Greenwood County Democratic Party

Young Democrats of Greenwood Newsletter, Dec 2020

Posted on December 23, 2020 by gwd_admin

Greetings Young Democrats of Greenwood,

It has been a while, but I want to ensure you that your Executive Board has been working and will continue to work for you and for the constant fight to turn South Carolina BLUE. We, the Executive Board of the Young Democrats of Greenwood, chose not to have an official/formal monthly meeting for the months of November and December for the following
reasons:

conflict in schedules amongst Board Members and Ad-hoc Officers, members traveling
for the holidays and/or for vacation in general, for our student members taking finals and
traveling home, not to mention the long-haul leading to the 2020 general elections, and etcetera.

As your Chair, I thought that it would be more beneficial to have more constructive Executive Board meetings to prepare for 2021 in the place of monthly meetings in which there would not be much ground to cover. Thus, the Board is constantly meeting, formally and informally, to ensure that the Young Democrats of Greenwood will run on a solid foundation from here on out. May we learn from the 2020 general elections that what we do out of season is just as important as what we do in season. On that note, the Board has many provisions and content to be released in the works.

I advise you to constantly check your email. You will receive several emails concerning nominations, the new membership contracts that all members will be required to sign to receive an active status going forward, protocol as relating to rules; elections; the launch of our convention committee, and etcetera. As related to nominations, the Executive Board has created two new Ad-hoc positions—the Membership Enhancer and the Assistant Public Relations Liaison. The Membership Enhancer will work to improve our membership and will be the chief promoter of the local democratic brand. The Asst. Public Relations Liaison will assist in the drafting of public statements, updating social media accounts, posting on the social media accounts, and etcetera.

Shoutout(s):

Continue reading →

Posted in Newsletter, Young Democrats | Comments Off

Newsletter for Dec 13, 2020

Posted on December 13, 2020 by gwd_admin

In this Newsletter:

Message from the Chair
Candidate Updates
GWCDP News
Our Community
News & Noteworthy
Upcoming Events

Message from the Chair

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard all about the Supreme Court FINALLY putting an end to the fiasco of Texas suing a bunch of states in order to overturn the election. It’s a solid and completely unsurprising outcome, but it doesn’t quite wash away the embarrassment of our Congressman Jeff Duncan and State Attorney General Alan Wilson adding their names to this unprecedented effort to reverse the will of the people.

You know what I like the most, though? How President Joe Biden just kept his cool throughout the whole process. From the very beginning:

He didn’t rant on Twitter daily.
He didn’t threaten and cajole his cohorts into doing more for him.
He didn’t make up outlandish claims to bolster his case.

Joe Biden just coolly went about the business of forming his cabinet, sharing updates, providing a 100-day pandemic plan… You know – the stuff a President is SUPPOSED to be doing!

I’ll confess: Biden wasn’t my first choice in the February primary. I had cast my vote for Elizabeth Warren based on what I had seen in the debates up until that point. But here and now, Joe Biden is MY President.

And he has EARNED my respect!

Candidate News

In just over a week from now, voters in the City of Greenwood in Ward 2 will be able to vote for their next representative on the City Council.

We had enlightening interviews with both candidates at last Saturday’s Virtual Breakfast Meeting (see below).

The candidates have also been invited to participate in a Town Hall hosted at the Morris Chapel Baptist Church on Tuesday, Dec 15, at 6 pm.

If you live in Ward 2, please note the polling locations below for your precinct:

Continue reading →

Posted in Newsletter | Comments Off

December Community Care Movement

Posted on December 11, 2020 by gwd_admin

Posted in Community Care Movement | Comments Off

Newsletter for Dec 02, 2020

Posted on December 2, 2020 by gwd_admin

In this Newsletter:

Message from the Chair
Candidate Updates
GWCDP News
Our Community
News & Noteworthy
Upcoming Events

Message from the Chair

We hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday. While the experts are telling us that we’re entering a most dangerous time in the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m very encouraged by the reports of vaccines passing rigorous tests and the amount of resources being allocated to our scientific community to rapidly produce and distribute them.

