You might wonder why I would even care about sharing the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of South Carolina Politics but not everyone gets an inside view. That inside view especially as a South Carolina woman in politics can be quite interesting.
I want to start off by saying my twelve years serving the State in the South Carolina Senate has been an honor, one that few people have the opportunity. I’ve have had the occasion to meet Presidents, presidential candidates, US Senators and Congressmen and Women from across the country. I have even had the opportunity to meet World leaders and Ambassadors. I have hosted people from foreign countries in my office and home teaching them about southern culture. Most of all I have enjoyed working with my fellow legislators to help the people of South Carolina.
I took the job very seriously and made changes for Children and Families. We made life a little safer for those caught up in Domestic Violence and helped with the stigma of suicide. The Disability Community are no longer treated as second class when it comes to a pay check. Veterans now have more tax deductions. There are so many more things that were done and so much to still be done. These are all really good things that Happen in politics but it took some bad and really really ugly things to get there sometime.
When I was elected in 2012, my first day in the Senate was an adventure. I had never served in elected office and walking into that beautiful Statehouse and sitting there with my 45 male counterparts was quite the shock on this poor little girl from Batesburg-Leesville. Being the only woman didn’t feel so unusual until the Lt Governor said “Gentlemen of the Senate please rise”! They had said that so long they forgot they had a woman in the chamber. I’ll never forget, Senator Vincent Sheehen spoke up and said “I think we forgot someone” , so the Lt Governor started over and said “Lady and Gentlemen of the Senate please rise.” And so it would be for about two years until they were persuaded to say “Members of the Senate.”
For those first three years I was the only woman on any committee I served, but I did get chosen for some good opportunities like Escort Committees for the Governor or Special committees because it would look better if we had a women on there and they didn’t have many to choose from!
As most legislators who get elected we all think we are coming to change the world but once you get in the Senate you find out everything is by seniority and that first couple years, you don’t have any. My advice is to try to find at least one committee you like and stay on it, you have to pick five, but the one you stay on, you grow seniority on the committee and one day, maybe eight years later you get to become Chair which is what I did on Family and Veteran Services.
No one liked that committee so freshman would come and go but that was because it was named the General Committee. When I became Chair after about four changes in Lt Governor (that’s another story) I asked to change the name to what we really did and then everyone, especially the men, liked it because it said Veterans and that looked good when they ran for re-election. Go figure. We got more codes transferred to the committee and ended up being a pretty busy force passing a lot of important legislation.
Those freshman years you learn a lot. You hear every one talk about how bad this Senator is or who gets things done, but the best lesson I think my freshman class learned was from Senator Hugh Leatherman. He told us at our orientation that freshmen should be seen and not heard. We sat back and saw how things were done. Most of us didn’t really go to the podium to speak unless it was serious.
Until this year, twelve years later, no one ever lost an election. That election was lost by me and I lost because of voter apathy and one issue. But looking in the rear view mirror and all that is going on right now in the political arena I think 12 years was just enough.
The name of the blog, While I Breathe, refers to the South Carolina State motto, Dum Spiro Spero – While I breathe I hope.
While I breathe, I hope – and pray – to make things better for the state of South Carolina and the wonderful people who make it so very special.
So much more to come…..
WHILE I BREATHE 