rubes-r-us

itsmeeeeeee · 05-12-2008, 09:31 AM

west virginia's shame:

Democratic country keeps its distance from Obama
By Andrew Ward,By Andrew Ward in Williamson, West Virginia
Sunday May 11 2008 14:15

Like most people in Mingo County, West Virginia, Leonard Simpson is a lifelong Democrat. But given a choice between Barack Obama and John McCain in November, the 67-year-old retired coalminer would vote Republican.

"I heard that Obama is a Muslim and his wife's an atheist," said Mr Simpson, drawing on a cigarette outside the fire station in Williamson, a coalmining town of 3,400 people surrounded by lush wooded hillsides.

Mr Simpson's remarks help explain why Mr Obama is trailing Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival, by 40 percentage points ahead of Tuesday's primary election in the heavily white and rural state, according to recent opinion polls.

A landslide victory for Mrs Clinton in West Virginia will do little to improve her fading hopes of winning the Democratic nomination, because Mr Obama has an almost insurmountable lead in the overall race. But Tuesday's contest is likely to reinforce Mrs Clinton's argument that she would be the stronger opponent for Mr McCain in November, and raise fresh doubts about whether the US is ready to elect its first black president.

Occupying a swathe of the Appalachian Mountains on the threshold between the Bible Belt and the Rust Belt, West Virginia is a swing state that voted twice for George W. Bush but backed Democrats in six of the eight prior presidential elections.

No Democrat has been elected to the White House without carrying West Virginia since 1916, yet Mr Obama appears to have little chance of winning there in November. Recent opinion polls indicate that Mrs Clinton would narrowly beat Mr McCain in the state but Mr Obama would lose by nearly 20 percentage points.

West Virginia is hostile territory for Mr Obama because it has few of the African-Americans and affluent, college-educated whites who provide his strongest support. The state has the lowest college graduation rate in the US, the second lowest median household income, and one of the highest proportions of white residents, at 96 per cent.

A visit to Mingo County, a Democratic stronghold in the heart of the Appalachian coalfields, reveals the scale of Mr Obama's challenge - not only in West Virginia but in white, working-class communities across the US. With a gun shop on its main street and churches dotted throughout the town, Williamson is the kind of community evoked by Mr Obama's controversial comments last month about "bitter" small-town voters who "cling to guns or religion".

"If he is the nominee, the Democrats have no chance of winning West Virginia," said Missy Endicott, a 40- year-old school administrator. "He doesn't understand ordinary Americans."

Ms Endicott was among roughly 500 people who crammed into the Williamson Fire Department building on Friday to attend a rally by Bill Clinton, the former president. He told them his wife represented "people like you, in places like this", and urged voters to turn out in record numbers on Tuesday to send a message to the "higher-type people" who were trying to force her out of the race.

Local leaders said Mr Clinton was the most important visitor to Williamson since John F. Kennedy passed through during the 1960 election campaign. Mr Kennedy's victory in the West Virginia primary that year was a crucial step towards proving his electability as the first Catholic president. Nearly five decades later, the state appears less willing to help Mr Obama break down barriers to the White House.

None of the 22 Democrats interviewed by the Financial Times at the Clinton rally would commit themselves to voting for Mr Obama if he became the nominee, and half said they definitely would not. The depth of opposition is particularly striking considering that Mingo County is one of the most Democratic places in West Virginia, having cast about 85 per cent of its votes for the party in the 2006 midterm elections. If Mr Obama cannot win there in November, he has little chance of carrying the state.

Most people questioned said they mistrusted Mr Obama because of doubts about his patriotism and "values", stemming from his cosmopolitan background, his exotic name and the controversy surrounding "anti-American" sermons by Jeremiah Wright, his former pastor. Several people said they believed he was a Muslim - an unfounded rumour that has circulated on the internet for months - despite the contradiction with his 20-year membership of Mr Wright's church in Chicago. Others mentioned his refusal to wear a Stars and Stripes badge and controversial remarks by his wife, Michcelle, who described America as "mean" and implied that she had never been proud of the US until her husband ran for president.

Conservative commentators have questioned Mr Obama's patriotism for months and the issue is expected to be one of the Republicans' main lines of attack if he wins the nomination. "The American people want a president who loves their country as much as they do," said Whit Ayres, a Republican strategist. Obama supporters believe patriotism is being used as code to harness racist sentiment.

