Welcome to the South Carolina Primary… Pregame

By David Thackham
thackhamd@mytjnow.com

Photo By Claire VanOstenbridge - vanostenbridgec@mytjnow.comHello and welcome, TV viewers! We are just a mere 70 hours away from the 2012 South Carolina primary on Saturday, January 18 and we’ve got analysts on hand from around all the important venues of the great Palmetto State to show you some exciting pre-vote action.

Let’s take you through everything we know now in the Wide World of Politics.

Just weeks after winning a crucial opening bout in Iowa, scoring officials are now calling for a recount of votes between heavyweight contenders Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. Meanwhile, Romney is laying some serious smack talk on former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in his warm-up speeches. Also, our field correspondent in Charleston, S.C. tells us the Rick Perry team bus has just rolled into town, the whole roster’s looking pretty healthy and Team Perry just wants to get out there and score some votes. 

So here’s your Facebook Face-off Question of the Day, brought to you by Budweiser: What do you think is the likelihood of South Carolina picking the eventual president in November? Make sure to text, Tweet or message us with your thoughts, your opinion is important to us! Just think of how much time sportswriters pore over the AP Preseason Top 25 seven months before the BCS National Title game.

After all, Reuters’ columnist Jack Shafer said it best that “the jobs of political reporters and sports writers are almost identical: Determine who is ahead and who is behind… decode the relevant strategies and tactics; and find a way to convert reader interest into sustainable enthusiasm.”

Breaking news here for just a second, viewers. Sources indicate that Newt Gingrich is wearing a purple tie with a black dress coat, very risky for a candidate who desperately needs a win in the South to kick-off his campaign. In a few moments, we’ll have one analyst who already thinks the wardrobe change is a slam-dunk with conservative voters.

Steve Brusk, a CNN political manager speaking at Winthrop University said that technology like Twitter is changing the way we perceive even the smallest details of today’s politicians.

“We can show the smaller parts of a candidate,” he said, “that 20 years ago would have been overlooked and that makes for better journalism and better reporting.”

Funny how the world changes, right, viewers? Even traditional print media’s getting in on the act.

“I don’t have to look for the story anymore,” said Steve Brook, managing editor of The State newspaper. “The story comes to my email or my Twitter.”

That’s all part of the fun, ladies and gentleman, and if you want to get in on the fun, get out those iPhones and download our free Presidential Pick ‘Em app, where if you choose the candidates who finish 1-5 in the South Carolina primary, you’ll be entered to win our Fantasy Political Jackpot!

What’s so bad about a “blurred line between entertainment and politics,” as Chuck Todd, White House correspondent for NBC, calls it? After all, arguing is America’s real pastime.

This just in, Rick Perry has dropped out of the race! In a shocking twist, Perry has been forced to drop back and punt despite an initially unassailable campaign drive these past few months. This presidential horse has finally been scratched. These developments are serious, viewers.

After all, politics isn’t just a game.