Truly you are brilliant.

Check out the Mayans.

Perhaps they knew (centuries before the USA was born) that 2012 was going to be the year some religious zealot with control over the most missiles on the planet would decide it was a good time to go to God.

(Personally, I'd expect the end-times to come a bit sooner if McCain wins this election.)

I wonder why people are fixed on our leaders "knowing who I am." I personally don't care if John McCain or Barack Obama know about me and my life. Or if I can relate to Sarah Palin or Joe Biden, or if I think they are like me. I want people who are bright, sensible, have fine judgement, are energetic, thoughtful, understand the big picture AND the small picture of the world, are courageous, at least somewhat humble for a politician (ok I realize that may be a fantasy--perhaps circumspect is a better word), and mostly kind.

I like myself fine, and don't want another person in the white house who is a mediocre callow fellow (gal) who would be "fun" to have a beer or glass of wine with or hunt with or shop with. I don't want to hang out with my president. I want him/her and his/her administration to keep their eyes on the ball that makes the world a better place for EVERYONE, not just true believers. So please use your common sense dear reader, we need people who are competent, thoughtful, dignified, who don't lie to themselves or to us so that we can trust them when they tell us something, and to take care of things that matter. Please.

Way to go Salon. The letter threads have become undistinguishable from anything you'd see on Free Republik, SavageNation.com, or StormFront.org.

Its so funny that they're drawn to articles like this about bucktoothed, inbred, mouthbreathing, submoronic, racist assholes. Drawn like moths to a flame. The whole gang is here! Seig Heil, Y'all!

"could Obama's inability to pull away from John McCain really come down to his skin color?"

Yes, definitely! He didn't win the primary race! HRC lost it because of her inability to tell the truth and her complete mismanagement of her campaign.

The 18 million people who voted for her, voted for her primarily because she is white. All across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Obama is smart and deserving of the presidency but he won't get it because of the low-information, bigoted, rural vote.

The republicans know this and will use it to their advantage.

Maybe next time, but I think it will be a long time before another candidate, black or white, will have the courage and intelligence and strength that Obama has. It is a shame!

In a country that has become as diverse as ours with ever fewer voters who fit the category of rural/small town white, heterosexual and conservative Christian the Democratic party should be able to do without these voters if it weren't for the tremendous advantage small states enjoy in the electoral college. Red North Dakota (pop. 500,000) and several other small conservative states each receives 3 votes. Blue Illinois (pop. 12,000,000) has 21. That gives the North Dakotan voter more than 3x the voice of the Illinoisan. The disparity is even worse in the case of New York and California. Then there's the ridiculous imbalance in senate representation that gives North Dakotans, to use once again only the most egregious example of many, 80x! the clout of Californians.

This Salon article really got me thinking... I just sent this to the Obama campaign via their website:

I realize that this message has almost no chance of rising up through the ranks, but I was thinking a lot about the recent turn of the tides in momentum.

When the election season started, I do believe that Senator Obama was up against Senator McCain, but at the moment, I don't think that's what's happening. Senator McCain has changed it so that the issue is the "average American" vs. intellectual Americans.

This point, I think some have realized... I even see this shift in Senator Obama's speeches... he tries to reach out to these rural Americans by talking to them about taxes and such... but perhaps he could talk about the overall issue... just like he has about race and other issues... How have intellectualism and intellectuals let down the average American? Why is intellectualism equated with mistrust in rural America?

If he can speak to that... how intellectuals have "earned" mistrust and let the average people down... if he can speak to wanting to regain that trust and speak for all Americans... that might be a successful tactic in fighting what the Republicans are doing in this campaign... just as they did against Kerry and Gore... "Obama is an intellectual, therefore he is not like you and he is untrustworthy"

Best regards

All I got was if Obama doesn't win it's because of stupid white people. This "Project" was so skewed to the left the author is probably still bumping into the wall when walking. I have a feeling his head stamp says "Blame it on the stupid people." Quite the set up for the losers.

If he can speak to that... how intellectuals have "earned" mistrust and let the average people down... if he can speak to wanting to regain that trust and speak for all Americans... that might be a successful tactic in fighting what the Republicans are doing in this campaign... just as they did against Kerry and Gore... "Obama is an intellectual, therefore he is not like you and he is untrustworthy"

Thanks for that, I think that could be a useful insight.

I find it interesting, too, because many of the things that are hurting "regular folks" right now are direct results of NON-intellectuals taking bold and brazen actions without any regard for the possible consequences.

I think that could have some resonance.

"We had to fight al Qaeda, but rather than figure a good way to do that, Dubya invaded Iraq and let the real enemy get away."

"Americans wanted a break on taxes, but rather than reduce spending, Dubya cut taxes on the rich, who've been laughing all the way to the bank for the past 5 years."

Maybe it's time we elected someone who *would* apply their intellect to the problems facing the country.

That someone is clearly not on the McCain/Palin ticket.

The only brains I've seen there are in the lobbyists who are running the campaign.