Well Now... THIS Is Interesting !!!

[WillyT]

Why Obama won and what his win gets him
Dual stunners: Total turnout exceeds GOP’s and Obama’s margin of victory

By Tom Curry
National affairs writer
MSNBC
updated 2 hours, 36 minutes ago

<snip>

COLUMBIA, S.C. - There were two true stunners Saturday night: the size of Sen. Barack Obama’s margin of victory over Sen. Hillary Clinton — 28 percentage points — but just as significantly this number: total turnout for Democrats in their primary was greater than the turnout for the Republican primary in this state, which is one of the most loyally Republican in the nation.

Four years ago about 293,000 Democrats voted in the state’s primary: Saturday Obama alone got more than that number of votes.

Why did Obama win South Carolina and what does this triumph portend for future contests?

One short answer: He and his campaign staffers worked.

Thus Obama vindicated Sen. Hillary Clinton’s own New Hampshire campaign slogan when she said, “Some believe you can get change by hoping for it. I believe you get change by working hard.”

Democratic activists here in South Carolina said that the Obama campaign had perhaps the most extensive field operation ever seen in this state.

Superb field organization

The reach of the Obama field operation extended even to such often forgotten places as Allendale County, which has the second smallest population of any of the state’s 46 counties.

To cite another locale, Obama had had about 20 supporters working out of his Greenville, S.C. office since mid-summer; Clinton had only five or six starting in the fall, according to one Greenville Democratic activist.

The Obama high command showed a skill for picking talent: Craig Schirmer, a veteran South Carolina get-out-the-vote expert, was in charge of Obama’s mobilization effort in the state.

Obama also won because Clinton and her strategists, sensing defeat, apparently decided to trim their effort in the state.

“They basically pulled out of the state,” said veteran Charleston, S.C. Democrat Phil Noble, the president of South Carolina New Democrats, and an Obama supporter.

Clinton slackens effort

“They did no phones, they did no mail, any real extensive expenditures seemed to have stopped about two months ago,” Noble said.

“I’m a Yellow Dog Democrat and I didn’t get any direct mail” from the Clinton campaign.

“I got zero mail from the Clinton campaign in the last two weeks; I probably got six pieces from Obama and easily eight from Edwards,” said Greenville, S.C. Democratic activist Kevin Mertens, who supported Sen. Joe Biden, who pulled out of the race three weeks ago.

Clinton’s loss here puts even greater pressure on the New York senator to win in the massive round of Feb. 5 contests: California, New York, Colorado, New Jersey, Arizona, and other states.

<snip>

Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22859254/

I wonder how the Clinton supporters feel about getting left in the parking lot?

:shrug:

[niceypoo]

1. Look at the republican candidates

Basket cases, all of them. Would you get excited by them?

[WillyT]

2. Doesn't Matter...

Democrats more than doubled their turnout from 2004.

:shrug:

[Egnever]

3. All good stuff but....

Hard to reproduce for Super tues.

Name recognition alone gives Hillary a huge advantage coming into super tues. If Obama pulls this thing Off it will be the most amazing thing I have ever seen.

I love this win tonight it helps him a lot going into super tues, I am not sure it will be enough to overcome Hillaries advantages once the campaigns go national. He has proven to be a very formidible player on the ground will see how he does now that its time to take to the air. I sure hope he can pull it off but I am very nervous about it.

[ShortnFiery]

4. I think it can be done. I have hope for change and you should too.

Don't let your budding sense of empathy for The Clintons leaving SC immediately cloud your judgment to the negative. :shrug:

YES, WE CAN! :thumbsup:

[Egnever]

8. LOL thanks

Ill try not to let my empathy for the clintons cloud my judgement!

I dont think its impossible by any means. Just very difficult.

Tonight was a big win though and he will get a lot of press from it. It may make the difference. We will see.

[sandnsea]

6. Time to sign up to make phone calls

We need to try to get every person doing everything they can, even in non-voting states. The only way to balance her name awareness is with lots of hard work. We did it for Kerry, we can do it for Obama too!

[Egnever]

9. your absolutely right

I guess I will take a trip down to headquarters tomorrow and see what they got.

[sandnsea]

13. You can sign up online too

http://my.barackobama.com/page/contact/splash/callks

[MonkeyFunk]

16. how much of a "huge advantage" is name recognition giving Clinton?

How many Democratic voters have never heard of Obama or Edwards?

[caligirl]

5. He annihilated her in a largely all white county by 22% Greenville Cty.

The fact that electorate was more than half African-American should not obscure this number: In Greenville County, which has higher average income and a more educated populace than the statewide average and which is 78 percent white, Obama won by a resounding 22 percentage points., annihilating Clinton.

As in New Hampshire and Iowa, exit polls indicated that Obama performed very well among those with post-graduate education and those with incomes over $200,000.

But unlike New Hampshire, Obama also outperformed Clinton among those earning less than $50,000 a year.

[sandnsea]

7. He won women too

61% of the voters were women, Obama got 54% and Hillary only got 30%. Where's the story asking what happened to Hillary's voters?

[caligirl]

10. I think we will see much more analysis of these numbers next week.

[thoughtcrime1984]

11. We got lucky

and will be reminded of that every waking moment until Tuesday is in the books for the Clintons. Maybe we can keep getting lucky. :)

[sandnsea]

15. No, folks worked hard

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=4224521

I hope you will use the online link and make some phone calls too!

[thoughtcrime1984]

17. Obama's my guy!

just trying to stay humble. It's a long campaign. I have been spreading the message of Obama to everyone I can by face to face discussions, tactfully done, of course.

[sandnsea]

18. I am sure you are

I just didn't know if you had seen that link and how they changed the GOTV in SC. I am really excited that this was the result of strategy and perseverance because we can duplicate that!

[thoughtcrime1984]

19. Keep on truckin, Sandnsea!

Hope to be having another happy conversation on Super Tuesday! :toast:

[Beacool]

12. Why waste resources in a state that you're likely to lose

when the money can be put to better use in the states that you're likely to win? It's just strategy, that's all.

[WillyT]

14. Oh, I Understand The Strategy...

Just sounds like they didn't bother to inform their supporters down in SC.

:shrug:

[WillyT]

20. Kick !!!

:kick:

[formercia]

21. The supporters woke up in the Morning and Hillary was gone,

and smiling at someone else before breakfast.

I remember delivering the precinct tally to one candidate on election night and they didn't even say thank you.
That was the last time I worked for a campaign.

Get used to it folks. Most politicians don't give a fuck about you. It's all about them.