WV Wayne Co Clerk Asks Obama in USA Today: "Is he Islamic or Not"

Attention Media

If you want a reason to completely ignore West Virginia, I present to you Wayne County Clerk Bob Pasley, possibly the dumbest elected official this side of GW Bush.  Listen to this person's logic and realize, sometimes, there isn't anything you can do to help Stupid.

First: How's life in Wayne Co, West Virginia

Many Wayne residents used to make good money in nearby Huntington, about 20 miles north. But the factories making glass and auto parts and the chemical supply plants where people used to work "have gone on the skids in recent years," says Wayne County Clerk Bob Pasley.

In the face of Economic disparity, What made West Virginia, a state 2-1 Democrat, vote for Bush

"The people in the last election were persuaded by the gun issue," said Robert Dennie, a retired Union Carbide employee, a Democrat who cast an early vote Tuesday for Clinton in Charleston. "Everybody has wised up."

Obviously, this is a sophisticated state with sophisticated voter demands... Wised Up means they won't fall prey to petty side issues/distractions right?  

Though Obama is ahead nationally in delegates and the popular vote, Clinton has a huge lead in statewide polls here. Local politicians say it will take more than a well-decorated storefront for Obama, the Illinois senator, to make headway. "He's going to have to visit," says Bob Pasley, who adds that Obama should come prepared to answer "tough questions," including some about his religion.

"Is he Islamic or is he not?" Pasley says of Obama, who is Christian. "I know he's tried to talk about it but he hasn't looked anybody in Wayne in the eye and told them."

Call me an Elitist, but Hillary can have West Virginia and the Bob Pasley's of the world.  I'll stick with the Egg Heads in the 21st Century, thank you very much...  It's a good God damned thing this contest was decided well before Bob Pasley's voice was heard...

•  Tips for those greatful it's already over.

  by Steven R on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:30:37 PM PDT

  •  Not everyone in West Virginia is

    an ignorant bigot.

    Call me an Elitist, but Hillary can have West Virginia and the Bob Pasley's of the world.

    I come from people who are an awful lot like the folks you're describing, judging, and looking down your nose at. A little understanding goes a long way toward bridging the ignorance gap and making change.

    by dawnt on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:33:34 PM PDT

    •  Bob Pasley is not ignorant

      he's just being a total asshole.  

      by johnny rotten on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:35:04 PM PDT

      •  Recommended!

        People need to see who Hillary's White People actually are... shine the light on them and they may wake up to this century.

        by Billary Redux on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:39:13 PM PDT

      •  The substance difference being ... n/t

        by iampunha on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:47:03 PM PDT

        •  Ignorant means he doesn't know any better

          Asshole means he knows exactly what he is doing and is being purposefully malicious.

          by johnny rotten on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:52:35 PM PDT

          •  This guy is an elected official? What a dumb ass

            Pasley is why WV has a sterio type connected to it.

            by ourhispanicvoices on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:49:24 PM PDT

      •  Yep, Obama needs to look Pasley in the eye

        and tell him to go fuck himself.

        by Subterranean on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:33:35 PM PDT

        •  Obama needs to poke him in the eye. n/t

          by jamtown on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:38:25 PM PDT

          •  Is there any way we can broker a deal

            with the Confederacy.  Are they still around?

            We give them Bob Pasley, they give us the C.S.S. H.L. Hunley?

            by such sweet thunder on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:45:40 PM PDT

      •  Obama not Muslim

        There are folks that do not have time to be on the computer, they do not have time for reading and researching..they are working, raising families and paying higher prices for food and gas. They only know what they are told...Hillary had three campaign workers who sent out an email stateing Obama was Muslim...it was believed.

        Don't blame folks for not being literate about the computer...or about people who set out to lie. These are mostly honest folks who are being caught up in a power trip.

        Obama needs to go to WV, have a press conference and tell them about his finding Jesus. Tell them about his Mom and his upbringing. It is a wonderful story and people should know it.

        by terra gazelle on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:57:49 PM PDT

    •  What more do they need as proof?

      have they not been paying attention? What the fuck did these people think Rev. Wright taught? Sometimes Stupidity should be ridiculed and this is one of those cases.  

