SC, Race Role Presidential politics

Heading to South Carolina to investigate the role of race in presidential politics.

I covered the massacre at Emanuel AME Church. It was a horrifying story that spoke volumes about the awful legacy of hate crimes against black people in the south.

But guess what? I think the south and maybe South Carolina particularly are more evolved and frank about the racial divide than many of us arrogant northerners.

What left an indelible impression following the church massacre--aside from my personal rage at the KKK wannabe creep who perpetrated the crime--was how the congegrants responded; in grief, anger and sorrow, but also with forgiveness and calls for healing. It was stunning to see and deeply impressive.

Likewise, the reaction to the cop killing death of Walter Scott who was shot in the back has been calm and reasonable, with folks investing their hopes in the system not the streets.

In terms of politics, I think the current favorites will prevail. The majority African-American Democratic voters will sustain the woman who was First Lady to the nation's first "black" president; while Trump will be sustained by the sheer force of his persona; folks just want to hang out with the big guy.

Cruz finishes second. Rubio continues to fade, despite endorsements from Senator Tim Scott and Rep Trey Gowdy. Bush survives with the help of W-43 and Senator Lindsey Graham, but Jeb! will still be limping. If there was an alternative candidate on the GOP side who was a Good Ole Southern Boy and/or had a stellar career in the military, I might have seen the race differently. There isn't and I don't.