The Reddy Room

Two lanes. One choice. reddyforgovernor.com

Power has been transferred from the citizen to government. We must transfer it back. "We must do what our founders did, which is pledge our lives, our fortune, and our sacred honor to restoring the Declaration of Independence principles. I will, will you?"

Tune in for the SCGOP debate, happening in Charleston, at 7:00 pm at these stations across the state: – Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson: WHNS FOX Carolina and on all digital platforms – Columbia: WIS NBC 10 and on all digital platforms – Charleston: WCSC Live 5 and on all digital platforms – Myrtle Beach: WMBF NBC and on all digital platforms – Augusta, Aiken: WAGT NBC and on all digital platforms – Charlotte: Digitally on WBTV website and news app platforms – Savannah: Digitally on WTOC website and news app and CBS platforms

Last week Chief Justice Kittredge gave his "State of the Judiciary" speech to the legislature, and as you could predict, he said that everything is just fine. When the highest court in South Carolina tells the legislature to ignore the voices of its citizens and dismisses those concerns as “social media noise,” that should concern everyone. Those voices are not noise. They are the people of this state. They are the ones living with the consequences of the decisions being made in Columbia. Telling elected officials to tune them out goes directly against the idea of representative government. This is exactly the mindset that has created the problem in the first place. There is a growing belief among the political ruling class that everything is fine, that the system is working, and that the only problem is the people complaining about it. Meanwhile, the citizens of South Carolina see something very different. They see a judicial system influenced by politics, a government that is unaccountable, and decisions being made without regard for the people they affect. That disconnect is real, and it is widening. Look at what just happened with judicial reform. Every single Republican in the House voted for it. And yet, it has stalled in the Senate. Why? Because one man, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, has the ability to stop it. Senator Luke Rankin holds that position because of seniority, not because he was chosen as the best leader. And everyone in Columbia understands the influence behind that decision. Trial lawyers, who are among the most powerful political forces in this state, have a vested interest in keeping the system exactly as it is. They fund campaigns. They shape legislation. And in this case, they have a direct line into the process that determines whether reform moves forward or not. No wonder they are under investigation by the FBI for allegedly offering a bribe to a State Senator. That is not a system designed to serve the people. That is a system designed to protect itself. When one man and a special interest group have that much power, it's called tyranny. When you combine that with a judiciary that is comfortable telling legislators to ignore their constituents, you start to see the full picture. Power is being concentrated, accountability is being reduced, and the citizen is being pushed further out of the process. That is the opposite of what our founders intended 250 years ago. Then you have a Senate Majority Leader in Shane Massey who has the power to pull judicial reform out of the judiciary committee over the objections of Luke Rankin, but he refuses to because he isn't listening to the citizens. It's another example of a politician thinking they know better than us. Our system was built on the idea that power flows from the people. That our rights come from God. That government answers to the citizen, not the other way around. When leaders begin to treat the concerns of the public as something to be dismissed, the system is broken. The people of South Carolina are not asking for anything unreasonable. They are asking for a fair system, a balanced government, and leaders who listen. Judicial reform is a step in that direction, and it should not be blocked by internal politics or outside influence. The citizens are speaking. The House listened. Now the Senate needs to act. And if they won’t, then it is time to replace them, starting with Luke Rankin.

I don't answer to donors, lobbyists, or political insiders. I answer to the people. That’s how leadership is supposed to work. reddyforgovernor.com

RT @RomReddySC: I’m looking forward to my first debate tomorrow. The other candidates have done this many times. This will be my first, and…

One of the biggest concerns of South Carolinians is the quality of education here, and many citizens have a legitimate worry that our low-ranking public school system is not preparing students for the workforce in a way that will contribute to their own success and to the future of our state.