      I'll be blunt... it's a racist vote that prevents Obama from winning W. Virginia.  It's sad but true. In some states, it keeps him from competing.

      by Steven R on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:36:57 PM PDT

      •  but... his middle name is Hussein!

        what more proof do ya' need?

        /snark

        by MJ via Chicago on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:39:36 PM PDT

      •  A lot of them have not been paying attention

        and a lot of others have been paying attention to the wrong information sources.

        Make no mistake about it, if we want to change this country, we're going to have to work for change. It's not going to be handed to us just because we're right.

        by dawnt on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:59:43 PM PDT

        •  If they're not paying attention, or if they're

          gleaning their information from the wrong sources - say Rush Limbaugh - then it's fair to say they're ignorant.

          Perhaps you'd prefer to identify them as "information challenged" but I do believe we can go overboard with political correctness.

          Are they irredeemably ignorant? That, I can't say.

          by rontun on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:08:50 PM PDT

          •  Oh they're definitely ignorant

            That's indisputable unless someone wants to redefine the word. What I'm objecting to is the people who want to just write them off -- it is up to us to educate as many of them as possible between now and November, and this primary gives us an opportunity to educate quite a few of them sooner rather than later. The diarist, however, says let's just let Clinton have West Virginia.

            by dawnt on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:20:56 PM PDT

            •  Then I think that's a far better argument to make

              than simply declaring that "not everyone in West Virginia is an ignorant bigot."

              I do not support writing off any state having firmly advocated for Howard Dean's fifty state strategy and embraced Obama's call for unity.

              Yet we'll never be able to successfully educate these voters if we fail to acknowledge their ignorance and racism and develop a message that will counter it.

              by rontun on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:30:11 PM PDT

            •  but it seems like Obama is going to ignore WV

              does he want to make it seem like he's not even going to campaign there because it would then look worse if he lost? (I know he did make a few stops there a month ago, but that's a long time in an election cycle.)

              by mertmh on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:52:38 PM PDT

              •  He is in WVa on Friday n/t

                by ChristieKeith on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:58:20 PM PDT

                •  Oh wait... no...

                  A friend just told me I misunderstood what I heard... he's in OREGON on Friday. He does say here that he will be going to West Virginia and Kentucky:

                  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

                  by ChristieKeith on Fri May 09, 2008 at 12:09:50 AM PDT

                  •  Obama in OR

                    On Friday AND Saturday!

                    5/9- Portland-  Economic discussion with workers - private event
                        Albany, OR- Town Hall event
                        Eugene, OR- Rally at U of O

                    5/10- Bend, OR- Town Hall event

                    Keep that Obama mojo going here in OR!

                    by mamabigdog on Fri May 09, 2008 at 12:59:21 AM PDT

                •  I don't think so

                  His website has him doing 2 rallies in Oregon tomorrow/today.

                  by mertmh on Fri May 09, 2008 at 12:09:51 AM PDT

                  •  Yeah...

                    You and I seem to have posted 1 second apart. ;)

                    by ChristieKeith on Fri May 09, 2008 at 12:11:27 AM PDT

                    •  ;)

                      by mertmh on Fri May 09, 2008 at 12:17:02 AM PDT

          •  who needs Rush, because 'as far as they know'

            this is coming from inside the party.

            by ObamaLovingExDemocrat on Fri May 09, 2008 at 01:28:42 AM PDT

    •  They're just bitter...let them have their

      guns, they'll be okay.  

      by praenomen on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:40:23 PM PDT

      •  geez

        So, do you canvass like that for your candidate?  Or table, or phone bank?

        by Plutonium Page on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:42:46 PM PDT

        •  If it turns ino a 48-state strategy

          That's still better than Clinton's 19-state variety

          by MooseHB on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:52:17 PM PDT

        •  It's snark...lighten up.

          by praenomen on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:04:28 PM PDT

    •  But, that's the whole point

      I come from people who are an awful lot like the folks you're describing, judging, and looking down your nose at. A little understanding goes a long way toward bridging the ignorance gap and making change.

