[This post originally appeared at Backcountry Conservative ]
Schedules:
1/18: 8 a.m., Joe Lieberman, West Columbia at 8 a.m., Brookland Baptist Church, 1066 Sunset Blvd.
1/18: 10:30 a.m., Joe Lieberman, Columbia, releases poverty plan and kicks off "Joe's Rural Ride" at Hannah House, 1726 Sumter St.
1/18: 1 p.m., Joe Lieberman, Greenwood, to discuss poverty plan, Workman's Restaurant, 611 East Cambridge Ave.
1/18: 1 p.m., Al Sharpton, Dalzell, High Hills AME Church, 6780 Meeting House Road
1/18: 2 p.m., Joe Lieberman, Saluda, town hall meeting, American Legion Post No. 65, 108 S. Rudolph St.
1/18: 3:30 p.m., Joe Lieberman, Aiken, town hall meeting, Newberry Hall, 117 Newberry St.
1/19: Al Sharpton
1/19: Wes Clark, Columbia
1/20: Dick Gephardt
1/23: Meet-and-greet with John Edwards, 2:30 p.m., Margarette H. Miller Cosmetology Center, 1509 Fontaine Road, Columbia
1/28: John Edwards
1/29: John Edwards
1/29: Lunch forum with Wesley Clark, noon, Margarette H. Miller Cosmetology Center, 1509 Fontaine Road, Columbia
1/29: Democratic Primary Debate, Peace Center for the Performing Arts, Greenville
1/30: 8:30 p.m., John Edwards - Hootie & the Blowfish Concert, Jillian's, 800 Gervais St., Columbia

News

Dubious Polling in S.C. Primary?

Wes Clark spoke out against the Confederate flag Friday (excerpts below.)

Lee Bandy writes the latest story about potential crossover voting (excerpts below.)

Michael Graham responds to the Bandy story on crossover voting.

Complete coverage at Google News and SC Hotline.

Clark on the Confederate Flag

Wesley Clark said Friday the Confederate flag should not fly from the State House grounds.

"I don't believe we ought to be standing on keeping that flag out there on state grounds like that," he told South Carolina reporters in a conference call. "The flag that ought to be flying around this country is the American flag."

It's an idea that comes around about every four years, when a contested primary heats up. So, too, does the talk of "crossover voting" — Republicans voting in a Democratic primary, or vice versa.

And while it generates a lot of discussion on both ends of the political spectrum, such voters rarely show up at the polls — much less have any impact on the outcomes.

"We always hear a lot of talk about it before an election, but it never materializes," said Robert Jeffrey, a Wofford College political scientist.

South Carolina's Democratic presidential primary — the first in the South — is Feb. 3. Any registered voter can participate....

...Last month, Zogby International surveyed 621 likely primary voters in South Carolina. Of those polled, 15 percent identified themselves as Republicans.

Both Republicans and Democrats tend to discount those numbers.

"I don't look for many crossovers," said Republican consultant Richard Quinn of Columbia, who has done polling in South Carolina for about 10 years. "A lot of times, voters will tell you they'll vote a certain way, but they don't."...

...State Republican chairman Katon Dawson said the party has no plans to crash the Democratic primary.

"I don't know of a Republican who would want to be seen within a country mile of the place," he said. "The Democratic candidates have been so embarrassing."

State Democratic chairman Joe Erwin said the party has heard reports of Republican crossovers.

"If they choose to do that, there's nothing we can do to stop them," he said. "They have their own integrity to live with. That's the bottom line."