From the detailed writeups in the New York Times and other sources about the processes being followed by Pfizer and Moderna, I have utmost confidence that everything is being done to properly test the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. I, for one, will sign up as soon as I can. I understand (and agree) that other segments of our society, like healthcare workers and the elderly, will get a higher priority.

In the meantime, please do everything you can to be safe, including wearing a mask and limiting your travel as much as possible. There’s too many here in Greenwood that still subscribe to “it’s a hoax” or “if you’re scared, stay home”. That’s a rather cavalier reaction to almost 300k COVID deaths in the US in less than a year – more deaths than caused by the flu over the last five years combined!

It’s been proven that where there’s widespread mask-wearing and proper physical distancing, we can go about our lives safely with near normalcy. But for as long as large segments of the population are not on board, the virus will continue to spread, hospitals will be overhwhelmed, and our businesses will continue to suffer. We hope some of our government officials will see the light before it’s too late and lead by example, if not by legislation!

Candidate News

We congratulate our 3rd Vice Chair, Matthew Miller, on his victory in the runoff election for Greenwood City Council Ward 5.

While it was unfortunate that he had to deal with personal and partisan attacks from his opponents, Councilman Miller showed determination, hard work, and a positive attitude that helped carry him to victory.

You can read some thoughts Chair Bill Kimler had regarding Matthew’s campaign on our web site.

We are not quite done with Election season in Greenwood! There is a special election to be held on Tuesday, Dec 22 to fill the Council seat for Greenwood City Ward 2.

We’ve set up a page on our web site to highlight the two candidates who are running for that spot.

Both candidates will be interviewed as part of our next Virtual Breakfast Meeting. See below for more details!

Continue reading →

Posted in Newsletter | Comments Off

Thoughts on a “non-partisan” race

Posted on November 24, 2020 by gwd_admin

I am equal parts thrilled and relieved that Matthew Miller won his reelection bid on Nov 17 for Greenwood City Council Ward 5. Of the three council positions that were up for election this year, Ward 5 was the only one that drew challengers – and Matthew received three of them!

What was most concerning was that soon after it was determined that a runoff would be necessary, the McCravy-Garrett machine set their sights directly on Matthew and began to engage in the same nastiness that helped take down Floyd Nicholson.

I don’t know Urban Mitchell. From all accounts, he’s a very nice guy with a career of exemplary service to the nation and to Greenwood. I read his post on his FB page and it was respectful and made his case:

Now contrast that with text message blasts that went out to constituents on Monday & Tuesday of this of Runoff Election week. We see the EXACT same language as was used by McCravy & Garrett, including the head-scratching “MAKE IT GREAT” take-off on the Trumpian battle cry. It attacked Matthew in a hyper-partisan way for a non-partisan position. It’s one thing for Republicans to endorse Urban (we endorsed Matthew after all). But it’s another to use partisan trigger-phrases to paint an incorrect portrait of an opponent.

Continue reading →

Posted in 2020 Election, From the Chair, Opinion, Voting | Comments Off

What does the Confederate Flag mean?

Posted on November 16, 2020 by gwd_admin

This write-up has been making the rounds of social media. The attributable source hasn’t been verifiable, but the content is still worth reading and discussing:

From someone who teaches AP US History:

If you are confused as to why so many Americans are defending the confederate flag, monuments, and statues right now, I put together a quick Q&A, with questions from a hypothetical person with misconceptions and answers from my perspective as an AP U.S. History Teacher.

Q: What did the Confederacy stand for?

A: Rather than interpreting, let’s go directly to the words of the Confederacy’s Vice President, Alexander Stephens. In his “Cornerstone Speech” on March 21, 1861, he stated “The Constitution… rested upon the equality of races. This was an error. Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth.”

Q: But people keep saying heritage, not hate! They think the purpose of the flags and monuments are to honor confederate soldiers, right?