      One guy (Robert Dennie) voted Bush in 2004 because of guns; that's clinging to guns out of bitterness over forgotten economic hardships.  Obama has the guts and honesty to point that out, which should immediately trigger that nagging little voice, that says, "He's got something there."  And when Clinton immediately pooh-poohs Obama's brutl honesty, and duplicitously says the rural folks are all peppy and filed with rainbow enemas, bells should be going of in their heads, tipping off an internal bullshit monitor (here in Iowa they are installed at birth, or upon meeting residency).  But no; he bites that big fat hook until it's lodged waaaay past the gills, and but for Obama's amazing strength in so many other states, he would be sitting around in 2010 wondering with abject bitterness why John McThuselah didn't drop a bag of gold on his doorstep.

      And a county clerk of all people, hasn't figured out that Barack Obama's Christian pastor might b hint enough that regardless of what you think of the Reverend, the title is distinctively Christian.  Our foreign policy is in the shits right now ecause too many people like Bob Pasley are oo ignorant to find Iraq (or even Florida & Michigan) on a map, if it was flashing red and purple.

      C'mon...

      by MooseHB on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:50:19 PM PDT

      •  Everything you said is true

        shouldn't that be motivation to try to reach some of these people? Shouldn't everything you said also be a realization that we can't change this country if we won't help the people in this country change.

        by dawnt on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:28:00 PM PDT

        •  How do you reach someone, who doesn't want to....

          ....be reached?

          The reason why Bush still has a hard core of support, is that there are none so blind as those who refuse to see.

          The Appalachian effect didn't happen overnight, it's been around for a very, very long time.  They've had decades to learn otherwise; but their enduring embrace of racism strongly indicates that their culture embraces ignorance. Their unshakable racism seems like a religious fundamentalism: where they are enmeshed in a self-perpetuating belief system that is impervious to facts or reason.  

          Like any other orthodox belief system, there will be a small minority of "heretics" who open themselves to other ideas. But the vast majority will maintain their orthodox "faith", even in the face of evidence to the contrary.

          by xynz on Fri May 09, 2008 at 01:14:02 AM PDT

          •  xynz, are you from Appalachia? Just curious. nt

            by zett on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:04:01 AM PDT

            •  Obviously not

              If he were, he would see that there has been progress, even there.

              by dawnt on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:10:17 PM PDT

              •  Ok, I'll bite.

                How about posting some links about Appalachia's progression away from a culture of racism?

                by xynz on Sat May 10, 2008 at 03:04:26 PM PDT

            •  Nope.

              But, I can read polls.

              If you've got a better explanation for their enduring embrace of racism, then I'd love to see it.

              by xynz on Sat May 10, 2008 at 02:56:07 PM PDT

    •  A few bigots at Hillary's OREGON town hall Thurs.

      ..if not, then just "misinformed" (idiots)... luckily, not an overwhelming majority...  Hillary's town hall in Oregon Thursday night drew "hundreds" of hard-working white-folk

      Hanging With the Hard-Working White Folk

      He’s heard Obama won’t sing the national anthem, that he considers it a war song. "How good an American could he be if that’s his way of thinking?" Frisby asked. "His patriotism goes one way—that’s his way."

      "I hope she will win," said Balaman Poorkhomani, 52, of Ashland. "Because I like her husband.

      "If you took the blacks out of it, she would have won by 14," Caldwell said.  I don’t think he has any problem that any black man wouldn’t have among white voters. That’s just the world we live in."

      And then there's David Kirby...

      Kirby is one of those fascinating people who both know that Obama spent 20 years at a certain Chicago church and firmly believe that Obama is a secret Muslim.

      "All the evidence points to that he is," Kirby told me. "I don’t trust him."

      by ayjaymay on Fri May 09, 2008 at 01:15:16 AM PDT

  •  But they are

    Hard Working White Americans!!!

    by fabacube on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:34:25 PM PDT

  •  With all due respect

    if you're going to go around touting others as ignorant, you might want to check your spelling/grammar. I will be grateful when Democrats learn that the best way to get people's votes is not insulting them.

    by Tenn Wisc Dem on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:57:46 PM PDT

•  Sometimes --

  actually, pretty much every day of my life --

  I am so frickin' glad I live in the Pacific NW.

  by NWTerriD on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:33:07 PM PDT

  •  so glad I live in nyc

    homogeneity = death. goodbye suburban connecticut

    by AndrewOG on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:37:31 AM PDT

•  Me thinks Islamic is a code word for black

  by smash artist on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:33:10 PM PDT

  •  I talk to people in KY

    who say things like this. Middle class businessmen. One who knew me personally lectured me that I needed to read more about Obama on the internet and find out who he really is.  

