These kinds of reports can seem depressing. But the good news is that opposition based largely on low information is changeable. Opposition based on deep differences over ideology or political principle is much harder to overcome.

Many misconceptions can be corrected during a primary campaign that still has three weeks to go and is focussed mainly on only one state. You can't correct everyone's misconceptions, of course, but you can perhaps address enough to overcome a single digit lead in the polls. In several earlier states we have seen Obama erase big Clinton leads in a short amount of time. Obama may need to run more ads that outline his personal story.

And, not least, people who fear that Obama will turn them into a llama.

An IRAQI llama, Michael. Vive le difference!

Sigh.....

People can't be that dumb, right?

"the traditional garb of Suriname"

Shouldn't that be the traditional garb of a Somali tribe?

Quite what a llama, or lama, was doing in northern Kenya - illegal immigrant, perhaps? - is beyond me. But I must ask, was this blog posted by Mister Answer Man's alter ego, Miss Malaprop?

As the late, great Frank Zappa used to sing: "She's a Valley Girl, fer shure, fer shure. She's a Valley Girl. There is no cure."

I have a Lama coat, does that mean I'm a Muslim?

I was an original supporter of Hillary, willing to forget her war vote, but then she voted against Levin Amendment and for Kyl/Lieberman, which infuriated me, so I stopped supporting her. Her willingness to be chummy with Rupert Murdoch and Richard Mellon Scaife simply added to my negative view of her.

As to Obama, I'm not all that comfortable with him, and maybe thats because I have this feeing he can't win because he seems to have come from out of nowhere and all of a sudden he's running for President. Also, 5 Democrats I associate with say they won't vote for him because he's black. Now I can take the high road and get myself in high dudgeon and call them all kinds of names, but that won't cause them to vote.

I do remind them that the next President will probably get to appoint two Supreme Court judges and if McCain wins, he'll put up 2 Conservatives and they will be young, ensuring a Conservative Court for a generation.

Its bad enough Obama won't get any of the Billy Joe Bob Bureaugard votes, but losing X number of Democrats because of his race doesn't bode well.

I'll vote for whoever the Democratic candidate is and I hope the Dem naysayers do the same come election day.

you ruined my whole God damned day. Thanks a lot.

Don't go blaming us for the ignorant members of your party...those are dyed in the wool Dem's...just cuz they're ignorant racists you assume they're with us. That's why y'all keep losing elections that appear unlosable.

Somehow the interviews in the diner remind me of the setting of "Groundhog Day". They are summed up neatly by Bill Murray:

"Yeah, they're hicks, Rita"

You know what, I take it back. I'll be voting either for Hill, Obama, or both, depending on who triumphs in the primary. I have great respect for both candidates.

However, I cannot say *at this point* that I have an equal estimation of the levels of information possessed by each candidate's supporters. It may be unfair to criticize HRC based on the fact that she seems to have a larger percentage of the LIV group than Obama, but that doesn't change the fact that such is the case.

When Obama is President, instead of singing the national anthem, we'll all sing this:

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/llama

Some of my best friends are Alpacas.

When I told my no-information aunt that we were going to war in Iraq, was happy, since she didn't like the tall guy with the turban. I explained Saddam Hussein didn't have a turban, but a mustache, and she was dismayed. "Him? I think he's very handsome," she told me.

A year ago I made a joke about Dick Cheney, and she asked why we were all laughing. "I don't even know who Dick Cheney is," she said, and we fell silent. Later, we asked her who the vice president was, and she admitted she didn't know.

Yes, there are low and no information voters.

Fortunately, my aunt doesn't vote, but the same cannot be said for all.

Sigh. But there you have it– this is now Clinton’s base

hmmm. A bit of a stretch. I'll try not to be offended.

I've spent considerable effort knocking down Obama myths, mostly sent via email by God-fearing relatives. As far as I can tell there's been considerable effort to poison the discourse in all too familiar Republican fashion. Personally, I think Hillary gets called out for being a politician when Barack gets a pass. Which base constituency is more uninformed or backward is pretty much like the election; so close to call as to be virtually tied.

Regardless, good luck to all. We're going to need it.

Ah, the mindset of America.

The best part of this story is they will vote for Clinton.

God bless America!

Archie Bunker alive and well in the Democratic Party. Get ready for the return of the Reagan Democrats, as "McCain Democrats".

Its only partly because Barack is a Muslim with an angry black man Baptist Minister, or something like that. Give it enough time and Rev. Wright will be trotted out as part of the Nation of Islam.

As soon as we pick a nominee, get ready for the FW:FW:FW> spam in your inbox reminding us how Barak HUSSIEN OSAMA (Oops, sorry, Microsoft Spell check did that, not little ole me) is a closet member of Al Quaida and will take the oath of office on the Koran. Alternatively, we can be reminded that Hillary killed Vince Foster personally with the candelstick in the library.

That so many of Senator Clinton's supporters are "low information voters" or political primary first timers became apparent to me some time ago taking messages off our Dem Party Hdqtrs voicemail here in Florida.

