Former Obama Campaign Co-Chair Speaks To SCGOP In Greer

Artur Davis, the co-chair for Barack Obama's campaign in 2008, jabbed at the president Thursday night at a private SCGOP event at Thornblade Country Club in Greer. 

Davis, a former Alabama Democrat who now resides in Virginia, became a Republican after differing on major issues like health care reform while in U.S. Congress. Now, he's one of Obama's biggest opponents. 

He spoke to a small group of Republicans on Thursday that included SCGOP Chad Connelly, Sen. Mike Fair and Sen. Lee Bright about the importance of electing Mitt Romney, while highlighting ways he believes the president has failed both the state and the nation. 

One such example was the Obama administration's support of the National Labor Relations Board's aggressive stance against Boeing, which opened up new manufacturing operations in Charleston due to South Carolina's being a right to work state (View part of his remarks on Boeing in the attached video).

Davis said that Obama was treated relatively well by the overwhelmingly Republican state when he won the state's Democratic primary over Hillary Clinton in 2008. The state was then rewarded, he said, by being betrayed over nothing but blind loyalty to unions. 

"It's amazing to me that the man who got so much from South Carolina.... turned his back on your state," Davis said. 

"South Carolina, you have a special testimony to tell this country," he added. 

Davis also said Mitt Romney, who has surged in some national polls since his strong debate performance against Obama last week, is reaping the benefits of being able to stake out his positions in full context instead of sound clips produced by the national media. 

"Many Americans until seven days ago had only heard Mitt Romney in eight-second sound clips," Davis said. 

Meanwhile, Davis said, Obama showed his true colors. 

"(Obama had) 90 minutes," Davis said. "The following phrase never escaped his lips: "I have succeeded."