Since 2000, Republicans in South Carolina have shown that they hold a tremendous amount of power in state and national government. It has control of the majority of the state’s constitutional offices, the General Assembly, U.S. House of Representatives members, one of the U.S. Senate seats and will likely pick up another one in 2004 (but that will be a later article!).

However, there are still a few remnants of the Democrat Party left lingering in various government positions across the state.  In the Upstate, there is one state senator who needs to leave Columbia and go back to selling doughnuts for a living on a full-time basis.

I am referring to Spartanburg County District 11 state Sen. Glenn Reese.  A resident of Inman, SC, Reese has been in the state Senate for over 12 years.  He has sat on many committees since he was first elected in 1991.

Nevertheless, I believe the time has come for Sen. Reese to be replaced.

With Spartanburg County delivering huge numbers for Bush in 2000 and Sanford in 2002, Reese looks to be in a lot of trouble in 2004.  South Carolina is an overwhelmingly Republican state and Spartanburg County is even more Republican than much of the rest of the state.

Reese is only one of two Democrats in the Spartanburg County legislative delegation.

There are no announced candidates to challenge Reese, but Spartanburg County Councilman Steve Parker has expressed an interest in running against him again.  Parker won the Republican primary with 78 percent of the vote and was only narrowly defeated in the 2000 general election despite the fact he was not widely supported by the Republican delegation in Spartanburg County.

Reese has attempted to portray himself as a moderate Democrat who looks out for the interests of the people he represents in Spartanburg County.  But I disagree.

There are several reasons why I think Reese needs to be replaced:

1.  Proposes Politically-Motivated Legislation - When Reese introduced seven joint resolutions earlier this year to be debated in the state legislature regarding empowering the governor to appoint all of the state’s constitutional officers, he had no intention of seeing them passed into law.  His point was to force the debate with Sanford who called for restructuring in state government.  Additionally, Reese proposed allowing high-speed boats on Lake Blalock, despite the fact that it was found to be unfit for them.  It disturbs me when state lawmakers attempt to pass laws that they have not done any research about.  Reese obviously did not consult with anyone about whether his bill was feasible or necessary.  If Reese spent half as much time on researching and drafting legislation that will help the people in his district rather than trying to make a political point, then maybe something would get done in Columbia!

2.  Supports Losing Presidential Candidate - Reese was recently named Spartanburg County co-chair for liberal Democrat presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards (D-NC), who has been lagging way behind the other candidates in recent polls.  The only reason Reese is supporting Edwards is because he is from the Carolinas.  Realizing the choice of candidates for the Democrats is extremely weak, Reese said Edwards is as good as any of the others.  “I like him, and I think he's as good a candidate as we have,” Reese told the Spartanburg Herald-Journal.  Reese is settling for a second-rate candidate for president because he believes Edwards is just as unelectable as the rest of them are.  Gee, that’s leadership for the Democrat Party!

3.  He Is a Tax-And-Spend Liberal Democrat - Although he likes to portray himself as a moderate to conservative Democrat, Reese has voted against smaller government and lower taxes.  Rather than cutting or capping government spending and taxes during this year’s difficult budget, Reese voted against what his Spartanburg County constituents favor.  Earlier this year, Reese was one of only 14 state senators who voted against the budget.  Reese would rather continue the tax-and-spend policies of national Democrats like Sen. Tom Daschle, Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton.  He’s about as conservative as Bill Clinton is truthful.

4.  Derogatory Statements Against Christians and Political Opponents - Reese offended people of faith everywhere when he proposed legislation earlier this year requiring Sanford to “carry out the duties of the office and the administration of state government by applying biblical principles based upon his interpretation of the Bible.”  This was all just a big joke to Reese.  He even admits it was “a little bit tongue-in-cheek” in an effort to make fun of Sanford who told a group of Baptists that his term in office would “glorify God” and that he would use Biblical concepts in leading the state.  Admitting he was wasting his time on this joke of a bill, Reese declared, “I don't care if it passes or not.”  Reese used his position in the state legislature to criticize his political enemies rather than helping his home district.  Is this what we want our state senators doing on taxpayer time?

For these reasons and more, Glenn Reese must be replaced in Spartanburg County District 11 state Senate race.  We need someone who will represent the people of Spartanburg, not himself!