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Aaron Gould Sheinin

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
AuthorDavid Wilkins
Published date01 December 2005
Date01 December 2005
DOI10.1177/002070200506000414
Subject MatterMovers & Shakers
Aaron Gould Sheinin
David Wilkins
| International Journal | Autumn 2005 | 1125 |
MOVERS & SHAKERS
The pinnacle of David Wilkins’ tenure as speaker of the South Carolina
house of representatives was almost his own personal nadir, but because
Wilkins prevailed—and in fact prospered—he is now the newly minted US
ambassador to Canada. Had the 58-year-old Republican failed that day five
years ago, his political career would likely have ended. Instead, it has flour-
ished and led him far north of his native Greenville.
Just after 10 p.m., 10 May 2000, the bell rang in the South Carolina
house chamber, signalling a vote was at hand. The issue was whether to
remove the Confederate flag from atop the capitol dome, where it had flown
for nearly four decades—40 years of acrimony and controversy,violence and
hot, hard rhetoric. The Confederate flag, that red banner with its stars and
bars familiar to anyone with even a stereotypical knowledge of the American
south, threatened to tear the state apart.
Justmomentsbefore thevote, Wilkins took thefloor andgave what wasper-
hapsthe mostpowerfulspeech ofhis 18 yearsin the house.As speaker, Wilkins’s
powerwas basedlargelyon his position. But the lawyer in him has always appre-
ciatedthepower of oratory,and as a politician Wilkinshad usedit well.He didnot
taketo the flooroften. Whenhe did, alleyes and earswere on him.
Aaron Gould Sheinin is a political and government reporter for The State newspaper in
Columbia, SC, and is president of Capitolbeat, the national association for state house
journalists.

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