SOUTH CAROLINA
My girl Hillary got
quite the drubbing in SC yesterday -- which is OK. She can take it. (And if she can't she shouldn't win.) Like Kevin Drum, I still think it's likely that she'll get the nomination on the end, although I'm happier about it than he is, for sure. As I've said before, however, it's OK with me if it's
Obama.
People are all atwitter about Bill Clinton's comments about SC in general, comparing
Obama to Jesse Jackson (as in, someone who won South Carolina in the primaries). I'll admit that he's kind of pushing it, here -- but I see where he's going, strategically.
Obama wants to be this
transformative, post-race figure, and so his message has a racial aspect to it, by definition. Bringing up Jackson, who is not terribly popular even among blacks, I think, does call back some unpleasant memories and paste them onto
Obama. This may backfire, especially if, as I think,
Obama comes off so well in the comparison that he
does seem like the post-race candidate.
But some people, you know, object. I have a hard time getting worked up about this, at this stage. The
Dems are still paying Laser Tag in order to get ready for the Somme. If Hillary wins, the tactic will have the victor's genius. If she loses, no one will really care.
posted by Carlton at 4:59 PM 