Lagniappe

 

Ben Smith and Carrie Budoff Brown :
Obama's big win keeps his hopes alive

 

 

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's landslide South Carolina victory gave him renewed momentum on the road toward the Democratic presidential nomination, and offered him the outlines of a strategy as he heads into what is still an uphill battle on Feb. 5.

Obama's victory, with roughly double the votes of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, was driven by a stunning 81 percent of the African American vote, according to exit polls.

But Obama also won 25 percent of South Carolina's white vote, leaving his campaign in a position to make the case that he can build a new Democratic coalition.

The results meanwhile offered a sharp rebuke to former President Bill Clinton, who campaigned hard for his wife across South Carolina, attacking her rival's record with a vigor new to the campaign.

Bill Clinton saw himself transformed from Democratic elder statesman to polarizing attack dog, at least in the eyes of Obama's supporters, who booed him when his image came onto the screen at Obama's victory party in Columbia, S.C.

About six in 10 voters said Bill Clinton's campaigning was important in how they decided to vote — and only 37 percent of those backed his wife, according to the exit polls.

"This was a strong repudiation of the tactics that were employed here," Obama's chief strategist, David Axelrod, said after the television networks called the primary for Obama moments after polls closed at 7 p.m.

The election was, in fact, racially polarized: John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, won the white vote, getting 39 percent of it — but slid into third place because he finished with just 1 percent of the black vote. Clinton won 36 percent of the white vote.

Bill Clinton earlier in the day evoked the Rev. Jesse Jackson's South Carolina wins in 1984 and 1988 when talking to a reporter about Obama.

But Obama — who had been punished by the press after losing amid high expectations in Nevada and New Hampshire — triumphed over low expectations set by recent polls, which suggested he could get as little as 10 percent of the white vote — putting him in Jackson's range.

Instead, he left with his campaign's central argument — that he can attract a broad new range of supporters — intact.

In his victory speech, he made the case that his performance in early states proves his ability to unite the country. "We have the most votes, the most delegates and the most diverse coalition of Americans that we've seen in a long, long time," he said, as the crowd chanted, "Race doesn't matter."

His aides indicated that he'll now try to cut his potential losses in the two big states that vote Feb. 5 — New York and California — by trying to challenge Clinton for delegates while running hard in smaller states.

"There are delegates in contention all over — not just in New York and California," Axelrod said. "We've got great strength in the middle of the country, and we're going to compete strongly there."

On primary day, Obama did interviews with television stations in New York, Connecticut, Missouri, New Mexico, Arizona and California, an aide said.

Clinton, in her written concession statement, stressed the breadth of the Feb. 5 vote, coming in states where she still largely holds an advantage in the polls. Her campaign also insists that Florida, which has been stripped of its delegates by the Democratic National Committee and votes this week, retains relevance, something Obama disputes.

"We now turn our attention to the millions of Americans who will make their voices heard in Florida and the 22 states as well as American Samoa who will vote on Feb. 5," the statement said.

The vote also augured well for the Democratic Party, with turnout on track to surpass the 445,000 who voted in the Jan. 19 Republican primary — and in a state with more Republicans than Democrats.

Obama, in particular, built a massive, convincing organization, with a staff at its Columbia headquarters so large that they held an "Obama-Q" nightly over the last week, roasting and consuming an entire pig each night.

For Edwards, it was another stinging defeat, this time in his home state, as he struggles to convince voters that a vote for him on Feb. 5 is not wasted.

"The party was the winner here," South Carolina Democratic Party Executive Director Joe Werner said, happily referring to a new cadre of Democratic activists and operatives activated by the three Democratic campaigns.

 

 

Ben Smith is a journalist and at present writes a blog about the candidates for the 2008 Democratic nomination for Politico. Carrie Budoff Brown is a journalist for Politico, where she reports on the Senate. Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views

Editor's note:This commentary was originally published by Politico, on 01/27/2007. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers.

All comments posted and published on Petroleumworld, do not reflect either for or against the opinion expressed in the comment as an endorsement of Petroleumworld. All comments expressed are private comments and do not necessary reflect the view of this website. All comments are posted and published without liability to Petroleumworld.

Fair use Notice: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of issues of environmental and humanitarian significance. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.

All works published by Petroleumworld are in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Petroleumworld has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is Petroleumworld endorsed or sponsored by the originator.

Petroleumworld encourages persons to reproduce, reprint, or broadcast Petroleumworld articles provided that any such reproduction identify the original source, http://www.petroleumworld.com or else and it is done within the fair use as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated

Petroleumworld welcomes your feedback and comments: editor@petroleumworld.com. By using this link, you agree to allow E&P to publish your comments on our letters page.

Petroleumworld News 01/28/08

Copyright© 2008 Ben Smith and Carrie Budoff Brown. All rights reserved.

Send this story to a friend

Your feedback is important to us!
We invite all our readers to share with us
their views and comments about this article.

Write to editor@petroleumworld.com

Any question or suggestions, please write to:
editor@petroleumworld.com

Best Viewed with IE 5.01+
Windows NT 4.0, '95, '98 and ME +/ 800x600 pixels