As expected Barack Obama won the South Carolina primary. What was not so sure is that he flatten Senator Clinton like a slab of dough under a rolling pin. Obama won an outright majority of 55%, something rare at this stage of the game. Ms. Clinton got 29% and Mr. Edwards, 16%. Isn't Edwards, like, from just North of that state? Call it a victory for unspecified change over explicit phoniness.
"After four great contests, in every corner of this 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," Obama told an enthusiastic crowd of supporters in Columbia who interrupted his victory speech with chants of "Yes, we can!" and "Race doesn't matter!"
Well, maybe race does matter.
The exit polls showed Obama winning a majority of both men and women in South Carolina and winning most categories of voters. But there were clear racial splits, with African Americans solidly behind Obama and white voters divided among the three candidates.
About half the voters in SC were Black. Obama won an astounding 81% of that demographic, according to exit polls.
Two things. First: the Clintons have succeeded in splitting the Black and White portions of the Democratic party. If Ms. Clinton can hang on to the latter, she will be the nominee. Second, however, is that the Clintons have managed to make themselves look dirtier even than they were before. Mr. Bill explained away the South Carolina results by explicitly linking the Obama victory to those of Jesse Jackson. Everyone now assumes that everything a Clinton says is part of a well considered strategy. White voters may well be hesitant to back a Jackson-like candidate of Black America, but won't they be equally offended to know that they are being played? The Clintons are counting on winning the White vote n a lot of states on Feb. 5th. But by being so transparent, they are running a terrible risk.
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