We tend to make more of them than they really mean, but this strikes me as one that carries a lot of symbolism, especially given that famous Rose Garden handshake at Boys Nation in 1963.
Make no mistake: What happened in South Carolina today was a moral reprimand delivered to Bill and Hillary Clinton by a united Democratic Party–but especially by the African-American segment of that party. I chased the Clintons around South Carolina yesterday and the absence of black faces at their rallies was striking–eerie almost, the absence a [...]
McCain wants the Florida primary to be an election about national security, his best issue. But until Saturday, the contest was humming along as an election more about the economy, Mitt Romney’s best issue. So McCain went on the attack Saturday, lashing out at Romney by accusing him of having once wanted to set a [...]
Winning and losing primaries is not a clear-cut, black-and-white issue. A candidate can essentially win by coming in second as long as he defies expectations. Conversely, if a candidate is unable to attract enough of a key group of voters, he can be judged to lose a race even if his name is tops in [...]
Dominating the front page of South Carolina’s largest newspaper this morning is a prediction that turnout for today’s Democratic primary could break all records. Officials are expecting as many as 350,000 Democratic voters; in 2004, there were about 290,000. (By comparison, turnout for last Saturday’s Republican contest was 445,000, which marked a sharp 22% drop [...]
