South Carolina Presidential Forum

Together with Senator Jim DeMint and Congressman Steve King, I'll be one of the questioners of Republican candidates for President at the South Carolina Presidential Forum on Monday, September 5, 2011.  The Forum will be sponsored by the American Principles Project.  Here is the announcement: 

Palmetto Freedom Forum to Feature Top GOP Candidates

Columbia, SC – U.S. Senator Jim DeMint has announced a Presidential Forum – The Palmetto Freedom Forum – to feature the top Republican candidates for President. The Forum is being sponsored by the American Principles Project and will take place on the afternoon of Labor Day (Monday, September 5, 2011) in Columbia, South Carolina, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. South Carolina ETV will broadcast this innovative event live on the South Carolina channel. Informational letters will be sent to current and prospective candidates and formal invitations will be extended based on objective polling criteria (see below).

The Palmetto Freedom Forum will follow a unique format, designed to allow invited candidates to engage in a thoughtful, substantive discussion of their stances on the critical issues facing our country. Candidates will be featured on stage one-at-a-time and will engage in a question and answer session with three panelists: U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), U.S. Representative Steve King (R-IA), and Dr. Robert P. George, founder of the American Principles Project and a professor at Princeton University. The event will be moderated by David Stanton, a veteran of South Carolina presidential events and former local news anchor.

“I am pleased to be part of this exciting event that will help Republican primary voters make their choice for president,” said Senator DeMint. “America faces enormous challenges in the years ahead, and primary voters must thoughtfully select a candidate with the courage and conviction to fight to save it.”

“This event will present a vital opportunity for the 2012 presidential candidates to discuss their positions on a number of key issues and to outline their vision for the future of our nation,” said DeMint. “Instead of looking for ‘gotcha’ questions and sound bite answers, this event will offer candidates the opportunity to deliver their message directly to undecided primary voters in South Carolina and beyond.”+

Representative Steve King (R-IA), who will join Senator DeMint on the panel, said, "Thirty second responses do not allow the candidates to properly spell out their understanding of our founding and their vision for our way forward. I appreciate Senator DeMint creating a venue that will let the candidates separate themselves on the issues."

A Palmetto Freedom Forum Advisory Committee has been formed to facilitate the event and is comprised of key South Carolina leaders including former SCGOP Chairman Barry Wynn, Columbia businessman Peter Brown, leading SC Republican Election Law Attorney Kevin Hall, former Public Policy Director for the South Carolina Baptist Convention Joe Mack, and former DeMint State Director Luke Byars. It will be sponsored by the American Principles Project (www.americanprinciplesproject.com).

Founder of the American Principles Project, Robert George, said, “The South Carolina presidential forum rests on a conviction---the belief that the way forward for our country is a renewed fidelity to the foundational principles of our civilization and the constitutional principles of our democratic republic. The forum will give those aspiring to the presidency an opportunity to demonstrate the depth of their understanding of our nation's core principles, and the strength of their commitment to governing in accordance with them.”

Participation Criteria: The Palmetto Freedom Forum Advisory Committee will invite those individuals to participate who have achieved a 5% threshold in the realclearpolitics.com 2012 Republican Presidential Nomination RCP Average as is posted on that site on August 22, 2011 at 1PM Eastern Daylight Time.