Black: Which Republicans will turn out on Saturday?

I’m a Republican. But figuring out who South Carolina Republicans are is a difficult task.

Are we described by the state party platform? I first read the platform nearly eight years ago when I first got involved in local party politics. I liked it and assumed it was the guiding star for the party.

Boy was I disappointed. It didn’t take long to realize that the platform barely gets a nod from the party faithful. It sits there, figuratively enshrined in a dusty old encasement, barely noticed as its supposed adherents fight to elect their favored candidate.

Can one then turn to the Republican Creed for a clue to who South Carolina Republicans are? It’s a grand statement of values that evokes an emotional response in some as it is oft repeated in unison at the beginning of just about any party gathering. I love it and think it is a fine statement of my political values. Unfortunately, its recitation is much like a prayer before a football game — sincerely felt, but quickly forgotten as the real reason for gathering, smearing the other team, quickly grabs the congregants’ attention.

And don’t misunderstand me … when I say the “other team,” that rarely means the Democrats. Here in South Carolina, where Democrats hold little sway and gerrymandered districts keep D vs. R confrontation to a minimum, the “other team” most often refers to some other faction of the Republican Party.

Sadly, the party platform and the creed seem rarely used as a measuring stick of which candidate should be supported. Many a heretic’s sins are overlooked by those who have a vested interest in their election or re-election. And that, I suppose, is why many people are disgusted or at least disenchanted with the Grand Old Party.

I’ve seen four broad categories of Republicans. I suppose their character traits aren’t all that different from what you’d expect to find in any population.

There are those who are driven by the need for acceptance and self-affirmation. These tend to want to vote for a winner; supporting someone who loses is embarrassing. They have an ideology, but it is subsumed in the desire to be recognized and accepted by the winning team. They like access to people in power because it makes them feel better about themselves.

Others are only interested in power, influence and getting something of value. These, too, have an ideological foundation, but building power and influence is more important. These folks rarely, if ever, buck the incumbents or the power elite, unless they see a way to become the power elites themselves. They are the establishment and their sycophants; they protect the institution because the institution is their source of power.

Then there are those who are more strongly guided by their moral ideology. They agree that government power is a bad thing — except when they can use it to force their ideology and morality on others. These will fight the establishment if the establishment isn’t on their side.

Last are those who just want government as small as possible, or at least constitutionally limited. These also are guided by ideology and will spend hours discussing the finer points with you, if you let them. They simply wish to be left alone by government, to succeed or fail on their own. They are in constant combat with the establishment and fight against government influence. Some of these have strong religious views and are generously philanthropic. However they tend to reject the use of government to enforce religious or philanthropic requirements on others.

These factions battle each other. The first two often team up against the last two. Most Republicans aren’t entirely in one camp or another, and they can migrate between camps. It’s a sliding scale. But I’m sure you can picture the camp in which individual Republicans you know spend most of their time.

The big question is: Which Republicans will show up to vote Saturday?

This story was originally published February 14, 2016 at 4:00 PM.