LETTER: Barrett made fatal voting error
Recently, Gresham Barrett's campaign has been running damage control ads in trying to re-assert his conservative credentials in the hopes of keeping his seat and, of course, to try to stave off the eroding support he has for running for governor. By touting ACU ratings and having supportive statements by no less than Lindsey Graham (which makes me even more in opposition to Barrett), does Gresham's campaign really think this will help win back the many hard-line supporters he once had?
Let me spell it out for you. Gresham Barrett's treasonous vote to usurp constitutional responsibility of the "power of the purse" of Congress and transfer it to the United States Treasury Department by developing a never-ending, continuously refilled slush fund known as TARP which can be used at the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury without strings attached, is worth a thousand liberal, socialist votes. You cannot compare a vote to support the Boy Scouts of America with such a unbelievably fundamentally flawed vote in support of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.
Yes, you can have a lifetime of making the right decisions - of voting the right way - but when you make a mistake of this magnitude, of such a measure, it should be nothing short of career ending for any truly American politician of which enjoys a position by Republican, conservative votes.
Before you start thinking between the lines, I was one of those hard-line supporters of Gresham Barrett. I was there, calling his office, writing him letters along with the other 70 percent of his district that made it clear, with all the right reasons, why he was to represent us and vote "no" on that bill. All that was necessary was for a few local industrialists to call him on the carpet and for them to insinuate they would be unable to make payrolls because loans would not be provided to them and for him to change his vote against virtually his whole district. Now I support him no longer for governor or dog catcher of South Carolina.
These ads are proof positive that he is trying to do damage control. If I have the tea party participants figured out correctly, memories of the people of this state will not be so short for Barrett or Graham. We will see if the movement truly has the staying power to 1) throw the bums out and 2) ensure such irresponsible people are kept from public office ever again - especially when they have given proof to their stupidity and irresponsibility. Time will tell how this disaster of a candidate and representative will play out at the ballot box.
Will Tinney
Aiken