WASHINGTON POST LINK

 

And how much fun is it to watch Obama's propaganda rag in Louisville defend the votes of the Democrats that voted against him.

 

CJ LINK

"Other theories abound. The average voter in Appalachia and the South is simply more conservative than they believe Obama to be."

 

Love that this was not mentioned until well into the WP article. Of course the only explination that anyone would oppose Obama would be race......:ohbrother:

No, he didnt win the state and doesnt plan on winning the state. This is a non issue to me on both ends.

Some of them are, yes, I'd guarantee it. But it's definitely not something I'd paint with a broad brush since we just can't know. Ultimately, I don't care.

This one isn't

"Other theories abound. The average voter in Appalachia and the South is simply more conservative than they believe Obama to be."

 

Love that this was not mentioned until well into the WP article. Of course the only explination that anyone would oppose Obama would be race......:ohbrother:

 

And of course no mention of the point that some of the Dems that did vote for President Obama could have voted for him because those voters were themselves racists, just of a different ilk.

IMO - race is a factor for at least 50% of those "uncommitted" voters. No facts to back that up. Just a gut feeling based on life experience.

My gut feel is that race is part of the "he's not one of us" talk. I think it is part of the Colorado congressman who said regardless of where he was born he just isn't an American (fairly close paraphrase). That doesn't make anyyone that voted against or for the President a racist.

I think it's a fair question, but it obviously can never be proven. John Kerry won a higher percentage of Kentucky's vote in 2004 than Obama did in 2008 even though Obama massively outperformed Kerry just about everywhere else. It's also not as though Kentucky is a conservative stronghold either. We have a Democratic governor and voted for Clinton throughout the 90s. So, there's something unique about Kentucky's response to Obama that isn't explained purely by partisan preferences nor national sentiment. It seems to be something unique about Appalachia particularly since West Virginia can be summarized similarly (their population also heavily voted for a nonsense opponent to Obama during their primaries). It's nothing that people are going to admit, but it's fair to ask.

I think it's a fair question, but it obviously can never be proven. John Kerry won a higher percentage of Kentucky's vote in 2004 than Obama did in 2008 even though Obama massively outperformed Kerry just about everywhere else. It's also not as though Kentucky is a conservative stronghold either. We have a Democratic governor and voted for Clinton throughout the 90s. So, there's something unique about Kentucky's response to Obama that isn't explained purely by partisan preferences nor national sentiment. It seems to be something unique about Appalachia particularly since West Virginia can be summarized similarly (their population also heavily voted for a nonsense opponent to Obama during their primaries). It's nothing that people are going to admit, but it's fair to ask.

 

Do you think President Obama's thoughts on coal and the coal industry might have played a big role in the voting decision through out Appalachia? I don't remember Kerry being perceived any where near the coal enemy that President Obama is perceived.

It's foolish to believe a percentage of the 'uncommitted' aren't racist. Just like it's foolish to believe that a percentage that did vote for Obama aren't racist also. Racism is still alive and well. A black President didn't change that. I bet there were even white racists who voted for Obama in the last election and will in this election.

I think it's a fair question, but it obviously can never be proven. John Kerry won a higher percentage of Kentucky's vote in 2004 than Obama did in 2008 even though Obama massively outperformed Kerry just about everywhere else. It's also not as though Kentucky is a conservative stronghold either. We have a Democratic governor and voted for Clinton throughout the 90s. So, there's something unique about Kentucky's response to Obama that isn't explained purely by partisan preferences nor national sentiment. It seems to be something unique about Appalachia particularly since West Virginia can be summarized similarly (their population also heavily voted for a nonsense opponent to Obama during their primaries). It's nothing that people are going to admit, but it's fair to ask.

 

My best friend is a white male from West Virginia. His dad is a preacher, democrat and coal miner. When asked if he was voting for Obama he said he wasn't voting for no negro.(he didn't say negro.)

^Obviously it's present, but I feel it's mostly counteracted by those who are voting for President Obama simply because he's black. I think the majority of those who aren't voting for him in the primary are doing so for a vast array of other reasons (and the same can be said for those that do vote for him).

Do you think President Obama's thoughts on coal and the coal industry might have played a big role in the voting decision through out Appalachia? I don't remember Kerry being perceived any where near the coal enemy that President Obama is perceived.

Oh heck, what fun would that be for the media, they'd have to put their favorite card away....

Do you think President Obama's thoughts on coal and the coal industry might have played a big role in the voting decision through out Appalachia? I don't remember Kerry being perceived any where near the coal enemy that President Obama is perceived.

 

I'm not sure. I would be surprised if Obama's stated position on coal and energy were much different than Kerry's during their respective campaigns. I'm also not sure what his policies on coal have been since in office. But, Kentuckians outside of the eastern slice of the state voted similarly and those aren't people who are typically passionate about coal (a higher percentage of Boone countians favored "uncommitted" than did the rest of the state, for instance). Pennsylvania is also a coal state that swung big for Obama in 2008, well above what Kerry garnered there. So, it would seem that if coal were the overriding factor he would have struggled more in Pennsylvania and would have done commensurately better outside of the coal belt in our state.