News
Smith on mission after Afghan tour: Gets name out in Upstate
November 11, 2008
"Education humanizes the heart and does not permit it to be cruel." That is a translation of the University of South Carolina motto that state Rep. James Smith carried with him during the year he spent serving as an Army National Guard captain in Afghanistan.Linda Bilanchone chats with James Smith after a Democratic luncheon Monday in Spartanburg. Smith, a representative serving Richland County, might be considering a run for governor.
Smith, D-Richland, is openly considering a 2010 gubernatorial bid, but spent the majority of his time in front of a room full of about 40 activists and party regulars Monday talking about his deployment.
Smith, 41, talked about the time he spent in Afghanistan's Zabul province. Going through a photo slide show, he told stories about mentoring Afghan police, which was part of his broader counter-insurgency mission. He talked about a fortress built by Alexander the Great in 350 B.C. that's still being used. He talked about relationship-building - with children, by telling them about the subjects his own sons and daughter were learning about in America, and with adults, how sometimes simply offering someone a clean bandage could do more to spread goodwill than any conversation.
He talked about villages where people were too afraid of the Taliban to tell U.S. troops what they had been through, and about the number of police officers and interpreters killed by the terrorist group for assisting the Americans. One interpreter heard chatter on a radio that Taliban gunmen had spotted Smith on a ridge, and they were about to fire. He ran to Smith's communications man and warned him of the impending attack, giving the captain the time he needed to get out of the way of a rocket-propelled grenade.
"He would give his life for this infidel in a second," Smith said. "And that's what will continue as we build relationships that transcend religious boundaries. That's how we will build a more peaceful and prosperous country and world."
A couple of Vietnam veterans in the audience, in a small room at the Golden Corral on W.O. Ezell Boulevard, expressed concern that President-elect Obama, eager to prove himself, would expend too many resources on what they considered a no-win situation.
Smith responded that all he could speak to was his mission, and the snapshot of Afghanistan in his mind from his time there.
Bill Pressley of Spartanburg said Smith would be good for the Democratic Party.
"We certainly need to show the Republicans that they don't have all of the military," Pressley said. "He's young and energetic, so that will help. But I just met him, so I don't know much about that."
Name recognition in the Upstate and Lowcountry would be a key factor for Smith to run a solid gubernatorial campaign. Several of those who listened to him Monday said they were glad to see him out so early. Smith said he plans to make a decision about a run for the Governor's Mansion by early next year.
"It will be interesting to see how many people see this as a first move, and whether it causes them to make their first move," Democratic activist Jonathan Metcalf said.
Former Statehouse candidate Will Rothschild said that if the Democratic Party wants to be successful in two years, it needs to delve into candidate recruitment now and know who its candidates are by March 2009.
"There's people who talk about patriotism and values, and there's people who live those things. (Smith) is definitely in the latter category," Rothschild said.
"If all the supporters, contributors and volunteers act like a turtle and stick their head in their shells … for the next 18 months, then we'll be having this same conversation in 2010: How do we get more Democrats in the Statehouse? We need to start now to build on the volunteer network and focus on precincts that didn't go well."
Smith did say that as a legislator he will push for an early voting system here, similar to what's used in North Carolina and other states - an idea that's gained steam among members of both parties after long lines during absentee voting frustrated thousands of people.
Smith, an attorney, also said he would push to establish a school infrastructure bank in order to eliminate the "corridor of shame" in South Carolina; to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot to replace the "minimally adequate education" clause with a phrase that demands higher standards; to reform the tax system in South Carolina so it doesn't rely so heavily on sales tax; and to implement budget reform so that when spending plans are drawn up, the prior year's recurring revenue becomes the benchmark for the next year's expenditures.
Smith has four children, ages 6 to 15. All four are in private school. Despite that, he said he would oppose any measure to provide vouchers or tax credits for parents who choose to place their children in private school.
GoUpstate.com
By Jason Spencer
jason.spencer@shj.com
Read Spencer's blog at www.goupstate.com/crazyworld.
