Humiliated Democrats Dump Loyalty Oath

Democrats have caved to widespread outrage and dumped what South Carolina's largest newspaper calls a "loyalty oath."

The party had planned to force voters in today's primary to swear, "I consider myself a Democrat." Voters in South Carolina do not register by party, but those who refused to sign would have been ejected.

Then the uproar started. The media tattled, and hundreds of voters jammed the state party’s phone lines Sunday and Monday to complain.

"Some callers were confused, some were concerned, and some, said S.C. Democratic Party chairman Joe Erwin, were furious," the Columbia State reported today.

'Dumb'

"They said, 'This is dumb. It’s an outrage.' Some people used stronger language much more colorful than that," Erwin said.

Orangeburg resident Kenneth Mosely, an independent who once ran for Congress, fumed: "I just saw that as an affront, that you would have to take a loyalty oath when the Democratic Party is trying to encourage individuals to participate. Independent-thinking individuals are not going to stand for that."

Virginia Stack of West Columbia told the State: "Voting’s important to me, but God’s more important. I’m not going to lie."

Rice University political scientist Earl Black, formerly of the University of South Carolina, said the damage might have been already done.

"The net result will probably be to confuse some potential voters, since not everyone will probably get the news of the change here on the eve of a vote," he said. "It is a self-inflicted wound that now has been healed, but it is going to leave a fair amount of confusion."

Editor's note:
FREE e-mail alerts from NewsMax.com – click here now!

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics: