What kind of country do you want to live in?

By Laura Haight
President, DWGC

Late last month, I had the opportunity to participate in a “listening session” with Congressman Ro Khanna of California, who was here representing President Biden. A small group of about 12 of us gathered around a conference table to both hear the congressman tick off the key talking points of the Biden agenda, and also answer his questions about issues “on the ground.”

One of the pre-eminent topics was messaging. Frequently, we seem to have lucid moments when we recognize that our messages don’t work, but then we turn right around and dish out more of the same.

The major difference between Republicans and Democrats that can be pointed to as a big reason for their electoral success is that Republicans are the monolith that Democrats refuse to be. Ask any Republican what their top five issues are and I bet these three will be among them: the economy, the border, and the national debt. 

While, yes, I do understand grocery prices remain high, the economy is booming by nearly all metrics, including – for the last two quarters – wage increases outpacing inflation, which is down 6 points year over year; the closest border location – Reynosa Mexico – is 1298  miles away, and the national debt was increased by 8.4 trillion dollars by who? Trump-led Republicans. 

In fact, if you look at historical economic stats, there is a real pattern to be discerned. This is pretty complicated so try to stay with me here: Republicans screw up the economy, then Democrats come in and fix it, then lose to another Republican who’s suddenly worried about “the debt we’re leaving our kids”. And so it goes. Even in state houses, Republicans want desperately to have a balanced federal budget. But ask yourselves, or ask them, who is the ONLY US president to ever have had a balanced budget? And who left office with a budget surplus? Bill Clinton. 

But there is no such equanimity among Democrats. From reproductive rights, to voting rights, to student debt, to affirmative action to LGBTQ rights, to climate, to wages … well you get the idea. And yet, Democrats insist on believing that the secret to electoral success is to find the one message  that will resonate with all these different constituencies. 

So here’s one I’m trying out on you: What kind of America do you want to live in?

— I want to live in a country where my elected officials at all levels recognize that they are public servants, not rulers. And where once elected, they serve ALL their constituents, not just their voters.

— I want to live in a country, state or county where hard work matters, and where people can pull themselves up ; but also one that understands that anyone at some point in their lives can need a helping hand. And it doesn’t make them lazy, bottom feeders.

— I want to live in a country that respects our differences as being our strength.

— I want to live in a country that values all human life. 

— I want to live in a country where citizens accept responsibility for their actions. But also one that recognizes and repairs broken systems. Such as education lending, equal pay, a liveable minimum wage, affordable housing.

Let’s just for a second talk about college debt. When most of the lawmakers in this state or in congress were in college, (average age mid- to late-50s) a four-year-education cost $29,824 (National Center for Education Statistics). Today – averaging public in-state, out of state and private, it’s $145,270 (Education Data Initiative). At the First in the Nation dinner, Rep. James Clyburn read a letter from just one South Carolinian who had taken out a $65,000 loan. After paying back more than $300,000, he still had more than $100,000 to go. That’s a broken system.

— I want to live in a country that respects the past. But one that is preparing for the world that will be, not the world that was. 

— I want to live in a country where the backbone of our electoral process – poll workers — are never afraid to do their duty, never threatened, never feel their lives or livliehood are at risk.

These values translate from the highest office in the land to municipal and state officials. Certainly, our state electeds don’t vote on military budgets or foreign entanglements. But they make decisions every day that show us their values. 

It’s our Republican state legislators who have saddled us with a six-week abortion ban and put the lives of potentially tens of thousands of women at risk. 

It’s our Republican state legislators who choose not to improve public education in this state but to redirect your tax dollars to help send a small number of kids to private, often religious, schools. 

It’s our Republican state legislators who crow about all the road and bridge construction underway in the state; and the big technology businesses coming to South Carolina without ever once mentioning that those projects are largely funded by federal money from the Infrastructure act and the Chips and Science act – two bills that every single South Carolina Republican voted against. 

It’s state electeds like Gov. McMaster who are proud to announce that they will not take any federal money to feed needy children during the summer months, but are happy to take $4.9 billion in infrastructure funding from that very same government. Who are happy to have high tech semiconductor businesses moving into the state lured by large federal contracts and potential investments. 

What does that tell us? That they value business, but not people. The specific examples may change from the federal to the state to the municipal level, but the values they exhibit do not.

This cycle, we will have another shot at telling our Republican ruling party that we are tired of their brand of bad governance. That their 20-year gravy train is reaching the end of the track. Will this be the year that we in Greenville County can flip one damn seat?? 

I think it can be. 

A big part of flipping that elusive seat is leadership. We need you to be active participants in this election. We have 151 precincts in Greenville County, and just 34 percent of them have any kind of leadership. Being a precinct leader doesn’t have to be hard, but it does have to be intentional. It is a commitment to talk to your neighbors, to pass out literature, to let them know when and where to vote, to answer their questions. If that’s a commitment you are willing to make, please plan to attend the March 2 GCDP county convention. 

County Party officials, precinct leaders, and state convention delegates will be elected. If you – like me – are tired of being so angry, this is the way to make a difference. Contact the Party and find out if your precinct is one of the many without leadership. The worst thing that happens is you get to know your neighbors better; best case, you play a crucial role in flipping one damn seat.