Josh Fry, a 24-year-old ambulance driver from Williamson, insisted he was not racist but said he would feel more comfortable with Mr McCain, the 71-year-old Vietnam war hero, in the White House. "I want someone who is a full-blooded American as president," he said.

can ANYONE possibly defend how these people choose who they vote for? funny name? muslim? no lapel pin? what a bunch of rubes. well, i guess every train's always gotta have a caboose.

thank god someone's finally drawing a new map around these people.

ibex · 05-12-2008, 09:41 AM

I love these people who trade in lies, slander and overt racism in their politics and when they get called on their shit cry "elitism." Yes, the reasons given for not voting for Obama in the article are stupid and dishonest, so it's okay to call the people who spew such nonsense insincere imbeciles. Since when did stating the obvious make a person an elitist?

Chantytown · 05-12-2008, 09:43 AM

Did anyone see the newest This American Life on showtime?

I think they featured some of those people at a "talk to an Iraqi" booth.

CosmicRocker · 05-12-2008, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsmeeeeeee

west virginia's shame:

Democratic country keeps its distance from Obama
By Andrew Ward,By Andrew Ward in Williamson, West Virginia
Sunday May 11 2008 14:15

Like most people in Mingo County, West Virginia, Leonard Simpson is a lifelong Democrat. But given a choice between Barack Obama and John McCain in November, the 67-year-old retired coalminer would vote Republican.

"I heard that Obama is a Muslim and his wife's an atheist," said Mr Simpson, drawing on a cigarette outside the fire station in Williamson, a coalmining town of 3,400 people surrounded by lush wooded hillsides.

Mr Simpson's remarks help explain why Mr Obama is trailing Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival, by 40 percentage points ahead of Tuesday's primary election in the heavily white and rural state, according to recent opinion polls.

A landslide victory for Mrs Clinton in West Virginia will do little to improve her fading hopes of winning the Democratic nomination, because Mr Obama has an almost insurmountable lead in the overall race. But Tuesday's contest is likely to reinforce Mrs Clinton's argument that she would be the stronger opponent for Mr McCain in November, and raise fresh doubts about whether the US is ready to elect its first black president.

Occupying a swathe of the Appalachian Mountains on the threshold between the Bible Belt and the Rust Belt, West Virginia is a swing state that voted twice for George W. Bush but backed Democrats in six of the eight prior presidential elections.

No Democrat has been elected to the White House without carrying West Virginia since 1916, yet Mr Obama appears to have little chance of winning there in November. Recent opinion polls indicate that Mrs Clinton would narrowly beat Mr McCain in the state but Mr Obama would lose by nearly 20 percentage points.

West Virginia is hostile territory for Mr Obama because it has few of the African-Americans and affluent, college-educated whites who provide his strongest support. The state has the lowest college graduation rate in the US, the second lowest median household income, and one of the highest proportions of white residents, at 96 per cent.

A visit to Mingo County, a Democratic stronghold in the heart of the Appalachian coalfields, reveals the scale of Mr Obama's challenge - not only in West Virginia but in white, working-class communities across the US. With a gun shop on its main street and churches dotted throughout the town, Williamson is the kind of community evoked by Mr Obama's controversial comments last month about "bitter" small-town voters who "cling to guns or religion".

"If he is the nominee, the Democrats have no chance of winning West Virginia," said Missy Endicott, a 40- year-old school administrator. "He doesn't understand ordinary Americans."

Ms Endicott was among roughly 500 people who crammed into the Williamson Fire Department building on Friday to attend a rally by Bill Clinton, the former president. He told them his wife represented "people like you, in places like this", and urged voters to turn out in record numbers on Tuesday to send a message to the "higher-type people" who were trying to force her out of the race.

Local leaders said Mr Clinton was the most important visitor to Williamson since John F. Kennedy passed through during the 1960 election campaign. Mr Kennedy's victory in the West Virginia primary that year was a crucial step towards proving his electability as the first Catholic president. Nearly five decades later, the state appears less willing to help Mr Obama break down barriers to the White House.

None of the 22 Democrats interviewed by the Financial Times at the Clinton rally would commit themselves to voting for Mr Obama if he became the nominee, and half said they definitely would not. The depth of opposition is particularly striking considering that Mingo County is one of the most Democratic places in West Virginia, having cast about 85 per cent of its votes for the party in the 2006 midterm elections. If Mr Obama cannot win there in November, he has little chance of carrying the state.
Most people questioned said they mistrusted Mr Obama because of doubts about his patriotism and "values", stemming from his cosmopolitan background, his exotic name and the controversy surrounding "anti-American" sermons by Jeremiah Wright, his former pastor. Several people said they believed he was a Muslim - an unfounded rumour that has circulated on the internet for months - despite the contradiction with his 20-year membership of Mr Wright's church in Chicago. Others mentioned his refusal to wear a Stars and Stripes badge and controversial remarks by his wife, Michcelle, who described America as "mean" and implied that she had never been proud of the US until her husband ran for president.

