The title isn't a code, or a puzzle or a riddle.
The 9: are the GOP Congressional Seat Hopefuls
(not to be confused with the Nazgul)
(not to be confused with the Nazgul)
The 7th: is the New Congressional District in South Carolina that each of the Nine has their hopes set on Representing in Washington D.C.
The 26th: was the date these 9 met at a Georgetown County GOP sponsored Meet and Greet event in order to answer questions and give a little 10 minute spiel about who they are and what we could expect them to focus on if they are elected in November.
My brain was getting a real workout after I left the Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort Thursday night as a few things I heard rattled my cage...and I'd like to tell you why.
Before I do, let me say that there are already more than several places online where you can find a blurb or excerpt from this Meet and Greet and more specifically...from each candidate in attendance.
I am not going to handle the Event in that way.
Basically though, the 9 stood around in the Lobby for a bit prior to the Main Event. They utilized this time to shake hands, introduce themselves and answer questions of the folks who paid $10 a ticket to come out and hear what they had to say.
It was mostly an older crowd who populated the Tara Theater.
I know most of them were older than me and I'm 49.
Basically they were your 55+ crowd.
So, there's your point of reference.
The 9 then assembled in the theater and were given 10 minutes to talk to us and tell us who they are, what their political philosophy is and why they think we should vote for them.
As I milled around the Lobby beforehand, a few attendees grabbed my arm and told me how delighted they were to see women running as they feel under-represented in Congress.
Renee Culler addressed that fact during her first few minutes at the microphone and I've heard Mande Wilkes make mention of it in an interview with WPDE News as well.
I tend to agree with the idea that in this day and age there should be better representation in Washington consisting of a nice cross-section of South Carolina society.
Alas...that isn't the case and Alas...we can only send people to Congress who are voted in.
Alas.
For Women to be Voted in...
They first have to run (and not just from lecherous old skirt chasers) for Office.
Each woman who seeks a political seat (whether she wins that position or not) is blazing a trail for others who will follow in her steps.
She has to be cool with that role, as that may be all that comes of her "run".
For now.
The more exposure women get in the political arena...the more comfortable the electorate will be with voting them in.
Each new generation is more accepting of things which the former ones were not.
All change happens by degrees.
I know because I've watched it play out before my eyes decade after decade.
The change occurs at a faster pace in some areas of the Country and South Carolina isn't one of those areas.
Women are far better represented in other States.
I know because I've lived in Washington State, Ohio, Virginia, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and now, in South Carolina.
I'd like to focus on the Women running for the 7th Congressional District and I'll tell you that Thursday night revealed a few stark differences between the two.
The Female Candidates are:
1. Renee Culler
and
2. Mande Wilkes
I'm very excited to see more than one woman in contention for this Seat.
I'm also very excited that neither of these ladies has ever held Public Office.
As I wrote previously; I heard Mande Wilkes speak when I attended the Event @ Ripley's Aquarium a few weeks ago when the GOP Presidential Debate Circus was in town.
Renee Culler did not participate in that event.
And to be fair...only 6 candidates participated; she was not the only one who did not.
I believe she was in the audience, as I sat in the row behind her family. Her lovely daughters are hard to miss.
Besides that...Sharkee...the Ripley's Mascot, was behind me signing autographs for the young ladies and passing them through my row to the girls and so it was very difficult to avoid the fact that Renee Culler's family was in the house.
I have no idea why she did not take part in the forum.
I actually didn't realize that the girls were Renee's daughters until the night of the Meet and Greet on the 26th.
She made a grand show of having her whole family stand up and then she proceeded to use a chunk of time explaining her hierarchy of accountability.
We learned that she is teaching her girls about politics.
The idea she focused on was that we...her potential constituents, could count on her to do right by us, as she was accountable not only to us, but to her family...and more importantly, to her daughters.
She believes her daughters will quiz her on how she votes each day and since they'll be up-to-speed on the issues they will hold her feet to the fire so that she'll remain true to her campaign promises.
Ultimately though Renee will be motivated by fear as our Representative from the 7th District. She fears going to Hell for politics if her god isn't well pleased with her actions in Washington D.C. and so we can rest easy because she will do what she promised or go to Hell for breaking covenant with us and with her god and with her daughters.
All well and good Renee and here in the South that god card plays quite well, but here's the thing...once a candidate plays the Christianity hand so openly [and I thought she did]...they have now told those of us in the room who do not believe as she does...that it doesn't matter what our religious beliefs are...because she is going to represent her God first of all and her believing constituents second of all...and the rest of us...maybe not at all.
In making such a show of her "faith"...she cut off a portion of us in the room that night and in the District overall.
Other candidates couched their faith in words like Family Values or just the word..."faith".
We still know what those words mean and those words are polarizing.
I'd like to have the candidates define those terms when they use them.
They're sort of throw away words...bait used to haul in the proper draught of fish.
Renee is going to Washington with a mission and the centerpiece of her plan is to please god and promote faith and family values.
Once again...goodie for you if you believe that way...but, what if you don't?
Are you just s**t out of luck?
Are non-believers just supposed to wait around for Renee and other Bible Believing Representatives to come back from Congress to report on what they've done on "our behalf"?
Or, should it maybe work something like this:
Renee gets out among the people...she talks to them...gets her finger on the pulse...and then goes to Washington to represent the issues on the minds of those of us who have to live and work and pay taxes and put up with all the fall out from the lame-ass selfish and conceited actions of our politicians in the 7th District?