    In addition to saying Obama is a Muslim, he added, "they all are connected to that now, you know."

    I would like to add that in canvassing I meet many more who are open to supporting him.  Mostly white working class or low-income folks so far.  So much for the myth of the uneducated white voters.

    I do get older white union-type voters who buy the myth that an Obama presidency means the "blacks will be demanding things" "whether Obama wants it or not." Adding that they think he is very intelligent and they don't like Clinton.  But they won't vote for Obama because of "what all those other Blacks will demand."

    My chuckle of the day came yesterday in a long term care facility where I was working.  I was talking with an older white female who got pretty agitated and repeated several different times she would never vote for that Clinton because she couldn't stand to "see that horny man's face in the White House again."  

    I gave her an Obama button and she was excited about wearing it to the dining room for lunch.

    by Leslie in KY on Fri May 09, 2008 at 02:24:26 AM PDT

•  That would be absolutely hilarious

  if it wasn't so fucking sad.

  by civil wingnut on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:34:10 PM PDT

  •  The parody writes itself. nm

    by MooseHB on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:55:37 PM PDT

•  West Virginia is a bit of tragedy. Many of those

  folks live in abject poverty.  It's appaling.

  by ObamaManiac2008 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:34:28 PM PDT

  •  and that's what they

    care about.  They want him to go their so they can ask him tough questions about if he is an islamic.  WTF.

    by Snickers77 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:37:51 PM PDT

    •  Bob Pasley does not speak for all West Virginians

      just the asshole Clinton supporters.

      by johnny rotten on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:42:08 PM PDT

      •  eh, assholes in general

        by Plutonium Page on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:44:01 PM PDT

      •  good point.

        by Snickers77 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:51:53 PM PDT

  •  And their culture tells them it's the fault of...

    ....the Government that wants to take their guns away...

    ....the atheist who wants to take their god away...

    .....the liberal who wants to take their country away...

    ....the immigrant who wants to take their jobs away...

    ...and finally the dark skinned people who want to kill them and steal whatever is left.

    All very conveniently deflecting the blame from those who are most responsible for their lives of abject poverty. Because their culture distracts them from addressing the root causes of their distress, we shouldn't be surprised to see that nothing much ever changes for them.

    That's the recipe for the American brand of oppression: a culture that distracts the oppressed from addressing the root causes of their oppression.

    by xynz on Fri May 09, 2008 at 01:32:13 AM PDT

•  wow..

  Is he Islamic or is he not?

  I think he means Muslim.  I also think he's racist, and I think Obama should stay out of that state, especially since people expect him to LOOK them in the eye and tell them that he is a christian.  We don't need those people in our coalition (sp).

  by Snickers77 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:34:29 PM PDT

•  I would like to point out though:

  Obama made inroads in the Appalachian part of North Carolina - he did significantly better in that part than he did in Virginia.  If he does show up in West Virginia I think when most folks get to know them they'll warm up to him (a little).

  by ObamaManiac2008 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:35:38 PM PDT

  •  Is that because of Ashville though?

    by Billary Redux on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:39:37 PM PDT

    •  Actually not. Excluding Asheville, there was not

      one county in Appalachian NC where Hillary got more than 80% of the vote.  In Virginia there were 6 counties where Hillary exceeded 80% of the vote.

      by ObamaManiac2008 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:28:39 PM PDT

  •  More than just a little, I suspect n/t

    by watercarrier4diogenes on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:40:07 PM PDT

  •  If he comes off as sincere and she doesn't

    he will do better than expected.  Alot of them are going to make decisions with their gut more than their head.

    by Tumult on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:54:59 PM PDT

    •  Will

      Hillary go down there and take shots of moonshine from local stills? That would be quality footage.

      by AndrewOG on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:39:27 AM PDT

  •  Thank you

    for being a voice of reason. It really pisses me off how so many people here just want to write off whole portions of our country rather than giving them a chance.

