Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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« r Wednesday, February 23,2000 HuhC (SaiMCOCk " * Page A5 McCain wins in Michigan, Arizona by Ron Fournier Associated Press DETROIT—John McCain thumped Geoige W. Bush in a two-state sweep Tuesday night, rallying a “new McCain majority” of independents and Democrats in Michigan and winning his home state of Ari zona to seize momentum for a two-week blitz of Republican primaries. “As I look more electable, we’ll start drawing more Republicans,” McCain, who received just one fourth of the GOP vote, said in an interview with The Associated Press. “What I believe we are as sembling is the new McCain majority.” Humbled by defeat, the Texas governor said: “This is a marathon, and I’m going to be in it all the way to the end—and some primaries you win and sometimes you don’t.” McCain’s is the latest victory in a see-sawing Republican nomination race. The Arizonan won New Hampshire’s leadoff primary in a landslide, lost the followup showdown in South Carolina and won Michigan by a narrow margin. In each case, Bush and McCain foiged mirror image coalitions: Bush with an overwhelming ma jority of bedrock Republicans and McCain reaching outside the party for a similar-sized force of De mocrats and independents. Open to all comers, Michigan’s primary actual ly drew more non-Republicans than Republicans. Bush supporters bitterly dismissed McCain’s victory. “John McCain isn’t party-building, he’s party borrowing,” said three-term Michigan Gov. John Engler, who accused the senator of “renting De mocrats” for the night. Engler had promised to car ry Michigan for Bush, and took blame for the de feat. In Michigan, with 17 percent of the precincts reporting, McCain had 110,729 votes, or 49 per cent, and Bush had 100,367 votes, or 45 percent. Former ambassador Alan Keyes had just 4 percent of the vote. McCain won all of Arizona’s 30 delegates with his victory there. His statewide victory in Michigan earned him 10 at-large delegates, with the remain ing 48 delegates to be allocated according to the win ner of each congressional district. Interviews with voters as they left polling places showed that more than half of the Michigan voters were non-Republicans — independents and De mocrats who voted in far larger numbers than in 1996. Three-quarters of McCain’s vote came from the non-Republicans, and three-quarters of Bush’s vote came from bedrock Republicans. Voter News Service, a consortium’of The Asso ciated Press and television networks, conducted the interviews. In a whirlwind 48 hours after the South Car olina primary, Bush and McCain traded accusations of negative campaigning in Michigan. Each com plained that the other was using automated phone Michigan see page a7 ‘As I look more electable, we’ll start drawing more Republicans. What I believe we are doing is assembling a McCain majority.’ John McCain GOP presidential candidate News Analysis Reagan Democrats come roaring back for McCain If John Mc Cain’s victory in Michigan’s Tues day primary proved anything, it’s that Reagan Democrats came roaring back for McCain, who has repeatedly and at times overtly nskpH for Dpmnr rats and independents’.support. It also proved that Bush’s endorsements might be as much a curse as a blessing. Non-Republicans turned out in droves Tuesday, overwhelming Bush’s conser vative support much as the Texas Gov ernor’s voting bloc had buried McCain’s coalition in South Carolina. McCain drew 75 percent of his sup port from the record numbers of De mocrats and independents — more than half of the voters Tuesday night, accord ing to a Voter News Service poll. Bush drew the same percentage of votes from “bedrock Republicans,” according to The Associated Press, which is part of the Voter News Service consortium. The primary also proved the fallacy of the campaign’s belief that more en dorsements are equivalent to more votes. Two-thirds of those who said Minnestoa Gov. John Engler’s support of Bush was a major factor in their vote went for McCain. It’s the second time Bush’s endorse ment strategy has been repudiated. Many among his own staff claimed that George H. W. and Barbara Bush’s endorsement of “our boy” hurt the governor in New Hampshire. Another mistake for Bush was try ■ ing to ignore McCain. He sounded more as if he were running against A1 Gore.He didn’t say much about McCain in Michi gan unless he was asked; meanwhile, Mc Cain pounded Bush’s “character assassi nation” and continued his “Star Wars analogy.” “I’m just like Luke Skywalker, try ing to get out of the Death Star,” he told a crowd at a Michigan high school, ac cording to The Associated Press. “I’m telling you, they’re shooting at me from everywhere — Governor En gler, Governor Bush, all the governors, all the senators, but we’re gonna kill ’em, right? We’re gonna get ’em. I’m getting out of that Death Star. We’re going to win this election.” Now, the stakes are higher for Bush than before Tuesday as the “must-win” ball is back in his court for the second time. After New Hampshire, it was crucial that Bush win South Carolina to stay the front-runner. After Michigan, he must win Virginia, which is ripe for a Bush victory. The state is an establishment strong hold, and McCain has given almost every voter in Virginia a reason to hate him. McCain’s push for more flights at the Ronald Reagan Airport has even drawn threats to vote for Bush from some De mocrats. His support for a $ 1.10-a pack tax on cigarettes is sure to hurt him in southern Virginia, where tobacco is a large part of the economy. Meanwhile, McCain’s campaign moves to Washington state, where the Arizona senator has invested heavily. A win there could give him even more mo mentum going into the decisive March 7 “Super Tuesday,” when more than a dozen states, including delegate-heavy California and New York, vote. And that could be trouble for Bush. He had to move far to the right to win South Car olina — and his visit to Bob Jones be came a symbol for the political shift. BJU had its tax-exempt status revoked in the 1970s for refusing to admit blacks; past university presidents have said the Pope was demon-possessed. New York and California tend to be more socially liberal states, and U.S. