MyDD

John McCain will likely carry South Carolina because of the state’s Republican tilt, but Rasmussen polling shows him receiving just 48 percent of voter support, far behind President Bush’s 58 percent in 2004, Jonathan Singer writes. McCain will probably have to spend time in the state, taking precious campaign opportunities away from other swing states that he’ll need to win, Singer adds. While winning candidates offer a “compelling and cohesive vision,” McCain’s has been “schizophrenic” so far in the general election, writes J Ro. McCain has talked about being “a new Republican,” embarked on a “listening tour” of “forgotten places,” reassured the Republican base that he would appoint conservative judges and most recently tried to co-opt Barack Obama’s change message by saying that he represents the “right kind of change,” the blogger notes.