    by dawnt on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:57:04 PM PDT

    •  West Virginia is Openly Hostile to Obama

      Listen, if the state had a remote chance of going say 45-55 for Obama, sure, but that place is Openly hostile to Obama especially now that the Media has crowned him.  It's also a state with a huge number of guns and veterans...  this is not the time to put our presumptive nominee in harms way to get a couple of mountaineers to open their minds... they can watch the convention

      by Steven R on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:01:34 PM PDT

      •  But not all of it is openly hostile. There are

        pockets where he'll be fine, like Morgantown, and perhaps Charleston and the panhandle counties.  He'll get positive local media coverage.  I'll take tiny inroads over no inroads.

        by ObamaManiac2008 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:30:17 PM PDT

        •  Wow.

          I was just going to make a comment on how the local papers have scarcely mentioned the election since I've been tracking them, and then I flip to the Charleston Gazette: giant headline:

          Dems need W.Va. to Win Election, Clinton Says

          Are you kidding me?

          by such sweet thunder on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:52:00 PM PDT

          •  lol. Clinton IS Gloria Swanson from

            Sunset Blvd.

            by ObamaManiac2008 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 12:45:20 AM PDT

          •  IIRC the other Charleston Paper, the Daily Mail

            endorsed Obama.  

            Just felt like throwing that out there as a general FYI in case people hadn't read about it here before.

            by zett on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:08:33 AM PDT

        •  Morgantown would be a great place

          for an Obama event!  It's a little "folksier" than some college towns, but I enjoyed my visits there very much.

          Look, if Hill takes WV 65-35, as she may, the narrative suddenly becomes "Obama Craters".  He should campaign in WV just to keep the margin down to normal blowout numbers--15 points or so.  And, as we all know, the more people see of Obama, the more they like him.

          by costello7 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:52:30 PM PDT

          •  I really don't see the margin being down

            under 30 points...  but you never know.  It's a whole state of Southern Ohio/Southwestern Pennsylvania.  But, if he campaigns in his strongholds he can run up his numbers in those places to at least avoid a blow out, so I agree with you.

            by ObamaManiac2008 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 12:46:32 AM PDT

    •  Please write a diary on that.

      And email me the link, so I won't miss it.

      by Plutonium Page on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:02:35 PM PDT

      •  I think I will

        Coming from where I come from, I seem to always have a unique perspective when it comes to things like this.

        The county I grew up in had a 20% illiteracy rate the year I graduated high school. The year I graduated, the average graduate of the local high school read at a 5th grade reading level. In a city of 3,000, the big local church had an average attendance of about 1,000. The high school didn't start having proms until the early 80s because dancing is a sin.

        Oh yes, I have a unique perspective. I happen to think that most of the ignorant people in question are good people. People who we can reach if we reach out to them as equals.

        by dawnt on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:25:27 PM PDT

        •  I have to give you more than a rec

          thank you so much.  I will look forward to that diary if you write it.

          by zett on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:10:25 AM PDT

  •  As stated above...

    that's probably because of Ashville, a great little liberal bastion that significantly favors Obama.

    by dem4evr on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:01:05 PM PDT

    •  I'm not counting Asheville. The western counties

      have exactly the same demographics as the western Virginia counties (not including Buncombe and Catauga).  And he broke 30% of the vote in some of those counties.

      by ObamaManiac2008 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:31:52 PM PDT

•  Nah..

  It means, if you dont look like me, you might someone I shouldn't like.

  What is sad is that being Muslim shouldn't be a bad a thing, all faiths should be acceptable.

  But with the constant fear-mongering, being Muslim is considering a bad thing in US politics.  

  by Snipe6ib on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:35:39 PM PDT

•  Muslims with pastors

  that go by the title "reverend" - sheesh!

  by newdem1960 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:37:18 PM PDT

•  West Virginia

  Go to West Virginia, Barack!

  by Stargazer23 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:38:40 PM PDT

•  I guess they didn't hear about Rev. Wright.

  What... they don't watch FOX, MSBC, CNN?
  Maybe some one could point them to the YouTube videos.  That aught to convince them.  It seemed to have done wonders for the other people who thought he was/is.

  by jalenth on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:39:55 PM PDT

  •  Haven't you heard..