A: The vast majority of confederate flags flying over government buildings in the south were first put up in the 1960’s during the Civil Rights Movement. So for the first hundred years after the Civil War ended, while relatives of those who fought in it were still alive, the confederate flag wasn’t much of a symbol at all. But when Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis were marching on Washington to get the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965) passed, leaders in the south felt compelled to fly confederate flags and put up monuments to honor people who had no living family members and had fought in a war that ended a century ago. Their purpose in doing this was to exhibit their displeasure with black people fighting for basic human rights that were guaranteed to them in the 14th and 15th Amendments but being withheld by racist policies and practices.

Continue reading →

Posted in Opinion, Racial equality | Comments Off

Newsletter for Nov 15, 2020

Posted on November 15, 2020 by gwd_admin

In this Newsletter:

Message from the Chair
Candidate Updates
GWCDP News
Our Community
News & Noteworthy
Upcoming Events

Message from the Chair

I’ll share something personal with you: In my past, I was once involved in a very unhealthy marriage (not my current one, of course.. I LOVE my wife!).

But during those final days (and weeks and months), even though we knew it was over, it felt like it was taking FOREVER to be able to move on and finally go our separate ways. I’ve known couples who were able to successfully and cordially navigate the waters of divorce, but for the most part, it’s a messy and emotionally painful affair.

For those of you who have gone through this, you know what I’m talking about. For others who are lucky enough to have missed out on that experience – well, I’m here to tell you it feels very similar to what we’re going through right now as we try to move on as a nation from our own poisonous relationship with the current occupant of the White House.

The time-honored tradition of a peaceful transition of power has been tossed aside along with all of the other time-honored traditions of a functioning federal government these past four years. If you were to go back in time 10 years and show them video (or tweets) of what’s transpiring today, no one would believe it would be possible in our beloved country.

Here’s one thing I am sure of, though: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have surrounded themselves with a very smart and hard-working team and I know that they’ve anticipated this very thing and have made contingency plans for it.

Come Jan 20, 2021. we’ll all move on from this bad relationship and forge a new one – one that’s stronger and better than ever!

Candidate Updates

Our Greenwood City Councilman, Matthew Miller, is facing a run-off election on Tuesday, Nov 17 for Ward 5.

While he did receive the majority of votes by far on Nov 3, it wasn’t quite enough to get over the 50% needed across all four candidates to achieve victory.

Runoff elections are strange and do not attract the same turnout as the general election do. If you live in Greenwood City Ward 5, this makes YOUR VOTE even more important to cast. Please share this with your family and neighbors to encourage a meaningful turnout on Tuesday.

Continue reading →

Posted in 2020 Election, Greenwood, In the news, Newsletter, Special Elections | Comments Off

Final words from our 2020 Candidates

Posted on November 15, 2020 by gwd_admin

Image may contain: 1 person, text that says 'A Special Thank You to the Citizens of SC Senate District 10! Paid Floyd Nicholson Committee Thank you District 10 for 12 wonderful years as your Senator. It has been my honor and deep pleasure to serve you. My family and I are forever grateful for your love, trust, support and especially your prayers. Let's continue to move forward! TOGETHER, WE CAN and as always, may God continue to bless you individually, our district, our state and our nation. Hrgd nuelsloun Let's continue to work TOGETHER for all of the citizens of Greenwood, Abbeville, McCormick & Saluda Counties!'

Image may contain: 1 person, text that says 'A Special Thanks to the Citizens of SC House District 12! Thank you for your confidence and support in re-electing me to serve in the House of Representatives. I look forward to continuing to work on your behalf in Columbia. If can ever be of assistance, please feel free to contact me: Office: (864) 229-3206 Columbia Office: (803) 734 734-3069 Email: anneparks@scstatehouse.gov anneparks Mail: PO Box 181, Greenwood, SC 29646 Anne Parks Serving Greenwood and McCormick Counties since 1997 Paid by the Campaign to Re-Elect Anne Parks SC House of Representatives District 12'

Dear friends, I am so proud of our campaign! While we didn’t win the most votes in our race, we won in our efforts to educate, to inspire people to reach out, to become involved, and to communicate with one another! I called John McCravy yesterday to offer my congratulations on his win.

