Our editorial "What Now For SC Democrats?" sparked a lot of interest, discussion and some controversy in the press and among Democrats around the state.

Good - this is exactly what we wanted to happen.

If we are to reform the Democratic Party and win elections again, we have to be honest with ourselves, debate new ideas and solutions and then work together to make them happen. This is a beginning.

Below are a few of the ideas and comments we received. First are some interesting short comments, then an e-mail exchange among three women in Charleston, and finally a strategy and technology plan for the Party and a policy paper on Democratic values.

There are lots of ideas here for discussion. These are your ideas and we at the SCDLC may or may not support some of these ideas - but that's not the point - we want to provide an open forum for discussion and all ideas are welcome.

We hope you will join the discussion and and let us know what you think.

Thanks to all.

Your Comments

"I like to think that one of the major distinctions between Republicans and Democrats is that we do not see government as the problem. Rather, we see it as a valid vehicle for improving the lives of people. Maybe it is unlikely that South Carolinians will ever be anything but hostile to government and defunding government will continue to be the winning hallmark of Republican reign. If we are to succeed, we must nevertheless work to change this perception." Full Text
Steven J. Bates, Columbia
stevebates@earthlink.net


"The party needs to take a hard look at the Barber and Rex races. Why where they so close? One reason I see is that if they had come to the upstate and challenged the GOP in their home turf. Look at Webb in the Virginia Senate race. He went right in to the blue collar sections of Virginia and challenged Allen. Our people did not try hard enough in the upstate." Full Text
Larry Allen, Easley
LAFRETIRED@cs.com


"I am an active Democrat in Greenville County and of course was disappointed in the election results in SC. Honestly though, I cannot say that I am really surprised. I heard numerous people comment that they could not get excited over a candidate like Tommy Moore for Governor, even with all the disdain in the state for Mark Sanford." Full Text
Jimmy Mobley, Greenville
jm3060@charter.net

E-mail Exchange Among Three Women
One of the most interesting responses to our op-ed piece came from three women in Charleston. All three are extremely talented, committed women who have made major contributions to our state. They are Nikki Hardin, founder and publisher of Skirt! Magazine; Linda Ketner who has led many innovative and important community initiatives and is past President of Alliance for Full Acceptance – SC; and Marie-Louise Ramsdale, an attorney, founder of First Steps to School Readiness and City Year. Full Text

Strategy and Technology Plan
Cameron Runyon has developed a full strategy and technology plan of what he believes needs to happen with the SC Democratic Party operation. Full Text
Cameron Runyon, Columbia
cameronrunyan@sc.rr.com

Policy Paper on Democratic Values
"It is incumbent upon the members of every institution to periodically examine their guiding principles and, if it becomes clear that those principles have become so detached from their origins, diluted of their importance and relevancy, or hamstrung in their ability to define that institution, it is the duty of those members to redefine those principles or risk completely abandoning those ideals that initially prompted them to action.
As Democrats we have, for too long, lingered in the harsh winter of confusion and fear." Full Text
Michael Wukela, Florence
Michael@wukela.us