This Charleston couple held hands last week as they headed into a polling place in West Ashley to vote. While GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump carried the state and nation, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton carried Charleston County giving local Democratic officials hope for a brighter future in local races. (Photo by Andy Brack)
Michael Kaynard, Charleston: “No one can say that this presidential race hasn’t been interesting. I believe most will agree that it has been one of the ugliest and most divisive political cycles in modern times. Decades ago, due to limitations in communications, the best way to reach large groups was through rallies and TV ads. Today with the Internet, one can reach huge numbers of people almost instantaneously. …”
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Maybe it’s time for America to reinstitute conscription or develop a program to require national service for youths after high school or college.
Or maybe schools need to do a better and more comprehensive job of providing instruction on how America works from when students start school until they graduate.
Staff reports | As the mother of all debates is set for tonight between Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump, you won’t be able to have your say at the polls Nov. 8 unless your registered to vote. The deadline to register in South Carolina is Oct. 8.
* Read the story to find out if you’re registered and, if not, how to get registered.
You might want to click the first link, especially if you haven’t voted in the last few elections, to make sure you haven’t been purged from voter rolls due to inactivity. [We suggest you check anyway, especially if you’ve moved in the last few years.]
According to the most recent information from the S.C. Election Commission, some 3,081,428 South Carolinians are registered to vote. In Charleston County, 274,547 people are registered to vote, the second largest number by county in the state.
By Dimitri Cherny, special to Charleston Currents | What one or two things could the federal government do to make your life better?
That’s the question I’ve been asking everyone I meet on my www.BIKINGtheLowcountry.us adventure. I’ve now traveled, by bike or canoe, more than 550 miles over 47 days and asked hundreds of people that question. We’re a very diverse group here in the Lowcountry — racially, ethnically, religiously, politically, ideologically, economically, educationally, and of all ages. But after asking this question of hundreds of people, we ALL seem to agree on five things.
1. Universal single-payer healthcare.
2. Quality debt-free public education.
3. Strengthening Social security.
4. Improving the veteran’s support system,
5. Getting money out of politics.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Improbable as it may seem, there’s a slim chance South Carolina could vote blue in November and send its nine electoral votes to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
There’s no way we could ever have written that sentence a year ago — heck, even two months ago. But with the campaign of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump in a political free fall of biblical proportions, anything seems possible as moderate Republicans and independents are finding it harder to stomach Trump’s hubris, arrogance and fear-mongering.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | This may be the only political prediction that will become true by the time we head to the polls in November: The weirdest presidential election in American history will get weirder.
In a rational world, presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump’s bloviated reality show of a campaign that scares world leaders because they can’t predict him would get so tangled in misinformation, negativity and hyperbole that he wouldn’t be taken seriously by November.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | South Carolina will play the role of political legitimizer in its presidential primaries later this month. It may not anoint the next president, but it certainly will declutter the field.
Why? Because South Carolina looks like more of the rest of America, compared to contests in Iowa and New Hampshire where nine in 10 people are white. In South Carolina, just like the rest of the country, six in 10 people are white. Bottom line: Because South Carolina’s culture isn’t so homogeneous, there’s a greater diversity of views and values. And that may lead to more traditional politics.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | If you don’t want Hillary Clinton to be the next president, you better get off the escalating Trump bandwagon pretty darned quickly.
In the July 27 issue, April Borkman corrects the record on a sex ed course; Andy Brack says voters should dump Trump; and Kyra Morris outlines why our World Trade Center Charleston is important. Also: OHM Radio to start broadcasting soon.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina! (2019) by editor and publisher Andy Brack offers incisive commentaries on the American South, politics, the common good and interesting South Carolina leaders. Available exclusively for Kindle for $7.99. A paperback version will be ready soon. Learn more.
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