The Phoenix

Obama Wins SC In a Blow Out -- Clinton Finishes Way Back in Second, and She's Lucky to Have That

    Barack Obama has won a huge victory tonight over Hillary Clinton -- so much so that he apparently will go over 50% and Clinton will finish far closer to Edwards than the winner.
    Assuming Clinton holds second, no matter how far back she is, tonight's victory for Obama will likely not hurt her momentum much heading into Florida on Tuesday -- a primary the media should actually not report both because it's only a "beauty contest" and no Democratic candidates campaigned there (see our post from yesterday). But the networks will likely report those results on Tuesday (after all, they're there covering the GOP), and Clinton is likely to win that one big. So, she will likely get a corresponding bump heading into Super Tuesday, making these two results together something of a wash.
    If Edwards had passed her tonight, however, she would have had some explaining to do -- and the same goes for Bill.
    By the way, Obama did far better with whites in SC (about 25%) than Hillary did with blacks (about 18%).
    At least for tonight, the Clinton campaign hardly looks like a juggernaut. But to be fair, an outspoken northern woman was never going to do well in this state. Of all 50, this is her weakest and thus it is Obama's strongest.

Published Jan 26 2008, 08:38 PM by Importer

Texas Girl said:

I am a Democrat, but if Obama wins the Democratic runner for president, I will vote Repubican. I am not a racist, if Colen Powell was running I would vote for him. Obama is not the right person for the job. He is not mature or experienced enough. Today the republicans are speaking about the issues that are going on today with the war & sending more troops. What are the Democrats talking about....We are stuck on the RACE issue & what someone is saying about them. I am sick of it, I don't care if the president is green, It is what is between his or her ears that counts & how experienced he or she is to run the country and make the important decisions that comes with the job......Please stop with the bull crap & talk about the ISSUES ONLY!!!!!

Please Hilary, we know you can turn around this campaign, be the one to do it. When Obama speaks about something that has to do with something besides the issue call him down, talk about the issues anyway & ignore his remarks stick with the issues. Look at him like the idiot he is.

January 27, 2008 4:46 PM
LorenzoJennifer said:

May well be a lot of blood left on the floor following the Barack Obama-Bill Clinton crossfire in South Carolina. Hillary Clinton benefited from the "let's you and him fight" plan that saw Bill and Barack go at each other while she took the high road. Yet, there's something unbecoming about "America's first black president" (as author Toni Morrison dubbed Bill) going after our first serious African-American candidate. When all is said and done - many miles and a few months to go - the Clintons and Obamas will all hug each other. Yet, Barack's brought in a large number of first time contributors and volunters who may not yet be that experienced in rough-and-tumble politics. They may not be all that willing to forgive, forget and rally 'round another candidate.

January 27, 2008 9:00 PM
prantha said:

St. Petersberg Times (Florida) Endorsed Obama last week, around the time that Obama received endorsements from Palm Beach Post and the Tampa Tribune. What's interesting is that Billary is trying to get the DNC to allow the delegates from Florida and Michigan elections to be able to participate in the Democratic National Convention. Query whether she'll be as pushy if - God forbid! -- Obama wins Florida. I think it could be possible. You may not know this, but nearly one million Floridians have already voted in the presidential primary! Something's up! This is a sign that there will likely be a record turnout on Tuesday. But you gotta love these snippets from St. Pete's Times:

..."In Clinton, we see the past; in Obama, we see a fresh start. Clinton is a divisive political figure; Obama's appeal transcends racial and party lines. She exudes competence; he radiates optimism. She came to the campaign with a sense of entitlement; he came to it with a sense of possibilities. She can be evasive, even misleading; he can be refreshingly candid about his own shortcomings and his political mistakes. She represents business as usual in politics; he at least offers the hope of something better."

..."Real change can be disruptive and painful. There is one change, however, that would be neither. After almost 20 years of having a Bush or a Clinton in the White House, it may be that many Americans are ready for a fresh face in the Oval Office. Does the country really want to extend the Bush-Clinton rotation to 28 years? That is not a throw-away question."

------

Other news

------

Massachusetts: the Daily News Tribune Endorsed Obama today. Caroline Kennedy endorsed Obama today. Ted Kennedy will endorse Obama tomorrow. The Harvard Crimson endorsed Obama last week. The Boston Globe endorsed Obama about 10 days ago. Today, the Daily News Tribune, of Walthan, MA has endorsed Obama. (This could be big.)

------

Pennsylvania: The Philadellphia Inquirer Endorsed Obama.

Washington: The Seattle Times Endorsed Obama

California: San Francisco Chronicle Endorsed Obama

California: San Francisco Bay Guardian Endorsed Obama

California: San Jose Mercury News Endorsed Obama

California: Sacramento Bee Endorsed Obama

California: Los Angeles Daily News Endorsed Obama

Arizona: Arizona Republic Endorsed Obama

Georgia: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Endorsed Obama

Oh well. Endorsements don't mean very much.

January 27, 2008 11:18 PM
LorenzoJennifer said:

Response to PRANTHA

Good work in bird-dogging how Michigan and now Florida's delegates will be selected by the DNC. Interesting to see how and by whom the delegates are selected. Will they match up with the voting results - ex: a candidate scoring 50% of the primary vote gets 50% of delegates pledged to their candidacy? Florida, unlike Michigan, will remove a candidate's name from the ballot only if they have withdrawn entirely from the race. Leaves Hillary, Barack, John and Mike Gravel, I guess. On the GOP side, the RNC has cut by half the number of delegates previously assigned to any state having its primary or caucus before Feb. 5.

Check out the January 28 The New Yorker for a spot-on Hillary vs. Barack comparison.

Endorsements may not mean very much but support is cobbled together from different sources. An avid reader of The Boston Phoenix, say, (brownie points) would give some weight to their endorsements. Having said that, let me tell you: "This could be big?" The Waltham News Tribune ain't all that big, 'bro. LOL - with you.

January 27, 2008 11:44 PM