South Carolina
South Carolina primary news
From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
Tonight's victory speech by Obama may be his best yet, powerful, looking toward the future and putting his opponents in their place while appearing to rise above the nasty attacks that have dominated the race for the past two weeks.
Obama told the crowd that change and overcoming the status quo would be difficult, reminding the crowd of the attacks he'd faced from the Clintons over the past two weeks. "We are up against an idea that it's acceptable to say anything and do anything to win an election," he said. "We know that this is exactly what's wrong with our politics."
But he also praised his opponents in the race, calling them "fierce competitors" and reminded the crowd that had booed Hillary Clinton all night that at the end of the day they were all competing for the Democratic nomination and would have to come together in the general election.
Obama also used the attacks of the past few weeks as a proof that there is a larger malaise within American politics that allows division to dominate the debate.
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From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Despite Bill Clinton’s scolding of the media for asking him race-related questions, race is very much an issue on the ground here in South Carolina. Overwhelmingly, black voters are backing Obama, according to the MSNBC/McClatchy/Mason-Dixon poll (and others). They like his policies, yes, but they also say it’s a great feeling of possibility to have a viable African-American candidate, something Bill Clinton, himself, has acknowledged.
On the flip side, Obama is getting just an astoundingly low 10% of the white vote in the Mason-Dixon poll -- despite winning in lilly-white Iowa and his broad message. Edwards, the only viable white male on the Democratic side and native South Carolinian, has surged among whites. He, in fact, now leads among the trifecta of candidates, 40%-36% over Clinton. Obama’s support among whites has been slashed in half since the last time the poll was conducted.
At a well-attended, Clinton event this morning at Benedict College, a historically black college, almost all of the attendees were African American. One white woman in attendance said she had been for Hillary since she began running. This gregarious woman ticked off reason after reason for why she’s for Hillary. When asked what she thinks of Obama and Edwards, she replied only, “I like John Edwards.”
She was content to leave it at that, but after a five-second pause, this reporter asked, “What about Obama?”
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The Washington Post writes about the decision by both Clinton and Obama to pull their negative radio ads. More proof that just when this campaign looks like it's going to go down the normal negative road, the campaigns balk.
“The race between U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, who would be her party’s first female nominee, and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, who would be his party’s first black nominee, has divided women along generational and racial lines,” the
Columbia State writes. “It has split households and forced women to ponder racial and gender allegiances.”
The
L.A. Times also looks at how the campaign has become racially polarizing.
The Columbia State notes “Edwards rises in SC polls.” “With only a day left before Saturday’s S.C. Democratic presidential primary, the former U.S. senator from North Carolina and S.C. native is making a move, tracking polls suggest.”
Edwards took a bit of a swipe at Clinton for not campaigning in the state early this week. "After the debate, she flew out and she's been gone and she won't be back until I don't know -- later in the week or until primary day," Edwards told a crowd of about 150 people in this small city on Wednesday. "What are the chances she's coming back when she's president of the United States?"
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.
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The candidates kick off the battle for South Carolina today with an MLK holiday rally in Columbia and then a debate tonight, the Columbia State reports.
The Greenville News: "Jim Clyburn, D-Columbia, the House majority whip and institute board member who is neutral in the race, said Clinton ‘has to connect with people on a personal level (in the debate); that needs to come through.’ Obama, who has faced questions about his lack of experience, may have a more complex situation, Clyburn suggested. ‘He has to be presidential, demonstrate that he's a strong leader,’ Clyburn said. ‘And he has to be careful not to be too soft, but not to harden up.’ Asked if that might not be at odds with Obama's public persona, Clyburn said, ‘You can be firm and not be hard.’”
The Washington Post re-interviews some black voters from three months ago and finds they are now moving toward Obama. "The firming of [voter the Post used as anecdote] feelings for Obama reflects a shift in support that started with his victory in Iowa on Jan. 3. Three months ago, when The Washington Post first interviewed Hammond and several other African American women in this state, Clinton (N.Y.) had the support of 54 percent of black women nationally, compared with 35 percent for Obama. But Obama is now winning 60 percent of the black vote, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.”
