too.

Has presided over the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression. (Mitt Romney)

Actually, you only have to go to the other empty chair at the Republican Convention for that one—George W. Bush had a worse recovery during his first four years than Obama has. (CNN Money)

Funneled $716 billion out of Medicare to pay for the Affordable Care Act. (Paul Ryan)

Funny, since Ryan made a $716 billion cut to Medicare in his budget. That was actually "slowing the growth in spending" to the doctors and hospitals based on projected cost savings, over 10 years. (USA Today) Not mentioned was that the Affordable Care Act saves seniors in the "donut hole" an estimated $651 each on drug costs every year. (Medical News Today)

Did nothing with the "Deficit" Commission report. (Paul Ryan)

Funny, because Ryan was on that Commission and voted against its report, which kept Congress from taking action. Obama sent a deficit reduction plan to Congress, but Congress never ap-proved it. (USA Today)

Did nothing to keep the Janesville, Wisc. GM plant from closing. (Paul Ryan)

That plant closed before Obama took office, so blame Bush (USA Today). The Obama administration did intervene in the GM bankruptcy, though, to save GM and over one million jobs.

Began his presidency with an apology tour. (Mitt Romney)

Never happened. Politifact.com gave Romney a “pants on fire” for that comment.

Is a “Socialist.” (Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, and similar Re-publicans)

Not according to Politifact.com, which quotes Daniel N. Shaviro, professor of taxation at New York University Law School, who said "if he is a socialist, so were Eisenhower and Bush Sr."

Isn't legally the President because he wasn't born in the U.S. (Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump, and 51% of national GOP pri-mary voters, according to a PPP Feb 2011 poll)

Has provided and posted a certified copy of his birth certificate

from Hawaii. Hawaii Department of Health further stated the

certificate was valid.

Had less to do with killing Osama bin Laden than Mitt Romney. (15% of Ohio Republican voters thought Romney had more to do with killing bin Laden than Obama, 47% weren't sure, according to PPP poll)

Where Bush lost focus with bringing Osama bin Laden and al

Qaeda to justice (remember "I truly am not that concerned

about him"?), Obama renewed that focus, which resulted in our

forces taking bin Laden out. There have been no reports of Mitt

Romney’s involvement. (Reality)

It makes no sense, but for some reason the Republicans are running a campaign against an invisible and imaginary President

Obama. We’re guessing they couldn't find anything wrong with the real one, so they decided to make one up that Mitt Romney

might have a chance against. We thought we should make a comparison between these two Obamas.

Obama vs. Obama: The Republican's Invisible Candidate vs. Reality

By Clayton Seufert, the Man with the Golden Pun

Invisible and

Imaginary

Obama

The

Real

Obama

My wife Nancy was at a party a few months ago that happened to mostly be Republicans. Dur-ing the discussions she was identified as a veteran's wife and an Obama supporter, and one of the Republicans asked her why a military family would support Obama. I gathered when Nancy told the story that she probably called him an idiot teabagger or something similar. Her assessment may have been accurate, but I'd like to address the issue a bit more factually.

There's a tendency in some circles to think Republicans are "better" on national defense, military, and veterans issues. While that view may have had some basis in reality back in the 70s and 80s, I think it's time to stop giving the current crop of Republicans a "pass" on those issues.

Since I spent 20 years in the military, I tend to pay attention to national defense, military, and veterans issues. Here's what I've seen:

Concerning "national defense" Now, the Democrats are just as eager to protect the people of the United States as the Republicans say they are. But the Republicans did not require the Bush administration to find a way to pay for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. After 9/11, there was little debate in Congress and only one vote against the resolutions to authorize force against "those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the ter-rorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001..."

And as far as our current Commander in Chief's efforts:

Where Bush lost focus with bringing Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda to justice (remember "I truly am not that concerned about him") - Obama renewed that focus, which resulted in our forces taking out bin Laden.

That Obama focus has also involved finding al Qaeda leaders.

When Somali pirates took an American ship captain hostage, President Obama authorized the force that took out those pirates.

When rebels stood up against Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi, Obama authorized air strikes against Qaddafi forces that allowed the rebels to win, preventing a massacre and putting in a democratic gov-ernment.

