I received some great news yesterday when York County GOP Chairman Glenn McCall told me that he will put his name in the hat to be South Carolina’s next Republican National Committeeman. This is awesome for a number of reasons, chief among them being that the guy currently holding the position and the guy who held it before him couldn’t be less suited to do whatever it is a National Committeeman does (note: I still haven’t quite figured that out). Also, unlike Buddy Witherspoon and Buddy Jr. (current committeeman Drew McKissick), McCall is a class act who has worked hard to advance the party rather than his own personal ambitions.

Oh, and McCall would be the the only African American on the Republican National Committee, a 100-member body — two people per state — that manages most of the GOP’s platform, strategy and scheduling.

I was quite impressed when I spoke with McCall. He understands the significant symbolism of his candidacy — black Republicans are, unfortunately, incredibly hard to come by — and the new ground he is embarking upon. But he is also ready to “represent our conservative values” and work for the Republican voters of South Carolina.

“I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘I have stopped giving to the RNC because they don’t get me and they don’t represent me as a conservative,’” McCall said. “And we need to change that. We need to better communicate the message on the important issues of our time, such as illegal immigration.”

McCall said he is also passionate about strong national security, low taxes and less spending, and the preservation of life in all forms, among other things. He also believes that he brings with him a “different vantage-point” that would help the party reach out to minorities, something Republicans have struggled with for years. “As party chair in York County, I can attest to the success we are having with getting more people with diverse ethnic backgrounds engaged in the party.”

Asked if he feels he can beat Buddy Jr. at the May 31 convention in Columbia where 1,400 delegates will cast their vote, McCall quickly responded “it’s not about Drew.” Rather, he said, he’s “running for the change and transformation that we need to make as a party. We not only have to talk the talk, but we need to walk the walk.”

McCall also said that Witherspoon’s unprecedented decision to resign and challenge a sitting U.S. Senator of his own party will not taint the national committeeman post. “I think that was a personal decision that he had to make, and I know and respect Buddy, but I don’t think it will have any bearing or impact.”

More than anything though, McCall is just a down-to-earth conservative who wants to do the right thing and help steer the Republican Party in the right direction.

“I’m an old fashioned God & country kind of guy, and Republican politics happen to be where these two lifelong passions unite,” he said in a letter to supporters. “From swearing an oath of allegiance to the U.S. Constitution as part my service in the United States Air Force, to voting in support of another conservative platform as a delegate at the 2004 Republican Convention, I have always been willing to stand for what is right.”

This entry was posted on Friday, February 29th, 2008 at 3:36 pm and is filed under Republicans. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.