    It's not Reverend Wright, it's Imam Wright.

    by consider it on Fri May 09, 2008 at 01:28:20 AM PDT

  •  like smash artist says above, 'islam' is code for

    'black'.  it's bad enough to not vote for someone because of the color of their skin; the sickness is compounded if damning an entire religion is considered an acceptable substitute for that which cannot be said in public.

    by ObamaLovingExDemocrat on Fri May 09, 2008 at 01:32:43 AM PDT

•  With Hilly ...

  fanning the flames of racism. Why would Obama go campagin in that state?  Just run a couple of ads and call it a day.  Once he makes it into office that should be the first state he focus on to bring into this century and show them that they DO NOT have to be scared of the black man.

  If Bob Pasely can't read or use a computer then why does he even bother to comment at all.

  Hilly has them pegged .... they are VERY LOW information voters who have managed to think that in 4 years they have "Wised UP"

  by Moxie Gurl on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:40:02 PM PDT

•  What is wrong with these retards?

  Is there no internet in West Virginia?

  I mean, come on! You can find the facts on this in under 20 seconds.

  by Fozzie Bear on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:40:12 PM PDT

  •  Winning WV voters...

    ... one comment at a time, on dailyKos.

    / snark

    by Plutonium Page on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:41:45 PM PDT

    •  I'm sure the site gets light traffic from WV

      by kubla000 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:43:08 PM PDT

    •  Fair enough

      But if they're reading Daily Kos, I'm thinking they're onboard already.

      by Fozzie Bear on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:43:08 PM PDT

  •  Pasley knows exactly what he's doing

    He's not ignorant.

    by johnny rotten on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:43:31 PM PDT

  •  WV and the internet

    I would think it's one of the "least connected" states.

    by newdem1960 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:51:31 PM PDT

    •  Perhaps ...

      ... but it seems quite obvious to me that in some quarters there's an awful lot of willful ignorance on these matters.

      by Fozzie Bear on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:55:06 PM PDT

  •  For lots of these people, no

    A good many of the people in places like that don't have Internet, or if they do, they're not savvy enough to do much more than email and some web browsing.

    by dawnt on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:58:17 PM PDT

•  Yeah, He's Islamice with a Christian Pastor

  ...that he's too chummy with.

  by BentLiberal on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:41:05 PM PDT

•  WV hasn't improved much in decades

  Party leaders there should consider it a MORAL IMPERATIVE to lead them out of the coal-black tunnel and into daybreak, but instead they willfully mislead, distract and pander to their constituents to stay in power as long as possible. Tell them the ay-rabs are gonna steal their guns so they won't notice when someone's stripping the mountaintop right out from underneath them. It's a sick shame.

  by terra on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:41:46 PM PDT

  •  They have some responsibility here too

    Is resentment towards Obama, because that's exactly what this is, more important and satisfying to them than economic viability?  This country is going to have some choices to make in November.  Time for everyone to start stepping up to the plate rather than just trying to find and blame the scapegoat of the day.

    by GN1927 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:47:01 PM PDT

•  Still think

  Obama should campaign there and Kentucky.  Build up the Democratic organization in those states and hone your economic message.  I think John and Elizabeth Edwards haven't endorsed Obama even after his Carolina win because they probably would like to hear Obama to discuss poverty in these hard hit states.

  by EMKennedyLucio on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:43:07 PM PDT

  •  Sometimes Safety is a good practice

    Caution and Safety become important at this stage of the game... states so openly hostile to obama, even among Democrats, are not exactly a high priority IMO....

    by Steven R on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:47:19 PM PDT

    •  That's what I'm saying...

      Billary know what they're doing with all this race baiting.  

      All these people (WV) know is that an "Islamic" is running for President.

      That is a recipe for disaster.  Someone going too take the Clinton's comments a step too far and act out.

      by Moxie Gurl on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:55:24 PM PDT

      •  I'd be more worried about the Republicans.

        Their irresponsible violent rhetoric is incredibly dangerous.

        by SciVo on Fri May 09, 2008 at 12:29:25 AM PDT

        •  The Republicans aren't doing this. Democrats are.

