In South Carolina, Obama answers State Senator Ford, who said he'd lose Dems WH, Congress, Govs

NYT/AP: Obama Cheers Diversity in South Carolina
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 16, 2007

....''Twenty years ago, nobody would have believed this crowd right here in South Carolina,'' Obama said during his first campaign visit to South Carolina, an early primary state where half the Democratic primary voters are black. More than half of the 1,000 tickets the party distributed for the event were picked up by blacks, a party official said.

Earlier this week, a state legislator who is black said that if Obama won the nomination for president, it would lead to losses for Democrats in Congress and governorships.

''Everybody's entitled to their opinion,'' Obama told the crowd. ''But I know this -- that when folks were saying we're going to march for our freedom, somebody said we can't do that.''

When others said blacks couldn't sit at lunch counters, blacks did that, said Obama, who ended his thought with the declaration, ''Yes, we can.'' The crowd then started chanting the line....

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Obama's South Carolina campaign is just getting off the ground. His two staffers have no statewide campaign experience, and in fundraising he is far behind his chief rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, said Francis Marion University political scientist Neal Thigpen.

Clinton has already received endorsements from two key black leaders. ''I don't see him beating Mrs. Clinton among blacks here,'' Thigpen said....

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Obama-2008.html

Clinton has the best money machine out of all the candidates...so why they would say that Obama is way behind Hillary like it's surprising is beyond me. As long as Barack stays #2 he's good.

I'm hoping the voters will see beyond money and a household lastname...

Obama wins South Carolina. I think people really underestimate the support he will have in the black community.

I'm glad Obama responds to things people say about him.

I don't have a favorite candidate yet - but I really like what Obama is saying. I'm starting to get excited about him.

And Ford was supposed to be in charge of our state's GOTV effort and he didn't deliver in my county. So I am not moved in any way by what Ford says, regardless of race or position.