On the one hand, it made me very sad for the callers and on the other quite angry with the Clinton campaign on her supporters' behalf, because the disinformation for political gain that the Clinton campaign is dispensing about why Florida's delegates are not counting in the totals for the candidates is so manipulative. Instead of informing them and raising them up and earning their support the honorable way, she is taking advantage of their lack of knowledge.

Then there are the not so veiled implications that any criticism of Senator Clinton is grounded in blatant sexism. Occasionally it may very well be, but suggesting she concede now before the Party gets hurt is not one of them--the "sky-is-falling" crowd has historically done the same to thing to candidates in other cycles, all of whom have been men.

[i]An Edwards supporter who still thinks he had the best policy positions and was the most electable candidate.[/i]

Clinton's only remaining argument for the nomination is that Obama is black, and therefore he can't win. It is a very powerful argument.

Better a llama than a lemming, right?

Thank you for the wry humor--I really did LOL!.

There's a lot of this stupidity and ignorance in America. And these people vote.

It might help if Obama made 'surprise' visits to various diners and restaurants (with a camera crew) and answered these questions directly. Then, his campaign could put the Q & A mini meetings on YouTube.

That won't reach everyone, but more and more people use the Internet and those users help spread the word by mouth to the non-users.

Obama should also post these questions and answers on his website (like Michael Moore did with Sicko). Then, Obama's campaign should invite news organizations to validate the veracity of the website answers. This would keep reporters interested in his story and give Obama more free press while simultaneously educating voters.

50 Cent's Obama endorsement doesn't help matters with these scared idiots either.

I cannot personally attribute this total lacking from a newspaper source but I can attribute this kind of serious lack of informed citizenry locally here in CO Springs.

No actually says it but they will not say they will not vote against Obama because he is bi-racial that includes his African heritage...but they will accuse me that I am voting for him because of White Guilt...then there is that email, which I think was totally debunked by the Wright tapes....now he is a radical church going bi-racially mostly Black American...and then there is his name...where I have had strong Evangelical Christians exclaim why he did not change his name to a Christian name...ironically the person had a Swedish (actually Viking) name where I said well your family did not either, as did Rev Tutu....dumbfounded the response was, well Tutu didn't wear that Muslim garb...and when I said all the Senators on that trip did....

The response is....well he didn't put his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Alliegence....I countered it was the National Anthem, where you take off your hat....pledge...anthem....

People who are biased and prejudiced will never admit it directly....

More ironic is this twist:

I know where Hillary grew up...personally the northern burbs of Chicago...that is affluent to upper white class....privilege...she went to Ivy League schools...lived in the Governors Mansion, was a law partner then lived in the WH....and yet her support comes from working class white, rural america and feminist activists....the opposite of who Hillary is....

while Obama comes from a single mom grandparent raised family, went first to a non Ivy League school....then because of scholarships went to the Ivy League...went to work in the slums of Chicago....back to school, became a Law School instructor and pro bono civil rights attorney, married the daughter of a Southside working class African American, no status at all and yet he is the darling of the intellectual liberal class....

"60 Minutes" found a VERY UNINFORMED dipshit in Ohio and Pennsylvania proved Ohio isn't alone! Why are people like this even interviewed. At least why is duimb shit like this published? What does ir prove other than people don't follow politics as reporters on the campaign trail or wonks? Can't they tell answers about Obama being a "Muslim" are stupid and coming from an uninformed person or "I'm not crazy about voting for a COLORED guy" they are talking to a bigot and yet still print it? Stupid is as stupid does. Pitiful.

Us educated folks may not be interested in Hillary's daily blather, but she is not appealing to us. Her focus is on her base, around half the Dem voters, white working class and poor whites and white elderly folks and white women. A fair number of these folks are hurting and they are frightened for themselves and their families. Some significant number of them have a tendency to blame others for their plight, categorically.

If they have any doubts about Obama, all they hear is from the Clinton campaign, sometimes with drum flourishes and sometimes with a whisper or a wink: "He's trying to steal votes." "Obama's Minister, who he is very close to, is a hatemonger." "BlackMan." "Plagarist" "Elitist."(As if Hill and Bill haven"t become greatly affectionate with the perks of higher office and wealth, and as if they weren't both deeply intelligent and sophisticated people.) "Obama"s not to be trusted." "The Rs will use Wright to defeat Obama and we"ll all lose." "Muslim?" "Muslim?"

Negative campaigning works! But can and has splashed back big time on Hillary.

Ironically, if Hillary had courage and real confidence in her core values, she would demonstrate her character and Presidential strength and fitness by confronting the racists and denouncing the fear mongers. This is the only way she can win and win fairly: By showing Democratic(and Ind. and R.) voters at least a glimmer of the sort of Presidential leadership that so many of us desire and that our country so sorely needs.

