Fresh Off Win, Clinton Gears For S.C.

Democrats Prepare For Pivotal Contest; Obama Calls South Carolina "Absolutely Critical"

(CBS/AP)  Fresh off a caucus victory in Nevada and with the South Carolina primary looming ahead of her, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was back in her home state on Sunday.

Clinton received a standing ovation from the congregation at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, founded by a group of Ethiopian sea traders more than 200 years ago. Rev. Calvin Butts, a Clinton supporter, introduced her as someone who "has been our friend."

In her remarks, Clinton told churchgoers how pleased she was to be there on the weekend of Martin Luther King Day, and recounted how she had gone with her church youth group to hear him speak.

"It was a transforming experience for me," she said. "He made it very clear that the Civil Rights movement was about economic justice."

Clinton has come under fire for being quoted as saying King's dream of racial equality was realized only when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and has since reiterated her admiration of King and his work.

Clinton won in Nevada over Sen. Barack Obama, garnering support from women and making a strong showing among Hispanics. But Obama won among black voters, who could make up more than half of the voters in South Carolina, and picked up more delegates despite getting fewer overall votes than Clinton, because of the proportional manner in which that state awards delegates.

Obama: South Carolina "Absolutely Critical"

Obama said Sunday that South Carolina's primary will be "absolutely critical" to his campaign.

In a radio interview with the Rev. Jesse Jackson broadcast by Chicago station WVON-AM, the Illinois senator said Clinton edged him out in the popular vote in Nevada's caucuses because she did well in Las Vegas and the rest of Clark County, the state's most densely populated area. By contrast, Obama said, he did well throughout Nevada - and came away with 13 delegates versus Clinton's 12.

"We had a hard fought battle in Nevada," Obama said in the radio interview. "We feel very strong about our showing."

He said immigration, education and the economy will be important issues in South Carolina, which holds its Democratic primary Saturday.

"We think we're moving in the right direction, but we've got a lot of work to do. South Carolina, obviously, is going to be absolutely critical to our success," Obama said.

Black voters are expected to play a critical role in South Carolina. In the radio interview, Obama called for federal intervention and investment to address racial inequalities.

"Racial reconciliation doesn't occur just by being nice to each other," he said. "We have to address the deep-seated and long-lasting legacy of slavery and Jim Crow. You see it in South Carolina. You see the inequality in schools. You see the inequality in health care. And unless the federal government steps in and makes a serious commitment, we're going to see the same kinds of unequal outcomes that we've been seeing for so many years."

Later, Obama spoke at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. launched the civil rights movement. He called for unity to overcome America's "moral deficit."

In a visit steeped in symbolism - coming a day before the King holiday - Obama evoked the civil rights leader's legacy to a packed house of 2,000 mostly black worshippers.

"Before there was King the icon and his 'magnificent dream,' there was King the young preacher and a people who found themselves suffering under the yolk of oppression," Obama said.

Obama also used the pulpit to take blacks to task for failing to embrace gays, immigrants and Jews.

"None of our hands are entirely clean," Obama said.

"If we are honest with ourselves we'll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King's vision of a beloved community," he continued to scattered applause. "We can no longer afford to build ourselves up by tearing each other down."

But the congregation rose to its feet as Obama harkened back to the civil rights struggle that he said had made his campaign possible.

The Illinois senator offered what has become a familiar campaign message centering on hope.

"The odds of me standing here today are so small, so remote, that I couldn't have gotten here without some hope," he said.

He drew raucous applause as he referred to his own struggles growing up without a father.

"I got in trouble when I was a teenager, got into some things that people now like to talk about," he said, an apparent reference to his acknowledgement that he used drugs when he was
younger.

Obama said Americans must get beyond political squabbling to heal the racial divide and to take on critical issues like the war in Iraq and healthcare.

"Unity is the great need of the hour - that's what Dr. King said," Obama said. "Not because it sounds pleasant or because it makes us feel good but because it's the only way we can overcome the essential deficit that exists in this country."

Edwards: Democrats Need To Pick Their Strongest Candidate To Beat GOP Nominee

Appearing on CBS News' Face The Nation, former Senator John Edwards said the focus of voters should be about backing a candidate who would be the strongest against the Republicans' eventual nominee.

Edwards said that in the wake of Sen. John McCain's victories in New Hampshire and now South Carolina, which solidify his position going into later primaries, Democrats could see him as their eventual opponent.

“What we need to think about as a party is, who are we going to put up against who now looks like it may be John McCain on the other side?" he said. "This is a guy who's a great advocate for campaign-finance reform. So are we going to put a candidate against him who's taken lots of money from lobbyists and PACs?

"And he's also a very strong candidate with a long record, including an extraordinary record of military service. We have to put up somebody who's strong against him, and somebody who represents change in a meaningful way.”

Edwards congratulated Sen. Clinton on her Nevada win, noting that he got his "butt kicked" in the race. But he did not let a third-place showing deter him.

"What you learn from that is … you've just got to get up and start fighting, and particularly when you're fighting for the cause of your life, which is making sure that people who don't have a voice get a voice, and fighting for the middle class and low-income families. That's what my life is about."

