The Blue Note 4:1

We had a great Breakfast in January—lots of energy! It seems that the three-ring circus called the Republican Primary motivated us all. The Republicans certainly showed their hand: support the rich, budget cuts that will drive us back into recession/depression, and reduce healthcare and social security. In her State of the State speech, Nikki Haley’s idea of making our schools better is to buy newer used buses! This country, state and county need leadership that supports the people!

Dorchester County Democrats have a clear mission: To get Dor-chester County Democrats out to vote and get Democrats elected. Our sights must be set squarely on the November 2012 elections.

Key Dates:

March 3—Precinct Reorganizing Meetings and Primary vote for President Obama

March 19—Dorchester County Democratic Convention, where you will elect the leaders for the next two years

May 12—the State Democratic Party Con-vention Our County Plan is clear and I need you person-ally to find a place where you can help contrib-ute to our goal of getting Democratic voters to the polls in November 2012 and electing Barack Obama and all Democratic candidates.

I need your help – volunteer to be a Precinct Leader, and set aside time each week to help us rally our Democratic voters. The next nine months are going to be exciting, so find a place to participate, and let’s go! Richard Hayes, Chair

►The Bimonthly Newsletter of the Dorchester County Democratic Party◄

February/March 2012 Volume 4, Issue 1

Campaign 2012 is starting NOW and Dorchester Dems are Raring to Go!

Included in this Issue Precinct Reorganization Meetings

and County Convention—Page 2 Why get involved?—Page 3 BBQ & Blues—Page 3 Candidates wanted—Page 4 Ford speaker at next breakfast—

Page 5 March Highway Cleanup —Page 5 Black History Month—Page 5 Reaching out to Democrats—Page

6 Local Dems have fun with GOP Pri-

mary—Page 7 Voter registration news—Page 9 Ten of Obama’s campaign prom-

ises—Page 10 Calendar of Events for February

and March—Page 11

What’s in it for you? This time of year, we ask all local Democrats to step up to the plate. To com-mit. To vote. To get others to vote, and to help us spread the word around. But what’s in it for you? Well, aside from the personal satisfaction you’re guar-anteed to get, and other than getting to meet and work with a very large group of very wonderful people, in this Presidential Election year you have a chance of getting even more. You could attend the Democratic National Convention in September as a Na-tional Delegate, and officially give Pres. Obama our party’s nomination. To do that, though, you need to achieve a few other titles along the way—County Delegate and then State Delegate (which can be very easy to achieve, by the way). But the very first step is for you to attend our Precinct Reorganiza-tion Meetings on March 3rd. And just to give you a little more incentive, DCDP has produced some man-ager date-log calendars—enclosed within attractive binding that’s deco-rated with our party name—for everyone who’s elected to the Executive Committee. And you can use these calendars to remind yourself of all our important county party events through the year!

Please be there on March 3rd!

COUNTY PARTY CONVENTION

7 p.m. on Monday, March 19th at Ridgeville Town Hall (105 School Street)

State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter will be guest speaker.

**All who are selected to be County Delegates at the

Precinct Reorganization Meetings need to attend this meeting!**

County Party delegates meet to elect new officers to the positions of County Party

Chair, 1st Vice Chair (different ethnicity from the Chair), 2nd Vice Chair (opposite sex

of the Chair), 3rd Vice Chair (under 30 years of age), and county party representatives

to the state party executive committee (one male, one female, two alternates). We will

also elect our state delegates who will then attend the state party convention where

national delegates are then elected. State delegates are elected to two-year terms.

If you’d like to run for any of these county party offices, you just have to notify

chairperson Richard Hayes ([email protected]). The county party can give you a

mailing list of county delegates, too, if you‘d like to campaign for one of these posi-

tions. Traditionally, each candidate is formally nominated by a sponsor, and a direct

vote follows thereafter. Party Chair is elected first to determine who‘s qualified for 1st

and 2nd Vice.

Our Precinct Reorganization Meet-ings, coming up on Saturday, March 3rd at 10:00 AM (see locations in right column), are just the beginning of the process to re-elect President Obama and elect Democrats to local, state and national offices. At the Precinct Meetings you will elect precinct offi-cers, choose delegates for the County

Convention and also participate in the Democratic Presidential Primary for South Carolina. In addition, here’s an opportunity to meet your Democratic neighbors and talk politics (how about those entertaining Republi-cans?). So come on out and help shape our political decisions in South Carolina. Show up and be counted!

