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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
If almost 20% of rural voters believe Barack Obama is a muslim, it's because they choose to. And if they won't vote for him because of that, they're just coming up with "reasons" to justify their continuing to vote in a party that is so obviously non representative of their interests. Call it plain old racism - there's nothing fancy and nuanced about it. And if these people can talk themselves into thinking that Sarah Palin is somehow qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency just so they don't have to look at a black man running the country - well then we can all thank them for their careful consideration while the country continues it's slide into the toilet. I would really, really, really like to hear someone justify re-electing a Republican after these 8 disastrous years - how can an UNEMPLOYED truck driver vote to keep in the party responsible for the economy that has him unemployed??? It is mind boggling. Unfortunately the rest of us get the government that these numb nuts deserve.
What a sad, sad time.
:-(
Crying in my cup of joe...
I hope Obama is planning to visit lots of small towns, because he does need to sell himself to people who don't have the sort of background he does.
Obama cannot afford to blow off rural voters because the electoral college gives them power beyond their numbers. (We could go on for a long time about the injustice of this, but that's another topic.)
But I think if he speaks to people directly, and asks for their vote, he could do fine. Working class people in the boonies know the country is messed up and needs a change. Their kids are serving in Iraq and they're not happy about it after 6 years. They want Obama to act like they exist and ask for their votes.
For example, Harold Ford, Jr. in Tennessee did far better that anyone dreamed he would, and came very close to winning the US Senate seat Bob Corker now holds. Ford is a guy with a huge liability--the Ford political machine is infamous for every sort of corruption, and his uncle, a state senator, was about to go to trial. But statewide, "Junior" won a clear majority of female votes and carried a number of rural counties by impressive majorities. How? He drove over, walked into these redneck joints with confederate flags on the door, shook their hands, talked with them, and said he'd be so grateful for their vote. And they liked him for that.
Obama is all that, and then some. But the campaign should address this estrangement of rural voters. Target ads, make appearances--and make the ask. He needs to de-mystify himself to these folks.
I presume the underlying premise for Salon to publish this letter is that A) it's news that we have racists, bigots, and anti-intellectuals in our country, and/or B) we progressives should really be concerned about this demographic and do our utmost to reach them and persuade them of Obama's qualities.
But I disagree with both.
No literate, conscious adult in this day and age could be surprised that our electorate comprises some of the least informed and most incurious voters on the planet. This fact is just not news.
And in my opinion, it is a losing strategy to give these backward dimwits any time and attention that could be spent addressing people who at least have some capacity for abstract thought.
When someone says, "I know this sounds stupid, but the reason I'm not voting for Senator Obama is his middle name," the only reasonable response is to feel pity... as you agree with them (“you're right, that IS stupid”)... and then walk away.
You do NOT publish this quote as an appeal to Senator Obama to do more to engage its author and other walking brainstems like him. That is a fool’s errand, and we should leave it to the foolish!
It doesn't matter what gender or race a candidate is; but it does matter if that candidate has repeatedly shown his didain for small towns in America, the people who live there and the mayors who govern them. How often does Obama have to diss this country before he truly gets his 'message' across?
It seems like this country is comprised between selfish people who hate the environment, love torture and war and could care less about our kids and stupid, unaware, unthinking (again, selfish) racists and those in the middle are getting mud all over them.
If George W Bush's legacy says anything, it's that the terrorists were right about us and they just nudged us along our way to destroying ourselves.
I don't "identify" with Senator Obama very much since he voted against FISA. I know that will be dismissed as leftist sulking and I should "get over it." And, yes, I can always hold my nose and vote Democratic for the "greater good." Or I can simply vote for him safe in the knowledge he won't be elected even with my vote anyway; that way I wouldn't have to feel "guilty" for not opposing McCain. Right now I simply don't know if I'll vote; but I know one thing. If I do vote for Obama, it'll be for one reason: because he's black. I'm not black; but I'm getting up there in years and I truly believe that if Obama does not win - and especially if he loses by a big margin - that I will never again get a chance in my lifetime to vote for an African-American for president. No doubt that will be dismissed as some kind of convuluted projected racism. The point is, I no longer identify with the ideas Obama espouses. Not because of his ideas per se, but because his FISA vote - as well as his position on Afghanistan - has shown me that his money is not where his mouth is. Instead of sticking to his guns and influencing the electorate to accept his position, he caved under pressure. And - lo and behold! - actions really do speak louder than words.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
219 Democrats and one Republican join in favor of the legislation, which passed by a narrow margin
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Salon headlines in your mailbox