Through this campaign, I have met so many fantastic people and have become familiar with great neighborhoods and businesses. Truly, the good work going on across Greenwood County is inspiring! Thank you for all you’re doing!
I am so to grateful to and proud of each and every one of you who supported our campaign! Thank you for helping put out door hangers, giving out postcards, making donations, and getting others to the polls! We knew this was going to be an uphill battle. While we didn’t get the result we wanted, we have come that much closer to sending leaders to Columbia who will represent all communities in our district and help us move forward rather than trying hang on a romanticized past. We may have lost this election, but we are far from losing the fight.
This election saw a new level of engagement, resulting in a record breaking turn out! Now we must maintain that energy and keep pushing forward!

The challenges we face as a state and country are some of the greatest that we’ve seen in our lifetime. While the election may be over, we cannot afford to stop our work in our communities. I know that Waldrep workers will keep working toward that end! As John Lewis told us, we have to be pilot lights, not firecrackers!

Continue reading →

Posted in 2020 Election | Comments Off

A Win for America!

Posted on November 7, 2020 by gwd_admin

Posted in 2020 Election | Comments Off

Newsletter for Nov 4, 2020

Posted on November 4, 2020 by gwd_admin

Message from the Chair

Good morning.

If you are like me, you are tired, discouraged, and extremely worried. Those feelings are perfectly understandable.

Across South Carolina, voters appeared to have retreated towards extreme conservatism. Locally, we lost a truly good man who has represented Greenwood faithfully in the Senate and in other positions for many years. To Floyd Nicholson – we are proud that you remained true to your good character during this campaign and we are deeply grateful for your service and example.

A pair of newcomers, Denise Waldrep and Jose Villa, ran campaigns that were just about as good, if not better, than what has been done before. Unfortunately, this part of the state is still entrenched in ideology that just wasn’t able to be moved in the past few months.

Congratulations to Anne Parks for retaining her position as House Representative for Greenwood and McCormick! We will ask you to keep the flame burning for us in Columbia!

Matthew Miller, while winning more votes than any other candidate in Greenwood Ward 5, was not quite able to cross the finish line with the necessary 50%. This seat will require a runoff with details to be determined. Please reach out to Matthew directly if you still have some fight in you to help him win reelection.

Hosea Cleveland ran a campaign that was several levels above what he has done in the past, but it wasn’t enough to dethrone a Congressman who has called for term limits for everyone but himself.

We’re all profoundly shocked and disappointed in the outcome of Jaime Harrison’s election campaign. It certainly wasn’t his loss; it was a loss for our state and for our nation. His message of hope and positivity is exactly what our nation needed, but unfortunately his time was not today.

At the Presidential level, we looked for a definitive message yesterday: An unequivocal repudiation of the corruption and incompetence that has taken over the People’s White House. We live in a world of instant gratification and we did not get that last night. However, know this: From what I’m seeing in the daily feeds this morning, things are trending very positively for Joe Biden. As the vote tallies continue to come in, the numbers are increasingly going in our favor. Hope is still on the menu! Let us pray that the legal process of allowing every vote to be counted continues.

One thing is clear: If we are going to make positive change for South Carolina and pull our state from the bottom of all the rankings year after year, we are going to have to do something different. We need to find a way to change the hearts and minds of our neighbors so that when we do have great candidates to field, they will have a chance to do battle based on record, qualifications, and ideas rather than running into the constant wall of blanket ideology.

This type of change will take time and most importantly, dedication. The biggest steps our country have taken in history did not come from overnight victories, but rather through decades of toil, hardship, and frequent disappointment. Feel free to let your emotions run their course, but at the end of the day, I ask you to not lose the desire to fight for what we know is right.