WV and Appalachia in general have historically had poor communications (including cargo traffic as well as voice, etc).  This resulted in a lower level of economic activity.  In turn, the lower level of the local economy resulted in an out migration of youth.  

But it is through communications and more especially personal communication from the youth that the attitudes of the older generation change.  [Influence of children on parents].

WV is the only state to actually loose population over the last 50 years.  

Is it really surprising that attitudes can be found there that have been [at least] greatly reduced elsewhere?  

Attitudes are hard to change, and difficult to see in oneself, so the influence of family children is especially important.  None of this is meant as a "put-down" to WV.  The fix for this problem is not condemnation. It is finding ways to increase the economic viability of WV and the rest of Appalachia.  If my thesis is correct, the attitude problem will then resolve itself over time.

Men and Women.

Blacks, Whites, Brown, Yellow, and what have you.

Gay and Straight.

They are all human beings, and are therefore equal.

It is the guiding principle of my life.

For I view all human beings as just that: You are a human being.

And that means that not only can whites and men be President, but also that an Asian can be President, an African American can be President, a Hispanic can be President, and a Woman can be President.

I’ve figured it out!  I know why Hillary has to win, and it’s the only explanation that makes perfect sense.  

I apologize in advance for the length of the diary.  The appalling statement that I've used for the title is a-ways down.  It's taken me nearly six years to write about the incident in which I heard it, and I suppose even after putting it in the title it took me awhile to get around to describing it now.

I would also like to note that I originally posted this two nights ago, but re-posted today after several commenters suggested they would like to see it posted at a time of day when more people might be likely to read it.  I have added one paragraph and changed the n-word to its uncensored form when it is quoted in the story, as was suggested by another comment.  I left it censored in the title, however, as I didn't want it to seem to sensationalizing.

I fell in love with West Virginia when I was six years old.  It happened on the first family vacation I have any memory of, a trip with my mother and father to Blackwater Falls State Park.  Staring down into a four-hundred foot deep canyon I felt a sense of awe and wonder I'd never felt before.  And I was filled with a sense of pride that this natural beauty was a part of West Virginia--a part of my home.

As the GOP suffers its third straight major territorial loss, and Obama locks up the nomination with the promise of big coat tails in Republican districts, it is time for us to consider the future, and ask ourselves: What will we do with power, how to use it, how not to squander it, and how we can keep corruption from sapping our moral authority?

I hope that this discussion can be incorporated into the architecture of a plan that I call (with no small hubris) A 12 Step Plan to Save America.

Since the early 1960s, the the African  American vote has been the backbone of the Democratic coalition, the Presidency won by a combination of a super majority black vote and a minority white vote. Bill Clinton winning approximately winning 40% of the white votes in 92 and 96 and winning 85% of the black votes. Even Jimmy Carter only won 47% of the white votes.

I recently wrote about the Viability of Obama, despite the problem of race. Sometimes I'm not so sure. This Post article about racist incidents encountered by Obama campaigners isn't encouraging. Frankly, I didn't know that the types of voters fueling the WV landslide existed -- "Bush Democrats," I've heard them called. You know, those "hard working white Americans." In this more pessimistic mood I'm almost surprised by how well Obama polls so well against McCain nationally, especially in the swing states like Pennsylvania that are supposed to be so difficult for him.

Anthropologists have long divided the human species into races.  Most classifications recognized at least three major races: Negroids, Caucasoids, and Mongoloids.  Some added a fourth race known as australoids, while others insisted that there were only three races and argued over whether australoids were negroid or caucasoid.  By the end of the 20th century scientists stopped using the term race, but instead refered to genetic clusters.  Cavalli-Sforza identified four genetic clusers which correspond to four major regions of the world, that had become relatively genetically isolated from one another by deserts, mountains, or oceans.

Obama has won in many swing states; but in West Virginia and Kentucky, white voters were given permission to not vote for Obama and give Hillary R. Clinton a big win, based on whites voting against Obama not as much for Hillary.

Ever since the Nixon campaign introduced the "southern strategy" (code for scare the crap out of white people so they'll vote for us), race has played a particularly important role in politics.

