Politics & Government

Paul Receives More Endorsements Hours After Boos at Myrtle Beach Debate

Texas Rep. Ron Paul wins over South Carolina Sens. Danny Verdin, Lee Bright, Kevin Bryant and Tom Davis.

Editor's note: This story has been updated.

COLUMBIA -- Texas Rep. Ron Paul received what he calls "another shot in the arm for the campaign" after three South Carolina senators join Sen. Tom Davis --- who on Sunday announced his support for Paul --- in endorsing the GOP presidential candidate.

Sen. Danny Verdin (R-Laurens), Sen. Lee Bright (R-Spartanburg) and Sen. Kevin Bryant (R-Anderson) have all said Paul is the right choice for president during a press conference held at the State House Tuesday morning.

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The endorsements come less than 24 hours after a weak performance at Monday night's Fox News/Wall Street Journal/SCGOP debate in Myrtle Beach.

told Patch Paul's foreign policy was "scary" and his performance Monday changed their minds about supporting him.

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A Lexington Republican political activist went so far as to say Paul couldn't "be trusted with national security issues."

Paul was booed Monday night when he said the 'Golden Rule' should be used in foreign policy.

Paul is in favor of a limited foreign policy and has previously said the "country should never go to war unless the war is declared, win it and come home."

He also said he would make large or deep cuts in the military budget, and said there was a difference between the military spending and a strong national defense.

A released Tuesday from Monmouth University shows Romney with an 11-point lead, earning 33 percent among likely voters while Paul earned 12 percent. Paul and Rick Santorum, who earned 14 percent, are competing for third place.

Last Friday, a Public Policy poll had Paul at 15 percent, gaining 6 points to move him into third place.

Speaking to a crowd of mostly media outlets and a handful of supporters, Paul said he would continue his campaign no matter the outcome of South Carolina's Primary this Saturday.

When asked by a reporter about former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney taking South Carolina, Paul said "he's not going to win the nomination Saturday."

"Why should everybody walk away if he wins this primary?" Paul said. "I'll just wait and see where the delegates are."

"To think that debating is not productive? The Republican establishment might think "so-and-so's going to win, so we better not discuss the issues anymore. I might just continue talking about cutting $1 trillion out of the budget."

Regardless what Saturday's outcome will be and Paul's Monday night showing, the three South Carolina senators and supporters believe Paul is the person to move the country forward.

Bright said Paul is the only candidate that had a message “that resonated in my heart” as it relates to preserving, promoting and defending the United States.

“Anyone that is keenly interested in the welfare of this country... Dr. Ron Paul more than any other candidate has the vision, the courage and the convictions to take the steps necessary to put this country back on track.”

Verdin said he could no longer stand on the sidelines when he knew there was “one man that’s going to stand and fight for the constitution.”

“When it comes to making a stand, you got to do it," Verdin said. "I’m just asking South Carolinians to go past the 30-second media sound bites and pay attention to what Dr. Paul is saying because he is standing by the constitution.”

"I cannot be a hypocrite and stand in this chamber and talk about the rights of states, and not stand firmly with the man that’s standing with the constitution and wants to give rights back to the states."

For Bryant extreme measures have to be made to turn the country around and he considers Paul to be one to make that call.

“Some would view some of these issues as extreme, but remember what hero, Barry Goldwater, said ‘extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice,” Bryant said. "For the sake of our children and grandchildren, please listen to the issues that Dr. Paul is talking about."

Lexington resident Patricia Wheat is an evangelical Christian who thinks Paul’s monetary and foreign policies are what’s needed to bring back the “humanness” in America.

“I believe preempted wars do more to silence the gospel around the world than anything we can do,” Wheat said. “You can’t set embargoes against people and starve women and children, and bomb their countries when these people have not attacked us and then think that they’re going to accept our missionary.”

“Every problem we have in this country comes from a corrupt and unjust balance. When the founders wrote that only gold and silver could be viewed as money that was because you have to have a balance. The federal government has usurped all of the humanness and all of the authority of the individual, of the family, of the church and the state by creating digits in the computer.”

John Perna, who said he is a co-organizer of Ron Paul events in South Carolina, is from Lake Murray and calls Paul the only candidate that’s an alternative to his opponents.

“All the other candidates are for big government, there’s none of them that promised to end the war, and here we are taxing poor people to bail out billionaire bankers who are foreclosing on the same poor people who are paying the taxes to bail them out,” Perna said.

Perna also agrees with Paul’s foreign policy saying the United States “should mind our business.”

“All this stuff about the foreign policy, it really doesn’t matter who gets to be president because we don’t have the money to continue the kind of foreign policy we have right now,” Perna said. “Eventually they’re either going to adopt the foreign policy that Dr. Paul advocates or this country will go completely into economic chaos.”

Davis, whose endorsement many presidential hopefuls desired, said he had questions about Paul but was won over after doing his own research into the policies Paul proposes.

“When you’ve been doing something the same way for a long time, any time you propose something that’s different a lot of times people get upset, or get suspicious or have concerns because it’s not what they know,” Davis said. “I truly believe if you sit down and get beyond just the one-liners and sound bites, and you look at his policy…. I’ve taken the time. I’m very comfortable.  I have no doubt that Dr. Paul is committed to the defense of this country and to our troops.”


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