Palmetto Progressives Interview Series Part 1 of 5: Brady Quirk-Garvan

Brady Quirk-Garvan is the chair of the Charleston County Democratic Party. He has been in politics since he was 18, serving on President Obama�s campaign staff in Ohio. In more recent years he has been a delegate from South Carolina to the National Democratic Convention and has been on major networks like CNN and has been quoted in publications like the Wall Street Journal. I chose to interview him for this series because he is one of the people that got me into the political scene in the Lowcountry. He greeted me at the first political event I went to last year and has been a mentor and friend to me ever since. He is a progressive that supports other progressives and he fights the good fight.

            Without further ado, here is the interview:

            Let�s go back in time to just after the primaries last month and the Quintin Washington interview you were in with Larry Kobrovsky, the Charleston GOP chairman. Take me inside your thought process when the chairman started to make that statement about Joe Cunningham abandoning his son to run for Congress.

            �It was a little mind-bending. I assumed that they would have some line of attack against Joe Cunningham; that�s to be expected. But when he started, in my head I was like, �This really can�t be where he is going.� I was genuinely shocked that that was where he went. It also seemed like one of those things that if he had thought about it more logically beforehand he wouldn�t have gone there. To me, it seemed like an opportunity to call it out then. Sometimes in interviews, particularly when I�m around Larry, there�s a question of, �Do you let it go and put out a statement afterwards?� It struck a nerve with me and I felt the need to call it out right then at that time.�

            �But it was a bizarre interview and statement. I�ve done maybe a dozen interviews with Larry over the years and usually he is much more restrained and controlled. That just seemed bizarre.�

Do you think that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez�s victory in New York is indicative of a shift in the Democratic Party?

            �Honestly, I don�t think so. Her election was exciting and I think it showed a shift in that portion of New York. There�s a generational shift happening within the Democratic party and there is more of a focus on electing women and minorities and that�s been a trend and it�s been happening for a decade or two. I think that showed that sometimes when folks have been in office for too long they get complacent about their own base. It had more to do with that than a shift in the entire party.�

New York Congressional Candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

If this were to become a major shift in the party nationwide, do you think it would be a good shift for the party to go down that path? To be unforgivingly liberal?

            �I don�t think that works everywhere. I think in places where that can work like New York and Boston that�s great. But we know that to elect Democrats in Charleston or Alabama, you know, Doug Jones wouldn�t have been elected in Alabama if he had run on the same platform. The great part about the Democratic Party is we�ve got to be big enough to allow both of those people to be in the same party. We have a lot of shared common values but we don�t have to line up on every issue exactly the same.�

You�ve been on the political scene for a long time in Charleston. How does this election cycle compare to previous election cycles in terms of general energy and participation?

            �The energy is huge. I don�t think it�s as high as it was in 2008 but it feels similar. When I think back to the 2016 election and the 2014 election, there was enthusiasm but it was nowhere near what it is now. In 2008 there was the presidential primary and there was huge excitement around electing Barack Obama. This time there is excitement around electing the candidates that we have, but there is an increased fervor every time Donald Trump opens his mouth. While that is a catchy line to say, it�s also very true. I have not seen this level of people step up, volunteer, or want to do something since 2008.�

Do you think that there is new involvement or are the same voices just being louder and more visible?

�My sense is that it is new people coming in. If you look at who the volunteers are and who the donors are it�s new people. Certainly the people who have been involved are getting louder. There�s no doubt about that. But I have seen this as an expansion of the tent rather than people just getting louder.

What is your opinion on superdelegates?

            �I think it is one of those things that the time has passed for them. I understand why they were put in originally but I feel like as a party that�s something we need to work towards being a more democratized system. Superdelegates don�t really fit in with that. If we are going to talk about a party that is inclusive and open and wanting to include more people, superdelegates don�t fit with that.

You called for Archie Parnell to drop out of the 5^thCongressional District race when news of his past domestic abuse allegations broke. Has your opinion on the matter changed over time and if Parnell were to miraculously win which I don�t see happening, what would the SCDP�s relationship with him look like?

            �My opinion on Archie has remained the same as I have learned new information. I am a person that fervently believes in redemption and second chances. I think for Archie Parnell, the issue is that he tried to hide it and lied about it. I believe we all deserve second chances and most people change over time which is a good and healthy thing, but to try and hide that is not something we can stand for in this party.�

            �I think that relationship would be a strained one. But I think we would certainly work with any elected Democrat. If you have run and won on the Democratic platform, we will be with you but it would certainly be a strange relationship.�

What is your message to young people who are not registered to vote and do not care about what is happening in our country right now?

            �My message is sort of twofold. One, voting is something that is fundamental in our country. I believe in a sense of obligation to vote. I know that it�s not the most compelling argument, but it is important to state. I feel that as a citizen who pays taxes and benefits or doesn�t benefit from decisions made by the government, voting is important.�

            �The other part is that voting is an opening to larger political involvement. I think if you really want to change things, you have to get involved. Just voting doesn�t mean that things will change, but it is the only way you get change. Do I get the outcome that I want every time I vote? No, but when I do it is a great thing and it is important for people to own that process and not let people with more money and more influence dictate those decisions. It�s one of those things whether your rich or poor, black or white, you get one vote and to leave that on the table seems like a waste to me.