Photo by John B. Hoffman/special to The Beat 

Native son makes a late move in South Carolina polls

For what it’s worth, pollster John Zogby invoked an old Stephen Stills lyric in an attempt to make sense of the latest trends on the eve of the Democratic presidential primary in South Carolina. “There’s something happening here,” read the Zogby press release. “What it is ain’t exactly clear.”

After edging past Hillary Clinton to finish second in Iowa, Edwards ran a weak third in New Hampshire and an even more disappointing third in Nevada where his expected redoubt crumbled. To his credit, the former North Carolina senator refused to stand down. In fact, he has sharpened his campaign focus on the plight of the middle class and infused his populist rhetoric with an increased urgency.

At the same time, both of the Clinton’s have appeared more concerned with tying a tin can to Barack Obama’s tail, forcing the Illinois senator on the defensive and spawning a week of ugly exchanges between the front-runners that threatened to create deep divisions within a Democratic Party that badly needs to be united. Edwards declined to join in the mudfest, and continued to pound his message home in a relentless barnstorming tour across the Palmetto state.

At every stop, he urged enthusiastic crowds to join him in a crusade for change that eschews Obama’s olive branch for a populist big stick. Pictured above at Lander University in Greenwood, Edwards joined hands with bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley (left) and Rev. James Blassingame of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Sumter to sing “Amazing Grace” as if to signal the Almighty’s affinity for the plight of working families. Audacious? Sure, but the way the election of 2008 is shaping up, it might just be that kind of year.

The result has been a tightening of the race here with Edwards surging to the point where the latest poll numbers put him in a statistical tie with Clinton for second place. What this means is that the race for the Democratic nomination is far from decided, and a strong showing by John Edwards in his native South Carolina will make this a legitimate three-way race through Super Tuesday and beyond.

In The State newspaper today, Roddie A. Burris looked at the polling data less than 24 hours before SC Dems head to the polls.

Fasten your seat belts, boys; it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Stay tuned to The Beat as this political drama continues with no end in sight.  (J.S.)