There are a couple of military terms called "offensive" and "economy of force.” To oversimplify, they mean get the job done and use what you have smartly. From what I've seen, when it comes to national defense of Ameri-cans, our Commander in Chief has been getting it done and done smartly (and without prancing around in a flight suit).

On the GOP being better with the "military" Remember all the Republicans using the term "advice from commanders in the field" when they didn't answer questions about what the future plans were for the wars in Afghani-stan and Iraq?

Remember in 2003 when General Shinseki gave them his "advice" and told Congress that “several hundred thousand soldiers” would be needed to stabilize Iraq after an invasion? Remember President Bush and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld deciding that they didn't need that "advice" and that many troops, and how well they kept the peace and control in Iraq with half that? Remember in 2004 when the troops were asking Secretary Rumsfeld when they were going to get properly armored vehicles in Iraq? And Rumsfeld’s late comment of "you go to war with the army you have, they're not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time"? So, doing it on the "cheap,” we also got:

Halliburton/KBR providing water supplies that made troops sick.

Troops being electrocuted in the showers of the buildings that Halli-burton/KBR built buildings.

A Bush administration connected company called Blackwater and its $500 million in government contracts.

And don’t forget Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where our wounded troops went for care only to find rats, mold and no heat or water.

And about Republicans and "veterans" issues I'll give them the hedge in meaningless flag-waving, lapel pin-wearing, and talking the talk, but when it comes to walking the walk, they fall short. Remember the $1 billion shortfall at the VA back in 2005? That was with a Republican VA Secretary, Republican House and Senate, and Republican President. And when it suits their needs, they have no problem attacking a veteran's service, hence the term "Swiftboating.” President Obama and Democrats, on the other hand, realized that being at war has costs and pushed for expanded and advanced VA funding.

So, to me, the question isn't "why a military family would support Obama"; but "why would a military family ever support a Republican?"

Why I'm a Veteran for Obama By Clayton Seufert—Ashley River precinct rep, 20-year vet of the US Air Force, bleeding-heart liberal, and silly romance movie fan who likes flowers and kittens

On July 28, 1932, 17,000 military veterans

were joined by 26,000 other Americans in a

protest march. Those veterans of WW I were

being denied promised benefits and were only

given paper certificates instead.

On July 28, 2012—80 years later to the day—

Rep. Tim Scott held an event where he gave

local World War II veterans a paper certifi-

cate, and shortly after he had voted for a

budget that cut $11 billion from veterans

benefits.

We have veterans returning home from Iraq

and Afghanistan with not just physical inju-

ries, but emotional ones. The suicide rate of

veterans is at an all-time high.

But thanks to Scott’s budget cuts, those veter-

ans who reach out to VA for help have to wait

eight months for service, and even the suicide

prevention hotline can’t accept every call.

If you care about our veterans—the men and

women who risk their lives to protect our

freedom—do NOT vote for Tim Scott.

Why Would Any Veteran Vote for Tim Scott?

132 S Main St in Summerville 832-1212

The following businesses and individuals donated over $4,000 in goods and ser-vices for the auction at our recent Alice J. Cicenia Dinner. From these donations, DCDP was able to generate $2,117, which we can use to help promote our party and its candidates in the upcoming elections.

Other Auction Donors

Nikki Felton

Marilyn & Ben Kaple

Rep. Patsy Knight

Sue Lowcavage

Nancy Seufert

Maureen Smithem

Marty Turney

Johnnie Washington

Grace Zagami

113 W 2nd S Street

224-4133

Calendar of Events

OCTOBER

October 3 Debate Party

9 p.m. at the County Party Headquarters Join us to watch our president kick Romney’s butt

in the first debate!

October 6 Voter Registration Deadline

All voter registration forms, as well as report of changes in address for voters who are already registered,

must be submitted to the county’s Voter Registration Office no later than today!

October 11

Vice Presidential Debate Party 9 p.m. at the County Party Headquarters

October 16

Presidential Debate Party 9 p.m. at the County Party Headquarters

October 20

Highway Cleanup! 9 a.m. at CVS parking lot

(corner of Dorchester Road and Bacon’s Bridge) Join us as we clean up the one-mile stretch of highway

sponsored by our party.

October 22 Presidential Debate Party

9 p.m. at the County Party Headquarters

NOVEMBER

November 6 Election Day!

Polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Join us that evening at the County Party Headquarters

as we watch the election results!

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