COLUMN: Pregnant candidates, birthers, imposters, oh my!

The past week has been a whirlwind across the Pee Dee and the Grand Strand as far as politics are concerned. From Saturday’s Republican Primary to the Myrtle Beach GOP debate in Myrtle Beach on Monday, the political nerds got very little sleep over the past seven days.

Count me among the sleepless.

I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time at the beach and in Florence talking with people and chasing the presidential candidates from place to place. You may have seen my initial reports, but there was more. Here’s a look.

Birther redux

Rep. Alan Clemmons (R-Myrtle Beach) was in rare form last week during the 7th Congressional District Republican Candidate Forum at Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach. The representative from South Carolina’s 107th District, who was one of the questioners for the candidates, took time at the beginning of the event to bring up what has become, for many, a tired issue: President Barrack Obama’s birth certificate.

Clemmons quipped to the delight of the GOP crowd that Obama adopt “Give me four more years to find my birth certificate,” as a slogan for his reelection campaign.

The “birther” issue made news last year as well when the always affable Donald Trump tried his darndest to make it an issue again.

Obama released his long-form birth certificate last April. “Now, I know that there’s going to be a segment of people for which no matter what we put out this issue will not be put to rest,” Obama said at the time. “We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We’ve got better stuff to do. I’ve got better stuff to do.”

Apparently Rep. Clemmons does not.

Two months later ...

On Jan. 15, former Sen. Rick Santorum made his second trip to Florence, fresh off his strong showing in the Iowa. Santorum addressed a packed house at Percy & Willies restaurant. His speech was broadcast live on CSPAN, and CNN broke into their coverage to catch some of his remarks.

As assortment of photographers, reporters and bloggers frantically typing his every word, I thought back to Nov. 11, 2011, and Santorum’s last visit to Florence. He stood in the lobby of Poynor Adult Education Center, his hands in his pockets, while Florence County GOP Chairman Bill Pickle apologizing profusely for the extremely low turnout that day (probably 20 people showed to hear the former Pennsylvania legislator talk foreign policy).

In two months, Santorum went from polling just over 1 percent to being a serious contender to win South Carolina (at least at one point).

What a difference two months can make.

A pregnant air

Mande Wilkes, Republican candidate for the 7th Congressional District, announced last week that she has taken on a new adviser to her campaign and though the new staffer is woefully inexperienced, he or she will have unprecedented access to Wilkes and undoubtedly influence the race in a major way.

Wilkes told a crowd at the 7th Congressional Forum on Jan. 15 at Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach that she is pregnant.

The sassy Wilkes said she and husband Alex Robinson are expect the arrival of their little bundle of joy on Aug. 25.

Imposters!

Ben and Mary Dubard might not be old enough to vote, but that hasn’t stopped the teens from immersing themselves in the political process. Not only did the brother and sister duo from Florence hit up all three of the Republican presidential campaign stops Tuesday, they even stopped by the GOP debate in Myrtle Beach on Monday.

Their father, Trip, said he wants his kids to see the process up close and understand that getting involved in civic is important.

The best part about this story, originally reported in the Morning News on Wednesday, is that the Dubards describe themselves as liberal and don’t support any of the Republican candidates.

So, it was hilarious to see Ben and Mary pulled from the crowd to stand beside the former speaker, holding some of his campaign signs, an honor normally bestowed to only the most die-hard supporters.

The pair giggled as Gingrich railed against President Barack Obama, someone both said they’d vote for if they were of age.

Another example that in politics, things aren’t always what they seem.

John Sweeney covers politcs (and more) for the Morning News. Contact him at 843-317-7276 or by email at jsweeney@florencenews.com.