The following opinion piece was written by Duke Buckner (pictured), a candidate for U.S. Congress (6th District):
On Monday, President Biden is scheduled to be at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. This is the church where nine parishioners were murdered during a bible study in 2015. The last reported time President Biden was in South Carolina was in the summer of 2022 when he was vacationing on luxurious Kiawah Island. Now, less than a year before the 2024 presidential election, he will be visiting a historic Black church in Charleston. Why?
It could be that President Biden is here to offer an apology for the many failures of his administration. Maybe he now realizes how his economic policies have hurt hard working Americans with record high inflation, high gas and food prices, high taxes and low wages. Maybe President Biden realizes how his domestic and foreign policy have resulted in millions of illegal aliens crossing our southern border as well as increased homelessness, gun violence, crime and illegal drug use. In addition, we have a war in Ukraine, a war in Gaza, threats of war in Asia and an imminent terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Furthermore, maybe Mr. Biden realizes how his vaccine mandate resulted in so many good people losing their jobs including those in the healthcare industry who put their lives on the line to care for sick people during the pandemic. Maybe President Biden realizes how our students are performing poorly academically, especially here in the 6th Congressional District. Or Maybe President Biden is using the Emanuel AME Church visit to evoke emotion with Black voters. Whatever his reason is for coming, one thing is clear, the president’s approval ratings are lower now than they were when he took office, especially among Black voters. Therefore, folks are not buying what he is selling even if he is now trying to use the church to do it.
Rep. James Clyburn is co-chairman of Biden’s re-election campaign. Like President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden who has come under scrutiny for allegedly benefiting from his father’s position, Rep. Clyburn’s family members have allegedly benefitted from Rep. Clyburn’s position as well. In 2022, an article was published about the interest Rep. Clyburn’s brother had in a North Carolina gambling casino that Rep. Clyburn helped get permission to build. There was also an article about Rep. Clyburn’s family members receiving some $200,000 from his campaign’s account. Legislatively, Rep. Clyburn’s support for cumbersome and overly-regulated proposals have discouraged economic growth and development. Thus, his congressional district is the poorest in South Carolina and the seventh poorest in the nation. Where have President Biden and Rep. Clyburn been while people have been suffering economically for the last four years? The Palmetto State helped Biden win the White House. However, what has President Biden done for South Carolina?
It is my sincere hope that President Biden will speak at the church about reconciliation and healing; the love of God and how we should love our neighbor as ourself. I hope he will talk about how we can come together as Americans and not allow ourselves to be divided by race, gender, political or socio-economic lines. He should not disrespect or dishonor the Church or its members by making offensive racist comments like he did at the Congressional Black Caucus dinner last year where he called famed Hip Hop Artist LL Cool J a “Boy”.
As your next Congressman, I will demonstrate my love for our country by working to get our nation out of debt and to help families get back on a solid financial footing by reducing taxes and burdensome regulations. I will also show my love for America by helping to secure our southern border and stopping the flow of illegal aliens pouring into our country that are using resources that should be for American citizens. We will declare a national education crisis and fix education by abolishing the Department of Education and taking that money to increase teacher pay, hire teacher assistants and give parents choices and a say in their child’s education. I will truly represent ALL Americans and not play the “divide and conquer” game that seems so popular with our politicians today. I will focus on finding solutions that work; learning from the past, but not living in the past so that we can have a brighter future together. I will work tirelessly to ensure Freedom and Opportunity are afforded to ALL Americans.