Showing Up Counts! By Debbie Lodge, who should be showing up any second now

Precinct Reorganization

Meetings

All Dorchester County precincts meet at one of the following locations:

10 a.m. on Saturday, March 3

Lower Dorchester County County Council Chambers

500 N Main St in Summerville The precincts to meet here are:

Archdale Archdale 2

Ashborough East Ashborough East 2 Ashborough West Ashborough West 2

Ashley River Bacons Bridge Beech Hill Beech Hill 2 Brandymill Brandymill 2

Briarwood Briarwood 2 Briarwood 3 Butternut Carolina Central Central 2

Clemson Clemson 2 Clemson 3 Coastal Coastal 2 Coastal 3 Coosaw Coosaw 2 Cypress

Dorchester Dorchester 2 Flowertown Flowertown 2

Germantown Givhans Givhans 2 Greenhurst Greenwave Irongate

Irongate 2 Irongate 3 Kings Grant Kings Grant 2

Knightsville Lincoln Miles/Jamison Newington Newington 2

North Summerville North Summerville 2 Oakbrook Patriot Saul Dam

Sawmill Branch Spann Stallsville Tranquil Tranquil 2 Trolley

Tupperway Windsor

Upper Dorchester County Waggoner County Services Building

201 Johnston St in St. George The precincts to meet here are:

Four Hole Grover Harleyville

Indian Field Indian Field 2 Reevesville Ridgeville Ridgeville 2

Rosinville Rosses St. George 1 St. George 2

Delemars Precinct Only 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 3

Sand Hill U.M. Church Family Life Center

1961 Summers Drive in Ridgeville

First of all, every precinct can select up to eight (8) of its own officers. And their duties vary from posi-tion to position. Here’s a listing of those precinct officer spots, and a brief description of their duties:

County Party Executive Committee Member

One person from each precinct gets to serve on the DCDP Executive Committee. He or she attends the monthly Exec Comm. meetings; votes on actions, activities and expenses of the county party; informs his or her precinct of county party news.

Precinct President

Organizes and presides at precinct/neighborhood meetings; works to inform the public in his or her precinct; encourages voter participation; provides feedback to the county party on what those voters want and need.

Vice Presidents

The first Vice President must be of a race other than the President. The Second Vice President must be of opposite sex from the President. The Third Vice President must be under 30 years of age. They have such duties as are assigned to them by the President.

Secretary

The Secretary is responsible for recording notes of meetings and activities, as well as recording and submitting the precinct reorganization form to the County Party.

Treasurer

The treasurer of the precinct is responsible for the budget and disbursement of all precinct funds.

Alternate Executive Committeepersons

Each precinct may elect one or more Alternate Executive Committeepersons to represent the pre-cinct in the absence of the Executive Committee-person. How do you get to hold one of these positions? Show up at the Precinct Reorganization Meeting on March 3! Each precinct will select its own officers. Don’t let the officer titles scare you—some positions do not require much work. For example, few pre-cincts, if any in our county, have their own expense accounts, so the treasurer has limited duties. Ex-ecutive Committee member and Precinct Presi-dent require activity, though.

What are the duties of Precinct Officers?

By Steve Yeomans (who really, really wants you to get involved) Anytime you go to a local Democratic Party event – be it anything from a Saturday morning breakfast to the annual Alice Cicenia dinner – you often see the same people “leading the pack” (organizing the event / speaking at the event / running the show). Often at these same events, as well as in the pages of the esteemed publication you’re now reading, you hear a call for members to get more involved, to join one of the many operating committees within the Party, or to run for one of the chair positions at the county convention every two years. You may think to yourself, “I don’t have the time,” or “they really don’t need me,” or even “I don’t know how to do any of the things the Party needs.” Often, we are our own worst critic. Most peo-ple don’t like change in their life – they are comfortable as things are – and maybe they think they aren’t up to the job (whatever the job is) on such a public level. I’ve read that Thomas Jefferson didn’t enjoy - and wasn’t particularly good at - public speaking, and so while he was President he sent the text of his annual State of the Union address to Congress by courier – he didn’t read it aloud himself because he didn’t feel comfortable doing something he wasn’t particularly skilled at in such a public setting. However, I would make the case that it is only when we step out of our comfort zone and take on new responsibility that fresh ideas and revitalized energy are infused into our local Party. You see the same people at the events / fundraisers / breakfasts – and it’s great that they are there – but they need your help. They need your ideas, your leadership, your passion so that we as a politi-cal group gain more momentum, get our word out to more people, make more of a difference in people’s lives. I first encountered the local Democratic Party

