Dorchester Republicans

I participated in a unique opportunity last night. I volunteered for Andre Bauer at the Dorchester County Republican BBQ meeting outside of Summerville SC. It was in a beautiful location in a meeting room next to a lake and house with horses. There were over 200 people there, and 5 candidates for Governor. Andre hasn't officially announced, but he will probably run. I like Andre. He is not a typical politican. He is more of a guy who is one of us. A real guy. And, he seems to care about me and my plight. I also got to meet Congressman Gresham Barrett. He seemed nice, but he may have some political problems in his bid to be Governor. I talked for a while with Dr. Nelsen, who teaches at Furman and is running for Governor. He seemed personable and tried to stay on message with me. State Senator Larry Grooms was there as a candidate for Governor. He seemed like a good ole boy but may not be strong enough to lead the state, but he will appeal to a certain group of people in our state. Then, there was Attorney General Henry McMaster. He said hello to me twice, because he forgot the first time. Henry also spoke too long. He has some liabilites, despite the fact that he has the most money in his war chest. There was also another candidate named Nikki Haley, but she didn't show up last night. I passed out stickers and note pads for Andre and chatted up several of the folks there. I also watched the audience as each candidate spoke. I was looking for those people who were listening to the candidates. I guess my experience with audiences has given me a talent to see things that others may not. I wrote a paper years ago on the psychology of audiences. Interesting stuff. The race is just starting. The election won't happen until next year, but if I had to guess now, the race would be between Henry and Andre. Just because the others will have to spend a lot of time telling voters who they are. I am a political junkie. I love this stuff.