West Virginia Polls Tighten -- Race Takes Backseat

Politico:

West Virginia's Democratic leaders on Saturday embarked on a winding, eight-county bus tour through the south of the state, and in one small mining town after another, they sold Barack Obama to small crowds of Democrats with remarkable directness.

"He is black" was the first thing Kenny Perdue, the state's AFL-CIO president, said. "The gentleman that's in the White House and John McCain -- they're white men. And I'm absolutely ashamed of what George W. Bush has done to this country." ...

West Virginia represents a cross-section of the voters who have been hardest for Obama to reach. It's among the oldest, whitest and least-educated states in America. It was the place where reporters found white Democrats who freely use the N-word and swore they'd never vote for Obama.

But maybe the campaigns and the press misread the depth of prejudice in West Virginia. Or maybe, since the May primary, something has changed here.

Read the whole story: Politico

Comments

[Viper]

McBush Spread the Wealth...

David Gergen, today, on CNN, said that "over the last 10 years, the middle class has lost 600 billion dollars and the top 5% has gained 600 billion dollars. That was spreading the wealth around but the direction was aimed at the very rich. Sen. Obama wants to reverse that, so how can McCain say that Obamas way is "socialism". If McCain believes that, then the last 10 years has also been "socialism", but to the wealthy, not the middle class."


Spread this around. McCain wants thios 30 year trend to continue

[MargaretO]

McCain has stepped into a new low. He's now throwing around the "socialism" card just like the trolls who cannot defend their position. Next up, he'll refer to Hitler - you wait and see, just like the trolls.

[jonathanu]

Sounds like McCain wants a return to feudalism.­..

[CeciliaBertrand]

McCain never left feudalism.

[Viper]

Repugs dont grow the pie...


Since 1929, Republicans and Democrats have each controlled the presidency for nearly 40 years. So which party has been better for American pocketbooks and capitalism as a whole? Well, here"s an experiment: imagine that during these years you had to invest exclusively under either Democratic or Republican administrations. How would you have fared?

As of Friday, a $10,000 investment in the S.& P. stock market index* would have grown to $11,733 if invested under Republican presidents only, although that would be $51,211 if we exclude Herbert Hoover"s presidency during the Great Depression. Invested under Democratic presidents only, $10,000 would have grown to $300,671 at a compound rate of 8.9 percent over nearly 40 years.


http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/10/14/opinion/20081014_OPCHART.html



The Republican talking points dont ever match the reality or the facts. Democrats are 30 times better for your investments per the facts.

[neweraforamerica]

Eight country trip through that area sounds like a rough ride

http://neweraforamerica.blogspot.com

[MyNameIsJames]

West Virginia has a lot of negative stereotypes to overcome - their lower socio economic status is perhaps their greatest barrier--it is assumed that they are more racist than other White demographic groups - is this a fact?

Remember why WEST Virginia was created in the first place! They took a courageous step to become a new state, breaking away from the state of Virginia and joining the Union during the Civil War.

For all the negative about West Virginia -- don't sell them too short.

[CeciliaBertrand]

Nice reminder - thank you West Virginia!!!

[BlueBoomer]

I am a relatively new resident of WV, moving from MD, but born and raised in upstate NY...

I didn't know that about the genesis of WV...Thanx­.

[Tulka2]

Republicans are setting themselves up to disrupt an Obama administration. They clearly want 30 percent of the population to believe Obama will not be the real president becasue he "pals around with terrorists". Can a terrorist be in the White House? I think not. This is encouraging a revolution. At the same time, a widespread GOP talking point is "American doesn't want to play the blame game" and that the left should stop being so clever and mean.

Impeach! And war crimes tribunals should begin on Nov. 5 and continue through to Jan. 20. We have got to get this stuff behind us if we are to move on as a healthy united nation. I am not interested in punishment of any kind, but we MUST have truth and reconcilliation or these culture wars will continue far into the future.

[BluePride]

We're seeing hate before our eyes. The Falwells and Pat Robersons of the world have spewed this for years while claiming no responsibility for the deaths of those such as Matt Shepherd. Their words incite. Those who do nothing are complicit.
HomeComing Queen Palin's got a GUN!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59mOukUZNUo

Everybody RUN...

[brownforall]

http://www.sundaygazettemail.com/News/200810180251

VOTER FRAUD IN WV!!!!!!

[TVI]

This is election fraud, not voter fraud. Don't use the right-wing meme. It confuses the issues.