at the annual Flowertown Festival in Summer-ville. I saw State Representative Patsy Knight and Marty Turney working the Democratic booth there, and Charlotte and I introduced ourselves. I was invited to a breakfast meet-ing, and then we went on our way. About two weeks later I received a call from Marty re-minding me of the upcoming breakfast (I had forgotten all about it) and urging me at attend. Well, I did attend that and subsequent meet-ings over the next year and a half. I stayed in the background and observed how the Party functioned, who was who, and got to know the people who seemed to always be around at events. I was satisfied that I was doing all I

needed to do, all I felt comfortable doing, and that was that. Not long after I was approached about running for the Chairman position within the County Party – I had never considered that – and thought I wasn’t the man for the job (“I’ve only been involved for a little over a year – shouldn’t I start somewhere else?”). Although the Chairman at the time had be-come a good friend of mine – and later helped me immeasurably navigate the political situa-tion within the county - there were a number of things I thought the Party could do to in-volve more people and grow our influence. I agreed to run for Chair, and won at the next County Party convention in Ridgeville.

Over the next two years we increased our membership, started the newsletter you’re now reading, opened our temporary county offices in Ridgeville, and created the commit-tee structure that is now in place. This hap-pened because of the tireless efforts of many people within our group who came to be close friends of mine – people who also had vision and ideas they threw into the pot – people who made sure that the ideas turned into real-ity. There is no way – absolutely no way – I could have been Chair without those people who gave their time and talent to make things happen. Without them answering the call to get involved – just as you’re being called now – the energy and effort would not have been there. We needed committee chairpersons / committee members / fundraisers / bloggers / people to recruit as candidates / people to recruit as leaders for the upcoming County convention / people who had ideas we hadn’t thought of yet…the list went on and on. I became involved because there was a need. I became involved because I thought I could help. I became involved – not because I wanted attention or recognition – but because I thought I could help grow our Party and make a difference. I believe that’s why most people decide to get involved – to help make a differ-ence. We as a Party are the sum of all of our members – without you, we’re not complete. When asked, please consider joining a commit-tee, or helping with any of the numerous tasks the Chair is responsible for. Why not run for one of the officer positions yourself? Serving in the County Party has been personally re-warding for me, and it has allowed me to make friends and connections across the State that I will always cherish. I learned new tasks, met new people, became more aware of all that was going on in our community – simply be-cause, when I was asked to get involved, I said “yes.”

Why Get Involved?

“BBQ & Blues” on Saturday, Feb. 25 Admit it—BBQ just ain’t the same without BB King. And who knows the blues any better than us Democrats living in this red state of South Carolina? But instead of cryin’ and moanin’, let’s get the party started for this election year with some eatin’ and swingin’! Join us on Saturday the 25th of February from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Ice House Restau-rant, 104 W Doty St in Summerville (formerly Breck’s). You’ll find us in the side-room of the restaurant, off to the right when you first enter through the main door (just ask the staff if you don’t see us). For more information on the BBQ & Blues event, just email us ([email protected]).

Now is the time for all good women and men

to come to the aid of their country and of

their party. The Dorchester County Democ-

ratic Party is looking for candidates to run

for office in 2012. As chair of the Candidate

Recruitment Committee, I and my col-

leagues on the committee have encouraged

Democrats all over the county to run. This

year offers a target-rich environment.

All of the county offices are up for election in

2012. All county officials serve a four-year

term. Members of the South Carolina House

of Representatives serve for two-year terms.

House Districts 94, 97 and 98 are wholly or

mostly in Dorchester County. Two of the

three districts are currently held by Republi-

cans; District 97 is held by our own Patsy

Knight. Most of South Carolina state Senate

District 38 is in Dorchester County. All state

senate seats are open in 2012. State sena-

tors serve for four-year terms.

