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Party politics pop up in Waldrep-MacKay race
MacKay responds to attacks on his Republican stance
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Cards sent to voters in Anderson County Council’s District 1 have Raymond MacKay seeing red.
His name is in red on those cards, and so is the word, “Democrat.”
Underneath those red words are three photos. A photo of MacKay is positioned between photos of presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. And it reads:
“Raymond MacKay claims to be a Republican. But in January of this year, he voted in the Clinton/Obama Democrat Presidential Primary. That’s right … only weeks before filing for Republican office, MacKay signed the Democrat rolls and voted Democrat!”
The back of the card states it was paid for by Waldrep’s campaign. It also says he was elected to by the Republicans to cast one of the state’s delegate votes in support of John McCain.
MacKay said he saw the flyer after it was handed to one of his campaign volunteers as they walked the district’s neighborhoods on Saturday, talking to residents.
“I would say that this election is not about how I voted in a presidential preference primary,” MacKay said. “It is about which one of us has the right vision for the future of Anderson County.”
MacKay and Waldrep are vying for the Anderson County Council District 1’s seat. They were forced into a runoff after neither failed to gain a majority of the votes in the June 10th primary. Waldrep received 45.84 percent of the vote, while MacKay received 48.98 percent.
MacKay said he was a Young Republican at 16 and was a delegate to the South Carolina State Republican Convention in 1974. And he has voted for every Republican presidential nominee since Gerald Ford was president.
He said he did cast his vote in this year’s Democratic Presidential Preference Primary — but not for Clinton or Obama as he says the flier suggests.
“I voted for John Edwards,” MacKay said. “I did so because he was a South Carolina native running a distant third at the time and I wanted him to at least have a decent showing in his home state.”
Reached late Sunday night, Waldrep confirmed that he sent out of the card about two days ago, as he said “to reveal that MacKay is truly a Democract.”
“Mr. MacKay, to my knowledge, has no credentials to claim any active membership in the Republican Party in Anderson County,” Waldrep said. “There has been no attendance by Mr. MacKay at any precinct activities that I’m aware of.”
In his response to the card, MacKay also brought up Waldrep’s party politics.
In his reply on the Independent-Mail’s Cocklebur Blog Forum, MacKay mentioned Waldrep’s change in political parties over the years.
“My understanding is that he was Democrat, then a Republican, then a Democrat again and now a Republican again,” MacKay wrote.
According to Independent-Mail archives, Waldrep switched from the Republican to the Democratic party in 1983. In ‘92, he considered switching parties but did not. Then in 1994, while he was a state senator, Waldrep switched back to the Republican Party.
“I did change to Republican from the Democratic Party,” Waldrep said, “but I’ve been actively engaged with the Republican Party since 1994, and I’ve been active with my support of Republican candidates.”
“What is so dismaying about this is that Waldrep has twisted and gyrated so much between the parties that he ought to be on “Dancing with the Stars,” MacKay said. “I have never been a member of the Democratic Party, never been elected as a Democrat or ran as a Democrat. He tries to attack me for a single primary vote? It lacks common sense.”
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Wow..... What a childish game to play.........
Is this how Waldrep will conduct himself in office?
I would have to vote for McKay. At least he seems honest and above childish game playing.
I concider myself a full fledge Republican as I have been involved in my parties meetings and I have helped in several campaigns.Also as Mr. MacKay I too voted in the Democratic primary for John Edwards, I feel that come time to vote in the run off myself and Mr. MacKay will be voting again for the same person. Waldrep I feel that you sir are out of touch with reality and need to find another career after this run off.
Trying to be both, is neither. It's called two faced.
What difference does it make which party a County Council candidate affiliates with? As with most local offices, all things being equal, a Republican is not going to do the job any differently than a Democrat. To vote a straight party ticket when actually knowing a candidate from the opposing party would be better is nuts in my opinion.
I agree completely with Niblits. Bob Waldrep needs to find another hobby AND JOB and lay off of Mr. MacKay.
Thanks Mr. MacKay for adding a touch of humor to the ridiculous and negative smear campaign that the Waldrep camp is running. If Mr. Waldrep is so out of touch that he doesn't realize that party affiliation plays no part in local politics then he needs for someone to douse him in a big bucket of reality. I challenge Mr. Waldrep to publicly acknowledge each and every decision that he made on council that was made because of his affiliation to the Republican Party. If he can't make decisions for the citizens of Anderson County that are based on sound judgement, factual information and by doing his own research then God help us all! Frankly, as a lifelong registered Republican I am embarrassed by Mr. Waldrep's tactics. He should know better and he should also know that now matter what party a person is registered to we all have a responsibility to use our intellect and ability to make sound judgement in voting not for the party but for the person. Shame, shame on you Bob Waldrep!
