On Thursday, the South Carolina Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision to kick about 100 candidates off the ballot for the June primary. I’m not going to re-hash how this happened, suffice to say that the filing rules were changed in a way that favored incumbents and confused their challengers.

Everyone is outraged, and rightly so, but what should we do? What I am going to say may surprise you, but I believe it is the truth. Please hear me out.

Frankly, we need to accept the fact that we can’t win this ground back before the June primary. Realistically speaking, all the political rallies you and I can muster are not going to make up for lost time.

Borrowing Michael Porter’s words, “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do,” so I would like to propose three things not to do:

1. Don’t give up. This is a time to refocus; this is NOT a time to retreat.
2. Don’t take their bait. Guess what? Larry Martin—Larry Martin of all people—is making like he’s all outraged over this and is going to change the law to get the candidates put back on the ballot. Senator Martin is one of those incumbents who was favored by this rule, and his challenger, Rex Rice, was kicked off the ballot. What he knows, but won’t tell you is, it won’t do any good this year, because the ballots have already been mailed! Those of you who plan to make a big stink in Columbia over this issue are to be commended for your intentions, but at the end of the day, I’m afraid it will prove to be a diversion and a waste your time and energy. Don’t take their bait.
3. Don’t let the remaining candidates down. Let’s refocus on those candidates who are still on the ballot. But wait, we can’t turn our backs on these candidates whose rights are being violated! Look at it this way: these candidates that got kicked off the primary ballot now have a six-month head start on a petition candidacy in the November election. It isn’t over. This fiasco is sure to be a big subject on the campaign trail, and I feel confident that one way or another you’re gonna see all of these guys on the ballot in November.

So who will be on the ballot in June? You can see the full list here, but I would like to mention three specifically:

• Anderson: Riley Harvell, running against incumbent RINO Billy O’Dell
• Greenville: Jim Lee, running against incumbent RINO David Thomas
• Greenville: Chris Sullivan, running against incumbent RINO Mike Fair

Jon Corzine once said, “the only thing really worth [anything] is ‘hustle.” I think he’s right.

When it comes to political activism, there’s the fun stuff—the big, public, exciting rallies—and there’s the not-fun stuff, which is the day-to-day grunt work of political campaigning. Knocking on doors, putting out signs, making phone calls. That boring stuff that gets people elected.

Guys, time is running out. We have 5 short weeks, and we’re gonna have to hustle. Conservatives like Riley Harvell, Jim Lee, and Chris Sullivan face uphill battles against entrenched Senate RINOs. THEY NEED YOUR HELP. Please don’t abandon these guys who are putting it all on the line to to Columbia for us to make SC the freest state in the nation!

Sincerely,

Jonathon Hill

P.S. This is a good illustration of why having good GOP chairmen matters. It was their job to make sure the candidates knew the rules, and to help them comply in a timely manner. Dan Harvell did this here in Anderson County, and not one of our candidates were kicked off the ballot.

Remember SOPA? That bill was killed, only to be re-incarnated shortly after as CISPA, the Cyber Information Sharing and Protection Act. The Electronic Frontier Foundation describes the bill:

CISPA would have technology companies, like video game systems, internet service providers (ISPs) and more share your use of technology with the Government under the guise of cyber security.  It’s George Orwell’s classic book 1984 right here, right now.

Yesterday, the House amended the bill, and basically lied about the amendments:

CISPA allowed the government to use information for “cybersecurity” or “national security” purposes. Those purposes have not been limited or removed. Instead, three more valid uses have been added: investigation and prosecution of cybersecurity crime, protection of individuals, and protection of children.

…

Basically, the amendment closes a loophole but opens a door. It takes away some of the language that allows overreach of the bill, but then explicitly endorses the exact things people were worried the government would do with that language—as in, start using the data to investigate and build cases against American citizens without regard for the laws that would normally protect their privacy.

Is that an improvement? CISPA would now grant the government less vague power, which is good, but would also grant it brand new specific powers, which is bad and frankly pretty insulting.

CISPA abruptly passed a day ahead of schedule, 248-168. Quite shockingly, our very own conservative freshmen heroes were party to this surveillance bill:

• Jeff Duncan
• Trey Gowdy
• Mick Mulvaney
• Tim Scott
• Joe Wilson

What gives??

Jeff Duncan defended the bill on Facebook:

(Note: you should be wary when a politician tries to “explain it to you.” More often than not, they’re either spinning the facts, or outright lying. Do your own research and be prepared to hold even the “good” guys accountable if they stray. Verify, then trust!)

To become law, CISPA must now pass the Senate and be signed by Obama, who may veto the bill. Wanna bet?

District 3
- Kevin Bryant: 100%
- Don Bowen, Jr.: 0%

District 4
- Billy O’Dell: 4%
- Riley Harvell: 64%

Bryant and Harvell were the only candidates present at the forum. Video will be posted soon.

Note that this is simply a survey of those present and does not constitute an endorsement.

Friday, April 27th from 6pm-7:30pm
Anderson YMCA, Community Room (map)

The Anderson TEA Party will host a forum for the candidates for SC Senate District 3 and District 4. The following candidates have been invited to attend:

• Incumbent Senator Kevin Bryant, 3rd district (confirmed)
• Challenger Don Bowen, Jr., 3rd district
• Incumbent Senator Billy O’Dell, 4th district
• Challenger Riley Harvell, 4th district

The forum will begin promptly at 6pm and will last for 90 minutes. Afterward, there will be a straw poll for attendees who are registered to vote in the 3rd and 4th Senate districts. The results will be announced on http://andersonteaparty.com.

If you would like to ask a question, you may submit it in writing to jhill@andersonteaparty.com by 12pm on Friday, April 27th.

On 4/16/2012 the Anderson County Republican Party held a forum for the state-level candidates and their primary challengers. The forum was moderated by former ACRP chairman Lee Rogers.

In attendance, from right to left, were:

Sen. Kevin Bryant (Senate District 3, incumbent)
Don Bowen, Jr. (Senate District 3, challenger)
Sen. Billy O’Dell (Senate District 4, incumbent)
Riley Harvell (Senate District 4, challenger)
Rep. Don Bowen, Sr. (House District 8, incumbent)
Ted Luckadoo (House District 8, challenger)
Jonathan Walker (House District 8, challenger)
Rep. Joshua Putnam (House District 10, incumbent)
Hamp Johnson (House District 10, challenger)