Woodard Provided Insight into Race for White House

Written by Bob Dill

Jan 30, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Dr. David Woodard and Julie Hershey. The timing was perfect for Greenville County Republican Women’s Club President Geri Warren to invite Dr. David Woodard to speak to her club. The results of the South Carolina Republican Primary were in and the Democrat contest would be held two days later. He provided an interesting prospective on the primary elections and candid predictions for the future. Dr. Woodard is a well-known Clemson University professor of political science, author, pollster and advisor to several upstate office holders and candidates. The monthly luncheon held at the Poinsett Club featuring Dr. Woodard as guest speaker was reminiscent of a family reunion. Betty Orders, a faithful member of the club, who opened the luncheon with prayer, has known Dr. Woodard for many years, and her son joined her to hear Woodard speak. Julie Hershey’s daughter is one of Woodard’s students. He advised Mary Ann Inglis’ husband during his first political campaign in 1992. The books Woodard brought with him, including the latest co-authored by Sen. Jim DeMint and titled, Why We Whisper: Losing Our Right to Say It’s Wrong, were sold out before the luncheon began and there was a line for autographs, greetings and questions long after the luncheon ended. To say that Woodard was a hit with the ladies and their guests would be a radical understatement. He will likely be invited for a return engagement before the November 2008 General Election rolls around. The Barnes and Noble website states that Why We Whisper “calls on Americans who believe in traditional values to resist the urge to stay silent and thus safe under the shameless onslaught of pressure, intimidation, and ridicule from the San Francisco loving, N Y Times reading, multicultural, anti-business, French-first, tree hugging, secular progressives and liberal political elites.”