          Or rather, it doesn't matter if Republicans are doing it when Democrats are also doing it.

          Everyone quoted in these articles coming out are Democrats.  The article above states West Virginia is 2 to 1 Democrat and yet it voted for Bush because of the gun issue.  There's a little kernel of truth to the charges of 'elitism' within the Democratic Party, but it's not being dealt with in the same way the views of the people interviewed above are not being dealt with.

          Obama's greatest problem has not been Republicans this primary, it's been Democrat silence and Democrat mudslinging.  Mike Huckabee, John McCain and Ron Paul are all on record speaking well of Obama at one point or another.  Mitt Romney stole some of Obama's talking points.  Those instances stand out starkly only because of just how badly the Clintons, through Mark 'I thought all states were winner take all like Republicans' Penn, screwed the process up, hurting a fellow Democrat and the entire party in the process.

          As for the squeaky wheel right-wing talk show hosts and freeper nation, a show of unity among democrats nipping the smears in the bud would have made their views irrelevant.  Instead, we have the Clintons putting the fear of Godzilla in everyone while engaging in naked pandering and circulating those exact talking points.

          It's beyond time for 'log out of one's own eye' for Democrats.  Nothing will ever change if Democrats refuse to deal with the issues in their own party, preferring to demonize 'the other guy' instead.

          by ObamaLovingExDemocrat on Fri May 09, 2008 at 01:45:46 AM PDT

  •  Hilly has sent out her ...

    dog whistle code.  Do you really think they're going to listen to him or show up at a rally or townhall?

    If he did it WILL NOT be pretty. He should run his ads and call it a day.

    Let her run up her popular vote metric for which is not the determining factor to get the nomination.  It's only 28 delegates.

    by Moxie Gurl on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:48:24 PM PDT

  •  Obama is going

    to campaign in both states. He said that today, that he has a 50 state campaign. Although Edwards is not a candidate, he can go to WV and KY and explain why it is important to vote for one's economic interests.

    by sweetliberty on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:49:18 PM PDT

•  No wonder Barack is headed for Oregon...

  I agree that those comments represent some dangerous stupid, but I actually can't wait until Barack campaigns in WV and KY. If there really are that many voters in these states that have no idea what he is about, then imagine their shock when they see him up close. It's the first time for many of them and he can knock them out just as surely as he knocked out all of us.  Like you pointed out, it's as if someone from the next century suddenly appeared - a superior alien intelligence.

  Barack Obama the Starman!

  "There's a starman waiting in the sky, he like to come and meet us, but he thinks he'd blow our minds..." - David Bowie

  by TDreamer on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:47:23 PM PDT

  •  I think Obama should make time for West Virginia,

    too.  When people meet him and talk to him, they love him.  It would be a mistake to ignore them, to concede the state to Hillary.  Even a couple token appearances would mean something.

    by ObamaLovingExDemocrat on Fri May 09, 2008 at 01:47:23 AM PDT

•  WV

  I thought it was 50 states

  by Stargazer23 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:47:39 PM PDT

•  Obama's not going to win in Appalachia

  Whether it's PA or WV or KY, or even the parts of VA, NC and TN in the mountains, Obama is just not going get Appalachian votes.

  They'll find a reason, any reason not to vote for a black man.

  Nothing to see here. Move on.

  by pinhighin2 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:48:33 PM PDT

•  This also happened in West Virginia

  Mrs. Clinton endured boos when she mentioned her proposal for a gasoline tax holiday, catcalls when she spoke of ending the Iraq war and, most difficult of all, the heckling of her daughter, Chelsea, who introduced her.

  "End the dynasty!" a young man holding an Obama poster shouted when Chelsea Clinton stepped to the microphone.

  All the while, a smile was fixed on Mrs. Clinton’s perfectly made-up face — not a hair was out of place — and she betrayed only an occasional glimmer of recognition of the exceedingly narrow straits she must now navigate.

  http://www.nytimes.com/...

  by johnny rotten on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:51:14 PM PDT

  •  My - there's hope yet!

