The capriciousness of political polling can be seen in the January 12 Real Clear Politics polls for South Carolina, the third voting state in the lineup of GOP primary states. With Mitt Romney having come in surprisingly first in Iowa and predictably first in New Hampshire, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is mounting a hard charge in South Carolina.
The poll figures provided by Real Clear Politics show Romney leading. But there is also varying data on the depth of Romney's lead. A combined poll by the Augusta Chronicle and Savannah Morning News shows Gingrich within the margin of error. The RCP average of all recent polls shows Romney leading Gingrich by nearly 9 point.
The fact that Pennsylvanian Rick Santorum polls alongside Gingrich indicates that many in South Carolina are still chasing the "true conservative."
South Carolina is a mix of bitter facts and fun facts, however. Let's look at some of both:
* South Carolina's unemployment rate has been north of 10 percent in five out of the last six months tallied by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The USA Election Atlas figures show a state tipped heavily toward Republican McCain in 2008.
* South Carolina is called the Palmetto State, after the commonly named palm tree. You see palmettos mostly in the warmer climates but there are varieties that are cold-hardy. You see them commonly in South Carolina.
* The palmetto, or palm tree, is on the state flag of South Carolina and is one of the first flags of the American Revolutionary War. The addition of the palmetto onto the state flag was a later innovation of its predecessor, the Moultrie Flag.
* The Moultrie flag, also called the Liberty Flag, is named for Colonel William Moultrie who valiantly defended South Carolina's Sullivan Island fortress during the Revolutionary War. Annin Flagmakers displays a photo of the flag and explains how Sergeant William Jasper saved the flag from battle damage.
* Colonel William Moultrie and his fellow defenders successfully warded off an attack on Sullivan's Island by the powerful British Navy in June 1776. The outer walls of the fort were constructed of soft palmetto wood so they wouldn't so easily be shattered by cannonballs.
* South Carolina's Information Highway, or SCIWAY, carries a great deal of horrific information about the establishment of slavery, established in the Americas by the Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch before Charles Towne was founded in 1670.
* Political prognosticators like to split the state into three generally different demographic areas. According to the Saratogian, social conservatives predominate in the northern region around Greenville and Spartanburg. The newspaper identifies moderates dominating the coastal regions. Some part of South Carolina's heavy military influence could respond to the McCain endorsement of Romney.
* Of the six Republicans in the 2008 South Carolina primary, Senator John McCain finished first, slightly ahead of Mike Huckabee. Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney were virtually tied in 3rd place with 15 percent of the vote.
* A variation of the palmetto flag was hoisted over Fort Sumter in April 1961 when the fort was captured by General P.T.G. Beauregard. Fort Sumter's capture was the first time territory of the United States fell into "enemy" hands.
Anthony Ventre is a freelance writer who has written for weekly and daily newspapers and several online publications. He is a frequent Yahoo contributor, concentrating in news and financial writing.
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