Dr. Paul E Richardson- Obama Delegate (Horry County)
Please see about section for bio
professorbiochem@sc.rr.com
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Susan Smith-Edwards Delegate (Georgetown County)
Susan was born into a family of Republicans and saw the light in 1988 when she became inspired by Al Gore, the first Democrat she ever supported for president. She has steadfastly continued her admiration for Al Gore, even going so far as to attend the Live Earth Concert last summer as a birthday present from husband Richard. Because of Al Gore, she has accepted the Green Challenge to inspire our SC delegation to ‘go green.’ She hopes that our delegation can win a prize for most delegate participation for altruistic reasons and one selfish one. Her dream is to meet Al Gore and she hopes she gets the chance in Denver.
She served as the (not so) young College Democrats president while at Columbia College and was thrilled to be chosen twice as a Fellow for the Center of the Study of the Presidency. She was present at the historical speech President Reagan made in 1988 (that he conveniently had forgotten by the time of the Iran Contra hearings) where he declared that Oliver North should be considered a national hero. Another highlight was that on the very same day she gave a presentation in her World Government class on why we could trust then Soviet president Mikael Gorbachov, citing his policies of Glasnost and Perestroika, the Berlin Wall separating communist East Germany from West Germany fell that very evening (Nov. 1989)with no interference from him.
Certainly, her politics have been influenced by two of her beloved history and political science professors, Drs. Seldon Smith and Robert Moore. She was inspired by their personal stories of marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and meeting fellow marchers, civil rights legends such as Modjeska Simkins and Judge Matthew Perry through her professors. She was able to see one of her favorite writers, Elie Wiesel because Dr. Smith, who was responsible for the SC Legislature to pass The Holocaust Remembrance Day, has been active in furthering the dialogue between Christians and Jews. They live their Democratic beliefs by supporting the party and by being community activists and Susan continually tries to live up to their fine examples.
After Susan and Richard’s move from Columbia, SC to Richard’s native Pittsburgh, PA, she continued her activism by working for the Pittsburgh ACLU, where she made lasting friendships. However, she missed the sunshine and blue skies and so, fortunately, she and Richard moved back to SC and Richard was able to return to McNair Law Firm as a partner. She is happy living in North Litchfield Beach and happy to be able to participate in Democratic politics. At present, she serves as the chair of the Waccamaw Neck Democrats, is the female alternate EC for Georgetown County and is a co host of the Pawleys Island Drinking Liberally. She also serves on the Coastal Carolina Board of Advisors and as the secretary of a national election integrity organization, National Elections Data Archives (NEDA).
When asked for her endorsement of John Edwards in 2007, Susan said this; “I am a Democrat because I believe in social and economic justice for everyone and I support John Edwards because he shares this belief.” She served as the Georgetown County steering committee chair for him, and was excited when Senator Edwards made two trips to Georgetown County, one to the Steelworkers Union Hall and one trip to North Litchfield. Senator Edwards was the first Democratic presidential candidate in history to visit the Waccamaw Neck. The only present Susan wanted for Christmas was a trip to Iowa for the Iowa Caucus. And so, among other things, she phone banked with Senator Edwards parents and was completely charmed by them, She was thrilled when the son of her greatest hero, Martin Luther King, Jr. endorsed John Edwards and still gets emotional when she reads this “I believe now more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up every morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their minds, and who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we can make major strides in our own lifetimes. My father was not driven by an illusory vision of a perfect society. He was driven by the certain knowledge that when people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things better, we can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change lives. So, I urge you; keep going, ignore the pundits, who think this is a horse race, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and as a believer in my father’s words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud. Sincerely, Martin L. King 111.”
As heartbroken as she was when John Edwards suspended his campaign, another dream was fulfilled when she was elected as an Edwards delegate to the national convention. She promised to pledge her vote to whomever John Edwards endorsed and so when John Edwards endorsed Barack Obama, she followed his lead. She was assured by Senator Obama in a conference call with other SC Edwards delegates that he would be running on John Edwards platform in the fall and he wanted John by his side in any capacity that John would choose.
A personal message from Susan:
As Senator Obama secured the nomination, my heart went out to Clinton supporters because I felt that same piercing sense of loss when John Edwards suspended his campaign in late January. I know that Senator Clinton’s supporters are hurt, and want their votes to count and their voices heard. I know that for some, they are flirting with supporting John McCain for president. This is a dangerous idea and one that should not be entertained. John McCain admits that his presidency would be a third Bush term. We simply cannot afford a third Bush term. I would like to caution Obama supporters as well. Do not gloat because if it’s perceived as this, it means that you’re only building walls when you need to be building bridges. One thing is clear, we are all needed to elect Barack Obama as our next president. We must elect him even if he wasn’t our first choice because now, he is our BEST choice for president. Some people have had their feelings hurt by other campaigns or people representing other candidates, but remember this. We Democrats are a FAMILY, sometimes not a happy family, but we must pull together and work. There is simply too much at stake, our record debt, record unemployment rates, bankruptcies, and scores of people living in poverty, not to mention Supreme Court nominations. I am a proud Edwards Democrat who says “Vote Democrat, the life you save may be your own.”
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Marilyn Hemmingway- Edwards Delegate (Georgetown County)
Marilyn L. Hemingway
Owner: The Hemingway Group, LLC
E-mail marilyn@thehemingwaygroup.biz
A native of Georgetown, SC, Marilyn L. Hemingway is a 1987 graduate of the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in Journalism.
She served has state political director of the 2008 John Edwards for President South Carolina campaign.
Her political career took wing when she volunteered as the executive committeeperson for Georgetown County and continued a family tradition of becoming heavily involved in South Carolina Democratic politics. In 2004, she served as a regional field director for the John Edwards for President Campaign and as the Base regional coordinator for the SCDP Coordinated Campaign headquartered in Charleston, SC. She was elected to serve as a 2004 delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Boston. As a freelance Marketing/Public Relations expert, Marilyn has managed the public relations for entertainers, non-profits, small businesses and individuals.
In 2006, Hemingway managed the 1st Congressional District winning runoff campaign for Randy Maatta of Charleston and continued to manage the campaign through the November 2006 general election.
Ms. Hemingway began her career in Columbia, SC in production at WACH Fox 57 and completed her television career as Director of Community Affairs. Moving to Phoenix, AZ, Marilyn served as an Account Executive with a woman-owned sole proprietor Advertising/Marketing agency in Tempe, AZ prior to becoming Marketing Director for Kaplan Educational Centers in Arizona. Upon moving back to the East coast, Hemingway became a computer contractor with Bellsouth in Atlanta, GA.
She is the daughter of Mr. Peter H. Hemingway and the late Mattie Daniels Hemingway of Georgetown. She is the proud Aunt of 8 nieces and nephews, four of whom along with her mother happily accompanied her to the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
The Grand Strand- No place like this place
