Times Examiner Facebook Logo

Saturday, October 5, 2024 - 02:15 AM

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

First Published in 1994

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

The Hustling Hypocrisy of Identity – “Watch What He Does, Not What He Says!”

The African Drongo Muse 354367447

According to Reuters, “If you believe honesty is the best policy, you will have a hard time convincing the forked-tailed drongo. This tricky African bird is the pathological liar of the animal kingdom.”

Scientists described how these little demonic, red-eyed birds with forked-tails brazenly deceive other animals by mimicking alarm calls made by numerous bird species - and even meerkats - to falsely warn of an approaching predator in a ruse to frighten them off, swoop down and steal the food they leave behind.

For the last two years in Greenville County, Republicans have been hearing the same alarm calls in a ruse of warnings that all Republicans are RINOs except the grassroots organization MYSCGOP and those who identified with them. Through division, chaotic meetings, uncomfortable venues, and anti-unity calls, they have created confusion and scattered the local Greenville County Republican Party, swooped in, and stolen its effectiveness, its purse, and its dignity.

Apparently, Greenville County and other counties in South Carolina were just the testing grounds. Now for the grand prize, its main target: South Carolina’s Grand Old Party (SCGOP) and its leaders.

This coming Saturday, May 20th, 2023, at 11 a.m., the SCGOP will have its State Republican Party Convention at River Bluff High School in Lexington, SC. Here is where the current leader of MYSCGOP, former Greenville County Chairman and now State Executive Committeeman Jeff Davis will make his call with the greatest drongo ruse yet.

At the time of this writing, the known candidates for the SCGOP chairman position are six years incumbent Drew McKissick, the drongo himself Jeff Davis, Zoe Warren from Lexington, Mark Powell from Anderson, and Tim Cox from Charleston. There has been a little confusion about some candidates no longer running and others getting back in the race due to internal conflicts with Jeff Davis. There may even be some last-minute surprises when nominations are taken from the floor.

So, what is Jeff Davis’ ruse, you may ask? The stratagem all started right here in Greenville County.

First, as chairman of the Greenville County Republican Party (GCRP), Davis always projected that he wants everyone to have a say and have a part in his meetings. He contrasts his approach with that of the previous leadership, which he claims was exclusive. But he and his cohorts intentionally allowed the meetings to get out of control by not following Robert’s Rules of Order. He often expressed how much fun he was having and loved being a lawyer that deals with chaos.

Meetings were often plagued by shouting, screaming, and name-calling, causing constant confusion and preventing anyone from being heard. While he claimed to value everyone's input, in reality, that was not the case.

During the April 2022 GCRP business executive committee meeting, there was a concerning incident involving Eric Snyder, an Executive Committeeman from Graze Branch precinct, and Sgt. of Arms Stephen “Cowboy” Bradshaw. Eric hijacked the meeting at the podium and approached Stephen aggressively while Chairman Jeff Davis looked on without intervening. Unfortunately, Eric was the only person who was allowed to speak that evening. Many attendees felt unsafe and disgusted, causing them to leave early, therefore the meeting had to be adjourned due to the lack of a quorum.

Another instance of not allowing ECs to have a say as promised was regarding the election of Walter Horin as 3rd Vice Chairman. He was found not qualified for the seat he was elected for. In a regular business meeting last October, there was a motion made by a county executive committee (EC) member who was publicly scolded, harassed, and basically made fun of by Chairman Davis and his followers for even challenging Horin’s election. The rule states that a candidate for county office had to vote Republican in two out of three previous elections to qualify. The EC’s motion required evidence of Horin’s qualification, or if said evidence cannot be proven then immediately vacate the office and have elections again for that office. They did not provide any evidence and expressed that said evidence could not be verified even though the chairman and other county party officers claimed they did verify the evidence.

They took the presented motion and said they will send it to a so-called motions committee and will deal with it later. Since then, they had stopped all regular business meetings, meaning they did not deal with the motion and never presented it to the full county executive committee by the time precinct reorg meetings took place. (https://timesexaminer.com/political/9543-misuse-of-robert-s-rules-point-of-privilege-highjacks-greenville-gop-officer-elections-meeting)

At the GCRP Executive Committee meetings, it was a frequent occurrence for the rules to be disregarded, leading to widespread confusion and little progress being made. Let us steal from Davis’ campaign slogan which is, watch what they do, not what they say.