    The Obama forces did manage their usual excellent groundwork there, making the upcoming State Convention Obama friendy (the add on, too?). There is some support!

    by newdem1960 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:55:20 PM PDT

•  I know Obama will go to WV

  He's serious about his 50 state strategy.  He'll go there, make his case, and some people will hear it.  I'm sure there is a lot of racism in WV.  But I also know that some people will have ears to hear Obama's message.  He won't win, but he should make his case.

  by marypickford on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:52:01 PM PDT

  •  Well maybe...

    he can do a small townhall at a college campus just to say he went there but I wouldn't invest too much energy.

    by Moxie Gurl on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:57:41 PM PDT

•  WV

  There are Obama people there. He has to go for them. Besides this is bigger than winning every state

  by Stargazer23 on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:54:41 PM PDT

•  West Virginians

  support Obama too!

  Hillary Clinton had on her game face in
  West Virginia yesterday, but the crowd at the hastily arranged rally wasn't helping her keep her faltering campaign alive amid a torrent of talk that it's time for her to drop out. The crowd booed her proposal for a gas tax holiday, and greeted her statement that she'd end the Iraq war with catcalls. An Obama supporter turned on daughter Chelsea, calling out "End the dynasty!" when she introduced her mother, writes the New York Times...

  But the modestly sized audience applauded at the appropriate times and, except for an unusually large and at times vocal contingent of Obama supporters in the crowd, the appearance went off without incident.

  "End the dynasty!" a young man holding an Obama poster shouted when Chelsea Clinton stepped to the microphone.

  New York Times

  by Jezreel on Thu May 08, 2008 at 10:58:07 PM PDT

•  I don't like this diary

  and niether would Obama, is West Virginia a problem YES! but he will still get thousands of votes and he's going there to ask for them on Monday. In addition many dems int he state will do their best for him in the fall. Rahall and Rockerfeller stood up for him so lets not insult everyone in the state. Some voters there are lost causes but may aren't and personal visits and testimonials by locals they trust can help turn the tide. Obam,a wants to be the president of west Virginia jsut as much as Chicago and Portland.

  by nevadadem on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:14:59 PM PDT

•  Obama should go to WV...absolutely

  In Sweden we have a saying: "Tala till bönder på bönders vis" and sloppy translated it means "Talk to the peasants in their own idiom". This is what the obama campaign should do in West Virginia. The talking points should be about those that West Virginians have problems with. If it is about his true religious belief, how much Obama's family loves America, coal industry, and the name Hussein, so be it.

  Why not tell the story about his middle name Hussein, what it means and why and who gave him that name. This seems to be a huge talking point in West Virginia.  

  Barack should say what's true- that Hussein is of Arabic origin, and its meaning is "good; small handsome one". It is a name of a prominent or royal person.
  If this is what people in Virginia want to know then give it to them.

  by New Sweden on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:18:23 PM PDT

  •   Since Hussein is the name of a royal person

    the Obama campaign should link "Obama Hussein" to be "the Royal One". Maybe he could turn around some negative input towards the name.

    Will that work?

    American Blue Collors are suckers for Royalties. Americans are more interested in the Swedish and British Royal families than WE are. Gotta be because you have no king, I can't explain the interest otherwise. Look at what happend when Princess Diana died...I wouldn't be surpriced if some people in Appalacha still are crying.

    So my Two Cents would be connect Obama HUSSEIN to the Royal One...Obama The King... that could be a winner for Hussein doubters.

    by New Sweden on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:35:30 PM PDT

  •  Can Obama speak Swedish?...

    Sorry, couldn't resist, it's long past my bedtime.

    You raise good points.

    by synductive99 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 12:14:35 AM PDT

•  Obama should waste all the energy he can in WV

  THIS is bigger than winning states.

  by DemocraticCitizenSoul on Thu May 08, 2008 at 11:40:50 PM PDT

•  These are the dangers of democracy

  That our Founders worried about.

  When the greedy and selfish join forces with the uninformed and stupid, you have a broad coalition capable of ruining a nation.

  The people of Wayne should be embarrassed that they have such a lazy, stupid, uninformed idiot representing their city.

  Hillary Clinton: dumb white people love her!

  by Searching for Pericles on Fri May 09, 2008 at 12:04:04 AM PDT

  •  ...representing their "city"...

    Wayne, the county seat of Wayne County, has a population of about 1,100 people.