Lower Dorchester County is part of Congres-

sional District 1, now held by Republican Tim

Scott. The upper part of the county is repre-

sented by Congressman Jim Clyburn, a De-

mocrat, who represents Congressional Dis-

trict 6.

The Candidate Recruitment Committee has

been busy this year. We have approached a

number of people and have encouraged

them to run. Some have said yes and others

are thinking about running, but there is a lot

that the committee can’t do. We can’t stop

anyone from filing to run and unfortunately

we don’t have any money to give candidates,

but the committee is a great resource. We

can offer advice about fundraising and

about campaigning.

After the primary, all Dorchester County De-

mocrats stand ready to help our party nomi-

nees.

Filing opens on March 16 and closes at

noon on March 30. However, any Democrat

who is interested in running for office should

take part in Precinct Re-organization, which

takes place on Saturday, March 3.

Anyone interesting in running for office in

Dorchester County should also contact me,

David Rison, at 873-6928 or the county

party chair, Richard Hayes.

We need people willing to work for the bet-

terment of their communities. We need YOU!

David Rison, Committee Chair

Notes: anyone interested in running for a U.S. Congressional office must contact the state Democratic Party directly

for information on filing (803.799.7798). Candidates for all other offices listed must file with the Dorchester County

Democratic Party between March 16 and March 30. Anyone interested in running for school board, which is a non-

partisan position that will also appear on the ballots in November, should contact the Dorchester County Election

Commission at 843.563.0071 or 843.832.0071. (School board races require candidacy by petition.)

Candidate Recruitment Committee wants YOU!

Offices That Will Appear on the 2012 Ballots

Here‘s a listing of some local events honoring

Black History Month; use the links highlighted to

learn more.

February 11

―From Slavery to Freedom‖

Magnolia Plantation

Highway 61 in Summerville

Many events and displays throughout the day,

$8 per person.

February 23 and 24

―African American Heritage Days‖

North Charleston Wannamaker County Park

This is intended for elementary and middle-

school students; registration is $8 per student.

Pre-registration by teachers required—call

843.795.4386 or visit www.ccprc.com.

Exhibits, reenactments and performances.

All Month Long

Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens

Exhibits on ―Black History in America‖ at the

eight historic cabins that once housed slaves.

Every Saturday in February and March

―Gullah Heritage‖

Charles Pinckney National Historic Site

Different exhibits beginning at 2 p.m. each

Saturday.

February 26

―Musical Unity Tribute and Dinner‖

Sponsored by African American Heritage

Council

At Joint Base Charleston

Starts at 4 p.m. at the Air Base Chapel. A free

dinner immediately follows the tribute.

Every Friday in February

Morris Brown AME Church

13 Morris St in Charleston

Different events every Friday evening begin-

ning at 6 p.m.

Sen. Ford Guest Speaker at February Breakfast

Guest speaker at our next breakfast meet-

ing will be state Sen. Robert Ford, who‘ll

discuss the Black History Month celebra-

tion of February.

Black History Month has been observed

annually in the U.S. since 1976.

Under the new district boundaries, Ford‘s

District 42 will include Dorchester

County‘s Patriot Precinct.

Beginning at 9 a.m. on February 18, the

event takes place at Ryan‘s in Summer-

ville (1314 N Main St.).

Attendees can partake in Ryan‘s breakfast buffet for only $8; coffee is in-

cluded. Just tell the cashier you‘re there for the DCDP meeting, and you can

go to the back room where we‘ll meet.

Solicitor Pascoe Contributes $1,000 to DCDP

At our January

meeting, district

Solicitor David

Pascoe came not

just for breakfast,

but to make a con-

tribution to our

county party, too.

Pascoe presented a

$1,000 check to

party chair Richard

Hayes that morn-

ing.

Pascoe is up for reelection this year. Let‘s give him our support!

Okay, so we‘re not having a monthly breakfast meeting in

March. But we‘re still having a little get-together on the

morning Saturday, March 17.

And in honor of it being St. Patrick‘s Day, we‘ll be

―thinking green.‖ As in, CLEAN UP green!

