Seawright: SC Democratic Party looks like South Carolina

The South Carolina Democratic Party looks like South Carolina. At a Democratic Party meeting, you see the diversity of our beloved state. This Democratic Party is the party that celebrates and appreciates our nation’s diversity. Our greatest strength is our great diversity. Regardless of your gender, race, ethnicity, religion or economic status, all are welcome in our party. This big-tent approach is evident by examining voter participation in our elections.

Consider the 2008 S.C. Democratic presidential primary. According to the S.C. Election Commission, 225,536 of those who voted were white, while 291,317 were non-white. Contrast that with the 2008 S.C. Republican presidential primary, where 432,499 of those who voted were white, and 6,198 were non-white. The difference shows that our message unites our citizens and does not divide them.

Democrats in South Carolina are a little different from Democrats nationally. Our leaders focus on issues that have a direct impact on the quality of life for everyone in South Carolina. The priorities of Democrats in this state continue to be the issues that could make South Carolina the best place to live, work and raise a family: education, jobs, infrastructure, access to quality health care and economic development for both rural and urban South Carolina.

Unlike our Republican counterparts, we focus on efforts to improve and build our middle class because we know our overall success is built on the backs and shoulders of hard-working, middle-class South Carolinians. That’s why expanding quality health-care coverage to more than 200,000 working South Carolinians and keeping our rural hospitals open for business are important to us.

South Carolina Democratic primary voters are most concerned about bread-and-butter issues that have a direct effect on the lives of every South Carolinian.

Younger Democratic voters tend to be more concerned about sky-rocketing college tuition, shrinking incomes and growing economic inequality. Older voters will show up to the polls because they understand the future of Social Security and Medicare are at stake. Most women who will vote in the primary support the fight for equal pay for equal work. All Democratic voters understand that so much is at stake in this upcoming election. Whether young, old, black, white, brown, rich or poor, our voters want to bring about change in this country.

South Carolina is home to beautiful places, smiling faces but horrible roads and bridges. It is essential that we invest in the state’s aging infrastructure. Fixing potholes and crumbling bridges are key to kick-starting the state’s economy. The Republican leadership in this state wants to use our tax dollars to give 300 of the state’s wealthiest people a huge tax break while shifting the tax burden to middle-class families. Democrats are on the side of the people — we want to fix potholes not tax loopholes — and we think about those priorities even when we vote in presidential contests.

It’s no secret that a good quality education is the most important ingredient to long-term growth and success in our state. With that in mind, S.C. Democrats have led the fight for universal 4-year-old kindergarten, increasing teacher pay to at least the Southeastern average and, most importantly, promoting equity in funding schools. We understand that our children must be able to effectively compete in an ever-changing global society, and a good-quality education is essential to make that happen.

We have all heard the phrase “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” For years, Republicans have controlled every level of power in our state. So what has been the result of complete Republican control in South Carolina? Crumbling roads, insufficient schools, sky-high college tuition rates and low access to health care (rural hospitals closing). Our state’s citizens earn one of the lowest average incomes in America, and many people in our state are out of work. The question is: When will enough be enough?

South Carolina’s Democrats stand ready to lead the charge into the future.

This story was originally published February 21, 2016 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Seawright: SC Democratic Party looks like South Carolina."