A lull in the line of customers allows Carolyn Pendergraft to preach a spell from behind the glass-top counter at Dude's Donuts.
"God allows government to be set up ... to punish the bad people. OK? And if you (voters) let the bad people come in, they'll punish the good people." ...
You're in southwest Missouri, deeply religious and reliably Republican.
But if the proprietors and customers of Dude's speak to anything, it's to a longing for a candidate who stirs true passion.
Republican John McCain faces a challenge getting these voters out. He'll need their passion to counter Missouri's energized Democrats in urban areas.