Join us that day as we complete our latest Highway Cleanup along our adopted

one-mile stretch of Dorchester Road.

We‘ll meet in the parking lot of the CVS Pharmacy (corner of Dorchester Rd

and Bacon‘s Bridge) at 9 a.m., and help return some ―green‖ to that section of

the highway that lists our county party as its sponsor.

We can complete that entire stretch in less than 90 minutes, and then hit a

nearby coffee and pastry shop afterwards.

Highway Cleanup for March 17!

Thought that title might get your interest, and that is how I think of it. Because if you bought a ticket to one of the fundraising events or sent the county party a donation—in essence, at the January Executive Committee meeting, I asked to spend your money. And I thought you deserved an explanation.

In the Dec11/Jan12 Blue Note there was a story about Voter Turnout that discussed how we had a 71% turnout rate in 2008, but a 43% turnout rate in 2010. We actually had some precincts that Obama won in 2008, that then had dismal turnout rates of close to 30% in 2010. I did a little checking, and some of those precincts had nobody show up at the precinct reorganization in 2010.

It's a basic concept that hav-ing some active precinct leadership improves voter turnout. So we couldn't really afford to do nothing and hope those precincts that have a bunch of Democrats just magically take care of themselves while having no active leadership. We had to take some sort of action to reach out and at least try and get someone interested in being active in those precincts.

But how? I didn't know what would be the perfect plan, but felt we had to start somewhere.

The idea I pitched at the January meeting was to send flyers

(mini Blue Notes) to 10-15 primary voters in 10 of the precincts that we had no leadership in after the 2010 reorganization; and follow up with reminder postcards to encourage them to come to the March 3rd reorganization meetings. The Executive Com-mittee decided to allow $250 for the project.

$250 worth of junk mail? To some, it would be junk, I'm sure. But the idea is that, to some of those voters, getting a four-page full-color newsletter will say that the Dorchester County Democ-

ratic Party cares about them, and maybe they will decide they care about the party. And maybe care enough to come to the re-organization meeting and be active this year.

So with my printer loaded up with about $80 worth of ink, around $75 worth of stamps, and $8 worth of envelopes - I ended up printing and mailing out 156 of the mini Blue Notes to Democratic voters in a total of 12 precincts. That

will be followed up with postcards in mid-February reminding them about the March 3rd precinct reorganization meetings.

Now, I don't expect 156 people to come rushing to our meet-ings. But, I'm a "Labor" guy, and I think if even two people show up in March and start working those precincts, that's two more volunteers we didn't have before. Two more volunteers to help with fundraisers. Two more volunteers to get voters out in No-vember. Two more volunteers who would be well worth $250 and the few days I spent on the project.

How We're Spending Your Money! (or “How We're Reaching Out To Democrats”)

by Clayton “Brother, can you spare $250” Seufert, Ashley River Precinct

In the photos above (both by Jonathan Allen/West Ashley Patch), you see some local Democrats from Charleston and Dorchester Counties crashing the candi-date forum held at College of Charleston’s Sottile Theater on Jan. 14

They crashed Santorum events. They weaseled their way into Romney events. They protested at the Myrtle Beach debate, the debate at the coliseum in North Charleston, and the candidate forum at College of Charleston, too. Local press gave them only just a little bit of attention, but the election itself was the news from their point of view, of course. (And candidates had dropped $13 million in advertisements on local media, too.) National media, however, were all over the active Democrats who partici-pated in those demonstrations! Some of our own Dorchester Democrats wound up in na-tional media, ranging from Huffington Post to the Wall Street Journal, and were even covered on TV’s NBC Nightly News and The Today Show. A lot of that national press coverage came from projects done by South Carolina Forward Progress. (Summerville native Lachlan McIntosh is co-founder of the group.) Forward Progress did a “Dogs Against Romney” skit at a Charleston event for the candidate, and crashed one of Romney’s Columbia campaign events with a “Greed is Good” Gordon Gekko impersonator. They were even in-vited to crash other campaign events. Tyler Jones with Forward Progress was a guest commenta-tor on MSNBC’s “The Ed Show” a couple of times in the week before the election, too. A photo from one of their “Dogs Against Romney” stunts appeared on Al Sharpton’s “Politics Nation” and many other national news programs.

