SCNewDems Blog

Jim Clyburn on The Daily Show

US Majority Whip, South Carolina's own, US Rep James Clyburn spent some time with Jon Stewart last night following the White House health care summit.

One pull quote from Stewart: "You're from South Carolina... But you don't seem insane."

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
James Clyburn
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Vancouverage 2010

Obama honors Charleston's Joe Riley

AP image

Yesterday's health care summit wasn't the only thing scheduled along Pennsylvania Avenue.  In a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, President Obama presented longtime Charleston Mayor Joe Riley with the National Medal of Arts for his service to cultivate the creative community in Charleston.

The Post and Courier has more:

In casual remarks as the president closed the ceremony, Obama singled out and cited the mayor, among a handful of the other recipients, as "my great friend Joe Riley and the extraordinary work he's done in Charleston."

Riley was recognized for cultivating historic and cultural resources to reinvigorate the city, and for his role creating the national Mayors' Institute on City Design to enhance the use of urban spaces. He was one of 12 people or organizations to receive the medal for 2009, alongside eight people who received the National Humanities Medal.

The lifetime honor is given for contributions to the creation, growth and support of arts or humanities in the United States; recipients are selected from hundreds of nominees each year.

Past recipients of the award include American icons like Clint Eastwood, Bob Dylan, and Rita Moreno, just to name a few.

Congratulations, Mayor Riley!  It's a recognition truly deserved.

70% don't think South Carolina is DeMint's top priority

In December, Public Policy Polling asked South Carolina voters what they thought of Sen. Jim DeMint's priorities in South Carolina.  The results?  70% of those polled said they did not think that Jim DeMint was focused on advocating for the people of South Carolina.

From Public Policy Polling poll taken 12/8/09:

Do you think that Jim DeMint is more focused on advocating for South Carolina in the US Senate or being a national leader in the conservative movement? If you think he is more focused on advocating for South Carolina, press 1. If you think he’s more focused on being a national leader in the conservative movement, press 2. If you’re not sure, press 3.

Advocating for South Carolina ........................ 29%
National Leader in Conservative Movement ... 41%
Not Sure.......................................................... 29%

Keep in mind, this poll was taken in early December, before DeMint made news for blocking President Obama's nominee for TSA secretary, tweeting that snowstorms in DC were evidence against climate change, and before DeMint ponied up $100,000 for a former state legislator running for the US Senate... in Florida.

So it came as no surprise yesterday when DeMint announced a tour of South Carolina with that candidate for senate, Marco Rubio, to raise money for his campaign.

What interest does Jim DeMint think South Carolina voters have in a candidate running for the senate to represent Florida voters? We're still scratching our heads too, but when 70% of the South Carolina voters don't think DeMint is working for them in Washington, that's not so much of a surprise either.

Holleman running strong against vouchers, tax credits for private schools

In an email yesterday, Democratic candidate for state superintendent Frank Holleman pointed supporters to an AP article highlighting Frank's recent appearance at a teachers' forum where he debated a field of 6 GOP candidates vying for the state's top spot in education:

Last week, I joined other candidates for Superintendent of Education for two joint appearances, one before the Teachers of the Year from all over South Carolina and a second before School Board members from across the state.

I was the only candidate to oppose tax credits and vouchers that take funds from our public schools and undercut public education.  The two leading candidates for the Republican nomination openly support tax credits, and the rest either support tax credits and vouchers or will not oppose them.  These schemes once again divert South Carolina's attention from the hard work of improving student achievement, are bad fiscal policy for the state budget, and are harmful for both public and private schools.

As The State and The Charlotte Observer reported about our debate before South Carolina's Teachers of the Year: "Frank Holleman, who is running for the Democratic nomination, drew the most applause when he said anyone running for the post should support public education and not programs that give parents vouchers or tax credits to send their children to private schools."

My opponents' support for tax credits or vouchers guarantees them significant financial contributions from out-of-state voucher backers who have sent large sums of money to pro-voucher candidates in past elections.

We agree. Ongoing efforts to strip public education of public money and divert those funds into private institutions threatens to gut an already-hobbled system of public education on which students across the state rely for a chance at a successful professional career after graduation.

For more on the New Democrats' ideas for education, check out our Reforms page.

One year later: SCGOP lawmakers welcome stimulus funds

Yesterday marked one year since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was passed, a tough move by the Obama administration to try to get the economy he encountered when he came into office.back on track and get people back to work.  I think it's safe to say now that the decision to pass the Recovery Act was not an easy one, and has done little to help President Obama in daily approval tracking polls, and his political opponents have let him know it every chance they got.  But some members have been railing against the stimulus in the press, calling it wasteful spending, then turning around and secretly lobbying for stimulus money for projects in their districts.

Who would commit such a blatant campaign of dishonesty?  Well, as you may have guessed, Reps. Joe Wilson and Henry Brown, as well as Sen. Jim DeMint all voted against the stimulus, but reaped the benefits of funding for projects that they sought funding for!

Chair of the national Democratic Party, Tim Kaine, said the doubletalk was, "about politics, pure and simple."