In her latest column in the "Newspaper of Record", Maureen Dowd pulls out all the stops for her man, John McCain, in attacking Senator Obama.  She, of course, continues to insult and denigrate Hillary Clinton, something less perspicacious Kossacks may be tempted to get behind.  But make no mistake, she is a Republican faithful through and through and will attempt any line of attack she can imagine against Barack Obama.

Drudge has this headline:

SHOCK: 2/3 OF WHITES CITING RACE WON'T VOTE OBAMA IN GENERAL..

then you go to the article:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/...

Drudge's promo sounds like 2/3 of white people won't vote for nominee Obama because of race. what does the article actually say?      

...Racially motivated voting appeared to be running higher than usual: Two in 10 whites said the race of the candidate was a factor in their vote, second only to Mississippi. And only a third of those voters said they'd support Obama as the nominee against John McCain, fewer than in other primaries where the question has been asked...

More after the jump

As idiotic as this is, the extent of President Bush's limitations escaped the vast majority of Americans until Katrina, for reasons I will never, ever understand. Standing in line at a bakery on the day the Chief Justice died, I heard any number of people who had obviously voted for the the President angrily discussing his and the administration's incompetence, based on Katrina but spilling over to the war and, as news came of the Chief Justice's death, the Court, and cronysim, and so on and so forth.  And I stood there, dumbfounded, wanting to scream at these people who seemed to be suddenly discovering the nose on their own faces.

On Mother's day, I was visiting my mother. The conversation was pleasant until the election came up.

First of all, you need to know that both of my parents are life long labor Democrats. My recently deceased father was a long time labor leader in Wisconsin. My mother was a proud union member. So, yes, liberal labor democrats thru and thru. And never so much as a hint of racism. Once upon a time my mother and I even went so far as to caucus for Jesse Jackson. It is largely by their example that I am the proud Liberal I am today.

So you can imagine my dismay when my sweet 75 year old mother said to me in all seriousness, "I just don't want black people running the country."

I was dumbstruck. Thankfully, my wife quickly changed the subject.

After the jump is a letter I wrote to the New Republic in response to his article.

I was disgusted with Judis's article not because its about race, but because it completely misses the point. Race is an issue in America, but two elections last year prove that Americans are willing to move past race and choose a candidate based on issues.

http://tnr.com/...

I apologize in advance for the length of the diary.  The appalling statement that I've used for the title is a-ways down.  It's taken me nearly six years to write about the incident in which I heard it, and I suppose even after putting it in the title it took me awhile to get around to describing it now.

I fell in love with West Virginia when I was six years old.  It happened on the first family vacation I have any memory of, a trip with my mother and father to Blackwater Falls State Park.  Staring down into a four-hundred foot deep canyon I felt a sense of awe and wonder I'd never felt before.  And I was filled with a sense of pride that this natural beauty was a part of West Virginia--a part of my home.

I love the people, too.  I can't point to a specific moment when that love affair started, perhaps because I was surrounded by the love of so many West Virginians before I even had any memories to speak of.  No place I've ever been has ever made me personally feel more welcome, more cared for, more appreciated or more at home.

In Obama's Own Words, for Both Supporters and Nonsupporters:
Part I

For Obama Supporters:  Enlightenment
For Clinton Supporters:  Encouragement
For McCain Supporters:  Ammunition

For all those persons who have neither the time nor the
inclination to read over 480 pages of Barack Obama's first book,
here are some quotations taken from that book, "Dreams from My
Father:  A Story of Race and Inheritance", by Barack Obama,
published by Three Rivers Press, New York, New York, Copyright
1995, 2004, paperback edition, ISBN 978-1-4000-8277-3 (Original
edition ISBN 1-4000-8277-3).  It is noted that in 1995, Barack
Obama was 34 years old.  

This "Part I" covers Chapters 1-8 of the book.  

[PRELIMINARY NOTE:  I have CAPITALIZED WORDS what I want to
emphasize.  These words were NOT capitalized by Obama].  

*Note: This Diary is meant for those Hillary supporters who have already said they will not vote for Obama, not those who have.

And we still have those talking about voting for McCain?? I listened to Stephanie Miller this morning and Hillary supporters were talking about voting for McCain. What on Earth?