Families drawn to Sharpton's, Lieberman's messages

Members of six families watch the Democratic Presidential Debate on television in the studios of WYFF-TV Thursday. e-mail this story Related Online extra • Read the total package on these families, their concerns Photo gallery • Families watch, evaluate debate

But after Thursday night's Democratic presidential debate at the Peace Center in downtown Greenville, six families who've signed on to talk in depth with The Greenville News about their views of the candidates throughout the campaign said that though the Rev. Al Sharpton was short on specifics, he resonated with them again and again.

An almost equal number of the nine adults who watched the debate with the newspaper and WYFF News 4 said they found themselves drawn to the message of Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman.

Together, they represent a diverse slice of the community ranging from a 22-year-old graduate assistant at Clemson University who describes himself as a conservative Christian to a 30-year-old mother who says she is a "radical liberal." At times, they debated directly opposing viewpoints.

But by the end of the night, everyone in the group said they believed Sharpton proved himself as a serious candidate.

Five said he won it outright.

Four others said Joe Lieberman made the best showing.

"I just never looked at Sharpton seriously before tonight," said Nicole Pascoe, 25, who has worked at three nonprofit jobs and lives in a villa off Pelham Road with her beagle, Sadie. She works with the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce's biggest business members.

John Edwards was the biggest loser of the night, the group said.

"I think he came off as inexperienced," said Pat Pomeroy, a Nashville native who moved with her husband, Bill, to Simpsonville eight years ago. She works as executive director of the Mauldin Chamber of Commerce. "I was expecting a lot more from him tonight, and I really don't think he made the showing that everybody was anticipating."

But winners and losers aside, the participants said they are still distressed over a lack of substance.

"They aren't addressing the real issues," said Bill Pomeroy, a former textile executive who today is the vice president of sales for Crucible Chemical Co. in Greenville.

Like folks elsewhere across the country, these individuals said they wanted to hear specifics about flat taxes, universal health care and job security.

They were turned off by the repeated attacks on President George W. Bush.

"It bothers me, especially when they called him a liar," Bill Pomeroy said. "I think there is a certain amount of respect that a person should have for that office. I think they lose points doing that."

Sharpton was the only candidate who drew applause from the group.

It came first as he talked about "standing up for something," when asked by NBC's Tom Brokaw about his continued presence in the race.

But the biggest cheers came when he pointed out as "shameful" the fact that Greenville is the only county in South Carolina that doesn't observe the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as a paid day off for workers.

"He just put that out there in front of the entire nation," said Heidi Anderson.

"I am so glad that he said that," said Renee Cook, 32, a wife and mother of a 3-month-old daughter. Cook works as a nurse.

"Sometimes, you have to be embarrassed to be able to move forward," said her husband, Bernard Cook. He is a Greenville native who met his wife while the two were students at South Carolina State University. Today, he works as an outreach director.

Staff writer April M. Silvaggio can be reached at 298-4801.