I voted for MacKay the first go around. I have changed my mind. I will not vote for him in the run-off.
Not only has he voted and declared himself a democrat in January. A search of the contribution records, shows that he donated $2,600.00 to politicians. all of the politicians were (drum roll please) democrats. He gave $1,000.00 to one-term governor JIM HODGES.
Is this the type of republican leadership we need at the "old historic" courthouse?
Not for me.
in response to scarlett
Are you part of the MacKay campaign?
There is on word to describe how Bob Waldrep runs his campaign and does his job on the county council......RIDICULOUS!!!
Party affiliation means absolutely nothing in local politics. Vote for the person you feel like can make Anderson County a better place to live. I will be voting for a change on our County Council come June 24th because I am tired of our County Council being a laughing stock in Anderson. I only wish that certain other Council members would have been voted out too.
in response to nxsadk
Unfortunately I am not a resident of Dist. 1 and cannot vote for Mr. MacKay but certainly would if I could. What I will do though is continue to strongly urge those who do live in Dist. 1 to cast their vote for him on June 24th. I'm greatly disturbed by the fact that Mr. Waldrep and a few other small minded people continue to imply that because you are registered to one party or the other you can only vote for that particular party's candidate. While I would like to think that my party produces the best candidates that unfortunately isn't always the case and I haven't and won't relinquish my right as free citizen to cross over party lines if neccessary and neither should Mr. MacKay.
in response to scarlett
I don't believe I asked if you lived in District 1. I asked if you were associated with the MacKay campaign?
in response to nxsadk
To answer your question....No. That is of course unless you consider knowing him, admiring and hoping he wins as being associated with the MacKay campaign.
Party affiliation has nothing to do with local politics if you are a democrat. That's because you have no party. You have no candidates.
MacKay is a democrat and he is not man enough to admit it. Let's face it, he said he was never a democrat, but the records show he voted and declared himself a democrat in January of 2008. Just a couple of weeks prior to proclaiming he is a lifelong Republican.
In case you missed it, the records also shows that he has not ever given a penny to a Republican. Never! All of his political contributions were given to democrats! Jim Hodges was the beneficiary of $1000.00. JIM HODGES!
No self-respecting Republican would ever give JIM HODGES a penny. Therefore, I respectfully introduce you to the DEMOCRAT----RAYMOND MACKAY!
Let's put this to rest. If Raymond MacKay is a lifelong Republican, have him produce evidence that he has given money to a republican. Have him produce evidence that he has voted in a Republican primary. Have him provide evidence that he has been supportive of the local, state, or national republican party.
It should be simple to produce a sign in sheet, a membership card, a candidate disclosure, something to prove he has supported republicans. There is proof to the contrary, he says he is a livelong republican. Mr. MacKay Prove it!
yankeefann....give it up already! What election did you win to become the moral compass for the Republican Party and all of its members? Have you not heard what has been said time and again regarding the fact that party affiliation has no bearing in local politics? Mr. Waldrep can't or won't state a single issue he voted on that was influenced by the fact that (at present) he is a registered Republican. That's because it doesn't matter what party you are or are not with! Please stop acting like child who is having a temper tantrum. I hope the people reading this know that you do not speak for all Republicans and that there are some of us out there who are embarrassed by you and quite frankly think you need to give it a rest. At this point I don't care if Mr. MacKay is registered with the little green men on Mars. What I do care about is having the best representation on council that we can possibly have. There are a multitude of Republicans and Democrats who want someone who has not gone negative and practices what he preaches. By the way, I believe Democrats who did not vote in the primary last week can vote in the runoff on June 24th. I'm sure after reading how horrible you think it is to be a Democrat they will be coming out to vote in droves but not for Mr. Waldrep.
It doesn't matter what he is or who he voted for in the January primary. Lest we forget, because there are no declared Democrats running for most local Anderson elections, anyone who wanted to vote in the primaries for sherriff, solicitor, and county council had to declare himself/herself Republican or give up having a say. After all, whoever wins the Republican primary will win the election. Thus, many of those voting for the District 1 seat may be Democrats. Many more may be Indepepndent. Heck, some may be members of the Green Party.
Furthermore, it seems a bit hypocritical for Mr. Waldrep to point to inconsistent party loyalty when the record clearly shows he may be the most inconsistent of all, changing parties whenever it suits him.
