MANNING, S.C. -- Alvin Greene, the mystery man who came from virtually nowhere to win South Carolina's Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate gave his first public speech in his hometown of Manning on Sunday afternoon.
Greene appeared nervous as he took the stage in the packed gymnasium of the Manning Junior High School where his name was misspelled on the sign outside.
Greene, who spent no money and never campaigned in the primary, opened his remarks to the Manning chapter of the NAACP by saying he was the best candidate for the Senate and the best candidate for next year's Image Award.
In the midst of talking about jobs and education, Greene suddenly departed and started talking about someone he knew who was having a legal problem.
Greene is currently facing an obscenity charge for allegedly showing pornography on a computer to a college coed.
Greene said he had a friend who should have qualified for a pre-trial diversion program but did not.
"That same guy's trial was supposed to be last week but it was put off," he said, before reverting back to talking about jobs and education.
Greene was supposed to be in court last week on the obscenity charge but the court date was continued.
Greene spoke about putting South Carolina back to work saying, "We can build I-73 from Michigan to the South Carolina coast and widen major highways across the state."
"Let's get South Carolina and America back to work and move South Carolina and America forward," he said.
Greene has, in the past, said that manufacturing action figures of himself would be a boost to the economy. If that is still part of his platform he did not mention it.
Greene, who was supposed to speak for 20 to 30 minutes, was done after seven minutes.
He was given a rousing round of applause by the audience of 400 to 500 people, many of whom said they could support him.
"I feel with the right guidance and instead of politicians yelling about him being a plant, we should be asking, 'How can we help you?'" said Kate Nash, who said she had voted for Greene in the primary.
Greene was to have taken questions from the national and local reporters who packed into the hot gymnasium, but he was hustled out a side door by his supporters when his seven-minute speech was finished.