Voter Fraud is when an ineligible voter casts a vote.

Election Fraud is when an eligible voter legally casts a vote, but the vote is not counted or counted towards the wrong candidate.

[BillCarson]

Hopefully the Obama team is on top of this. Here's a Bradblog on it... "Vote flipping in early voting in WV" http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6528 And like TVI says it's "Election Fraud" not voter fraud.

"Those who want to vote decide nothing, those who control the vote decide everything­."

[blastit]

The election fraud is already starting its not just obama thats getting cheated but other democrateic senators and congressmen also.. we should get a printed receipt, That poor lady in the article should have recorded her vote and then called the police, this is a crime and people need to start reporting it like its a crime.

[brownforall]

When you go to vote use your cell phone camera to catch anything that happpens thats not suppose to!

[Oregon Ivy]

IT doesn't matter, because the Repubs will S T E A L Obama's votes in W. Virginia and are already in the process of doing so.

EVERYONE GET ON THIS.

THE CHEATING HAS BEGUN

SEND THIS TO EVERYONE - ALL NEWS CHANNELS

http://www.sundaygazettemail.com/News/200810180251

[politicalminded]

Diebold (what's their new name?) is at it again.

[Indieguy]

How about VoteSold?

[edwarvir]

I am glad Senator O sent some of his staff
to talk to the citizens in West Virginia and let them
know he is interested in them. We have to show
up to vote enmass so that even if they steal some of our
votes the crooks won't get enough to make a difference
RETHUGS.

[patianneb]

Obama is better for our country than McCain. Common sense is a powerful thing.

[larry278]

Maybe W Va whites have started meeting their black friends after work at the ice house or boot leggers house, buy a cold 6 pack & sit in each others cars & trucks to talk. Its a custom in NC, SC & GA. They have integrated bars in S Fl. In diplomacy, it's called back channels. Sometimes it works.
BTW, I was raised in that environment. Yes, I was a missfit(sp?). After 40 years back east, I can't understand their patois at all. I don't know the code words or signifers. That's what I get for watching BBC America & PBS. Since I felt like a stranger when I lived in fly over country-I think I've found or made a home back east of the mountains, close to the ocean. If I went back to the place where I was born & raised, it wouldn't feel like home, much less be home. If you have a steady, adequate, fixed income, you can really fit in back east. Being polite & paying cash works wonders.
I wonder if W Va or Oh really will go for Obama & Ky too.

[norkas]

Perhaps people are changing and i will always give people the benefit of doubt and extend my hand. I do not believe in being hateful and stopping racism. In thts case extend your hands and try to win this people who have had a very rough time over. They are also midde class and poor and most are not on the extreme right. A little love and Compassion may go a long way

[old lady]

New Mantra... Black is better than BROKE

[justchill]

actually..­.for the first time this morning i was saying to myself i finally know what it feels like to be black and broke...an­d i am a middle-aged white woman...da­mn the repugs for what they've done to this country...

this was a beautiful article...­i especially loved the part where it says they took the same bus route as kennedy...

the dream realized, finally...

[ebanks84]

REQUEST PAPER BALLOTS PEOPLE. DO NOT USE THE VOTING MACHINES AS THEY ARE RIGGED FOR MCCAIN.

PLEASE REQUEST PAPER BALLOTS!

[k6007]

O will not win WV. Not unless they get the voting machines fixed fast!
http://www.sundaygazettemail.com/News/200810180251

[BlackQueen40]

You're right about that! DailyKos already has people who have voted in West Virginia saying the touchscreen machines are flipping their votes to McCain/Palin. One diarist from West Virginia said it took him several tries before he finally was able to get the machine to vote for Obama/Biden and other people are now reporting their votes flipped to McCain/Palin and they didn't complain because they were afraid to do so. This is not right and the counties where this is happening are being overseen by Republicans in charge. Here's the link at DailyKos:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/19/132343/11/189/635454

[GrainOSand]

With the obvious nature of the fraud, the simple-minded would believe that we could dispense with the formalities and vagaries and call the sheriff to start making some arrests and the prosecutor to start handing down some indictments. The call is for those who claim to know the law and to be protectors of the law -- to get busy! If we are a nation of laws then there is no time like the present to assert that without ambiguity. We cannot tolerate theft of nation especially when there is ample evidence of the hot crime of voter fraud, voter suppression, and voter disenfranchisement.

Otherwise, “Let me know!” is what I say, let me know that tyranny rules…I can be different!