Sorry, Carter obvously was not the last Democrat to carry WV.

Obama does have to connect with these voters, and he'll need to campaign in these areas this Fall (with Hillary and Bill, hopefully). However, as Weeping and others point out, it is simply disingenuous to discuss Obama's difficulty with Appalachian voters without acknowledging that racism plays a role. We can all argue about the extent to which it does, but to not even mention it? Come on.

But maybe I'm wrong, and that West Virginian who only wants to vote for a "full blooded American" wasn't referring to Obama's race or ethnicity at all.

The primary is not the general. With his 50 state strategy I can't imagine him ignoring the Southern white vote - he knows how important it is to him. He's running on franchising the disenfranchised, and poor whites are part of that mix - he will have to make an effort there to reinforce that message, if nothing else. They weren't in play for him against Hillary, but they will very much be against McCain. He and his team aren't fools.

His deep-seated belief that they're hopelessly inferior to himself, is why Obama isn't liked by "those hillbillies."

Guess what - they ARE fucking inferior to Obama. After all, none of them are running for President, are they? Anti-Elitism is just bullshit. People who work hard and achieve and do something substantial with their lives should be proud and not have to apologize to a bunch of bitter, backwards, resentful losers. Obama is right to despise and look down on these people - they should be ashamed of themselves.

Great post - but one small thing. Hillary grew up in suburban Illinois, not Arkansas.

reads like it was written by a Republican. Of course race has NOTHING to do whatsoever with Obama's difficulties in these overwhelmingly white states.

Her racist, gun totin', whiskey sluggin' campaign is a disgrace and plays right into the hands of the southern red necks. She should be ashamed but then again she has no shame. Time to get her out of public office. it is a beautiful thing to watch her and her campaign implode !!!!!

This old, tired meme that Barack Obama cannot win rural votes since he lost them to Hillary Clinton in some primaries does not substantiate that Obama has a serious problem. It may be nothing more than given a choice between Obama and Clinton, they preferred Clinton. That does not automatically translate into a preference for McCain and a continuation of Bush policies -- unless, of course, you believe the tripe you claim to eschew that rural voters are uneducated racist rubes who are so dense that they will switch from supporting a progressive to a reactionary, against their own best interests, at the mere sight of a black man.

By the way, there are "hillbillies" elsewhere than Appalachia, like the Ozarks in Missouri -- a largely rural state Obama carried.

Let's pretend we have this politician who have all those great ideas to help the economically disadvantaged!

But let's also pretend that this politician expresses negative stereotypes about African-Americans and Latinos.

Do you expect African-Americans and Latinos to vote for this Great Economic Liberal who have negative stereotypes about them?

OF COURSE NOT!

Yet, many coastal liberals demand that rural European-American voters to vote for those who disrespect their culture?

Let's look at another issue. 90% of African-Americans vote Democrat! THAT DOESN'T MEAN 90% OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE FAR-LEFT LIBERALS! There's African-Americans who are pro-life, there are African-Americans who are entrepreneurs who want a more free-market policy, there are African-Americans who hunt, there are African-Americans who want the media to censor gangsta-rap! Yet, many of those same African-Americans wouldn't vote for a Republican, even if they agree with Republicans on those issues!

Though many Republicans are NOT racists, many African-Americans view Republican politicians as either neo-Confederates or those who pander to ne-Confederates!

A similar thing is going on with Latinos. There are pro-lifers, entrepreneurs, hunters, etc in the Latino community, but they won't vote for a politician who is anti-immigrant! Dont' expect those guys to vote for Tom Tancredo or Duncan Hunter!

But yet, we still have coastal liberals who demand that rural European-Americans to vote for the pary of Bill Maher and other coastal bigots?

Remember, Economic Liberalism is popular in the Appalachians and the Rust Belt. DONT SCREW IT UP BY ASSOCIATING WITH COASTAL BIGOTS! People don't vote for those who disrespect their culture!

Both the Democratic and Republican Party have viscious bigots among their supporters! If they want to win, they better show ALL Americans respect!

I belong to a population group that not a single politician today would court.

It is a population group which relatively recent presidents have felt comfortable in denying our citizenship and patriotism.

It is a population group that is overwhelmingly important in America's sciences. It is a highly educated, generally law abiding and moral population group that cannot safely express its religious views in certain rural states (One of the reasons I do not have a high opinion of West Virginia).

I am an atheist. Every politician insults me and insults those like me in every election - we are an easy target for politicians.

Yet we end up voting for them, and we don't vote on who is the least religiously nutty, we vote on whose policies we like.

So yeah, I do expect people to vote for good policies even if they feel insulted by the politician proposing them - because I am expected to do the same.

Amen, amen.

I would hope that those who seem so inclined to pine nostagically for the "good old days" of the working class poor white person will come around to some greater understanding that we need a different approach to the intractable issues of poverty, apathy and insularity in Appalachia.

A part of that approach is to point out, clearly but without malice, that the democratic party will no longer treat them as a special subspecies of being , and therefore they must come into the light and ...get a life...

And, that perhaps with a reconfigured demographic and electoral map, they as a substantial voting bloc are not necessary for a win.

This democratic party strategy of obsessing over white blue collar/ rural voters, many of whom have voted against their own self interests in a series of elections, is a recipe for failure from my perspective....,

certainly unless and until these same folks understand how to vote for those who have their best interests at heart...

So, to the voter, black or white, who cannot pronounce Obama's name-- you get what you paid for...just don't ask me to foot the bill, and I do not expect my candidate to waste time and energy trying to convince the guy who won't shake his hand to come around...my attitude is...walk away, and think of a new plan. Maybe the guys son is the voter for you...

I am always amazed at the number of people , here in certain regions of PA, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky and elsewhere, who make silly statements like" I can't pronounce his name.

My attitude- if you are that intentionally stupid, please vote for someone else...

That is not elitist, it is efficient...

Why should Obama chase after folks whose votes he won't get anyway?

And, what is the underlying psychology of the members of the party and the pundits who criticize him for not going after these votes?

Somehow, I think it is not a desire to see him win that drives them, but , perhaps , a desire to see him spin.

I'm going to go get a shot and a beer; be right back.

And don't ask me how to pronounce his name.