My daughter, a full time college student, has a great part time job! She rides around in a golf cart selling beer to golfers at a private golf course in a southern rural community an hour away from the bustle of Atlanta. She overhears many conversations of the golfers and these conversations are very telling about what is happening to conservative voters.
In the last month the conversations have changed significantly. Read more below.
First--most of regular golfers are owners of businesses who are prominant in this medium sized college town. They are life-long republicans who are used to falling in line and supporting the current republican presidential nominee. Nothing new there.
As the campaigns have moved closer to election day there is a remarkable shift in their conversations. Three months ago there was a calm assurance that McCain would win. After the RNC there was a brief period of euphoria with Palin as VP selection.
Latley the conversations have become anti-McCain, with many golfers expressing downright disbelief at the selection of Palin. However, there has been no pro-Obama talk.
Since the debate my daughter reports that many of these republican elite golfers have openly told their foursome partners they are voting Obama. For the first time in their lives they will vote democrat. The other golfers do not ridicule them, and are openly saying they most likely will too. What's next? Yard signs for Obama? For these leaders of our community to come out of the closet as Obama supporters is mind blowing!
For these car dealership owners, large service industry providers, and local government officials to actually admit to their golf partners that will vote Obama in this tight knit community would have been unthinkable two months ago. Even if they thought it at that time, it would have been business and professional suicide to say it.
I think the frankness of well known conservative pundits to speak out against the McCain/Palin ticket is allowing others the freedom to do the same. George Will in his column for Real Clear Politics on Sept 23 ended his column with this:
It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed?
I don't think this election will even be close. I live in a deep red state and the handwriting is on the wall. Obama takes it easily.