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., recently switched his endorsement from Bush to McCain over the visit. Furthermore, a poll taken before the South Carolina primary showed McCain leading Bush in New York. Michigan was a must-win state for McCain, which al so meant that Bush needed to take the opportunity to stop McCain. He didn’t. Which means that while Bush is still the front-runner, McCain is headed into Washington, and possibly Super Tuesday, with a full head of steam. Brandon Larrabee is a sophomore journalism major He writes about Campaign 2000 each Wednesday. He can be reached at laughin98@hot mail.com Kosovska Mitrovica calm by Elena Becatoros Associated Press Kosovska Mitrovica. Yugoslavia — The divided city of Kosovska Mitro vica was calm Tuesday, a day after NA TO-led peacekeepers fired tear gas to prevent thousands of ethnic Albanians from crossing a bridge into Serb-con trolled areas. U.S. paratroopers sent here from southeastern Kosovo as reinforcements manned barricades on the bridge Tues day, relieving the British who bore the brunt of Monday’s clashes. French, British, Canadian and Dan ish soldiers on Monday used armored per sonnel carriers as barricades, blocking demonstrators who tried to force their way across the bridge spanning the Ibar River. About 4,000 Serbs were waiting on the north side, determined to battle the ethnic Albanians. As many as 50,000 ethnic Albani ans marched to Kosovska Mitrovica on Monday to demand an end to the city’s ethnic bloodshed. Recent tensions began after a Feb. 2 grenade attack on a U.N. bus killed two elderly Serbs south of the city. That trig gered a round of revenge attacks that have left nine people dead and scores injured. NATO’s secretary-general, Lord George Robertson, said Monday there was “no doubt that (Yugoslav President Slobodan) Milosevic will have a hand in some of the provocations being orga nized on the Serb side.” “Thp.rp. is clearly rising tension in the southern part of Serbia and large num bers of additional Yugoslav troops have moved into the area,” Robertson added. “And I would warn anybody who seeks to be provocative in that part of the world on whatever side of the divide they may be that again we will not tolerate ac tion being taken.” Both the United States and Yugoslavia have blamed each other for heightening tensions in Kosovska Mitrovica, Koso vo’s most multiethnic city. In an effort to relax the confronta tional atmosphere, French Gen. Pierre de Saqui de Sannes said the start of the nightly curfew had been pushed back from 6 p.m. to 8 p.nt. He also said weapons searches had been suspended, although peacekeepers reserved the right to resume Them “where we want, when we want.” In New York, Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, accused the Yugoslav government in Bel grade of fomenting the latest unrest. His view was shared by Gen. Wesley Clark, the NATO commander in Europe. “There is an influence by Belgrade in the area,” Clark said. The Yugoslavs, however, accused American and German troops of trig gering the unrest by their “brutal” and “arrogant” behavior during Sunday’s ‘And I would warn any body who seeks tn hp provocative in that part of the world ... that again we will not toler ate action being taken.’ Lord George Robertson NATO secretary-general weapons searches in northern Kosovs ka Mitrovica. In a letter to the U.N. Se curity Council, Belgrade said the Amer icans and Germans “broke doors and windows” of schools and homes in the Serb area, prompting Serbs to drive them out with volleys of stones. De Sannes said the Americans pulled back “because tension was mounting to such a level that it was better to with CALM see page A7 News Briefs ■ GOP voters split on flag in exit poll Voters in South Carolina’s Republi can presidential primary were split over whether the Confederate flag should be removed from South Carolina’s State house dome. Exit polls conducted for The Asso ciated Press and television news networks by Voter News Service showed that 48 percent of participants wanted the flag , removed and 47 percent said it should stay. When legislators debate on the is sue, both flag supporters and opponents will be able to interpret those results to fit their cause. Participants weren’t asked their opin ion on a proposal offered last week by ' Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges to take down the flag and fly a similar one at a monument honoring Gen. Wade Hampton on Statehouse grounds. That plan could be debated in the Senate as early as this week. ■ Letterman scores high ratings for return from heart surgery New York (AP) — An estimated 12 million people watched David Letter man’s return to television Monday night after heart surgery, giving the “Late Show” its best ratings in six years, CBS said Tuesday. Based on an instant Nielsen Media Research measurement of the top 47 mar w,»<- me “i wi mri., the ratings of its competitor, NBC’s “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno. Only Letterman’s first two shows af terjoining CBS in 1993 and a handful of programs during the Winter Olympics in 1994 scored higher, CBS said. Monday night’s audience was three times the size of Letterman’s average au dience this season. ■ Endeavour returns Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP)—The space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of six returned to Earth on Tuesday with more than a week’s worth of radar im ages that will be transformed into the finest maps of the planet. Commander Kevin Kregel guided the shuttle down through a clear sky moments after sun set. Gusty winds at the runway had forced him to make an extra swing around Earth, delaying the homecoming by 1 1/2 hours. Win $50 Prize! Eartk Day T-Skirt Design Contest Event: Earth Day 2000 (April 19) * Prize: $50 • Entry Deadline: MARCH 1 1 Guidelines: Submit logo design suitable lor silk-screen printing application to white t-shirt to promote Earth Day 2000. Entries may be submitted in color or back a id white. All timely entries will be judged and cannot be returned. Selection as winner gives the Committee rights to use the logo design on le t-shirt nd in other printed materials. Individuals may submit as many entries Ias desired. Submit entries to: Dr. Gwen Geidel, SOE, Byrnes 702 I, USC. 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