Who said only they get to have all the fun? While the Republican candidates for president ran all around our state before the recent primary, many Democrats were hitting the pavement, too. And, boy, did those local Dems have a good time doing it!

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Voting is a right conferred upon a citizen. In order to participate in governing, one must vote. And in order to vote, one must be regis-tered. We all know this. But why conduct voter registration drives? Once a person is regis-tered, they can always vote, right? Wrong. In order to maintain a valid registration, we must advise the Board of Elections if we move from state-to-state or just down the street, or if one is living at a tempo-rary address, such as a college student. And if we change our name by marriage or divorce, the Board of Elections needs that information. So we have these registration drives to educate and to remind the public of their need to maintain accurate information. Additionally, the pool of eligible voters is not stagnant. People move away and people die. We need to replenish that pool with new eligible voters. With the onset of Inter-net voter registration and the registration when we renew our driver’s license, erecting a table outside of Wal-Mart

may not be the most efficient way to reach potential voters. But it is a method to reach that portion of the population that is not served by other methods, and it is a method on which we can have a direct effect. In order to reelect President Obama, we must turnout the De-mocratic vote. And in order to vote, you must be registered. So if you know a business per-son or company that would wel-

come a voter registration table, please email Diane Urig at [email protected].

Voter Registration Committee News: Let’s go get ‘em! By Diane Urig, a go-getting Committee Chair

Did You Know?

In the 2008 election, 58 percent of South Carolina voters between the ages of 18 and 39 voted for Barack Obama! Come help the Voter Registration Committee get more of these and other voters!

Have you ever seen it snow—really snow? In the eyes of a child it is one thing, and yet being an adult it is entirely different. For kids, it’s fun and excitement—making snowmen, throwing snowballs, building a snow fort, ice skating, hot chocolate and lots of laughter. On the other hand, for an adult it can be incapacitat-ing (to make someone or something unable to live or work nor-mally) if it is deep or not. Just ask the people in Alaska or Chicago or Buffalo. There are problems getting to work, local transporta-tion worries, caring for the elderly and children, food shortage, and lots of other difficulties. But when finished dealing with the snow, there is the pride in knowing you made it through. You know this is just like being a Democrat, a Joiner or a Doer. If you are a Democratic Joiner it can be lots of fun. There are con-ventions, parades, parties, breakfasts, greeting new people, lots of laughter. and you get to vote Democratic and no one will ever know. On the other hand, if you are a Democratic Doer there are meet-ings-committees-campaigning for our candidates-getting ready for the elections-organization of our precincts-having a say in what is happening in our Party-helping to elect strong Democrats that will uphold the values of our Party. It can be lots of work but it is re-warding. We need you to be a Doer. Every Precinct needs Doers. This

means being willing to hold a precinct office of President, a Vice Presi-dent, Secretary, or Ex-ecutive Committee Person. The precinct officers coordinate ef-forts between Grass Root members and the County and State De-mocratic Committees to determine what is needed in the Precinct. How can the Democratic County and State Committees know the need unless the message gets through? On the other hand, the County and the State Committees need to get messages to the Precincts. This action is a two-way street. Coordination between Precincts, County and State committees take the effort of people with their feet on the ground. Why does the Democratic Party not have candidates for every office? Well, who would make a great candidate in your Precinct? Do you know? Do you have any ideas? Do you even care? Finally want to do something? Then speak up, volunteer, and get

involved. You are needed. Make a difference in your Precinct, your

County and your State. Be a Doer, not just a Joiner.

All in the Eyes of the Beholder By Marty “Four Eyes” Turney

By Nancy “Ooh Ooh Ooh Yeah” Seufert

Yes, it is that time again when the candidates for

office are busy putting each other down. Besides

ripping each other to shreds, the candidates for

office are also busy attacking President Obama.

Are these attacks well-deserved? Well, I turned to

the best source to find out – the Republicans. I

know, dear readers, you think I have gone stark-

raving mad (well, maybe my husband Clayton

thinks so), but I haven‘t. I went to PoliticFact.

This group is decidedly a right-wing organization,

but to keep up appearances so they don‘t the win

the ―Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire‖ award, they gener-

ally show some of the truth. It also makes a good

conversation with those Republicans to quote their

own material. This list is in no particular order.

