Obama overwhelms Clinton in South Carolina

[swallow73 (swallow73)]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections08/barackobama/story/0,,2247783,00.html

Ewen MacAskill and Suzanne Goldenberg in Columbia, South Carolina
Sunday January 27, 2008
Guardian Unlimited


Barack Obama won by a landslide in South Carolina tonight, moving into a
strong position ahead of the Democrats' multi-state contest on February 5.
With more than 95% of the results in, Obama far exceeded expectations, taking
twice as many votes as Hillary Clinton, 55% to 26%. It was the first primary
when the winner has gotten more than 50% of the vote.

John Edwards came in a distant third in his home state, frustrating his hopes
of making a comeback ahead of Super Tuesday.

Obama told a cheering crowd in Columbia that he had shown that Iowa, the
first primary, was not a fluke. "We have the most votes, the most delegates,
and the most diverse coalition of Americans."
Clinton lost no time in conceding, issuing a statement of congratulations to
Obama as she headed for a rally in Tennessee. But her husband, who was an
equal partner in the negative campaigning against Obama in South Carolina
sounded a more combative note.

"He won fair and square," Bill Clinton told a rally in Independence,
Missouri. "Now we go to February 5 when millions of Americans finally get
into the act."

While Clinton still remains the favourite to come out on top on February 5,
when 22 states are up for grabs, the win in South Carolina could help Obama
narrow the poll gap. His support came overwhelmingly from African-Americans
but he also took a share of the white vote, particularly among the young.

Obama received an additional boost with a hugely symbolic endorsement from
Caroline Kennedy, the only surviving child of the late John F Kennedy.

"Over the years, I've been deeply moved by the people who've told me they
wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did
when my father was president," she wrote in an opinion piece for Sunday's New
York Times. "This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am
supporting ... Barack Obama."

The scale of Obama's victory throws into doubt wisdom of the negative tactics
adopted by the Clintons.

The primary, the first in the south, was bitterly contested between Obama and
Clinton, aided by her husband.

Exit polls showed voters starkly divided by race, with Obama carried to
victory by 81% of the African American vote. Clinton had 17% of the African
American vote, and John Edwards just 1%.

However, the gender gap that carried Clinton to victory in New Hampshire and
Nevada did not materialise. Although she won 42% of white women voters, the
overwhelming majority of African American women voted for Obama. Clinton also
performed poorly among white male voters.

Obama took a battering from Hillary and Bill Clinton all week, with bogus
claims he supported Reaganite policies and bringing up his links with a slum
landlord in Chicago facing a fraud trial.

It was a risky strategy for the Clintons who faced a lot of criticism from
inside the Democratic party, amid fears that the tactics could polarise the
electorate and could alienate African-Americans.

But exit polls showed the electorate blamed both Obama and the Clintons for
the squabbling. About 50% blamed both, 21% blamed Hillary Clinton and 6%
Obama.

The exit polls also suggested the electorate was not as split on race as some
had feared, with 77% saying the country was ready for an African-American
president. Roughly the same percentage, 74%, said they were ready for a woman
president.

Clinton's team concluded weeks ago they could not win South Carolina because
about 50% of the Democratic electorate would be African-American and would
vote overwhelmingly for Obama. Hillary Clinton spent only part of the week in
South Carolina and campaigned instead elsewhere. She left South Carolina
before the polling booths closed.

Both Obama and Edwards remained in the state for post-election parties but
Obama then headed for Alabama to continue campaigning.

The next test is Florida on Tuesday. Although officially the Democratic party
prohibited campaigning in the state because it broke its rules by holding its
primary early, all the candidates' names remain on the ballot papers.

Supporters of Clinton and Obama have been campaigning there and Clinton is to
make fund-raising stops there on Sunday.

--
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推 Rebark:Congrats!!!  歐巴馬凍蒜!XD
推 retina:看來會是拉鋸戰囉﹗期待2/5超級星期二的結果。
→ swallow73:基本上不看好,在Super Tuesday那天舉行初選的州Clinton
→ swallow73:明顯的占了上風.不過民主黨初選不像共和黨是贏者全拿,
→ swallow73:2/5過後應該還有得打
推 retina:聽說越晚決定人選其實反而對大選越不利耶﹗
→ swallow73:這應該是還好,共和黨短期內也很難有人確定勝出
推 qilai:Obama贏的票數比民調高出好多
推 RIFF:我深覺的OBAMA會營  因為西拉蕊太像一個政客了
→ RIFF:歷來當選的總統        莫不給民眾一個印象:信念
→ RIFF:這是吸引 中間選民的關鍵   觀察西拉蕊歷來表現：信念薄弱
→ RIFF:這樣的人 是不會被人民信賴的
推 RIFF:早上報紙上似乎有 傲八碼與來司 合照   這滿有影響力的
→ RIFF:如果能得到 前國務侵 包爾的背書  對"能力"這環 很有加分效果
→ RIFF:避免 過份強調膚色 也是需要注意的一環