Here’s a picture and some bad (Blackberry) video from the grand opening of Steve Benjamin’s campaign HQ tonight.

The video picks up right after Steve mentioned how, if you’re running for office in SC, the first question you hear is “Who’s your Daddy?” or “Who are your people?” I’ve heard how he answers that before, but I share this abbreviated version in case you haven’t. Hope you can make out some of it.

Then he looked around the room and named various people he saw, thanking them for coming. At one point, he gestured to me and said he was glad to see the Fourth Estate had come out.

I told him I was no longer officially part of the Fourth Estate, but had moved on — to Fifth or Sixth Estate, whatever comes after the established media whose business model is dissolving. There will always be journalism, but in the future it will be … something different, and that’s what I’m into now.

Also at the confab were Marvin Chernoff, Tameika Devine, Cameron Runyon, Rick Quinn, Libby Heath and a cast of many.

Highlight of the event (other than the combo playing jazzy versions of Christmas faves) was when Campaign Manager Joey Opperman ended his introduction of the candidate with an account of what Steve had said to him to get him to stay in Columbia and serve in his campaign:

“You need to stay here and help these people that God has put you among.”

Steve immediately responded by reducing expectations to a level somewhat less blasphemous:

“I don’t want to give the impression that God has endorsed our campaign.”