[gunownerdan]

Both Clinton and Obama say you as a citizen cannot be trusted to own common handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Meanwhile they are constantly surrounded by bodyguards holding fully-automatic MACHINE GUNS.

"How a politician stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual ... as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded over, controlled, supervised, and taken care of."
- Suzanna Gratia-Hupp
www.a-human-right.com

[andersenme]

JUST IN: BAD NEWS FOR HILLARY''S "ELECTABILITY" ARGUMENT

(or "YOUR SLIP IS SHOWING")

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/01/blacks.html

New poll: U.S. more ready for black prez than female one
A new poll just out from CNN/Opinion Research tied to Martin Luther King Day today finds blacks and whites optimistic and pretty much in agreement -- 84% whites, 78% blacks -- that a lot or moderate progress has been made toward the civil rights leader''s dream of equality in American society.

But hidden near the bottom of the survey of nearly 1,400 adult Americans Jan. 14-17 is some disturbing news for Sen. Hillary Clinton heading into tonight''s Democratic debate in South Carolina and the party''s primary there Saturday. ...

Martin Edwin Andersen

[tibu987]

Unfortunately, there are many air-heads out there that have or will vote for Hillary simply because she is a woman. How simple-minded.
Eight years as First Lady, planning menus and serving tea simply does not equate into all the experience Hillary would like us to believe.
Nor does having traveled to 82 countries equate into presidential experience. Hillary did not sit in on any national or international meetings.
Just more b^llsh^t that Hillary would like us to believe.
Don''''t fall for it.
I am an old guy (71, white) and I would like to see more young, idealistic people get into politcal office and get the old, more than two term pols out of office. Just look where all that experience has gotten us in the last 40 years, not a very impressive record. Two terms max. Vote for term limits when possible.
Only Obama fits that model, young, intelligent, idealistic, someone who can mediate with our enemies and better understands the position of the average American.

[realpatriot1]

ShutupNvote,

He still isn''t under indictment like her campaign.

If you take joy in what Robert Novak''s employer has to say about anything that''s your perogative.

I''ve moved on from Obama. I''m rooting for Bloomberg to kick your sorry *****!

[l00ker]

Is Hillary the female and hispanic candidate, the same as Barack being characterized as the black candidate?

[antoniof123]

I get a charge out of this the neo cons are having a stroke now because they realize that when Hillary is President she will have all those new powers they gave idiot boy and she is intelligent and she will have a very friendly congress.

This is going to be funny because the neo cons will lie and cheat and steal to try to keep her out of office. It is one of their good Christan qualities that they have.

[shutupnvote]

Ahhhh the Saturday Chicago Sun Times saying Obama is the unnamed political candidate referred to in the Rezko court papers that accuses in the indictment of federal influence-peddling and bank fraud charges that charge Rezko former friend and Obama contributor of orchestrating a scheme to hire a firm to handle the state teacher pension investments but that firm first had to pay $250,000 in "sham" finder''s fees. From that money, $10,000 was donated to Obama''s successful run for the Senate in the name of Glenview entrepreneur Joseph Aramanda, the story said.

Now how about the lot next door to the Senator house and this same indicted man wifes just happens to purchase on the same day, only she paid full price for the lot when the Senator got a 300,000 discount on his side.

Well
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-rezko_both_20jan20,1,361315.story?track=rss


I know I know they are being meanies....too

[realpatriot1]

ShutupNvote,

How do you think the Rezco trial where he isn''t a defendant compares to the case in California where her Senatorial campaign is being sied in what''s expected to be the largest election fraud case on record?

Her Campaign Finance Chair was criminally indicted last year,she''s subject to a Federal Elections Committee complaint for non-compliance with campaign finance laws and falsifying disclosure forms, her brother is being sued for failing to repay a $100,000 loan to 2 convicted felons, she''s being investigated for falsifying financial disclosure forms with the U.S. Senate, and she''s trying to block public release of her White House records ala Bush. We seem to have lost track of Norman Hsu and Marc Rich and the other international fugitives she has raised money from. Not to mention we still can''t find the White House silverware.

Do you suppose the GOP might bring any of that up? I think they will and I''m trying to do her the favor of raising these issues now for her own good.

Boo Hoo Hoo!

[shutupnvote]

WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH, WHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH we keep losing because, last weeks story because the Clinton are Racist, this week story because Bill Clinton is a meanie give me a break I have had it with this whining slanderous crowd.


What the problem is is that Senator Obama seems to believe he is losing because of others, because they are racist or because they are the old guard, or because they are cranky boomers, or they are being mean to him and that is not he himself we are not enamored with him%u2026..that is misguided%u2026%u2026.boo hoo

[realpatriot1]

Boohoo yourself. Hillary''s being sued as well and the 6 years of court proceedings surrounding the Clintons never helped the Repubs any.

The real straegists for the GOP (as opposed to the Hillary klan) are privately admitting they want Hillary and I don''t blame them.

It''s no accident that she can''t even beat White Supremacist Huckabee head-to-head(Obama smokes him!)

I expect garbage from the Republicans but how can we run against it in a general elcetion with a candidate who steals from their playbook? We certainly can''t win by rolling over ala Kerry as the Clinton camp would like Obama to do.