For months now I have been hearing about Obama's problem in Pennsylvania with working class whites. I never believed it. Now I'm scared.
I attended a small gathering yesterday. The vast majority of the people attending the gathering were white working class Pennsylvanians. I believe many of them are registered republicans. Not all of them are. The comments of those registered republican don't worry me so much. The comments of those I believed to be registered Independent do worry me.
One of the men at the gathering was wearing a T-shirt that said, "Old Fart's Reunion." I laughed and said, "You know what I really like. I really like all those reporters saying that Obama is young. He's our age. I haven't heard anyone call someone our age young in a long time." It was a joke. He didn't laugh. He said, "Obama is scary." Scary? I believed this man to be an independent, a conservative leaning independent, but an independent non the less. My response was, "Obama scary. McCain is scary." Two other, right wing evangelical gentlemen, agreed with him that Obama was scary. My very democratic father kept his mouth shut to keep the peace. Thanks Dad.
I mentioned our lost civil rights and failed war in Iraq. Here, in my midst, were three of white men clinging to their guns and their religion. Their responses were, "The only right we have left id the right to bear arms. If that goes, we're left with nothing." My response was that I wanted someone in office who might restore some of our lost rights. Their response, "Never happen. Those rights are history." Next comment, "If Obama gets in, the only people left with guns will be the criminals." (This from a gentleman who served two terms in prison. He doesn't want his right to bear arms taken away because then only the criminals will have guns.) I mentioned McCain's comment on the draft. Their response, "Never happen!"
Finally, and I guess this is the mark of a true conservative. "McCain will keep the status quo. Obama will change things." My response, "The status quo is not good." Theirs, "Yes, but we know it."
How do you talk to people who are afraid of change? They are afraid of the way things are. (Two of them are one paycheck from the street.) They are afraid of change. Obama is correct. They are afraid so they cling to what they know. They cling to religion and guns. I now believe the only real problem with him saying what he did is that it was too close to the truth.
How many of these individuals are out there? Do we give up on them? How do we talk to them? My father kept his mouth shut to keep the peace. More importantly, he kept his mouth shut because after 70 or 75 years he's given up on them.
Please advise.
One final thought. I don't want to be completely negative here. I see that Obama is still up in the polls in Pennsylvania. I do know white working class men in Pennsylvania who support Obama. I do not know their relative numbers. I live in the Philadelphia suburbs. Two of these gentlemen did as well. The other was from upstate. Any other Pennsylvanians out there who can maybe wheer me up.
(I have errands to run. I will be signing off for a brief time. If you comment, I will get back to you later.)