Obama victory decisive
By Robert Behre
The Post and Courier
Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, waves to the crowd as he takes the stage with his wife Michelle during a South Carolina primary victory party, in Columbia, S.C. Saturday.
COLUMBIA The unexpectedly dramatic margin of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's South Carolina win sent ripples of excitement through his supporters Saturday night.
"This is a first-round knockout," said former S.C. Gov. Jim Hodges, "not only the volume but the margin."
David Agnew, a Charleston businessman and former aide to Mayor Joe Riley, also was among the supporters who packed into the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center to hear Obama's acceptance speech. While the win surprised some observers, the Agnew said he sensed a shift in recent weeks. "There was a surge of interest in Barack Obama's campaign that you wouldn't expect," he said.
Former S.C. Secretary of Education Inez Tenenbaum, the first elected official to sign on with Obama's campaign here also called his performance "a surge." "He didn't start at the top down. He started from the bottom up," she said, referring to the campaign's decision to recruit volunteers instead of court the traditional power brokers of among the state's Democratic elite. His win validates that strategy. "I think everyone is going to try to replicate it, duplicate it for years to come," she said.
Joe Erwin, who endorsed and began campaigning for Obama a few months after he stepped down as chairman of the S.C. Democratic Party, said Obama's win will re-energize the state's Democrats. "The excitement is on our side," he said, adding that some exit polls projected the Democratic turnout would top the 444,090 who voted in the GOP primary last week a stunner in this beet-red Republican state. "It looks like an overwhelming victory for us. We're thrilled. We're humbled, too," Erwin said.
If Obama becomes the nominee, his large wave of support could put South Carolina in play this November. "It could change the map of American politics," he said. Hodges agreed: "State and local Democrats always worry about having someone at the top of the ticket who is a drag and not an asset. This is beyond our hopes and expectations." It also will rejuvenate Democrats on the state and local levels here to recruit a new group of candidates with two months left before the filing period ends for this year's general elections.
Phil Noble, a Charleston businessman who volunteered extensively with the Obama campaign, expressed optimism as the final voters went to the polls. He had just visited Obama's Columbia headquarters and reported, "Everybody seems pretty happy. It's the dull quiet of a well-run operation. Everybody knew what to do and did it. There was no one running around with their head cut off."
Obama was scheduled to give his victory speech in the spacious hall where he kicked off his South Carolina campaign a year ago just a few days after state Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, made headlines by saying Obama's nomination as president would doom the entire Democratic ticket. His speech then was peppered with the line, "Yes we can!"While waiting for him to take the crowd Saturday night, the crowd chanted, "Yes he did!"
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PoisenIvy (anonymous) says...
Barack vs 'The Barracuda'
May the best MAN win!!!
January 26, 2008 at 9 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ForPnC (anonymous) says...
The country is screwed again.
Keep the vaseline coming!
January 26, 2008 at 9:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
candygirl (anonymous) says...
*** Time for a Change ***
"""" Go OBAMA """"
January 26, 2008 at 9:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
AFWally (anonymous) says...
Bigger Government, more socialism on the way, US Constitution out the window, US Sovereignty gone......
January 26, 2008 at 9:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yeahright (anonymous) says...
Joe Riley was interviewed after voting for Obama and claimed he did so because "we need new and fresh leadership."
OH THE IRONY!!
January 26, 2008 at 9:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
carowinds (anonymous) says...
I have news for you, AFWally....U.S. sovereignty has been gone for quite a while. Re-establishing it is going to be a long, difficult road back. Barack Obama is the first candidate in many years who's actually made me hopeful for the future. This was a great win, on to Super Tuesday!
January 26, 2008 at 9:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
the_yankee (anonymous) says...
carowinds, YOU ARE A MORON!!!!!
January 26, 2008 at 10:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jnevius (anonymous) says...
