First, snippets from the Politico piece:
54 year-old white male, voted Kerry '04, Bush '00, Dole '96, hunter, NASCAR fan...hard for Obama said: "I'm gonna hate him the minute I vote for him. He's gonna be a bad president. But I won't ever vote for another god-damn Republican. I want the government to take over all of Wall Street and bankers and the car companies and Wal-Mart run this county like we used to when Reagan was President."
and
The next was a woman, late 50s, Democrat but strongly pro-life. Loved B. and H. Clinton, loved Bush in 2000. "Well, I don't know much about this terrorist group Barack used to be in with that Weather guy but I'm sick of paying for health insurance at work and that's why I'm supporting Barack."
Today, the Times of London went one step further, confirming in even more clarity that what the focus group is doing is not an isolated incident - to say the least.
The Times of London sent a reporter to Waverly Ohio, a small town in the southern part of the state. The town is 97% white and chalk full of cultural conservatives that "cling" to their guns and religion. In the primary, Hillary won 74% of the vote here. This is ground zero where the narrative emerged that Obama can't win this contest, because he can't attract this critical voting block. The Times piece, however, demonstrates just how much that narrative is diminishing. Indeed, the interviews are compelling:
"I ain't gonna lie to you," he said. "A lot of people around here don't want Obama because of his colour. And it's his name that bothers me. It's Muslim."
The 44-year-old truck driver took a sip of coffee and added: "Despite all that, I'm pushing more toward him because of the economy. Fuel prices are killing us. To me, McCain is just for the rich people. A lot of us are reconsidering Obama because we like what he's saying on the economy."
The truck driver was not the only one rethinking his positions:
A hundred yards away Michelle Cantrell, 23, was smoking a cigarette outside a drug recovery centre, where she is being treated for addiction to painkillers. A year ago, she said, she would never have voted for Barack Obama "because he looks foreign and he looks like a terrorist". She said that some of her friends believe he is the Antichrist. And now? "I'm probably gonna vote for Obama. He'll bring us jobs and health care."
As if that were not enough:
"I have been thinking about that the last few days, with all that's going on," he sighed. "I wanted Hillary. Then I was thinking about McCain but I think I'll probably go with Obama. I think he'd probably do a good job. The economy's all anyone is talking about."
Mr Conley insisted that he was not a racist — "I always got along with blacks" — but said that a lot of his friends and neighbours had a problem with Obama because he's black.
"But they're reconsidering. There's a lot of stress here. People are hurting. Times are tough. Obama understands. He is more on our side. I just want to see the economy get straightened out
The Times of London piece attributes these voters' change of heart to the dire economy and the direct impact it is having on people's lives. That is probably a fair conclusion. But I submit these anecdotes are also representative, in my view, of the superior messaging and campaign that Senator Obama has run. His message is precisely attuned to the perilous times we live in. Bill Ayers? Who gives a fuck when I might lose my job and go bankrupt due to health care costs. Undeniably Obama's message has reached these voters, whom are overlooking their own bias and fears and voting with their heads and their economic interests. Undeniably McCain's obsession with petty character issues that may have resonated in 2004 are not working now. Ben Smith's anecdote supports this, the recent ABC and CBS polls on this issue are in accord, and the Times piece reinforces that notion.
Yes, after the debate last night and the fabulous results from the snap polls and focus groups, I have to believe that more voters previously on the fence, perhaps because of their perceptions or fears about Obama, are ignoring them and doing the right thing by themselves, and ultimately, our nation.
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