Just a few hours after picking up the endorsement of FOCI, Obama went on to collect the endorsement of Caroline Kennedy (JFK’s daughter) and trounce Hillary in South Carolina.
| Democrats | Polls | County Results | |||
| Candidate | Votes | % of votes | Delegates won |
| Obama | 295,091 | 55% | 25 |
| Clinton | 141,128 | 27% | 12 |
| Edwards | 93,552 | 18% | 8 |
| Kucinich | 551 | 0% | 0 |
Obama came out with a prodigious win over the Clinton campaign today in South Carolina winning the state primary by over double the votes. Obama was successfully able to emerge the candidate of unity, getting a large majority of the black vote and splitting the white vote pretty much evenly amongst white voters. He was able to crystallize the focus and direction of his candidacy in what had to be one of the best speeches I have ever heard – past or present.
“The choice in this election is not about regions or religions or genders,” Obama boldly stated at his victory rally. “It’s not about rich versus poor, young versus old and it’s not about black versus white. It’s about the past versus the future.”
This performance seemed intertwine the vision of the Obama campaign moving forward into Super Tuesday with the delicate and balanced words echoed in Ms. Kennedy’s op ed in the New York Times. A president that is ready to unite and lead this country, a leader with new and pragmatic ideas on how to solve the tough challenges that face us…A president like her father:
“I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them,” she wrote, “But for the first time, I believe I have found a man who could be that president — and not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.”
The people of South Carolina proved that like the great generation who needed a John F. Kennedy, this new and equally great generation needs a Barack Obama. He definitely proved a lot tonight, he most definitely is riding high on this monumental push he has received from this victory…lets just hope, for Obama’s campaign, that latino and white voters all over the country have seen the type of transformational leader Obama has proven to be coming out of South Carolina.
The Speech of A Generation:
Oh yeah, the Clinton campaign had nothing to say about getting crushed tonight. I can’t blame them, I wouldn’t want to follow that speech….
More from the Economist…
I’m so excited for this campaign! I’m pretty into politics in general, but this is the most excited I’ve been. I hope he’s our next president.
Speaking of speeches, they have a channel on XM radio called “POTUS 08″ and they had this rhetoric professor on there. He said that Obama is the best speaker in the current race and that he has an amazing ability to evoke MLK when he speaks. Not that your average person couldn’t figure that out, but still.
Also, glad you guys are writing again.
By: LW on January 27, 2008
at 7:25 am