This diary is not aiming to prove a case; it's just anecdotal evidence of Senator Barack Obama's appeal to a wide range of voters across cultural and ideological boundaries. This Tuesday, I traveled to Londonderry, New Hampshire, to hear Obama speak at a town hall forum hosted by Mack's Apples in its pick-your-own orchard. I wrote about the event in a photo blog diary, "Obama's Speaking Style in New Hampshire."
Here are some photos of individual voters who came to hear the senator speak, along with a bit of background about why they support Obama's run for the White House.
Lorraine is an African-American woman who wears a T-shirt that riffs off of Apple's iPod + iTunes commercials that show dancers in silhouette. Lorraine's neon green shirt features the profile of a dreadlocked woman; it reads "iPray."
She carries with her a portfolio. Inside is a certificate showing that she has completed a training for black church leaders. Lorraine asks Obama if he will sign it. Obama compliments her leadership and agrees to sign the certificate.
I do not know whether Lorraine is a typical Obama supporter, or even if there is such a thing as a typical Obama supporter, because he attracts such a broad range of individuals. Maybe she likes the fact that Obama speaks eloquently and authentically about how his faith informs his vision. Or maybe she appreciates the fact that Obama is an active member of the diverse and inclusive United Church of Christ. I did not have an opportunity to ask. Clearly, however, her faith informs her political outlook.
On the other hand, I did take the opportunity to speak with the fellow sitting next to me. He spoke with an Irish lilt. His name is Malcolm, and he is a well-to-do Republican retiree. Malcolm said he drove up from Chevy Chase, Maryland, to hear Obama speak. "I was a Bush supporter. Now I support Obama. I've been following him for some time. Tonight, he's speaking at a college; I'm driving there to hear him again."
I asked Malcolm if he had ever voted for a Democratic presidential candidate. "Oh, yes, once: I voted for Kennedy."
Malcolm said that he was born in western Ireland, in County Sligo. He joked that he supported the great, visionary Democratic candidates with "Irish names": Kennedy and Obama. "You know, if you spell Obama's name with an apostrophe -- O'bama -- it sounds Irish enough to me."
Was there a particular moment when he decided that Obama earned his support? "I suppose for many people, it was hearing him speak at the Democratic National Convention. I was impressed with him. I believe that like Kennedy, he can unite the country. You can implement health care reform and change energy policy if you can bring people together, get them to sit at the table and work out their differences. Obama is a decent man; he can bring people together across differences to make change."
Would he consider supporting any other Democratic candidate? "Edwards is a decent man, but I don't think he can win. After Obama, my second favorite candidate is Mitt Romney. He's a decent fellow, too. But I don't think he can bring people together like Obama can."
Unity in the midst of diversity -- from many cultures and creeds, across partisan divides, one nation -- e. pluribus unum. That seems to be why Malcolm, a Bush Republican, supports Obama's run for the White House.
Whether Obama wins the presidential primary in New Hampshire will be due in part to the work of volunteers who participate in voter canvassing, phone banks, town hall forums, fundraising challenges, and get-out-the-vote efforts. Most of all, it's up to the voters, ordinary Janes and Joes. And if the values of typical voters are anything like those of Lorraine and Malcolm, then Republicans should be worried.