Conservative commentators have questioned Mr Obama's patriotism for months and the issue is expected to be one of the Republicans' main lines of attack if he wins the nomination. "The American people want a president who loves their country as much as they do," said Whit Ayres, a Republican strategist. Obama supporters believe patriotism is being used as code to harness racist sentiment.

Josh Fry, a 24-year-old ambulance driver from Williamson, insisted he was not racist but said he would feel more comfortable with Mr McCain, the 71-year-old Vietnam war hero, in the White House. "I want someone who is a full-blooded American as president," he said.

can ANYONE possibly defend how these people choose who they vote for? funny name? muslim? no lapel pin? what a bunch of rubes. well, i guess every train's always gotta have a caboose.

thank god someone's finally drawing a new map around these people.

he can't win the state in the general, yet another battleground state he will lose.

as they say in WV. ' he's gonna get thumped"

Chantytown · 05-12-2008, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CosmicRocker

as they say in WV. ' he's gonna get thumped"

Mattering to the amount of zero.

Jonesy · 05-12-2008, 09:51 AM

Never underestimate the stupidity of humans.

CosmicRocker · 05-12-2008, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chantytown

Mattering to the amount of zero.

yeppers. 0 electoral votes.

Jonesy · 05-12-2008, 09:56 AM

Instead of talking about who could be elected, why not discuss who should be elected (and why)? Remember, on the internet, there is an international audience.

Rollerball · 05-12-2008, 10:06 AM

"higher-type people"....good god.

Was Bill wearing bib-overalls and a hillbilly hat when he spoke?

This is classic, these people believe Obama is a Muslim yet still point at Rev. Wright, the head of Obama's Christian church for 20 years, as another reason not to vote for him. Let's have it both ways, it doubles the reason not to vote for the darkie.

WHY should we even give a damn what such backward people think YEAH THAT'S RIGHT, I SAID BACKWARD,guess that makes me an elitist.

They are an embarrassing little strip of America, openly go against everything America stands for, yet so quick to claim to be the TRUE America.

CosmicRocker · 05-12-2008, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rollerball

"higher-type people"....good god.

Was Bill wearing bib-overalls and a hillbilly hat when he spoke?

This is classic, these people believe Obama is a Muslim yet still point at Rev. Wright, the head of Obama's Christian church for 20 years, as another reason not to vote for him. Let's have it both ways, it doubles the reason not to vote for the darkie.

WHY should we even give a damn what such backward people think YEAH THAT'S RIGHT, I SAID BACKWARD,guess that makes me an elitist.

They are an embarrassing little strip of America, openly go against everything America stands for, yet so quick to claim to be the TRUE America.

you swallow the kool-aid, without ever seeing the ingrediants.
I wouldn't expect you to have any real world experience with rural folks. You might get you overalls dirty.

Just go back to your Anthroplogy/Sociology class, and your pinhead professors, and live your delusions.

