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What Voters Did NOT Vote for in South Carolina

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The minute the polls close following a contentious election, the first question on everyone’s mind is: who won? The question that is obviously never asked is: what won? That is because issues are never on the ballot; only personalities are on the ballot.

There are three indelible factors in politics that are often overlooked by those of us who live and breathe this stuff for a living. 1) Perception is reality, even if the reality is antithetical to the public perception of a candidate; 2) voters ultimately cast ballots for individuals based on persona, not a coherent set of principles; and 3) name ID is the single biggest determinant of success.

As a result, political commentators all too often think that because, in their minds, candidate A believes in one set of principles and candidate B believes in another set of principles, voters who chose candidate A desired those policies and principles over candidate B’s. Unfortunately, elections don’t work that way. Many voters have no idea where a candidate really stands on the issues and often think their candidate believes the very opposite of his real position.

Consider the following: By a margin of 70-20%, Trump supporters in South Carolina, according to a PPP poll, want the Confederate Flag to fly over the state capital. But here’s the kicker: Trump himself supported Nikki Haley’s decision to remove it! Again, perception is reality, even when the reality is antithetical to the perception.

More than 55% of South Carolina voters picked Trump and Rubio combined. But it’s quite evident from the exit polling and the mood of the electorate that voters did NOT vote for the following (positions taken by at least one of the aforementioned candidates):

Single-payer health care

Eminent domain

Women in combat

Being an “honest broker” between Israel and the Palestinians

Open borders

The homosexual agenda

Judicial supremacy

Abortion and funding Planned Parenthood

Raising taxes on the wealthy

Cutting deals with the Democrats and establishment Republicans

In fact, it’s quite evident that voters want the exact opposite. The GOP electorate is larger, more conservative, and more religious than ever. And the 800-pound gorilla in the room is immigration. You can’t have a party that ignores its base on such a critical issue for over 20 years and get away with it forever. Whether Trump is sincere or not will be determined in the future, but his initial decision to jump on this issue has forever cemented his perception as the anti-establishment candidate who will fight political correctness. Three-fourths of the voters support a temporary ban on Muslim immigration, an issue we were proud to spotlight early and often here at Conservative Review – long before Donald Trump ran for president.

In addition, among voters to whom “shared religious beliefs matter,” Trump won a plurality, despite the fact that, in reality, he is not very religious at all. But he still won in a record turnout among Evangelicals. Again, perception is reality. And although Cruz won a plurality among self-described “very conservative” voters, Donald Trump still placed a close second, which means he is clearly siphoning off large numbers of the core base in addition to non-ideological and new voters.

At this point, Donald Trump is the clear front-runner. But what is also the front-runner are the principles and issues we’ve spotlighted for so long and will continue to do so, irrespective of who wins the nomination. Men are fallible, but principles endure. (For more from the author of “What Voters Did NOT Vote for in South Carolina” please click HERE)

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Police Officer Dies in Random South Carolina Mall Shooting

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A police officer responding to a report of a suspicious person was fatally shot at a suburban South Carolina mall on Wednesday, and police say a suspect is in custody.

The incident began when the report came in just before 8 a.m., Forest Acres police Chief Gene Sealy told reporters. Two officers responded and attempted to talk to the person, who fled on foot and ran through parts of Richland Mall, including the Barnes and Noble bookstore, officials said . . .

Sealy said a suspect is in custody and is being questioned. Sealy described the man as being armed with a handgun and a knife at the mall. Police did not detail any charges against the man and did not take questions at their news conference. (Read more from “Police Officer Dies in Random South Carolina Mall Shooting” HERE)

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In South Carolina, Clinton Forces Try to Tap Obama Magic (+video)

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Photo Credit: CNNTo hear some tell it, the 2008 South Carolina primary clash between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton was a few steps away from a full-blown race riot.

“It was unbelievable down here in 2007 and 2008,” said Bridget Tripp, a Democratic organizer from Lexington who supported Obama in that year’s primary. “Bill Clinton was going through downtown Columbia calling Barack Obama a racist.”

It never got that bad, of course. But in the runup to the contest and in its aftermath, the Clinton campaign scrambled to explain away comments that rankled the black community: Hillary Clinton seeming to downplay Martin Luther King Jr.’s role in passing the Civil Rights Act, Bill Clinton’s biting characterization of Obama’s campaign as “the biggest fairy tale I’ve ever seen” and a range of remarks from Clinton allies that seemed to belittle Obama’s achievements.

Bill Clinton’s remarks in particular went over so poorly that South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, then the state’s highest-ranking African-American in Congress, went on national television and told the former president to “chill.” The morning after Obama’s crushing 28-point victory, Bill Clinton waved it off in glib terms, comparing Obama to Jesse Jackson, just another black candidate with black support.

The loss was a stinging defeat for the Clintons, a Southern power couple who viewed their longstanding friendships in the African-American community as crucial bulwark against any Democratic foe.

Read more this story HERE.

Proposed State Law Aims to Nullify Obamacare

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Photo Credit: WND

Photo Credit: WND

South Carolina lawmakers have a proposal in their legislative pipeline that would nullify the federal Obamacare law.

Observers say the state likely will be the first in the nation to exempt citizens and businesses from participation in Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

Critics already have declared the bill is racist and argue that federal law trumps state law. They charged that state lawmakers can’t opt out of the law because they don’t like President Obama.

