My Campaign Begins Anew

Author: Stan Deatherage | Published: September 13th, 2010


     Labor Day is behind us, and my campaign for re-election for county commissioner is before me. I begin the campaign anew, and with your help I will be re-elected.

    These days that we all exist in are pivotal in the salvation of our nation, and consequently, our county of this state is not immune to the economic damage foisted upon us all, a resulting consequence from the failed policies of the Democrats, who have controlled congress for nearly 4 years, and the current Democrat administration that has occupied the White House for almost 2 years. It all flows downhill and Beaufort County is the catch basin. The recent Beaufort County Medical Center debacle is a prime example of such.

    While the financial malaise that our hospital finds itself in could have been avoided by competent management, the problem was exacerbated by the failed policies of an disengaged congress, an overreaching judiciary and government bureaucrats who have never held a more productive job. The current Obama Administration, and the Democrat controlled congress has made the problem even worse by hiring more of these same bureaucrats by the means of the Stimulus Package in this most destructive recession. While more people are losing their jobs at an astonishing rate, we hire more bureaucrats. We give more Democrats jobs so they can: stifle effective management practices, spend the public's money to the exclusive benefit of their constituents and, of course, tax productive citizens to continue their secular policies: For example turning the Save the Planet initiative into a neo-religion.

    It makes no sense, right?

    The Democrats I run against agree with these ideals because their party considers the principles that sustained this nation in the past to be obsolete. The principles that mange their ambitions are always relative. Therefore, the principle of personal accountability does not effectively mesh with their reaching out to the special needs of a "rainbow coalition" of separate special interest groups. In this scenario personal accountability becomes the first casualty. The next casualty is the integrity of the individual politician. When the needs of the party becomes so great, the weaker politician will sacrifice their personal integrity for the strength of the party.

    I am not that weaker politician, and I have never acted in concert with the group, the mob of collective reasoning. It has cost me politically over the years, but I am still here: Standing tall for constituents, with my integrity fully intact. When the Republican Party lost its way at the national level, and moreover in Beaufort County, I stood against that sweeping tide.

    It was tough seeing my local party, which I helped build, become the feeding trough for their version of special interest, and, of course, I resented being thrown out the local party because of my view that politicians should possess a measure of personal integrity, but fortunately I, and my best political friend, Hood Richardson, outlasted their divisive approach in remaking the Republican Party. We both knew that we could never sacrifice our personal integrity, and the collective integrity of those who elected us, irrespective of party's move to become one that subsisted at the whim of special interest.

    Fortunately that version of the Republican Party failed, and if it is to be risen again it will need to provide a roadmap to restore itself as the party of Ronald Reagan and not the party of Nelson Rockefeller. In order to accomplish that feet, the Republican Party’s elected leaders will have to separate itself from the wasteful, inane and unprincipled policies of the Democrats - not only at the national level, but here in Beaufort County as well.

    I always have kept my political distance from these wrong-headed policies, and in this race for county commissioner, I am the only Republican, Democrat and Independent (there is an unaffiliated candidate this year) that has proven that I will govern this