Clinton Magic? Not on the Rez...

I was ready to offer the conclusion that the Clintons won South Dakota because of their vigorous face-to-face campaign. Here in Madison, I got to shake hands with both Senator Clinton and the mister, and in Lake County, which Clinton won 61% to 39%, that personal contact appeared to beat the pants off all the door-knocking and phone-calling that the eager organizers waged. (Nate! I told you: Obama has to come here and go fishing! Put that on the calendar for September!)

But before we give any theory of personal campaigning the stamp of approval, check out this map:

Actually, check out the interactive CNN version, which is much cooler. A lot of that dark Obama blue is Indian Country, which the Clintons fought hard for. Bill Clinton came to Indian Country twice during his Presidency, and the Clintons were banking on fond memories to bolster the charm campaign this time. But the Clinton magic didn't materialize in places like Pine Ridge, Eagle Butte, and Fort Thompson.

What happened there? Maybe the youth vote on the reservation came through for Obama. (Remember: the Indian population skews young in South Dakota compared to the white population.) Or maybe the Indians heard what the Clintons said repeatedly to the white folks in this state, that Hillary was winning because of "people like you in places like this." Maybe they recalled Hillary's claim to be the choice of "hard-working Americans, white Americans." A century and a half of broken promises can make people a little sensitive to racial code talk like that. The results from Indian Country suggest those signals from the Clinton camp came through loud and clear enough to undo some hard-won Clinton support.