Second, Chairman Davis and his Executive Committee followers voted to have more meetings to keep everyone informed and be more transparent when they took over almost two years ago. They made a big thing out of it. Previously, the meetings were every other month, but they wanted them every month. Despite many experienced executive committeemen expressing their concern, they were outvoted by the new inexperienced Davis-supported ECs. The reason given was that business meetings needed to be done more frequently and accountably. Unfortunately, they failed to deliver on their promise and stopped having regular business meetings altogether. As a result, there has been no accounting for financial business to the executive committee since October 2022. This has left many wondering what happened to the transparency and accountability mantra. Watch what they do, not what they say.

Third, Davis and his executive officers erroneously made fun of the previous GCRP headquarters and said they could do better. But before stopping the meetings altogether, they were having the Executive Committee meetings in an unfinished sawdust-covered backyard around a fire pit creating a choking, smoke-filled atmosphere. Despite being the largest county Republican executive committee in South Carolina, no one could be heard due to the poor audio speaker system which no one was using anyway. And if that wasn’t enough, you had to shout to overcome the busy Wade Hampton Boulevard traffic with airplanes constantly flying overhead. Oh, I almost forgot, you were also told to bring your own lawn chairs. Somehow, they could not afford a meeting place that was provided by the previous leadership but had to depend on a less-than-adequate headquarters. Watch what they do, not what they say.

Fourth, one of the objectives of the new leadership that took over GCRP was to ensure the election of Republican candidates, which they claimed the previous administration failed to do. However, during the 2022 "General" election, there were no campaign signs for any Republican candidates visible in the front yard of the headquarters. Instead, there was a vegetable garden facing one of the busiest highways in the Upstate and a truck advertising one of Jeff's non-profit organizations. This lack of support was clearly noticeable and many local Republicans complained on social media.

Without the assistance of the GCRP leaders, various Republican groups and clubs such as the 4th District Congressional Club, Young Republican clubs and various Republican Women's clubs stepped up and helped to successfully secure all of Greenville's elected positions as Republicans for the first time in history. Watch what they do, not what they say.

Fifth, Chairman Davis and his associates use the term "RINOs" to describe fellow Conservative Republicans who do not fully agree with their methods, even in minor aspects. However, this has caused the original meaning of "Republican In Name Only" to become diluted. Yet, despite the outspoken protest from some GCRP Executive Committemen, it was Davis and his Executive Committee officers who brought in a well-known and extremely liberal Democrat to speak in a Republican Executive Committee meeting against other Republicans including against our SC Attorney General Alan Wilson who is a Republican! Tactics like this create confusion. Now, who is the real RINO here? Watch what they do, not what they say.

Sixth, Davis frequently expresses his strong opposition towards the RINOs in Columbia and articulates his desire to challenge and eliminate them. In the event that he was to be elected as the Chairman of SCGOP, Davis asserts that he would prioritize this task. However, Davis does not endorse the efforts of the SC Freedom Caucus, who are actively fighting against the RINOs in Columbia, and instead criticizes them on multiple occasions. It is noteworthy that a significant number of legislators belonging to the SC Freedom Caucus hail from Greenville County. Watch what they do, not what they say.

Seventh, Under the direction of the Executive Committee officers, led by Chairman Davis, the executive committee as a whole voted in favor of a proposed monthly rent of $800 for the new headquarters. However, without a vote by the executive committee, the rent ended up being $1,200 per month, which was also paid for by the local party for the previous months when the location was not yet the headquarters. Interestingly, this same headquarters also serves as the MYSCGOP headquarters - how convenient. Watch what they do, not what they say.

Eighth, Davis and his associates accused the former GCRP leadership of extravagant spending on events and misusing funds. But they ended up spending all of the nearly $15,000+ that was inherited from the previous leadership, whom they had criticized, and basically have nothing to show for it. As a result, the largest county executive committee in South Carolina had to hold their regular business meetings in their backyard with personal lawn chairs and didn't conduct any meetings during the winter. Watch what they do, not what they say.

Ninth, Davis is currently expressing dissatisfaction with the Chairman of SCGOP, Drew McKissick, for utilizing the official SCGOP email and marketing brand to campaign for themselves as candidates and neglecting to support all Republican candidates vying for the Republican state chairman position. However, it is worth noting that Davis and his local group did the same thing in Greenville by promoting a slate of officers via the official GCRP email and Facebook page. Davis consistently campaigned for himself as GCRP State EC alongside two others from MYSCGOP who were pursuing Chairman and 1st Vice Chairman positions using GCRP branding. Despite being called out for this behavior multiple times, they failed to acknowledge other candidates who were also members of the same local Republican party.