Obama Promise #1

Extend and index the

2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch During the election, President Obama pledged to

fix the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). The

AMT was originally put in place as a separate

income tax that was intended to ensure that the

wealthy people did not use loopholes to avoid

paying taxes (like they do now by placing their

money in the Cayman Islands.) If you reach a

certain minimum income level, you have to pay

this tax regardless of your deductions and exemp-

tions. However, the system was never updated for

inflation.

Why is this important? Before the AMT was

fixed, many middle-class people with large fami-

lies were paying more than the top 1% (yes, more

than the 13.8% Romney pays).

Obama Promise #2

Expand loan programs for small businesses So much for the charge of ―Job-Killing President!‖

Under this fix, small businesses were able to re-

ceive up to 90 percent of all qualified loans. This

bill was passed when we had a reasonable Democ-

ratic congress.

Why is this important? As Obama himself

stated, ―Our recovery in the present and our pros-

perity in the future depend upon the success of

America's small businesses and entrepreneurs.‖

Obama Promise #3

Establish a credit card bill of rights This law signed in 2009 prevents creditors from

imposing arbitrary rate increases on customers.

It prohibits most rate increases meant to penalize

consumers for late payments on unrelated ac-

counts, requires companies to post credit agree-

ments on the Internet, and prevents companies

from raising interest rates on existing balances

unless the bill goes unpaid for more than 60 days.

Why is this important? Ever open up a notice

from your credit card company telling you your

rate of 2% is now 15% when your credit rating is

the same? Can‘t happen now under this plan.

Obama Promise #4 “

Close the "doughnut hole" in the

Medicare prescription drug plan

In 2006, approximately 4 million seniors hit the

doughnut hole. This was the Medicare Part D

coverage gap in which Bush thought it would be a

‗great idea‘ that millions of seniors paid full price

for prescription drug coverage while paying full

price for prescription medications. Further, he

gave drug companies incentives to take advantage

of millions of seniors.

Why is this important? Do you really need to

ask? Under the previous plan any amount spent

between $896.25-$4,350.25 came out of pocket.

The average drug cost for seniors in 2010 was

$2,810.

Obama Promise #5

Require insurance companies to

cover pre-existing conditions Finally, as of March 28, 2010, the crook insurance

companies cannot disqualify people who have pre-

existing health conditions.

Why is this important? I am a diabetic, and pre-

viously before I married my wonderful hubby

Clayton, I could not get health insurance at any

cost. This change means that just because you

have a health concern, you are not forever barred

from insurance.

Obama Promise #6

Expand eligibility for State Children's Health

Insurance Fund (SCHIP) Under the Bushwhacked administration, SCHIP

expansion was vetoed twice. The next president,

though (our very own Obama), ‗refused to accept

that millions of children were without basic

needs.‘ He signed this important legislation into

law on February 4, 2009, proving that when you

have a congress who is willing to work together,

promises are kept.

Why is this important? Kids need to be able to

see a doctor to be healthy. The SCHIP program is

a proven-effective tool against many childhood

diseases since it allows kids to access health care.

Obama Promise #7

Require health plans to disclose how much of the

premium goes to patient care

On March 23, 2010, Obama signed the Patient

Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. Part

of the provisions of this law state health insurance

companies must disclose how much they actually

spend on health care. This also shows how much

gets paid in administrative costs (and fat-cat CEO

pay). Additionally, companies that provide insur-

ance for the small-group and individual markets

must issue rebates if they do not spend at least 80

percent of the premium revenue on medical care.

For the large-group market, the threshold is 85

percent.

Why is this important? This calls on those rich

buzzard insurance companies to spend our money

on what we paid for – HEALTH INSURANCE.

(No wonder the repugs want to reverse the results

of our hard-won battle for health insurance.)

Obama Promise #8

Fully fund the Veterans Administration On December 16, 2009, Obama signed a bill to

fully fund the VA for 2010. Just two months ear-

lier, Obama signed the Veterans Health Care

Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which

mandates that appropriations for VA medical

programs be approved one year ahead of time.

