SC Yellow Dogs

Here’s a really good one from The State.

Election fires up S.C. Democrats
By JOHN O’CONNOR
Posted on Fri, Nov. 07, 2008

On Sunday, Irmo resident Roberta Carroway was in Charlotte working for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign to turn North Carolina blue for the first time since 1976.

Carroway was one of roughly 1,500 to 2,000 South Carolinians who headed north to knock on doors or who placed nearly 30,000 telephone calls from campaign phone banks in South Carolina.

When Obama officially won North Carolina on Thursday, Carroway said she felt like she had a role in reshaping regional politics.

“I’m so excited. That’s a truly Southern state,” Carroway, 43 said. “Change can come … that’s very positive that that state is more progressive.”

Carroway was among a group of neighbors organized around their mutual support of Obama, and inspired by other supporters from around the country who volunteered in South Carolina during the campaign.

These volunteers were supposed to provide a tailwind for Democratic candidates across South Carolina.

But when the results were counted, South Carolina remained Republican red. Presidential nominee John McCain easily won the state and Democrats failed to win any GOP-held Congressional seats.

Still, Democrats point to signs of progress:

• At polling places around the state, Democrats recorded more votes than they did in 2004, cutting the Republican margin of victory for president in half.

• Turnout was high among black voters, a traditional pillar of the party.

• Young voters broke for Obama. Among those younger than 45, according to exit polling, 55 percent voted for Obama.

• Democrats gained two seats in the state House of Representatives. This is the third straight election Democrats have gained State House seats, however few.

• Democrats implemented new, successful get-out-the-vote techniques.

“When you think about how red this state was,” said Joe Erwin, a former state Democratic Party chairman of the presidential results, “that’s a huge hill to climb.

“It’s a very, very positive sign. It’s a great accomplishment.”

Obama’s campaign, state Democrats said, could have two lasting effects.

The first is the network of activists, such as Carroway, the campaign built from the ground up. Many of these voters, Erwin said, had tuned out on politics.

The campaign used cell phones, text messages, e-mail and the Internet to keep in direct, personal communication. That network helped supporters stay in touch as well.

Obama, both Carroway and Erwin said, created a sense of community where members regularly challenged each other to do just a little more: one more donation; one more call; one more voter registration.

Columbia attorney Dick Harpootlian, a veteran Democratic adviser and former party chairman, said Obama’s campaign was the best he’s ever seen.

“There are many, many folks who came into this process because of him who will stay in the process,” Harpootlian said.

Obama’s campaign spent no money on S.C. advertising. Republicans hold the money advantage here, he said, and the constant opposition to Obama hurts local candidates as well.

“There’s no counterweight to that,” advertising critical of Obama and Democrats, Harpootlian said. “It’s no surprise that candidates were affected.”

The second impact is on demographics.

Democrats believe they now have the advantage with young voters, one they can maintain even as those voters age.

Obama “helped us solidify a couple key constituencies that were up for grabs,” said former Gov. Jim Hodges. “Young voters are going to be Democrats and they’re going to stay Democrats.”

Others noted that both Charleston County and Richland County councils grew more Democratic, and that Democrats are gaining traction between the Midlands and the coast.

U.S. Rep. James Clyburn said Democrats are no longer conceding seats of retiring Democrats, noting the state Senate win of Greenwood’s black mayor Floyd Nicholson in a majority-white district.

But there are still problems.

Republicans hold the money edge in S.C., and Obama’s fundraising ability is not something Democrats can expect to continue.

Likewise, Clyburn and others were disappointed that Democrats could not manage a serious challenge against U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. The Democratic nominee, Bob Conley, backed Republican Ron Paul for president and refused to endorse Obama.

But Carroway and others said they have been emboldened this year. The governor’s race, she said, is just two years away and it’s time to get to work.

“We got our eyes now. We know how to bring ourselves together,” Carroway said. “We can do it. We’re not going to let this die.”