Americans deserve who they elect, just like when King George was re-elected in 2004 and then sent the country into a downward spiral.

If small-town people cannot vote for a black president even though he has better answers for the economy, war in Iraq and health care, then they cannot whine when a President McCain does nothing to make health care cheaper and continues to drain the U.S. Treasury in Iraq.

"Franklin Roosevelt had no trouble connecting with small-town voters. Neither did Bill Clinton. Why can't Obama?"

Do you know much about FDR's poll numbers? In fact, contrary to what you've said, he was a very polarizing figure - like Bill Clinton in this regard - and was absolutely detested by the bulk of the same populist demographic interviewed for this Salon article.

Very thoughtful piece. It's going to be between people and their consciences in the privacy of the voting booth when many final decisions will be made. If people get themselves to the polls in the first place.

I'm Scottish, a resident alien, and have lived in the states for about twelve years - so I have a unique perspective, being simultaneously an outsider, and someone with a deep interest in the outcome of this race. If I could vote - I'd vote Obama. An impartial appraisal of the issues allows no other choice.

But the rural vote is only partially about issues. Some people will vote for him just on the issues - because some people do actually try to make informed choices. Many others will 'vote with their gut', and unfortunately - their gut is still telling them that he is different.

My work takes me all across the states, and I get to work with, and meet, people of every social and economic background. What I've found is that rural people are curious about 'strangers'. But what they seem to want is the ability to 'tag' the stranger as 'same enough' or 'different'.

If you are tagged as different - you face a huge uphill battle to gain trust or acceptance (just as the 'eastern churches' found when competing with stump-pulpit baptist preachers).

This is Sen. Obama's challenge. He is less different to these folks I've met, than I - he had very similar upbringing (single mom, food stamps, mid-western grandparents lending a hand with his rearing). But he has black skin, he is urbane, and he is educated.

He can do nothing about his skin color. Racists are not going to change their stripes, and they're never going to vote for him. They are not the target.

He *can* address their perception of his fundamental 'difference' - that he is a 'snobby intellectual' by showing that he does identify closely with them. His family, his upbringing, his roots in Kansas -- these are the personal things he needs to amplify to reach these people.

Until he does - he'll just be another one of 'them rich folks'.

I cannot vote.

I can only hope that America votes correctly on my behalf.

I cannot vote for Obama, because he is too centrist. After eight yrs of Dubya, I expected the Democrats to run a more progresive candidate. If they dont now, they never will. So, I will be an Independent from now on.

I was raised in a GOP family (my father left the party when W's father invaded Iraq). I was raised middle class, but will probably never be able to live that way myself, due to health care costs. Obama's "plan" for health care is a HUGE problem for me and lot of lower income people. His "rightward" drift on the "wars", guns, death penalty, complimetns for Reagan, the tax cuts (which will "take ten yrs to implement")and his original stance on "helping pepoe involved inthe mortgage crisis" ("It would be a moral hazard"--then voting to help Bear Srearns)doesnt sit well in Ohio. I saw the mortgage "agreements"--people were robbed.

Very little mention (or a "personal responsibility" attitude toward urban poor people of any race) was a turn off for me, too. The silencing of young African American males at two of his rallies with cries of "Yes we can!" reminded me of Dubya's "U. S. A.!" crap. People do not choose their parents nor birthplace, and not everyone can be as gifted as obama. He worked very hard, but , he is also very fortunate--to be as intelligent as he is, as well as physically attractive. His "food stamp" upbringing isnt very compelling (especially in Hawaii) to inner city people who have had to receive them all of their lives.(The "small town" I grew up in doesnt exist anymore--its a Wal-Mart)

I think we need to get away from the American "individualistic self reliance" stuff. If that is the case, why not vote Ron Paul. (I think Paul is a little loony, myself) I also do not think that "the world is waiting for America to return to its moral leaderhisp" either. I think they have had quite enough of us. The "level playing field" in the uS is a joke. If we had one, Dubya and cohorts would have fallen off the edge a long time ago.

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"Hootowl has crossed a few lines of civility, from idiotic blather to mind provoking intelligence, most flagrantly in his/her last post.*********************************************************

I caught it too; He/she should have put an exclamation point (!) after “Nonsense.” (Personally, I would have said Bullshit!!!) but that’s just me.

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Could someone please do something about it?"

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You got it. HOORAY!, YIPPEE!, WAY TO GO!

said David Scorup, 58, a county government official in Othello, Wash., who said he is leaning toward McCain. "I think I resonate more with McCain."

John McCain has taken a modest lead over Barack Obama entering the final seven weeks of their presidential contest, buoyed by decisive advantages among suburban and working-class whites and a huge edge in how people rate each candidate's experience, a poll showed Friday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080912/ap_on_el_pr/campaign_ap_poll;_ylt=AhuXwuDG_hFaDWxw1HvNoE0DW7oF