Debating Antoine

Debating with Antoine

February 1, 2012 By wesleydonehue

Day 180 – WACH Fox Pub Politics is always one of my favorite things to do every week. I don’t have to go very far from my office, and I’m able to go out and have a mainstream outlet to talk about the issues that matter to me. And, it’s not in a bar. I know I won’t have one too many and say something I regret later.

Antoine Seawright filled in this week. Phil was sick, and Antoine did a great job. He’s Phil’s right hand man in the Senate and as Deputy Director of the Democratic Caucus he’s someone who I enjoy working with…or against. Either way I’ll take.

Voter ID was our big topic of discussion. Earlier this week, Kevin Schwedo announced that voter rolls in S.C. had over 30,000 dead folks registered to vote and then made the earth shattering revelation that as many as a 1,000 reportedly dead voters had cast votes. This just furthers the case for Voter I.D.

However, a claim never goes without opposition. Marcy Andino of the State Election Commission then reported that most of these voters were actually alive, and that in small communities voters were incorrectly reported dead by the state. Killed by the state, perhaps?

In a democratic process where elections can be close, it’s vital to have secure elections. Santorum’s reversal and win in Iowa was by 12 votes. Who even knows if that’s the real number? Regardless which side you take, it’s clear that communication and updated records is important- accuracy should be a priority.

Communication is inefficient, especially in more rural areas. Even Antoine agreed.

What I also disagreed with him on was that he claims that suing the federal government will waste taxpayer dollars. I disagree. Securing our elections is important and should be a priority.

But, fortunately we agreed on the larger principle that keeping taxes low will create jobs. I enjoy working with Democrats in this state as many aren’t the Washington tax and spend Liberals. A good number of them understand that low taxes and the free market spur job creation. You can thank the Sanford Administration, and Governor Haley for helping our economy grow in this rough time.

Regardless of where you stand, I love my weekly WACH Fox. I can talk about the issues, and present them in a way that the public can understand. It’s truly a blessing to have the opportunity, and be sure to tune in this week.