The battle for South Carolina
Posted: Thursday, January 24, 2008 10:04 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Obama leads Clinton in South Carolina, 37%-27%, according to a poll by Ron Lester & Associates, commissioned by Ebony and Jet Magazines. Edwards is third with 15%. Twenty-two percent say they are undecided. Among black voters, Obama holds a commanding 53%-21% lead; even among black women, Obama leads 2-to-1. Among single, black mothers, however, his lead over Clinton is thinner, 35%-32%. Among all voters, Obama was seen as most “honest and trustworthy” and Clinton is viewed as having the “best experience.”
It's an all-out slugfest in South Carolina, with Barack Obama responding to the Clintons' attacks with an attack of his own, NBC/NJ’s Aswini Anburajan reports. A new radio ad states in plain language what Obama has been insinuating for the past two weeks about Senator Clinton. "It's what's wrong with politics today. Hillary Clinton will say anything to get elected," the ad’s narrator says. The ad defends Obama against distortions on his record made by the Clinton campaign, and pushes back on the Reagan issue saying that Clinton also praised him. It also reminds voters that Clinton voted for the Iraq war. "And worst of all, it was Hillary Clinton who voted for George Bush's war in Iraq." It ends on this note: 'Hillary Clinton. She'll say anything and change nothing. It's time to turn the page."
The Washington Post notes the back-and-forth on radio in South Carolina between the Clinton and Obama camps. And it quotes new Obama supporter, Sen. Pat Leahy, saying the former president "is not helping anyone" with his shots at Obama. Adds another senator, who is neutral in the primary. "I'm not underestimating that this could be divisive, but I think both camps know how important this is, that it doesn't go beyond repair," said Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.), the most vulnerable Democrat up for reelection next year, who is unaligned.
"Our party has to remain united -- that's the most important thing for November," she said. "The bottom line is, all this could cause a rift, but I hope it doesn't."
Has Bill Clinton successfully played the race card? AP's Fournier notes: "One of the best political strategists of his generation, Clinton may be hoping to lower expectations for Saturday's primary. He may have his sights on Feb. 5, when voters in 22 states take part in a national primary. It would likely work to Hillary Clinton's advantage to have the electorate polarized by race, given that most Feb. 5 voters will be white and Hispanic; she won the Hispanic vote overwhelmingly in last week's Nevada caucus.
Strategists working for the New York senator deny any intentional effort by Bill Clinton, his wife or even surrogates like Bob Johnson, who referred to Obama's admitted drug use, to stir the racial debate. But they say they believe the fallout has had the effect of branding Obama as ‘the black candidate,’ something he has worked to avoid."
Politico looks at the views of African-Americans in the state. "Interviews with more than 30 Columbia-area African-American college students and professionals show overwhelming support for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as Saturday’s South Carolina primary approaches. But many of those interviewed, while thrilled with the prospect of an Obama presidency, worry that the white-dominated government in Washington would work to circumvent the agenda of a black president - an underlying concern that could tarnish Obama’s historic appeal in this state and elsewhere."
The Columbia State: “But a clearly frustrated Edwards, the Seneca native who is running third in his native state, said his message has been lost in the media glare given two ‘celebrity candidates.’ More attention is focused on whether he’ll quit after Saturday’s Democratic primary than on what he’s saying.
The State also profiles the local restaurant, Lizard’s Thicket, which has become a regular campaign stop for Democrats and Republicans and is where MSNBC’s Morning Joe will broadcast live Friday and Saturday.
