As the national media converge on South Carolina for the presidential primaries, it’s interesting to see what outsiders say about the state and its politics.
Here are some samples from Wednesday:
From one Newsday story:
(Barack Obama) even predicted victory in South Carolina Jan. 26, the state where he once brought the Obama-Oprah show to overflow crowds. Clinton's camp might all but skip that contest on the way toward a 22-state donnybrook Feb. 5 expected to leave just one Democrat standing.
Upcoming contests also provide Obama with a powerful foothold, with African-American voters making up half the Democratic voters in South Carolina and Hispanic voters a growing Nevada contingent — a big difference from predominantly white Iowa and New Hampshire, his backers noted.
The GOP candidates' travel schedules Wednesday left no doubt about what they must do to go on. (Rudy) Giuliani went to Florida, a flat-out must win for him, while Mike Huckabee went to South Carolina to tap an evangelical Christian GOP base.
From another Newsday story datelined in Charleston:
Joe Erwin, the South Carolina Democratic Party chairman, said the win in Iowa invigorated Obama supporters here.
Now, he said, many South Carolinians see Obama's narrow defeat in New Hampshire as further indication that his broad appeal has allowed him to stage a viable candidacy.
“I think it greatly aided his cause and it showed voters in this state by proving he was electable,” said Erwin. “People I talked to — black, white, male, female, young, old — said they liked him, but they didn’t think he could win. When he won Iowa, it was a game-changer for his campaign in this state.”
But even Obama's supporters say the state's convoluted politics make taking South Carolina voters for granted a perilous exercise for a northern liberal and relative political newcomer like Obama.
The influence of Christian fundamentalism tugs at the social conservatism of many black individuals here. Long-standing social traditions have made it difficult for black candidates here to appeal to white voters on an equal footing. And the Clinton family remains enormously popular among black South Carolinians, who saw former President Bill Clinton as sympathetic to the plight of the downtrodden.
The state's most prominent black politician, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, so far has refrained from endorsing any of the Democratic presidential hopefuls, a discretion that would appear to benefit Clinton most.
From a Chicago Tribune story datelined in Columbia:
As the presidential candidates arrive from the chilly North, the Palmetto State is ready to welcome them with balmy weather and winnow them with a first-in-the-South primary that may provide the political equivalent of Harry Potter's “sorting hat.'
A conservative, heavily Republican state, rarely has South Carolina had the opportunity to play such a pivotal role in the fortunes of White House hopefuls from both parties and never have both the Republican and the Democratic primaries taken place so early.
The growing intensity of the races and the possibility that South Carolina can make a difference has prompted excitement and contributed to the recent registration of more than 50,000 new voters in this mannerly state known for its beaches, boiled peanuts and barbecue.
South Carolina's race also represents — with the exception of Michigan's primary next Tuesday, in which some campaigns are not participating — the first primary test of the candidates in such a diverse state. Compared with Iowa and New Hampshire, where more than 92 percent of the population is white, South Carolina is 66 percent white, 29 percent black and 2.4 percent of Hispanic origin, according to 2000 Census Bureau figures.
A number of factors further burnish South Carolina's importance this time around. Not only are there tight or unsettled races on both sides, but South Carolina is wedged in an unusually short time-frame between the New Hampshire primary and the massive Tsunami Tuesday line-up on Feb. 5. As a result, the state holds greater potential as a springboard for its winners and as an influence on the states that so closely follow it.
Many believe that here, where the Civil War began with the first Secession Convention in 1860, some embattled candidacies well may fall on their swords after the Republican primary on Jan. 19 and its Democratic counterpart on Jan. 26.
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South Carolina remains a relatively poor state that struggles with educational performance, particularly in its rural northeastern area, and job loss in some industrial sectors. But the state overall has a growing economy led by job growth in the health-care, wholesale trade, and leisure and hospitality areas, according to a study by Coastal Carolina University.
Myrtle Beach and the Lowcountry coastal area have become magnets for an increasing number of retirees, tourists and vacation homeowners. The northwestern Upstate region, centered around Greenville, has become a booming business hub attracting professionals, new restaurants and chic retailers. The fading textile industry has been replaced with a vibrant, job-producing array of foreign manufacturers making everything from cars to pharmaceuticals. And parts of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner are being built near Charleston.
