Frist highlight of pep rally at the Beacon Drive-In

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Photo: JOHN BYRUM
Mike Fowler talks with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist as he visits the Beacon Drive-In in Spartanburg Friday. Frist visited the restaurant to speak at the Republican party pep rally.
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Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist was the star attraction at a Spartanburg County Republican Party pep rally Friday afternoon at the Beacon Drive-In.

Frist, a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2008, even picked up the tab, springing for lunch and kicking in $500 to the county GOP's coffers.

The Tennessee senator is a heart surgeon, and the irony of a trip to the iconic Spartanburg eatery wasn't lost on him. He said he'd have plenty of business if people would continue gulping down the chilli-cheese aplenties.

Frist told the crowd of about 100 that the Nov. 7 elections are "among the most consequential" in history. The grassroots workers, he said, will shape those elections.

"Whether it's putting up the yard signs, or writing that small check, or filling out those cards, or making sure we're knocking on the appropriate doors, it is yo•that will determine the future of the country," he said.

Frist also talked about President Bush's leadership in the war on terror, and stressed the need for his tax cuts to become permanent.

South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford also spoke, rallying the troops first by touting the accomplishments of her husband, Gov. Mark Sanford, then by imploring the gathered Republicans to vote for the Republican slate of candidates in November.

Sanford received wild applause when she urged them to support Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer -- something she didn't do in June, when she riled many Republicans by sending a letter saying she planned to vote for his opponent, Mike Campbell, in the runoff election for the party's nomination.

She also plugged treasurer candidate Thomas Ravenel, who dispatched three challengers -- including Sanford pick state Sen. Greg Ryberg -- to win the nomination.

Bauer, who suffered a crushed heel among other injuries when he crashed his airplane in Blacksburg in late May, walked with a severe limp and winced several times while taking a step. He said he had just put his crutches down two days ago.

The lieutenant governor, a favorite among local Republicans, jabbed himself over his well-publicized run-ins with the law. A state Highway Patrol trooper stopped Bauer for doing 101 mph in a 70 mph zone in February, but did not ticket him. And Bauer was stopped after being clocked at 78 mph in a 65 mph zone in Laurens County in December, but again did not receive a ticket.

"I just want yo•to know that I didn't speed coming up here today," Bauer said.

The noon stop at the Beacon was the first of three events in the county on the day for Frist. He attended a fundraiser for Secretary of State Mark Hammond later in the day and the Dorman High School football game in the evening.

Frist is the latest in a long line of 2008 GOP hopefuls to visit Spartanburg. He also spoke here last October.

If Frist does run for president, he's guaranteed to get the vote of one person who attended Friday's lunch. Jimmy Moore, an investigator with the Clemson University police department, was a patient of Frist's more than 20 years ago.

"I had heart surgery because I wanted to live again," Moore said. "I wanted to do the things that I enjoyed, like rock climbing. Bill came in and said, 'What are yo•waiting for?' "

Robert W. Dalton can be reached at 562-7274 or bob.dalton@shj.com.