Retired Lt. General Claudia Kennedy, the first woman three-star general in the U.S. Army, is endorsing Jim Rex for Governor.
"South Carolina's security is at risk in this election, and Jim Rex is the only candidate - Democrat or Republican - who has demonstrated the ability to lead in these uncertain and difficult times. His plan to create jobs at the intersection of effective public education reform, workforce readiness, and economic development is exactly what we need to turn this state around," she said.
Kennedy was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1969. She served two tours in Germany and one tour in South Korea and focused much of her military career in the fields of intelligence and cryptology. On May 21, 1997, Kennedy became the first woman in the U.S. Army to hold a three-star rank. She served as Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence and is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame.
In 2008, Kennedy was mentioned as a possible running mate for then-Senator Barack Obama and was a featured speaker at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. She resides in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
"I am honored and humbled to have a pioneering leader like Claudia Kennedy in my corner," said Rex.
An analysis by the non-partisan Tax Policy Center of Congressman Paul Ryan's proposal to cut and privatize Social Security and Medicare has exposed the truth about Republican values: they don't care about the deficit, just about giving handouts to insurance companies and tax cuts to millionaires. The proposed plan, which Ryan claimed would eliminate federal deficits by mid-century, would actually result in a massive tax cut for the wealthy and substantial tax increases on 90 percent of Americans--and it would still produce a higher deficit than is currently projected. Not surprisingly, Ryan's plan gained the support of many Republican lawmakers, including South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson, who endorsed it wholeheartedly on national television.
South Carolina Democrats question whether Wilson still supports the plan that will hurt his constituents by raising their taxes while it fails miserably at reducing the deficit.
"South Carolina voters want to know if Joe Wilson is still on board Paul Ryan's sinking ship. The fact that Congressman Wilson ever supported this plan at all shows how much he's out of touch with the needs of South Carolina's working families. Our taxpayers can't afford another Republican plan that only rewards the wealthy," said South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler.
In its statement on the endorsement, the Chamber said Sheheen "...has a strong economic vision for South Carolina, and his support of comprehensive tax reform, port expansion, the technical college system, low-cost energy and small business growth are all priorities that support a globally competitive South Carolina. His bipartisan experience and work in the General Assembly make him equipped to handle the demands that come from leading the state."
The Chamber endorsement is a bipartisan - some might say schizophrenic affair. The group also endorsed Republican Gresham Barrett. Although it stopped short of calling him one of the state's prettiest politicians, the Chamber cited, among other issues, Barrett's opposition to card check legislation.
This is the first time the Chamber has endorsed candidates, and there was no word on whether the group will actually go out on a limb and pick a single horse once the primaries are over.
The South Carolina Democratic Party has announced a series of debates among the party's candidates for governor, beginning April 24 following the state party convention.
"South Carolina Democrats are very proud of each of our candidates for governor. We believe that these debates will show voters that a Democratic governor will bring moral leadership and opportunities for job creation and better public education to our state," said South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler.
The first SCDP debate will be held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, 1101 Lincoln Street, in Columbia. The hour-long debate with gubernatorial candidates Superintendent of Education Jim Rex, Senator Robert Ford and Senator Vincent Sheheen will be televised in the Midlands.
The SCDP will also host debates in the Pee Dee in May and Charleston in June. Details for these events will be announced later.
If Sen. Lee Bright (R-Spartanburg) gets his way, the state of South Carolina will be forcing women to submit to medical treatment that they do not want and interfering with women who do want the specific medical treatment of an abortion.
At the state level, a number of states have or currently are considering provisions that would extend the status of personhood and the constitutional rights associated with that status to fertilized ova. If such provisions were held to be constitutional, they could place pregnant women and fetuses on equal constitutional footing and could dramatically impact the ability of states to regulate pregnant women's conduct and decisions.
Sen. Bright and his allies care even more about controlling women than they care about controlling the state budget. As he (and Sens. Bryant, Verdin, S. Martin, and Rose) wrote in the Senate Journal today, "We voted against setting S. 2 for Special Order because we wanted to take up H. 3245, a Bill that requires a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion in order to save unborn lives, before we take up spending limits."
It's amazing. Immediately after Sen. Bright's resolution S.424 is finally passed, he tries to violate its clear declaration against laws that interfere with people who are seeking lawful medical services. It says, plain as day, "No law shall interfere with the right of a person to be treated by or receive services from a health care provider of that person's choice."
Sen. Bright will keep on forcing women to do whatever he wants them to do, perhaps even forcing them to undergo invasive medical treatment that the women do not want, invasive medical services that are supposed to help the fetus, without concern for the woman.
We need women in our SC Senate, as many as possible and as soon as possible.
The hits just keep on coming for Andre Bauer. We just sent out this email to our grassroots supporters on learning the news that GOP Gov candidate Andre Bauer has hired GOP political operative Chip Saltsman to work with his campaign. Not familiar with Chip? Keep reading...
Yesterday the Vic Rawl for US Senate Campaign began its “uphill” kickoff tour from the coast to the mountains. We crossed a state struggling and waiting for a new US senator.
The tour was uphill because it ran from South Carolina’s coast, where the historic gardens of Charleston are greening towards an explosion of Azaelias, over the sand hills and through the State Capital to the manufacturing cities of the Piedmont. We gained over a thousand feet in elevation in the course of the day.
It’s also uphill because Vic’s opponent, Jim “Waterloo” Demint is constantly reported to have a campaign fund of over three million dollars. Our fund, which has doubled in the last 24 hours, is a few million less. Some people conclude the incumbent’s lead in special interest cash exempts DeMint from having to run a real campaign.
The day began with the campaign website went online with flikr, twitter and youtube feeds. You can view it's evolving content at www.vicrawl.com.
READ THE EXTENDED TEXT TO FIND OUT HOW THE TRIP WENT
Yesterday the Vic Rawl for US Senate Campaign began its “uphill” kickoff tour from the coast to the mountains. We crossed a state struggling and waiting for a new US senator.