We need to be preparing our kids for life, not protecting a broken system. Outcomes matter. reddyforgovernor.com

South Carolinians are ready for real conversations and real solutions. Join Rom Reddy live on Zoom this Monday at 7 PM to hear what he’s seeing across the state, what voters are saying, and what comes next. It’s time for something different. us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regist…

The SC GOP Gubernatorial Debate is happening Tuesday from 7–8 PM, and I'm looking forward to being part of the conversation. Watch live across the state: Greenville/Spartanburg/Anderson: WHNS FOX Carolina Columbia: WIS NBC 10 Charleston: WCSC Live 5 Myrtle Beach: WMBF NBC Augusta/Aiken: WAGT NBC Charlotte & Savannah: Available on local station websites and apps

Irmo, the revolution is headed your way! Join us on April 30 at Liberty on the Lake at 6 PM (doors open at 5:30).  Hear directly from Rom on his principles, pledges, and plans, get answers to your questions, and get connected with the movement to give the power back to the citizens of South Carolina.  RSVP at the events page at reddyforgovernor.com

“When you are afraid of your government, it’s tyranny. When your government is afraid of you, it’s liberty.” You know where we are. Two lanes in this race—one protects the system, one answers to you. It’s time for something different. reddyforgovernor.com

The ruling class of candidates have been in office for a combined fifty years. You can’t fix a broken system by sending the same people back into it. reddyforgovernor.com

We’ve been traveling across South Carolina, meeting with thousands of people in towns and cities at our Reddy for Revolution rallies. This week in Myrtle Beach, where we had a huge turnout, I kept hearing the same thing over and over again. People are frustrated. They feel like nobody in government is listening to them anymore. They feel that way for a reason. Politicians aren’t listening. They’re not focused on the daily concerns of the people they were elected to serve. They’re not waking up thinking about how to fix roads, improve schools, lower taxes, or make life more affordable for families. They don't even care about returning money and power to the citizens. They’re focused on something else entirely. They’re focused on donors. They’re focused on special interests. They’re focused on lobbyists. The Columbia swamp rewards that behavior and over time it has pulled the Political Ruling Class (PRC) further and further away from the people. That’s how you end up with a government that feels completely disconnected from everyday life. When you talk to people across this state, the concerns are simple and consistent. They want lower taxes. They want safe roads. They want good schools. They want to be able to afford to live here. They want to know that if they work hard, they can build a life for their family. They are the basic expectations of a functioning government. Yet we continue to get the same results from the PRC. That happens when the people in charge are no longer accountable to the citizens. It happens when elections become about money instead of results. It happens when leadership is more concerned with maintaining power than solving problems. This is not what our country was founded on. Our founders created a system where government answers to the people. They understood that power has to flow from the citizen upward, not from the government downward. They understood that when leaders stop fearing the people, the system begins to break down. There is a simple truth that applies here. When politicians fear the people, that is liberty. When people fear their government, that is tyranny. We are moving in the wrong direction and people feel it. That’s why voter turnout is low. That’s why trust is gone. That’s why so many have checked out of the process. They don’t believe their voice matters anymore. This campaign is about changing that. It’s about restoring a system where elected officials are accountable to the citizens, where the priorities of government match the priorities of the people, and where leadership is measured by results, not relationships. The people of South Carolina are not asking for anything unreasonable. They are asking for a government that listens, that responds and that does its job.

It's funny, but it's not a joke... It's time for something different.

What a night! We had an amazing turnout at our Myrtle Beach event Tuesday night. You could feel the energy in the room! People in South Carolina are ready for something different.

It’s time to return power from bureaucrats back to the citizens of South Carolina. Government should serve, not control. reddyforgovernor.com

Even when the camera stops rolling, the conversation keeps going here. There’s too much to do. Join us at reddyforgovernor.com

I had a great conversation yesterday with Joel Wilson in Myrtle Beach on the Political Pulse Podcast. Joel agrees, we must hold violent criminals in South Carolina accountable. It's time for something different.

They won’t disclose. I will. No PACs. No special interests. No dark money pulling the strings. This is what it looks like when a candidate answers to the people, not donors. When you don’t owe anyone favors, you can actually fix what’s broken. Dark money has no place in a government that’s supposed to serve its citizens. It’s time for something different. reddyforgovernor.com