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Obama clears South Carolina hurdle

BY MARTIN C. EVANS | martin.evans@newsday.com

10:48 PM EST, January 26, 2008

COLUMBIA, S.C. - In a state where the Confederate flag flew over the state Capitol less than eight years ago, Barack Obama, a freshman senator from the land of Lincoln, moved one step closer Saturday to becoming the first African-American presidential nominee.

As he stepped before a cheering crowd here Saturday night, he wanted to make clear he didn't get this far with the help of only black voters, no matter how important they were to victory.

"After four great contests in every corner of this country, we have the most votes, the most delegates and the most diverse coalition that we have seen in a long time," Obama told a roaring crowd here.

"And in nine days, nearly half the nation will have the chance to join us in saying that we are tired of business-as-usual in Washington, we are hungry for change, and we are ready to believe again," he said.

During his 20-minute speech, the racially mixed crowd shouted "Race doesn't matter!" and "Yes, we can."

In some ways, it was a return to the message that propelled him to victory in Iowa -- a message drowned out a bit in the testy primary contest with Hillary Rodham Clinton, in which both campaigns alternated between racially tinged accusations and calls for unity.

Obama had the strong backing of young and college-educated white South Carolinians -- enough to help him erase the notion that this was a narrow victory with a heavily black electorate.

But the road only gets tougher from here. The compressed political calendar will largely eliminate the advantage Obama's personal charisma, rhetorical skills and easygoing good looks gave him in South Carolina.

With Democratic contests in 22 states scattered from New York to California, Clinton holds an instant advantage because of her wide name recognition, and to the political networks Bill Clinton nurtured during his eight years in the White House. Yet Obama's team seems ready to play up some of the Clinton negatives.

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, who has called Hillary Clinton "a lightning rod" for conservative voters, plans to join Obama at a rally in Kansas. And Obama hopes support from Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano will blunt Clinton's advantage among women in the West.

Obama supporters say his victory here could persuade potential Clinton supporters that her high negative approval ratings makes her an easy target for Republicans in November. "This will have a huge psychological effect on the rest of the country," said Warring Howe Jr., an Obama supporter and Democratic chairman in Charleston.

"I think he can unite the country more than any other candidate," said Mary Green, 62, of Columbia, who cast an absentee ballot. "And this is an opportunity for the United States to elect a black president."