Republicans To Bracket Dems In South Carolina

Not terribly surprising, but check out this breathless State lede:

EXCLUSIVE GOP stirs a media storm for Democrats’ parade

By AARON GOULD SHEININ - asheinin@thestate.com

While Democrats celebrate and enjoy their time in the national spotlight today, the Republicans will try to turn that shaft into a cold, hard glare.

National and state Republicans will spend the day telling South Carolinians and the country at large why the party believes “Democrats are wrong.”

According to a copy of a Republican National Committee plan to be released today, the GOP will launch a major media offensive to counter the Democratic message coming from Orangeburg.

The plan, which was obtained by The State, includes talking points and research on why the top Democratic candidates are “wrong on the economy for South Carolina,” as well as wrong on the war in Iraq and wrong on South Carolina values.

RNC comm. dir Lisa Miller and deputy Brian Walton earned their keep today. You can read what they're saying after the jump.

SOUTH CAROLINA DEBATE: W2W4

A Quick Guide On "What 2 Watch 4" At Tonight's

First Democrat Presidential Debate

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Will Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) Adopt Her "Southern Drawl" For Her Debate In South Carolina?

"New York's Illinois-Born Senator" Adopts "Southern Drawl" For Alabama Rally. "Senator Clinton may have drawn rousing ovations during her appearances at civil rights rallies in Selma, Ala. ... but it was not what she said that stirred the most buzz yesterday - it was how she said it. A 27-second snippet of audio clips ... showed New York's Illinois-born senator adopting a Southern drawl during parts of her speech at a Selma church." ("Clinton Stirs Buzz On The Web With Her Southern Drawl," The New York Sun, 3/6/07)

* Click Here To Listen

MSNBC's Tucker Carlson: "Hillary Clinton morphs into Scarlett O'Hara. Well, she talks like her anyway." (MSNBC's "Tucker," 3/5/07)

Will Former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) Show Up With A New Makeover?

"Amid The Nearly $3.3 Million In Travel Costs, Equipment Rental Fees And Salaries Listed On Presidential Candidate John Edwards's Most Recent Campaign Finance Filing, A Few Expenses Stand Out." (Robin Givhan, "Primping For President: A Little Dab'll Do Ya," The Washington Post, 4/20/07)

* "They Are The Ones Incurred At Designworks Salon In Dubuque, Iowa, Torrenueva Hair Designs In Beverly Hills, Calif., And The Pink Sapphire Salon And Spa In Manchester, N.H." (Robin Givhan, "Primping For President: A Little Dab'll Do Ya," The Washington Post, 4/20/07)

Edwards Paid $800 For Two Haircuts And Over $400 On Makeup In The First Quarter Of The Year. "The campaign paid $800 for two haircuts from the Torrenueva salon. Designworks provided $248 worth of camera-ready makeup. And Pink Sapphire was called on two occasions for Edwards's makeup needs at $150 and $75 a visit." (Robin Givhan, "Primping For President: A Little Dab'll Do Ya," The Washington Post, 4/20/07)

What Part Of His Resume Will Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) Exaggerate?

"[Sen. Obama] Has ... Shown A Tendency Toward Seemingly Minor Contradictions And Rhetorical Slips That Serve As Reminders That He Is Still A Newcomer To National Politics." (Mike Allen, "Rookie Mistakes Plague Obama," The Politico, 3/26/07)

Obama Said His Parents "Got Together" And He Was Born As A Result Of The Selma March. Sen. Obama: "Because some folks were willing to march across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama, Jr. was born. So don't tell me I don't have a claim on Selma, Alabama." (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks At Brown Chapel AME Church, Selma, AL, 3/4/07)

* "Earlier In The Day At A Prayer Breakfast, The Illinois Democrat Said: 'If It Hadn't Been For Selma, I Wouldn't Be Here.'" (Anne E. Kornblut and Peter Whoriskey, "Clinton, Obama Link Selma March To Present," The Washington Post, 3/5/07)

* But Sen. Obama Was Born In 1961, 4 Years Before The 1965 Selma March. "Barack Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961." (Obama For America Website, www.barackobama.com, Accessed 3/6/07; Anne E. Kornblut and Peter Whoriskey, "Clinton, Obama Link Selma March To Present," The Washington Post, 3/5/07)

At A Recent Fundraiser, Obama Claimed He Was A "Constitutional Law Professor." "'I was a constitutional law professor, which means unlike the current president I actually respect the Constitution,' Obama told an audience at a campaign fundraiser." (Brendan Farrington, "Obama: Bush Fails To Respect The Constitution," The Associated Press, 3/30/07)

* But On The University Of Chicago Law School Website, Obama Is Listed As A "Senior Lecturer In Law (On Leave Of Absence)." (University Of Chicago Law School Website, http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama, Accessed 3/30/07)

* "In Academia, There Is A Vast Difference Between The Two Titles. Details Matter." (Lynn Sweet, "Obama's Book: What's Real, What's Not," Chicago Sun-Times, 8/8/04)

Will Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) Arrive At Debate On A Horse, Helicopter, Or Corporate Jet?

Richardson Used State Helicopter To Go Horseback Riding At A Ranch. "The New Mexican's Mitote column of Sept. 21 reported the governor had taken a state helicopter to go horseback riding at The Chama Ranch of Santa Fe art and real-estate investor Gerald Peters." (Tom Sharpe, "Helicopter Flight Raises Questions," The Santa Fe New Mexican, 10/10/03)

* Use Of Helicopter Cost Taxpayers $2,500. "According to the report, a high-tech Blackhawk helicopter scheduled for a training trip from Santa Fe to Carlsbad on Sept. 6 [2003] was diverted to Chama at Richardson's request -- a cost to taxpayers of $2,500 -- on a day when a state police helicopter often used by Richardson was grounded for maintenance." (Tom Sharpe, "Helicopter Flight Raises Questions," The Santa Fe New Mexican, 10/10/03)

Richardson Has Taken Tens Of Thousands Of Dollars In Free Flights From The World's Largest Smokeless Tobacco Firm. "Gov. Bill Richardson has taken tens of thousands of dollars worth of free corporate jet flights from the world's largest smokeless-tobacco company in his role as head of the Democratic Governors Association." (Jeff Jones, "Smokeless On These Flights," Albuquerque Journal, 5/14/06)

Will Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) Proclaim That He Is A "Northeast Liberal" ... Again?

Biden Is A "Self-Described Northeast Liberal." (Valerie Bauerlein and Lee Bandy, "Thousands Pay Respect To S.C.'s History Maker," The [Columbia, SC] State, 7/2/03)

Richmond Times-Dispatch Referred To Biden As "Liberal Icon." (Editorial, "History Lesson," Richmond Times-Dispatch, 9/15/02)

The New York Times' David Brooks Referred To Biden As A "Liberal Hawk." (David Brooks, Op-Ed, "Too Quiet On The Home Front," The New York Times, 3/20/04)

Will Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) Be Asked To Show Identification Before Being Allowed On Stage?

"More Problematic Is The Fact That Dodd Is Not Well Known Outside The State, Except To C-SPAN Junkies." (Howard Reiter, Op-Ed, "Is Dodd A Contender?" Hartford Courant, 1/14/07)

* "[D]odd [Is] Barely Registering In The Polls." (Adam C. Smith, "Biden And Dodd Have Been Around And That's Good," St. Petersburg Times, 4/22/07)

"'Where's He From? Vermont?' Party Activist David Dew Whispered, As The Connecticut Senator Addressed A Small Lunchtime Group." (David Lightman, "Dodd's Quest: A Long Haul," Hartford Courant, 1/16/07)