When my Papa was in the Navy, he said the boys from South Carolina treated one another like cousins. “Where ya from?” they’d ask. “McBee.” “Walhalla.” And nod as if these towns shared a stoplight.
In New York City, wearing a navy blue hat with a palmetto tree on it, someone asks, “Where in South Carolina ya from?” “Easley.” “Marion.” And they nod as if these towns share a high school football team.
In an airport bar, watching a football game, the rando next to me says, “Went to Clemson?” “Class of ‘99.” “Eighty-eight.” As if we’d taken the same chem professor spring semester.
South Carolinians are a family. We know our values, what’s important, what we’ll stand for, and what we won’t. We may not always agree, but we love one another fiercely.
On the 81st Anniversary of D-Day, I’ve been thinking a lot about Dwight D. Eisenhower. Did you know he wrote a speech just in case D-Day didn’t work out? The speech, on a scrap of paper, did two incredible things: 1) it took responsibility for the decision to invade and 2) it took responsibility for the invasion’s failure. The day was not a failure, and Eisenhower never needed that speech, but he wrote it and he meant it. He meant that the decision and its consequences were his.
We have too few leaders like that these days; leaders who own the choice and are accountable for the outcome. It is my intention to be a leader like that.
My role in the United States Senate will be South Carolina first. Not Kasie. Not party. Not federal government. South Carolina. And we may not always agree on everything, but I hope you’ll agree that I represent us well. I’ll be a Senator you can be proud of.
I believe in small government. In every challenge, I will ask, “Can this be solved with less government?” It’s not that I want to dismantle our public institutions or drain the swamp. I am not afflicted with a psychotic hatred for bureaucracy. I understand the value of systems and processes and I respect the role an organized government plays in a civilized nation. But I also recognize inefficiency when I see it. I think we all do. Inefficiency is expensive and we are significantly over budget.
The programs, systems, and institutions we fund should create value. That value should be demonstrable. Let’s hold accountable all of the institutions we are supporting and require that they meet key performance indicators, meet specific goals, and deliver clear results. And if they don’t, let’s eliminate them.
I will push for a 5% reduction in every government agency every year until we get spending under control. We cannot sustain the level of waste we are currently perpetuating through bad policy and worse politics. Congress has the responsibility of oversight; let’s use it.
I believe in representation. Our current senators don’t work for us, they have been hired by the Republican party. They represent Republican interests. While political parties used to be a shortcut for understanding policy, now they are untaxed corporations shamelessly selling government influence to their donors. As their employees, our Senators are paid in campaign financing and committee appointments. To meet their employment terms, our Senators do what’s best for the party. Not what’s best for South Carolina.
I will do what’s best for South Carolina. I will continue to visit town festivals and county fairs, hold public meetings, and reach out to individual citizens and communities. I will represent our state and when I don’t, I hope you’ll call me directly and tell me what I need to know.
I will push for campaign finance reform including federal contractors disclosing their contributions to PACs and 501(c) groups that are active in politics. There is a direct correlation between contributions to the major parties and contracts assigned to donors. This is a fleecing of taxpayers and the major parties are complicit.
In the 81 years since D-Day, we have faced a number of opportunities for true leadership. But division, fear, and anger are the commerce of today’s politics. I reject them. I choose love.
When I get to Washington, I’ll wear our state symbols and look out for other South Carolinians. I’ll ask “how’s your mama?” like the last time we met was at the cookout. You and your family are kin to me and I’ll love you as such, just as I love our state and our nation.
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