Palmetto Primary

Political Players is a weekly conversation with the leaders, consultants and activists who are shaping American politics. This week, CBS News' Brian Goldsmith talks with Joe Erwin, a Greenville, S.C., businessman and longtime Democratic activist who took charge of his state's Democratic Party in 2003.

Joe Erwin: More than anything else, I think we bring diversity to the process. And South Carolina, though still a red-leaning state, is a state that is still starting to change. We're winning more local elections than we have in previous cycles. And I applaud the DNC for having the wisdom to understand that if you're going to compete in the South, you've got to be willing to do big things that say to people, we are not going to give up on you. We're going to place major events here and allow you to create excitement and buzz that will get Democrats fired up again. And I think that's what's starting to happen. And we're seeing that with this debate, which has generated more excitement than I think any event that I've ever seen in politics in this state.

CBSNews.com: You've been an advertising executive most of your life. As you well know, Democrats haven't carried South Carolina in a national election since 1976. You've got one statewide elected Democrat. What can you do to try to improve the Democratic brand there?

Joe Erwin: Well, it's partly about the messenger. And it's also about the message. And the brand that we have needs to be refined and improved for voters in the South, and in South Carolina. Part of it is we have to be willing to talk about values that are so important in the South. I grew up Southern Baptist. Before I wanted to go, my mom made me go to church. And people like me, and all the folks I know — and I travel the state extensively — are willing to talk about their faith and about religion. And not to the pain or the exclusion of other people, but to understand that faith is important in how we make decisions.

And I think that's something that the Democrats have shied away from so much that, at times, it's really hurt us with some pretty reasonable people. So that's one thing.

And the other thing is we have to talk about race and the way that in the past, race has divided people in the state, and take an optimistic, proactive approach to building positive race relations. And I'll tell you, one of the things that we've always got to be careful of is never to take African-American voters or any kind of minority voter for granted — including women voters. So there are great opportunities here. It's not going to be easy for this region to change back to the Democratic column. But you've got to start somewhere. And again, I'll say I believe that one of the places to start is by taking your message, taking your brand to every part of the South and say, "We are here to compete. Let us talk to you. Let us listen to you." And I think you might like what we have to say. I think you're starting to see a change.

CBSNews.com: I've heard that you all have done some pretty extensive research about what ails the Democratic Party in South Carolina. Is there anything that's really surprised you in these surveys about what voters feel about the Democratic Party or the Republican Party?

Joe Erwin: Well, I don't know that I've seen anything that's really surprised me greatly. But one of the things that has been an eye-opener is that when we've seen research that says things like, hey, if you will listen to me first before shoving a message down my throat, if you listen to me about faith, if you listen to me about why having and owning guns is important to me, and then talk to me, instead of talking at me, then yeah, I can consider a Democratic candidate.

And I think having Democratic candidates who can feel comfortable in the South is also going to be an asset. That doesn't mean that they have to be born here. But they're just going to have to demonstrate that they really relate to Southern values. And Southern values have been more about faith and patriotism, honor.

That's the way most of us were raised down here. And growing up with a mom who's a great Republican, she always taught me to respect who the president is. Whether you like the policies or not, you be patriotic. And we follow our president. We get behind him. And we don't take cheap shots.

And I think sometimes the talking heads within our party, I think sometimes when we take cheap shots, we have no idea how much it's hurting us.

CBSNews.com: You mentioned guns earlier. In the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting last week, it's been striking how quiet Democrats are about gun control or gun safety — however you want to put it — particularly given that 10 years ago, that would have been the first thing they would have talked about. Is it possible to say, "I'm against assault weapons" and still win in South Carolina? Or do you have to just completely oppose all kinds of regulations that could be construed as gun control?

Joe Erwin: Well, first off, I'll tell you that I made the same observation you did. I was expecting there to be that debate, that that would be front and center, after getting past the shock of what happened in Blacksburg. So it's surprises me a little, but, that we haven't heard more talk about that in the aftermath.