05-12-2008, 09:31 AM	#1 (permalink)
itsmeeeeeee punk nun Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: 53 miles west of venus Posts: 3,316 My Mood: Blog Entries: 3 Thanks: 170 Thanked 596 Times in 353 Posts	rubes-r-us west virginia's shame: Democratic country keeps its distance from Obama By Andrew Ward,By Andrew Ward in Williamson, West Virginia Sunday May 11 2008 14:15 Like most people in Mingo County, West Virginia, Leonard Simpson is a lifelong Democrat. But given a choice between Barack Obama and John McCain in November, the 67-year-old retired coalminer would vote Republican. "I heard that Obama is a Muslim and his wife's an atheist," said Mr Simpson, drawing on a cigarette outside the fire station in Williamson, a coalmining town of 3,400 people surrounded by lush wooded hillsides. Mr Simpson's remarks help explain why Mr Obama is trailing Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival, by 40 percentage points ahead of Tuesday's primary election in the heavily white and rural state, according to recent opinion polls. A landslide victory for Mrs Clinton in West Virginia will do little to improve her fading hopes of winning the Democratic nomination, because Mr Obama has an almost insurmountable lead in the overall race. But Tuesday's contest is likely to reinforce Mrs Clinton's argument that she would be the stronger opponent for Mr McCain in November, and raise fresh doubts about whether the US is ready to elect its first black president. Occupying a swathe of the Appalachian Mountains on the threshold between the Bible Belt and the Rust Belt, West Virginia is a swing state that voted twice for George W. Bush but backed Democrats in six of the eight prior presidential elections. No Democrat has been elected to the White House without carrying West Virginia since 1916, yet Mr Obama appears to have little chance of winning there in November. Recent opinion polls indicate that Mrs Clinton would narrowly beat Mr McCain in the state but Mr Obama would lose by nearly 20 percentage points. West Virginia is hostile territory for Mr Obama because it has few of the African-Americans and affluent, college-educated whites who provide his strongest support. The state has the lowest college graduation rate in the US, the second lowest median household income, and one of the highest proportions of white residents, at 96 per cent. A visit to Mingo County, a Democratic stronghold in the heart of the Appalachian coalfields, reveals the scale of Mr Obama's challenge - not only in West Virginia but in white, working-class communities across the US. With a gun shop on its main street and churches dotted throughout the town, Williamson is the kind of community evoked by Mr Obama's controversial comments last month about "bitter" small-town voters who "cling to guns or religion". "If he is the nominee, the Democrats have no chance of winning West Virginia," said Missy Endicott, a 40- year-old school administrator. "He doesn't understand ordinary Americans." Ms Endicott was among roughly 500 people who crammed into the Williamson Fire Department building on Friday to attend a rally by Bill Clinton, the former president. He told them his wife represented "people like you, in places like this", and urged voters to turn out in record numbers on Tuesday to send a message to the "higher-type people" who were trying to force her out of the race. Local leaders said Mr Clinton was the most important visitor to Williamson since John F. Kennedy passed through during the 1960 election campaign. Mr Kennedy's victory in the West Virginia primary that year was a crucial step towards proving his electability as the first Catholic president. Nearly five decades later, the state appears less willing to help Mr Obama break down barriers to the White House. None of the 22 Democrats interviewed by the Financial Times at the Clinton rally would commit themselves to voting for Mr Obama if he became the nominee, and half said they definitely would not. The depth of opposition is particularly striking considering that Mingo County is one of the most Democratic places in West Virginia, having cast about 85 per cent of its votes for the party in the 2006 midterm elections. If Mr Obama cannot win there in November, he has little chance of carrying the state. Most people questioned said they mistrusted Mr Obama because of doubts about his patriotism and "values", stemming from his cosmopolitan background, his exotic name and the controversy surrounding "anti-American" sermons by Jeremiah Wright, his former pastor. Several people said they believed he was a Muslim - an unfounded rumour that has circulated on the internet for months - despite the contradiction with his 20-year membership of Mr Wright's church in Chicago. Others mentioned his refusal to wear a Stars and Stripes badge and controversial remarks by his wife, Michcelle, who described America as "mean" and implied that she had never been proud of the US until her husband ran for president. Conservative commentators have questioned Mr Obama's patriotism for months and the issue is expected to be one of the Republicans' main lines of attack if he wins the nomination. "The American people want a president who loves their country as much as they do," said Whit Ayres, a Republican strategist. Obama supporters believe patriotism is being used as code to harness racist sentiment. Josh Fry, a 24-year-old ambulance driver from Williamson, insisted he was not racist but said he would feel more comfortable with Mr McCain, the 71-year-old Vietnam war hero, in the White House. "I want someone who is a full-blooded American as president," he said. can ANYONE possibly defend how these people choose who they vote for? funny name? muslim? no lapel pin? what a bunch of rubes. well, i guess every train's always gotta have a caboose. thank god someone's finally drawing a new map around these people. __________________ "NEVER underestimate the Democrat's ability to snatch DEFEAT from the jaws of victory."
	Top

05-12-2008, 09:41 AM	#2 (permalink)
ibex Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 1,091 My Mood: Thanks: 49 Thanked 77 Times in 48 Posts	I love these people who trade in lies, slander and overt racism in their politics and when they get called on their shit cry "elitism." Yes, the reasons given for not voting for Obama in the article are stupid and dishonest, so it's okay to call the people who spew such nonsense insincere imbeciles. Since when did stating the obvious make a person an elitist?
	Top

05-12-2008, 09:43 AM	#3 (permalink)
Chantytown Fancy Lad Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 3,415 Thanks: 38 Thanked 117 Times in 56 Posts	Did anyone see the newest This American Life on showtime? I think they featured some of those people at a "talk to an Iraqi" booth.
	Top

05-12-2008, 10:06 AM	#9 (permalink)
Rollerball Sarcasm Is Blue Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,351 Thanks: 46 Thanked 65 Times in 46 Posts	*"higher-type people"....good god. Was Bill wearing bib-overalls and a hillbilly hat when he spoke? This is classic, these people believe Obama is a Muslim yet still point at Rev. Wright, the head of Obama's Christian* church for 20 years, as another reason not to vote for him. Let's have it both ways, it doubles the reason not to vote for the darkie. WHY should we even give a damn what such backward people think YEAH THAT'S RIGHT, I SAID BACKWARD,guess that makes me an elitist. They are an embarrassing little strip of America, openly go against everything America stands for, yet so quick to claim to be the TRUE America. __________________ Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. Albert Einstein
	Top

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