Why is this important? We owe our veterans a

debt. In exchange for their risking their lives to

protect us (and only for very low wages), our

country promised to take care of them. By fully

funding the VA and making sure that the funding

is in place a year in advance, the Republicans

cannot hold our veterans hostage.

Obama Promise #9

Fully fund the Violence Against Women Act On December 16, 2009, President Obama signed

the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010.

Congress gave the Office of Violence Against

Women $418.5 million, $29.5 million more than

in 2009. Of specific focus were the STOP

(Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors)

program, services for sexual assault victims, and

civil legal assistance programs for abused women,

which received $210 million, $15 million and $41

million, respectively.

Why is this important? The Violence Against

Women Act has transformed and impacted every

level of our society's response to domestic vio-

lence, sexual assault and stalking. Furthermore,

critical services for victims are maintained, and

vital partnerships with prosecutors, the courts and

law enforcement are continued so that perpetrators

are held accountable and victims are better pro-

tected from further abuse.

Obama Promise #10

End the ‘Stop-loss’ program of forcing troops

to stay in service beyond their

expected commitments In June 2011, the US Military finally put an end to

the stop-loss program. For those of you who don‘t

know what the program is: it‘s the involuntary

extension of a service member's active duty under

the enlistment contract, forcing him or her to re-

main on active duty beyond their initial end of

term of service date and up to their contractually

agreed end of obligated service. The stop-loss

program was an involuntary draft forcing hundreds

of thousands men and women to continue to serve

in the military beyond what they agreed to.

Why is this important? This allows these men

and women to get back to their lives.

I know this article is lengthy, but if you take the

time to look at some of the other promises of

change that Obama has kept, it might shut-up

those dang tea-baggers and educate some of our

Fox-influenced friends on the right.

What have you done for me lately? 10 particular campaign promises kept by President Obama

Calendar of Events

FEBRUARY

February 13 DCDP Executive Committee Meeting

7 p.m. at the County Code Building (Remember: this is the building BEHIND the County Council

Chambers of 500 N Main St. in Summerville)

February 15 Candidate Recruitment Committee Meeting

7 p.m. at the County Council Chambers Conference Room 500 N Main St in Summerville

February 18

DCDP Monthly Breakfast Meeting (See Page 5)

9 a.m. at Ryan’s (1314 N Main St in Summerville) State Sen. Robert Ford will be guest speaker.

$8 for breakfast buffet (pay us in the back room)

February 25 BBQ & Blues (See Page 3)

6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Ice House Restaurant (104 E Doty in Summerville, formerly Breck’s)

Come enjoy good food and music with the Blue Party!

MARCH

March 3 Precinct Reorganization Meetings

(See Page 2)

10 a.m. at County Council Building in Summerville

(for precincts in lower Dorchester County)

10 a.m. at Waggoner Building in St. George

(for precincts in upper Dorchester County)

10 a.m. at Sand Hill U.M Church in Ridgeville

(for Delemars Precinct)

March 16 Candidate Filing Opens

(See Page 4) Everyone who wants to run for any federal, state or county office can begin campaign registration

on this day.

March 17 Highway Cleanup!

(See Page 5) Join us as we clean up one mile of Dorchester Road!

Meet at 9 a.m. at CVS Pharmacy parking lot (corner of Dorchester Rd and Bacon’s Bridge)

March 19

Dorchester County Democratic Party Convention (See Page 2)

7 p.m. at Ridgeville Town Hall (105 School St in Ridgeville)

Election of County Party Officers and of State Delegates State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter will be featured guest.

March 30

Candidate Filing Closes All candidates must register by 12 noon on this date.

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Congratulations to Debbie Mortellaro for taking the championship in our Dorchester Democrats Fantasy Football League! Here’s the final standings and playoff results: Lowcountry League Mort’s Slightly Improved Kats 10-5 Rison’s Raiders 9-6 Turney’s Tornadoes 8-7 Palmetto Pack Rob’s Roosters 8-7 Jake’s NFL Greats 7-8 Ziggy’s Patriots 3-12 Playoffs—Week One Mort’s Slightly Improved Kats (1) 129.58 Turney’s Tornadoes (4) 91.92 Rob’s Roosters (2) 125.96 Rison’s Raider’s (3) 130.52

Championship Mort’s Slightly Improved Kats 172.66 Rison’s Raiders 92.20