You are not elected to promote your own agenda.
Yet that is what politics has become.
Promoting not only your own agenda, but those who supported you financially and who wrongfully expect some goodies in return.
You are not your own person when you trot on off to D.C.
You are the embodiment of all of us back here at home.
Alas.
{to be continued...I've only just begun...}
Before I do, let me say that there are already more than several places online where you can find a blurb or excerpt from this Meet and Greet and more specifically...from each candidate in attendance.
I am not going to handle the Event in that way.
Basically though, the 9 stood around in the Lobby for a bit prior to the Main Event. They utilized this time to shake hands, introduce themselves and answer questions of the folks who paid $10 a ticket to come out and hear what they had to say.
It was mostly an older crowd who populated the Tara Theater.
I know most of them were older than me and I'm 49.
Basically they were your 55+ crowd.
So, there's your point of reference.
The 9 then assembled in the theater and were given 10 minutes to talk to us and tell us who they are, what their political philosophy is and why they think we should vote for them.
As I milled around the Lobby beforehand, a few attendees grabbed my arm and told me how delighted they were to see women running as they feel under-represented in Congress.
Renee Culler addressed that fact during her first few minutes at the microphone and I've heard Mande Wilkes make mention of it in an interview with WPDE News as well.
I tend to agree with the idea that in this day and age there should be better representation in Washington consisting of a nice cross-section of South Carolina society.
Alas...that isn't the case and Alas...we can only send people to Congress who are voted in.
Alas.
For Women to be Voted in...
They first have to run (and not just from lecherous old skirt chasers) for Office.
Each woman who seeks a political seat (whether she wins that position or not) is blazing a trail for others who will follow in her steps.
She has to be cool with that role, as that may be all that comes of her "run".
For now.
The more exposure women get in the political arena...the more comfortable the electorate will be with voting them in.
Each new generation is more accepting of things which the former ones were not.
All change happens by degrees.
I know because I've watched it play out before my eyes decade after decade.
The change occurs at a faster pace in some areas of the Country and South Carolina isn't one of those areas.
Women are far better represented in other States.
I know because I've lived in Washington State, Ohio, Virginia, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and now, in South Carolina.
I'd like to focus on the Women running for the 7th Congressional District and I'll tell you that Thursday night revealed a few stark differences between the two.
The Female Candidates are:
1. Renee Culler
and
2. Mande Wilkes
I'm very excited to see more than one woman in contention for this Seat.
I'm also very excited that neither of these ladies has ever held Public Office.
As I wrote previously; I heard Mande Wilkes speak when I attended the Event @ Ripley's Aquarium a few weeks ago when the GOP Presidential Debate Circus was in town.
Renee Culler did not participate in that event.
And to be fair...only 6 candidates participated; she was not the only one who did not.
I believe she was in the audience, as I sat in the row behind her family. Her lovely daughters are hard to miss.
Besides that...Sharkee...the Ripley's Mascot, was behind me signing autographs for the young ladies and passing them through my row to the girls and so it was very difficult to avoid the fact that Renee Culler's family was in the house.
I have no idea why she did not take part in the forum.
I actually didn't realize that the girls were Renee's daughters until the night of the Meet and Greet on the 26th.
She made a grand show of having her whole family stand up and then she proceeded to use a chunk of time explaining her hierarchy of accountability.
We learned that she is teaching her girls about politics.
The idea she focused on was that we...her potential constituents, could count on her to do right by us, as she was accountable not only to us, but to her family...and more importantly, to her daughters.
She believes her daughters will quiz her on how she votes each day and since they'll be up-to-speed on the issues they will hold her feet to the fire so that she'll remain true to her campaign promises.
Ultimately though Renee will be motivated by fear as our Representative from the 7th District. She fears going to Hell for politics if her god isn't well pleased with her actions in Washington D.C. and so we can rest easy because she will do what she promised or go to Hell for breaking covenant with us and with her god and with her daughters.
All well and good Renee and here in the South that god card plays quite well, but here's the thing...once a candidate plays the Christianity hand so openly [and I thought she did]...they have now told those of us in the room who do not believe as she does...that it doesn't matter what our religious beliefs are...because she is going to represent her God first of all and her believing constituents second of all...and the rest of us...maybe not at all.
In making such a show of her "faith"...she cut off a portion of us in the room that night and in the District overall.
Other candidates couched their faith in words like Family Values or just the word..."faith".
We still know what those words mean and those words are polarizing.
I'd like to have the candidates define those terms when they use them.
They're sort of throw away words...bait used to haul in the proper draught of fish.
Renee is going to Washington with a mission and the centerpiece of her plan is to please god and promote faith and family values.
Once again...goodie for you if you believe that way...but, what if you don't?
Are you just s**t out of luck?
Are non-believers just supposed to wait around for Renee and other Bible Believing Representatives to come back from Congress to report on what they've done on "our behalf"?
Or, should it maybe work something like this:
Renee gets out among the people...she talks to them...gets her finger on the pulse...and then goes to Washington to represent the issues on the minds of those of us who have to live and work and pay taxes and put up with all the fall out from the lame-ass selfish and conceited actions of our politicians in the 7th District?
You are not elected to promote your own agenda.
Yet that is what politics has become.
Promoting not only your own agenda, but those who supported you financially and who wrongfully expect some goodies in return.
You are not your own person when you trot on off to D.C.
You are the embodiment of all of us back here at home.
Alas.
{to be continued...I've only just begun...}
