The media and the pundits keep telling me that blue collar voters in Pennsylania and places like Pennsylvania are too "simple" to be able to appreciate any part of Obama's speech, particularly its nuances.
For those of you in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, is this true?
Here's a theory: some of us enjoy hanging on to our ignorance and prejudices. They become like little security blankets, and we have little interest in or curiosity about stepping outside of our neck of the woods. On the flip side, some of us enjoy being challenged and understand that the world is much bigger than our corner of it and are willing to open ourselves up to all kinds of diversity.
As an Obama supporter, I understand that there are those who will never be open to him.
But what he showed yesterday is his willingness to embrace the most important diversity of all - diversity of thought. He took two sides of a very painful subject and tried to show, once again, how we are more alike than different.
When I see distractions such as Wright-gate working - I mean, seriously, did you see what Dick Cheney thinks of us? Why isn't that playing ad nauseam on a loop in media outlets across the country? The sheer arrogance!
Vice President Cheney's disdain for us is not shocking of its existence; it's shocking because of its depth.
Do blue collar voters see what's happening? While conservatives stir up outrage over Rev. Wright (while ignoring their own "radicals"), the economy's tanking and BushCo. is talking up a brand new war (or is this really an expansion of the same never ending war?). Anyone know what's going on in Tibet? Latin America? Darfur? Israel? Anyone know what's going on at the company where you work, with your 401K? Or have you been too distracted by Rev. Wright to notice?
It's a trick! A few years ago it was gay marriage, now it's a retired pastor. Anything to stir up divisiveness between us so that we won't work together on healthcare or education or job creation.
Because if we actually worked in our own interests, we might become empowered. And, to people like the Bushes and the Cheneys, that would be disastrous.
So, my question is:
Are blue collar voters, and whoever else the media says Obama is too highbrow for, going to fall for the distractions - again?