Political exposure:
S.C. primary move will help candidates shape message
By Dan McCue
Staff Writer
South Carolina’s decision to move its primary up to just behind the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire primary next year will ultimately benefit the candidates, said House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., during last month’s Democratic debate in Orangeburg.
“What they will learn as their campaigns progress is that South Carolina is an incubator in which they will hone their messages and skills in four very distinct cultures,” he explained.
“In the Lowcountry, of course, we have a community that is transitioning from a military-based economy to one far more supported by tourism; in the Piedmont you have the seat of manufacturing in the state, with BMW being our largest employer there; in the Pee Dee we have our agricultural base; and, of course, the mid-state and Columbia is our seat of government and education.”
What South Carolina provides the candidates, he said, is a laboratory to get their minds around a wide range of issues, particularly in terms of the country’s economics.
Those sentiments were echoed by the congressman’s longtime friend and former Democratic presidential candidate, the Rev. Al Sharpton.
The civil rights advocate hosted a radio program from South Carolina State University, which hosted the debate, and created a buzz whenever he walked through the campus.
“I think that it’s great the Democratic Party is holding this debate here, and I think it’s important not just in terms of the black vote, but also the Southern vote,” Sharpton said.
“I ran during the last (presidential election cycle), and I can tell you from experience that being in the state over an extended period of time reveals needs in its various communities that (they) have not come to terms with. It makes these things real to the candidates, and that makes campaigning in the state about more than just who smiles the nicest or has the best spin on the questions they are asked.”
Dave “Mudcat” Saunders, of Roanoke, Va., is serving as a senior advisor on rural issues to the campaign of former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards. He encourages candidates to show respect for rural culture, whether it be NASCAR or hardcore country music, as a way to break down social barriers.
“But my job is a two-way street. On the one hand, I’m supposed to get the candidate’s message out to rural America; but on the other hand, I’m also a conduit for those rural voters who tell me they’re plumb fed up with the way things have been going,” said Saunders, who helps candidates reach out to rural voters whom he describes as the “Bubba vote.”
“You know, in a lot of rural America, particularly here in the Southeast, it looks like Gen. Sherman came through but just didn’t bother to burn anything down,” Saunders said. “Right now, Bubba’s looking for someone that’s not going to lie to him anymore about money and finances and prospects for the future.”
One thing voters in South Carolina, and the South as a whole, will want to hear from candidates is that they’ll put an end to companies outsourcing jobs to other countries, Saunders said.
“It’s time someone stood up and said the American worker is up to the challenge of working and competing in the global economy. It’s time to stop talking about job training programs and talk instead about job hiring programs,” he said.
Dan McCue is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail him at dmccue@charlestonbusiness.com.
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