For SC Democrats the Time For Change is Now

Visitors can usually tell whether they’re at a Democratic conference or a Republican conference just by looking at the cars in the parking lot. You’re more likely to find a Prius at a Democratic event.

That was the case on Saturday as a steady rain fell outside West Ashley High School. Inside, about 200 Democrats gathered for the second South Carolina Democratic Party (SCDP) Issues Conference. The topics for the conference were ones you might expect—education, women in politics, the environment.

But, given the party’s standing in the state, there was a sense of urgency that was somewhat unexpected. There are no Democrats holding constitutional offices in the state and there is only one—Rep. Jim Clyburn—in South Carolina’s congressional delegation. In the November 2012 elections, none of the congressional races were especially close.

Clyburn was a surprise guest at the conference and he took the stage to confirm that Vice President Joe Biden would be coming to the state in May for the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner and the State Convention.

Clyburn also used his time to urge fellow Democrats to do whatever they can to help Elizabeth Colbert Busch’s candidacy in the First Congressional District.

After his remarks, Clyburn told Patch that he felt a renewed sense of purpose, and said much of it was due to the energy surrounding the campaign of Colbert Busch. He said a victory by her could be the start of a wave that could spread across the entire state.

“You have to start somewhere,” Clyburn said. “You can’t be much lower than we are in South Carolina and what got us here are policies based on false pretense that people are now starting to see through.”

Still a Democrat After All These Years

Kaye Koonce won’t say how old she is, but the first Democratic presidential candidate she voted for was George McGovern in 1972. An attorney and longtime activist, she has seen the peaks and valleys. And, to be blunt, there have been more valleys than peaks for South Carolina Democrats in the last few decades. Nevertheless, she’s hopeful. Laughing, she said, “We have no place to go but up.”

“People here are excited about Jaime Harrison leading us. He believes in accountability and has a wonderful personal story,” she said.

Harrison organized the Issues Conference and he’s also running for state chairman after serving as vice chair.

It’s more than Harrison though, that has Koonce optimistic. “Elizabeth Colbert Busch (in SC1) is the best congressional candidate we’ve had in a long time and people are connecting with her.”

A resident of SC1, Koonce noted that the district is majority female and that Colbert Busch is already proving to be very popular with that group of voters.

Koonce is also looking forward to 2014, when Sen. Vincent Sheheen (D – Kershaw) will likely challenge Gov. Nikki Haley again in the gubernatorial race. “Gov. Haley is more interested in doing things for herself, such as appearing at CPAC and campaigning for Mitt Romney, than doing things for the state,” Koonce said. “And at those sort of events she routinely gets factual information wrong. People see that and are taking note.” 

46 County Strategy

The lynchpin of Harrison’s plan to rebuild the SCDP is reaching out to all 46 counties in the state. It’s modeled after the 50 State Strategy of Howard Dean, former presidential candidate and national chairman. Mocked at first, Dean’s plan to compete in every state eventually led to Democrats winning the House, Senate and Presidency in 2008. One of the architects of the strategy, Tom McMahon, spoke at the Issues Conference and explained how such a plan might work in South Carolina.

A former staffer of Clyburn’s, Harrison has his former boss’ support. “We have disregarded certain counties and what we’ve got to understand is that every vote counts,” Clyburn said. “You can’t take for granted that just because your views might be right that people will vote for you. We’ve got to explain that to people.”

Like Clyburn, Harrison believes that the Colbert Busch campaign presents a unique opportunity.

“She someone who believes in doing things for all of her district,” Harrison said. “Let’s face it, if Mark Sanford or Curtis Bostic goes to Washington they’re not going to do anything for South Carolina. They’re just going to say ‘No.’”

The keynote speaker at Saturday’s conference was Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who spoke about the need to place results above ideology. That’s a message Harrison thinks will resonate in South Carolina.

“It’s easy to make the case that there has been a failure of leadership in South Carolina and it’s time to drain the swamp,” Harrison said. “But we’re also going to tell voters how Democrats’ principles can change things.”

Harrison said that as a state party, the Democrats need to change and recognize that what worked previously may not work now.

During the conference, Harrison called on county chairs to renew their commitment to the party. If he’s elected as state chair, he will be one of the youngest Democratic statewide leaders in the country. He’d also be the first African-American ever to head the party.

“I’m excited. I have a lot of new ideas. And there are a lot of old ideas that just need to be dusted off and given a shine,” Harrison said.

The next few months should provide a clue to where Democrats are headed. There's the SC1 election, the vote for statewide officers, the convention and the likely announcement of Sheheen as a gubernatorial candidate.

While the types of cars driven by Democrats probably won’t be changing any time soon, the plan to attract more of them probably will.

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