(Barack Obama is the first candidate in many years who's actually made me hopeful for the future.) How naive!! The man has great eloquence but absolutely no substance in what he says. Any one who would meet the President of Iran in person can never be trusted with the leadership of this country
January 26, 2008 at 10:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jammer (anonymous) says...
this was a fantastic victory for the repubs...
repubs - nearly 100,000 less voted in the primary this year
demo/indept - nearly 100,000 more voted this year
looks like someone helped make sure Usama won, he's easier to beat later... and our bottom of the list in education fell for it hook line and sinker
the rest of the country is a LOT smarter so we'll have to shuffle the deck much more carefully
I'm sure this is one all of the puppets in islamville came out to vote on as well, at least the one's that aren't felons...
looking for a pres that's sworn in on the koran are you? sheeples...
January 26, 2008 at 10:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GOP10 (anonymous) says...
It is best that Obama supporters don't get too worked up over this, because it is still not evident that he has the crossover appeal to win a general election.
January 26, 2008 at 10:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blackwoman (anonymous) says...
What you fail to realize is that there are a great number of individuals who are changing parties. Congratulations Senator Obama! A well deserved VICTORY. How Americans can even entertain the rhetoric of a presidential candidate whose spouse, while President, was granted adulterous sexual favors is beyond comprehension.
January 26, 2008 at 11:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
AFWally (anonymous) says...
NAU = North American Union, one of the CFR's Globalist plans under Osama
January 26, 2008 at 11:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
annsmith (anonymous) says...
Talk is cheap and Obama is just full of hot air. Obama is doing a disservice to the young people by pretending to be the candidate of change. For real change, the American people should vote for candidates like Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, or Mike Huckabee.
January 26, 2008 at 11:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ForPnC (anonymous) says...
Huckabee is the biggest moron of ALL the candidates. He needs to crawl back into the witches kettle that he crawled out of.
January 26, 2008 at 11:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MarianneCollins (anonymous) says...
Now let's see the Clintons try to spin this story in a racial way !! HA HA HA, THEY CAN'T !! Obama got support from rich voters and poor. From black and white. From young and old, and from men and women.
S. Carolina voters should be congratulated. They saw through the Clinton lies and dirty politics, and voted for the BEST CANDIDATE: Barack Obama.
This old white woman is VERY HAPPY !!
January 27, 2008 at 12:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MarianneCollins (anonymous) says...
Obama has a GREAT background to be president.
* He graduated in the top 1% of his class at Harvard Law School (Hillary graduated in the middle of her class).
* He was elected as President of the Harvard Law Review - a very great honor. (HIllary has no such honors).
* When he could have gotten a high paying job, he worked for years as a political organizer in Chicago's poor neighborhoods, helping the people there to get ahead and get a political voice. (Hillary flunked her law exam TWICE, and then worked as a patent lawyer her whole career in Arkansas).
* Obama worked as a Civil Rights lawyer for many years in Chicago. (Where's Hillary? Still a patent lawyer in Arkansas).
* Obama was a Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago. (Where's Hillary now? In the White House as First Lady, and if you think this is appropriate experience to be president, I have a used car I want to sell you !!)
* Obama served as State Senator of Illinois for 8 years. And he has served as U.S. Senator for the last 3 years. That's 11 years in ELECTED PUBLIC OFFICE. (Hillary has served 6 years total in elected public office. WHERE IS THE "35 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, HILLARY???)
Most important, Barack Obama is a self-made man. His accomplishments are his own, not his spouse's !!!
January 27, 2008 at 12:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MAMAorg (anonymous) says...
Living in Beaufort County it was clear of the racial siding. Black voters sided with a black candidate. Is this really uniting the people or just creating a greater divide between races? What I would like to hear from Mr Obama is for him to address himself as a bi-racial success story and candidate instead of resorting to representing himself as a black man. Has he forgotten his mother was white? He should be proud of both races within himself instead of announcing a one sided card. Does this make him racially biased? Maybe he should practice what he is preaching. If he wins the democratic nomination, I'm voting republican.
January 27, 2008 at 2:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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