The South Carolina bill prohibits state agencies and officers from implementing any portion of the federal mandate, outlaws state insurance exchanges and directs the state attorney general to sue over selective enforcement of the Affordable Health Care Act.

Supporters of the bill contend it aligns with a Founding Father’s solution for states confronted by an unwarranted federal law.

Read more from this story HERE.

OFA Holds “Obamacare and You!” Event in South Carolina; Two People Show Up

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Photo Credit: ijreview.Thursday evening, Organizing for Action (known by most of us as Obama’s reelection campaign) held an “action event” called “Obamacare and You!” in Greenville, South Carolina.

Here’s how an advertisement hyped it up:

Let’s discuss what this Affordable Care Act means for you and your community. This session will help you understand the benefits and will equip you to spread the word about the benefits of Obamacare in your community. Come out and get the facts!!

Read more from this story HERE.

South Carolina Tea Party Drafts Resolution Calling for Ouster of Lindsey Graham

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Photo Credit: Getty Image

Photo Credit: Getty Image

On Monday, Breitbart News reported that South Carolina Tea Party activists have drafted a resolution calling for the replacement of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., citing 29 points against the Republican senator.

In August, the Chesterfield County GOP passed the resolution with 98 percent of those present voting to approve the measure.

“This reflects the continued frustration of many in the party with officials who are elected as Republicans and then seem to forget the doctrine of the party when they assume office,” Joshua Cook wrote.

“The Chesterfield County Republican Party upholds traditional conservative Republican principles and we expect those who are elected under its banner to also adhere to this same standard,” said Chesterfield County GOP Executive Committeeman Glenn Gulledge. “Lindsey Graham has committed a long series of actions that we strongly disapprove of and hold to be fundamentally inconsistent with the principles of the South Carolina Republican Party.”

“The 29 points documented in this censure clearly illustrate this trend and make it clear that he is not consistently representing some of our most valued, time-honored tenets,” he added.

Read more from this story HERE.

Lookie Here! College Scans Students’ Eyeballs

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Photo Credit: WNDA public university in in Rock Hill, S.C., has announced it is implementing a new eye scanner system that collects and records data about the features of students’ eyes before granting access to school buildings this fall.

Winthrop University’s Associate Vice President for Information Technology James Hammond told Campus Reform the college plans to use the devices to stop “bad guys” from accessing buildings at the 445-acre campus.

The scanners, or “EagleEye stations,” cost an estimated $2,000 each. The university has already scanned the eyes of more than 1,600 of its students.

Winthrop University head of technology services, Patrice Bruneau, told WCNC-TV the school is taking extra precautions after Newtown, Conn., gunman Adam Lanza killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School and his mother Nancy Lanza, before taking his own life, on Dec. 14, 2012.

“The Newtown tragedy just got everybody’s attention,” Bruneau said.

Read more from this story HERE.

Despite Scandal, Ex-SC Gov. Sanford Back in Office

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Photo Credit: Rainier EhrhardtFour years after scandal derailed his political career, ex-Republican Gov. Mark Sanford once again holds a South Carolina political office, winning back his old congressional seat Tuesday after a race in which he battled his past and an opponent who outdid him in fundraising.

Sanford’s resurrection was completed when he defeated Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of political satirist Stephen Colbert, in a district that hasn’t elected a Democratic congressman in more than three decades.

“Some guy came up to me the other day and said you look a lot like Lazarus,” Sanford told a crowd of more than 100 cheering supporters at his victory celebration, referring to the man who, according to the Bible, Christ raised from the dead.

With all precincts reporting, Sanford had about 54 percent of the vote.

“I’ve talked a lot about grace during the course of this campaign,” he said. “Until you experience human grace as a reflection of God’s grace, I don’t think you really get it. And I didn’t get it before.”

Read more from this story HERE.

South Carolina House Passes Bill Nullifying Obamacare

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Photo Credit: Chip SomodevillaThe South Carolina House approved a bill Wednesday criminalizing the implementation of President Obama’s health care law in the state.

The Republican-controlled House voted 65-39 on the Freedom of Health Care Protection Act.

The act renders “null and void certain unconstitutional laws enacted by the Congress of the United States taking control over the health insurance industry and mandating that individuals purchase health insurance under threat of penalty.”

“This kind of victory occurs when the grassroots across the State come together and coalesce,” Chris Lawton, spokesman for the Greenville Tea Party, told The Greenville Post. “I could not be prouder.”

The bill declares “Obamacare” unconstitutional – despite the Supreme Court ruling last year that the Affordable Health Care Act was constitutional — and that there will be criminal penalties for enforcing the law.

Read more from this story HERE.

South Carolina Woman Accused of Using Ambulance as Taxi – at Least 100 Times

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Photo Credit: extranoiseA South Carolina woman was arrested after authorities discovered she called 911 at least 100 times in the past seven years to get rides into Charleston, the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office says.

Audrey Ferguson, 51, allegedly faked illnesses and would immediately sign out of area hospitals upon arrival, telling doctors she was fine, WCSC reports.

“She’ll have a vague medical complaint; for instance, abdominal pain,” Dorchester County EMS Director Doug Warren said. “She has medical complaints that are legitimate, and so until she’s been evaluated and determined not to be sick, we have to assume she is.”

Read more from this story HERE.