Now, to your question, I think that there are candidates who can express concern about guns and can do it in a way that speaks to sportsmen and people who believe they should have the ability to have guns for protection, and talk about gun safety. I think it's fine. But if you just talk in a very narrow message about taking away guns, then you probably are going to hurt yourself in this state. I maintain, personally, I don't know what hunter needs something like an AK-47.

CBSNews.com: Turning to the '08 candidates, 49 percent of the turnout in South Carolina, in the Democratic primary three years ago, was African-American. How much of an advantage do you think Sen. Obama has in South Carolina just because of his ethnic background?

Joe Erwin: Well, here's the mistake that a lot of people make. A lot of people believe that that black vote is monolithic. But African-Americans voters in this state are not monolithic. I think Jim Clyburn would tell you that even when he's an established veteran of the Congress in his district, he doesn't get all the black vote. It shows you that in this state, and I think in other states, black voters are not that different than other voters. They go and listen to the messages, they go in to shop the candidates. And you know, they will vote for the person that relates to them as an individual.

The fact that Barack Obama is African-American I think is an exciting thing for people of color, but also for white folks. I can tell you my son is a freshman at Clemson University, and he is fascinated by Barack Obama and begged me to get him into Barack's first visit to South Carolina.

At the same time, I know lots and lots of African-Americans in this state who are begging me to get them into Hillary's event, or to some other event. So I think they're just like other voters. They're shopping, and it may help, at least in terms of creating excitement. But any candidate, whether they're black or white or male or female, they're going to have to earn every vote.

CBSNews.com: Sen. Edwards won the primary there four years ago. Is he as strong today as he was then?

Joe Erwin: I don't know. There hasn't been much polling in South Carolina so far. So it's hard for me to know who's strong or who's not. And I have to tell you that as chairman of the party, I often tell people that my job is being like Ryan Seacrest on "American Idol."

CBSNews.com: You're the objective one?

Joe Erwin: Right. I want to help them all. And John Edwards is a terrific guy, and he does have a large following in this state. But I think his organization, they cannot take South Carolina for granted. He won in 2004, but that was a different field. And so, there's a lot of competition. There are going to be eight participants in our debate. So I think the Edwards camp and the Senator himself understands that 2004 is in the past, and if he wants to win South Carolina then he's going to have to earn every vote.

CBSNews.com: South Carolina has never elected a woman statewide. Is there any resistance to the idea of a woman as president?

Joe Erwin: I haven't heard it. I really haven't. And again, I travel. I go to everybody's events that I can make and talk to men and women in the party. I've almost never heard anybody say that. Now, what I have heard is people ask the question. And maybe just by asking the question, maybe, among a certain group of voters, there is a problem with that. But those voters will probably be more on the Republican side. And it's hard for me to really know their feelings as much.

CBSNews.com: For some of the second-tier candidates, Joe Biden or Chris Dodd, South Carolina is essential to their strategy. Can South Carolina buck the tide from other states and back someone who lost badly in Iowa or New Hampshire?

Joe Erwin: I just don't know. I've studied politics in college and been in a lot of races. But I think this year, Brian, might be just different from every election cycle we've ever seen in this country. So I don't know what's going to happen. But I agree with what you said up front. Those candidates, and what people call the top three, I think they all understand that South Carolina is critical because of where it falls on the calendar, and for the diversity that it represents not just within our borders, but within the entire region. So I will say this much. I'm not much into predicting. But I do think that after South Carolina, after January the 29th, some people will drop out.

CBSNews.com: You think Feb. 5 takes any prominence away from you all?

Joe Erwin: I really don't. I mean, what would have suggested that to me would have been if, right after the announcement of Feb. 5 and states like California moving up, if we'd seen a change in the strategy, in the number of visits and the staffing hired here. And I just haven't seen that. And if anything, what I've heard through a number of people, including some media people, but also the campaign consultants that I know, is that that may have made South Carolina more important on the calendar, because in a state where it doesn't cost nearly as much to generate a win on a night when nobody else is playing, South Carolina is a chance to build the momentum that will be so important on February the 5th.
By Brian Goldsmith