During an official GCRP Pre-Convention forum, Davis and his campaign team presented a video in support of their slate of candidates at the start of the event. However, other candidates were not given the opportunity to do the same. Additionally, Olga, Davis' wife, raised concern during the meeting that the majority of questions directed toward the opposition slate were focused on attacking their credibility while portraying Davis and his slate in a positive light. Watch what they do, not what they say.

Tenth, during the campaign for county offices, a "unity meeting" was held at a church facility in the upstate. During the meeting, Jeff Davis, the current GCRP Chairman, expressed his support for unity and his plan to reach out to both sides, claiming as he has done in the past two years. He invited anyone to attend one of his coffee meetings, emphasizing that he is easily accessible.

During the Pre-Convention forum, Davis was questioned about his plans for unity. He concurred with his peers and remarked, "Yvonne is right, it is okay to be divided." "You cut off the dead wood and then you grow." Watch what they do, not what they say. (https://timesexaminer.com/political/11273-the-current-greenville-county-republican-establishment-says-they-have-no-interest-in-unity)

Eleventh, Due to the mess Davis and his followers made the past two years, SCGOP decided to oversee GCRP’s precinct reorganization and its county convention (https://timesexaminer.com/political/10948-scgop-takes-over-greenville-county-republican-party). During the precinct reorganization process, Davis and his supporters caused a stir regarding SCGOP's involvement. They claimed that the meetings were chaotic and confusing, but in reality, it was their own actions that caused the chaos. Davis and his followers intentionally broke rules and tried to bring unqualified guests, which made the organization process cumbersome and lengthy. This was a deliberate strategy to make SCGOP look incompetent. Regardless of one's stance on SCGOP's involvement, it does not negate Davis’ schemes. Watch what they do, not what they say.

Last but not least, Davis and his group raised concerns over the former leader’s failure to transfer materials to the new leadership, which is debatable. However, Davis and his associates were able to somehow acquire the assets of the Oconee County Republican Party and would not return them even when a magistrate judge ordered them to turn over a reported $7,500. Watch what they do, not what they say.

Like the drongos, Davis may issue genuine warnings when danger is near, but the mix is all part of a facade. Sometimes drongos act as sentries by giving authentic alarm calls, causing others to believe that the fake signals indicate real danger as well. However, in reality, the drongos themselves pose a threat. This is a deceptive scheme. Although victims eventually realize this and begin to disregard the fake calls, the drongos already have a new tactic up their sleeves (wings).

The drongos are known to move on to a new location once other birds and animals become aware of their deceitful tactics. But for Davis, he brings in new people who have no idea of his dance with truth and his manipulative ruse. They get caught up in the excitement of the alarming calls, it sounds emotional, real, and genuine due to the little mixture of truth with the excitement and disguise of having fun. It’s the act of the ruse until these new followers do some research and catch on, much like many former MYSCGOP members who are now increasing in numbers.

It is an elaborate con using new followers to confuse, destroy, conquer, and make his opponents of no effect, then come in and take over the spoils, just like the drongos.

For years, liberals have employed this similar tactic of creating chaos and then swooping in to take control. This strategy has been championed by Hillary Clinton’s admired author, Saul Alinsky, in his "demonic dedication to Lucifer" book Rules for Radicals. In his book, he advocates for creating chaos to make current leaders look incompetent and then swoop in and take over. This approach has been effectively utilized by liberals for years, both in national and local politics, as well as on American streets and our borders. And now, we are witnessing the same strategy being employed by Davis to gain power and undermine South Carolina Republicans.

Davis had tried to do this at one of the SCGOP executive meetings and was kicked out by a vote of the state executive committee members. Law enforcement intervened and personally exhorted him out of the meeting.

At the recent GCRP Convention, he convinced a little over 50% of the new county delegates to vote him in as the official state EC, which Davis claims he cannot be removed from the meetings as an official state EC. But now his aim is to take over by becoming the top dog of the Republican party in South Carolina as chairman. And he plans to bring along his associate drongos, and obviously the chaos that comes with it.

So, the next time you hear Jeff Davis expressing his motto, “Watch what they do, not what they say,” it’s just his ruse to destroy the Republican Party in South Carolina for his personal interests - just like the African forked-tail drongo.

It is now time for true RINO-hating, common sense, Conservative Republicans to ignore his drongo-hustling hypocrisy of identity and return the true authentic call, “Watch what Jeff does, not what Jeff says!”