SC Democratic Party Chair, Carol Fowler, said DeMint and Wilson "misled their constituents about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by railing against it while they knew it would create or save jobs in our state."

But DeMint and Wilson are not alone. From the Washington Times,

More than a dozen Republican lawmakers, while denouncing the stimulus to the media and their constituents, privately sent letters to just one of the federal government's many agencies seeking stimulus money for home-state pork projects. [...]

Rep. Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican who became famous after yelling, "You lie," during Mr. Obama's addresses to Congress in September, voted against the stimulus. Nonetheless, Mr. Wilson elbowed his way into the rush for federal stimulus cash in a letter he sent to Mr. Vilsack on behalf of a foundation seeking funding.

"We know their endeavor will provide jobs and investment in one of the poorer sections of the Congressional District," he wrote to Mr. Vilsack in the Aug. 26, 2009, letter.

"Congressman Wilson's position on the stimulus bill is consistent," said spokeswoman Pepper Pennington. She said Mr. Wilson opposed the stimulus as a "misguided spending bill," but once it passed, he wanted to make sure South Carolina residents "receive their share of the pie."

And the hits just keep on coming... here's a video from the Democratic Party taking a look at some of the GOP's worst offenders:

Riley inducted into SC Hall of Fame

Congrats to former Governor, Secy. of Education, and SC New Democrats Founder Richard Riley on his induction into the SC Hall of Fame today.  More so in today's political climate than ever, Gov. Riley's leadership in Columbia and at the Department of Education serve as a blueprint for bringing all parties to the table to get real results.  Congratulations to Gov. Riley as well as Civil War hero, SC Rep and Senator, and US Congressman Robert Smalls who will also be commemorated today.

In 2008, Time Magazine called Gov. Riley one of the Top 10 Best Cabinet Members of the 20th century:

Formerly a popular South Carolina governor — in fact, he was so popular that the state's citizens amended the constitution to allow him to run for a second term — Riley was tapped by President Bill Clinton in December 1992. Among his accomplishments, Riley spearheaded initiatives to improve academic standards, made education more accessible for lower-income families and expanded college grants and loan programs.

President Bill Clinton called Gov. Riley, "the best Secretary of Education in American history" at a reception honoring Riley in 2008.

For more, check out the Myrtle Beach Sun News.

Conservation Voters launch SCGreenGov.com

Check it out:  Conservation Voters of South Carolina has launched a new website devoted to the upcoming governor's election over at SCGreenGov.com.  Complete with candidate profiles and issue scorecards, the site will let voters learn more about the candidates and their positions on green issues.

From SCGreenGov.com:

All the candidates want to appear green because it’s popular. But many are tempted by another kind of green. Polluters, big developers and other powerful interests have deep pockets and little regard for the environment. It’s easy to talk the green talk, without walking the green walk.

This site allows you to tell your friends and the candidates what’s important to you. Our next governor will make critical decisions about protecting our air and water, planning for future growth, and creating a clean energy plan. Will we invest in offshore drilling or wind farms? Will we take more garbage from northern states or protect working farms and forests? The choice is ours.

Click here to visit SCGreenGov.com, and be sure to follow @scgreengov on Twitter.

Riley, Wilkins: Aid abroad for prosperity at home

Today's edition of The State includes an op-ed by Fmr. SC Governor, US Education Secretary, and SC New Democrats Founder Richard Riley and Fmr. SC House Speaker and US Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins, discussing the looming imperative of investment in foreign aid and international development as a tool for economic success right here at home in South Carolina.

From The State:

The world has changed since 9/11, and the global challenges we face require not only a strong defense but also effective development and diplomacy programs. This approach has come to be known as "smart power," where we use our tools of development and diplomacy along with a strong defense to respond to the challenges abroad in a more effective, coordinated fashion.

This is not a Democratic or Republican issue, but an American one. Our congressional delegation has a chance to make a real difference for South Carolina by showcasing the strong bipartisan support that exists for smart power and why these programs are in our communities' and nation's self-interest.

So how does smart power help South Carolina? First, it is an economic benefit. Our state is growing more reliant on international trade every year. In 2008, South Carolina exported goods to foreign markets generating revenues that totaled almost $20 billion. In 2006, international trade supported more than 403,000 jobs in South Carolina- more than 17 percent of total jobs in our state. Given that developing countries are America's fastest growing markets, representing 40 percent of U.S. exports, it is critical that our country invests overseas to enhance and build marketplaces for S.C. goods.

Assisting countries around the world also ensures stable societies that provide real opportunities for people, which prevents conflict before it even begins. That is why one of the greatest proponents of using smart power is Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Secretary Gates has said, "One of the most important lessons of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is that military success is not sufficient to win: Economic development, institution-building and the rule of law, promoting internal reconciliation, good governance, providing basic services to the people, training and equipping indigenous military and police forces, strategic communications, and more - these, along with security, are essential ingredients for long-term success."

Secretary Gates is not alone in his assessment. More than 50 retired senior military leaders wrote President Obama encouraging him to increase the international affairs budget, the small but important part of the federal budget that funds crucial investments in development and diplomacy.