Long time, no see. The door is always open here in the Palmetto State and we've always got a fresh pitcher of sweet tea ready. But you don't come around no more. In fact, you haven't been here since January 26, 2008 when you won South Carolina's primary.
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| Happy to see Obama inaugurated? (Or to have a snow day?) |
Remember me? OK, probably not, but a week before that primary I saw you at the Columbia Convention Center on the eve of Martin Luther King Day. I hoisted my three-year old daughter onto my shoulders so she could see you. My six-year old son stood on his tippy-toes so he could catch a glimpse. Every time they heard your name on the radio or TV for months after that they would exclaim, "Hey, Daddy, they're talking about Barack Obama!" A year later, on your Inauguration Day we happened to have a rare snow storm here and so I got to stay home with the kids to watch the events of the day. Jacob estimated there must be "like 7,000 people there or something!"
So this week you'll be in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Democratic National Convention. Do you know how close that is to South Carolina? Pretty darn close. Like, as in, we have an amusement park that is in both Charlotte, North Carolina and in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
So, while you're in the neighborhood, stop by. We'd love to see you here. Some think that traditionally red states like South Carolina are a "lost cause," but others, even Republicans (including Karl Rove), think that you could win here. Do you think you could? Is there even a hint of a 50-state strategy this time around?
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| Friendship Nine Lunch Counter |
Get this fun fact: More than 385,000 registered black voters—and more than 168,000 unregistered voters for a grand total or more than a half million black voters—didn't show up to the polls in the 2010 election. In 2008 you lost South Carolina by 172,447 votes in the general election and it is estimated that nearly 400,000 black citizens did not vote.
And get this other fun fact: Mitt Romney enjoys a 0% approval rating among black voters.
Just sayin'.
Some think that black voters in South Carolina are essentially forfeiting races by not showing up. And you may have heard we've got a little Voter ID law debacle going on right now, too. Good times.
So, if you stop by, I've got a perfect place for you to stop in for a burger and some sweet tea: The lunch counter where the Friendship Nine did their sit-in protest in Rock Hill in 1961, a crucial event in the Civil Rights Movement here in South Carolina.
I was in Rock Hill several weeks ago and ate there. The food is delicious. And it's just a hop over the border from Charlotte. You could zip down, have a burger, a photo-op (maybe even with some of the Friendship Nine; I met a few of them at a premier of the documentary about them, "Jail, No Bail"), and be back to Charlotte in no time.
I was in Rock Hill several weeks ago and ate there. The food is delicious. And it's just a hop over the border from Charlotte. You could zip down, have a burger, a photo-op (maybe even with some of the Friendship Nine; I met a few of them at a premier of the documentary about them, "Jail, No Bail"), and be back to Charlotte in no time.
Could South Carolina get an hour or two of your time while you're next door?
Just some food for thought.
Sincerely,
The Palmetto State