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From NBC/NJ's Tricia Miller
WINNSBORO, S.C. -- Edwards portrayed himself as the best candidate to run against Republican John McCain a day after he won the Republican primary here.
"Well, he is starting to look like the Republican nominee,” Edwards said in response to a reporter’s question about McCain, “and I think it's important for us to have somebody to run against McCain who can beat him. And national polls show that I'm the one who beats John McCain in the general election. And second, I think even more important than that, this is a guy who's made central to his political life campaign finance reform. It seems to me we ought to be putting somebody up against him who's never taken money from special interest PACs or Washington lobbyists. Between the three of us, that's me."
Edwards’ response echoes the campaign ads he has been running here on cable. They have appeared much more often than anything Obama or Clinton have been running this past week. The ads feature pictures of Obama and Clinton side by side and asks specific questions like, who’s the only candidate not to take money from Washington lobbyists? Then an announcer says, John Edwards is the only one.
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From NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Rep. Fletcher Smith hopes the third time's the charm.
Smith, an African-American state representative from Greenville County, signed up to be a co-chair of Bill Richardson's South Carolina campaign in July. But as Richardson's call for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq became more strident, Smith started to question the New Mexico governor's plan. In October, he switched his allegiance and endorsed Joe Biden.
But on caucus night, Biden's presidential dreams ended. And Smith became a free agent again.
As a black legislator in a state where half of Democratic primary voters are African-American, Smith's nod is a hot commodity. He's been heavily courted by the Clinton campaign and has received overtures from Obama, with whom he says he will likely meet next week before making his final decision.
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Form NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
As McCain finished his victory speech and greeted supporters, ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me" played from the speakers. Yesterday, McCain told NBC's Kelly O'Donnell that he was tiring of "Johnny B. Goode" and asked for this song. It was debuted during last night's rally while McCain worked the rope line.
However, as McCain continued greeting voters after tonight's speech, "Johnny B. Goode" followed. As McCain showed in South Carolina, not only do classics come back, they can also become beloved.
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- It’s clear who Huckabee camp is blaming for its squeaker of a loss in South Carolina: Fred Thompson.
After Huckabee’s gracious concession speech -- in which he had nothing but kind words for John McCain who he said showed great “civility” -- former SC Gov. David Beasley, a Huckabee surrogate, railed against Thompson.
“Fred hurt us in South Carolina,” Beasley began. “He had one goal and one goal only -- to distort Mike Huckabee’s record so John McCain could pull it out. No ifs, ands or buts about it….
“Thompson came here and just went to the areas where he could gut Huckabee. I have no doubt in my mind, it was Washington politics at its worst.
“One thing about Fred; I love Fred, but Fred’s not stupid….I don’t think he had any intention in South Carolina but to hurt Mike Huckabee…. Had Fred Thompson not been in the race, this would have been an overwhelming, dynamic victory for Mike Huckabee.”
He also talked of just having three-and-a-half days to campaign in South Carolina post Michigan versus the two weeks George W. Bush had to retail here in the crucial days before the primary. The question has to be raised: Should Huckabee have campaigned at all in Michigan and spent more time here in the run up to today?
Beasley sure thinks so. "Michigan split us up, cut us down," he said.
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Nearly a dozen voters First Read spoke with at one polling place here said they were split on their decision of who to vote for, and many made up their minds within the past week, day or even minutes.
“I made the decision about five minutes ago; I‘ve been thinking about it for four months,” said one man in this upper-middle-class community in the WildeWood and Polo Road precincts. “I was going to go with Romney, but decided it was McCain’s time. I just think he’s the strongest Republican candidate to beat the Democrats. His age concerns me a bit, but, in the end, I just thought he was the best one.”
“I decided in the past week,” said one woman who said she voted for Huckabee. “I have tremendous respect for him because of his Christian faith. I just feel like I know who he is.” Another woman, whose husband broke for McCain, echoed those sentiments. “He seemed the most consistent,” she said, but added, “And I am a Christian -- that was a factor to some degree.”
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