But at the end of the day, none of it really matters because party affilliation is irrelevent in local elections like these. The best man for the job should be chosen--regardless of party affiliation.
in response to DonnaAstuta
Well said! If Mr. Waldrep was willing to spend his own money on a "3rd grade" jab at his opponent, then how would he represent our district and our tax dollars? That's what's important to me, and I would imagine the majority of others in this district.
Everyone in District 1 needs to vote for Bob Waldrep. He stands for open and honest government. Preston and his people only stand for their self interests, and that's why Preston and his bunch are backing MacKay. MacKay will be Preston's Boy if elected.
I am not a Democrat or a Republican, but when it comes down to voting party lines, you lose your voice. I am totally disgusted with George Bush and the shape that this country is in. I am not a Clinton fan, but when Bill Clinton was President the economy boomed. It is time for a change from the top down. The problem is there is "NO ONE" from the Republican or Democrat ticket that is capable of turning this country around. So, I guess we must choose between continuing the Bush policies or taking a chance on Obama. The choice is yours.........
In response to scarlett,
I agree with you in the fact that party affiliation has little to do with county council races. I will be voting for Mr. MacKay. However, I did want to clear up a mistake. One would have had to vote in the Republican primary OR not have voted in either primary to vote in the runoff. Yes, Democrats can vote in the runoff, but ONLY if he or she voted in the Republican primary or did NOT vote in the Democratic primary. ( S.C. Code 7-13-50, 7-13-1040, 7-17-610)
So what does that make him - a communist? Republican leadership is why the county, state, and country is in a mess right now. I will vote for anything but never a republican. They are for the rich and corporations. Wake up people!!
I wanted to clarify that with my previous post, I intended to clear up any confusion regarding voting eligibility in the upcoming runoff election in County Counicl District 1 within the context of the June 10th primary. It had nothing to do with Mr. MacKay's vote in the presidential primary in January.
Get a life people.......Vote Raymond MacKay...It is time for a change and Bob Waldrop confirmed that!
in response to cwilson4
I'm sure the Democrats as well as the majority of Republicans in this area are shaking their heads and thinking that the Anderson County Republican Committee has gone completely mad! Last time I checked this was still a free country and our right to vote for the candidate of our choice was still that....our choice and not the party's choice. At what point did we lose that right? Are they going to censure everyone registered with the Republican Party who has ever crossed party lines to vote? Do we need to just go ahead and turn ourselves in to be branded or are they going to hunt us down? If these are the kind of people that are supporting Bob Waldrep then I think we should consider not only removing him from office by voting for MacKay but we need to give some serious consideration to booting the whole Anderson County Republican Party Committee.
in response to scarlett
you paint with a very broad brush to say what the few have posted on these pages is representative of the whole. and how are you going to muster the support to "boot the whole Anderson County Republican Party Committee"? you're having a hard time mustering the support for your candidate. are you suggesting because they don't support your candidate then they should all go? four sentences ago you were reminding us of the importance of it being a free country and "the process". i would think a party would want to keep watch for people wanting to represent themselves with the Republican party to gain the perceived advantage of that, while their actions (contributions, voting history, affiliations and associations) say different.
thats called a poser!
I tried not to weigh in on this issue but... I am amazed in America that there is this much discussion about a Republican candidate that voted in the democratic primary. SO WHAT!!!!!!! does that make him a bad person?? Does that change his platform??? IT IS AMERICA a free democracy!!! FREE I repeat. It does not matter on the local politics level what party you are affiliated with. Good grief he has not tried to hide what he did, he hasn't tried to say I might switch parties. He did what lots of good republicans do they will vote for the candidate that is most likely to loose in the primary election. Face it the republicans would have been better off in the fall if John Edwards were on the ticket opposite John McCain. Get off McKay and move on. This should be a mute issue. This petty politics makes us all look like hicks in Anderson county. Smear campaigns hurt everyone in the county not just the politicians.
Excuse me, but even Rush Limbaugh told Republicans to vote in the Democrat primary!
See: http://www.offthekuff.com/mt/archives...
I guess some people think that it is ok for some, but not others. Raymond MacKay explained why he voted in the Democrat primary - he wanted to vote for a SC native - John Edwards. At least he hasn't waffled like Bob Waldrep who was a democrat senator:
http://www.box.net/shared/jsoxmedc0c
Some people are straining at gnats and swallowing camels!!! Stick to the issues at hand and stop the dirty politics.
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