The USC College Republicans saw a packed house at their first meeting of the year on Tuesday night, where they hosted guest speaker and State Treasurer Curtis Loftis, who spoke to members about what they hoped to accomplish in politics.
“What is your interest in politics?” he asked. “What are you going to do?”
Loftis, who is running as an incumbent in the next statewide election, said he wanted to speak with college students about the role they play in politics and what they hope to accomplish in government.
After speaking about his personal background and upbringing, he described his current career and responsibilities.
“I never thought I’d be in politics. I wanted to be in business,” Loftis said. “This job never stops, and we do a lot. I [control] about $50 billion of the state’s money.”
Loftis took questions from members where he expressed his personal opinions on raising the minimum wage and what he thought of the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare.” Saying he greatly disliked both ideas, he also voiced his concerns on the current state of Congress, which he believes is broken.
“[Speaker of the House John] Boehner loves a deal. He loves to make a deal. And that’s exactly what we don’t need,” he said.
Loftis echoed that same concern when asked about chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke. He said he is glad Bernanke has decided to step down from his position; Loftis believes a “business person” should be nominated as chairman, not “another finance person.” He also expressed his concern at the amount of “cronyism” he has encountered while serving in government, saying one of his wishes is to end corruption in government.
Reminding students to make the most of their college experience, Loftis ended his speech by saying, “Have fun, but resolve to make a difference.”
Those at the meeting were then able to speak with him directly about his upcoming campaign and possible internship positions. Grace Kerley, a second-year public relations major and current chairman of the organization, encouraged students to take advantage of those opportunities.
“It’s important because it’s a very busy year in South Carolina politics,” Kerley said.
Kerley said that this year’s theme for the USC College Republicans is involvement in the state’s upcoming political elections, adding that she believes that meeting public officials directly is essential for current students.
“We wanted to start off this year right and focus on this year’s theme,” she said. “We want to be very involved.”