I have great faith in the American people, including those at least partially motivated by racial or gender fear or bias. While some so-called Americans will take their venom and ignorance to their graves, many are willing to be educated and sometimes they will take a risk. But they're sure not getting much illumination from the Clintons. Hillary is not a great leader. It appears that she will not rise to the occasion.

I'd still vote for him, and the Dali Lama might make a very good VP.

Obama's religion and his VP choice are not the reason he gives me hope.

It is the overwhelming wave of young, bright and boisterous Bush victims who have seen something in him that my generation has never had; a candidate they not only like and are willing to support, but one that gives them hope for the future.

East/West, Obama is the best candidate. I'm tired of Democrats second-guessing who's the "most electable" and nominating that person, then having that person lose. I want to vote for the best candidate, and see whether that candidate can win. If you think Obama's an empty celebrity, you obviously haven't been listening to what he's been saying. I'm not going to second guess the American people and assume that they won't vote for someone with dark skin. I'm not going to support Hillary over Obama because she's more "electable" (even though she's declining by the day in support, by the way) when Hillary has, over and over, voted contrary to my beliefs. You're right, this isn't American Idol. I'm trying to elect someone who believes what I believe, and will try to do what I believe should be done.

This post is ludicrous. Clinton didn’t create the worldview of those voters and it’s exceedingly naïve to say so. Is she playing to it? Who cares! These are the voters Obama will face in November. And do you really think these issues swirling around race and religion will improve when the challenger is a conservative Republican instead of a liberal Democrat?

But this shows a disturbing trend among Obama supporters – the desire to wish away all of Obama’s voter ID problems. He’s black and has a “muslim” sounding name and pretending otherwise ignores the psychology of the American voter. (And it doesn’t help that at the Democratic convention here in Texas I saw many Obama supporters wearing tee shirts embossed with his face rendered in the high contrast “iconic” manner of a 70's Che Guevara tee shirt. For most Americans this is not a flattering association.) Like all the other liberals in the US I’ll support him in November without reservation. But I’m not sure what we are going to do to get the other seventy percent to go along with us if the Obama campaign can't lose the "tin ear" to wider world. And it would certainly help if his supporters, like Michael Bérubé, would develop some sensitivity to this problem rather than arrogantly blaming everybody other than Obama and his campaign.

Nice post. This is the Hillary base in a nutshell. Without these "low-information voters", she wouldn't have a chance in the world. Not a chance.

I would hope that posters would stop lumping all Obama supporters and Hillary supporters together? I am quite sure that both are groups are as diverse as the Democratic party, and as this country. It limits discussion and gives rise to simplistic, reductionist discussions. There are those that support HIllary and Barack for myriad reasons....some based in policy, some based in personal prejudices or gut feelings or concerns about electability or loyalty or desire for change.

The problem with Obama supporters....the problem with hillary supporters...

It makes me cringe as I do when I read "The black community.."

People are complex and nuanced beings....

You guys are just jealous because you can't convince these same voters that Hillary Clinton tortures cats and eats babies.

Uhh, I guess I'm one of those dumb firewall voters - - people who are convinced that Obama "wasn't really a law professor like he says he was."

Per his very brief resume (no scholary papers or books cited) on the University of Chicago Law School web site (removed a few months ago after I heard him describe himself as a law professor), his position was described as "lecturer" not professor. If you are inclined to believe that this is but a technical distinction, please check in with any hopeful lecturer -- or proud professor.

There are crackpots, low-informed and MISinformed voters. Democrats must not underestimate the power of Fox News over the past 8 years. That news network shot up like a rocket with its 'fun' graphics and sound effects. All the other news networks imitate them now, so it's difficult to remember that Fox seduced and secured viewers (and still does to an extent) while other networks clung to stodgy broadcasting styles.

What's missing from this 'snapshot of PA' is the question: Where do you get your news, if anywhere?

As an aside, I live in a small town in NC. I painted a 8' x 8' Obama logo on plywood and attached it our upper balcony. We have rich, poor, young, old, Mexican, Russian, and American folks in our town.

Every day, someone asks me what my sign means.

Michael has missed an opportunity to educate us on one of the idiosyncratic features of English: it lends itself well to rhyme and alliteration. Think: Robby, Bobby, Dobby, and Hobby, all old nicknames for Robert.

Or, e.g.,: Shirley
Shirley, Shirley bo Birley Bonana fanna fo Firley
Fee fi mo Mirley, Shirley

(See http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=4433)

The fact that she thinks the Dalai Lama is Muslim -- that's pure ignorance.

Or, lorelie, you could just check with University of Chicago Law School which released a statement on the matter last week. Obama was a Senior Lecturer:

“Senior Lecturers are considered to be members of the Law School faculty and are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure-track,” the university statement said.

Llamas for Obama!

These excerpts mirror an article that appeared in the NYTimes a few months ago, interviewing voters in Tennessee. In that article, half the people said the same stupid things about Obama, and the other half (many men) said sexist crap about Hillary. Welcome to smalltown America. It's not going away, and these people will not be disenfranchised before November. So I hope Obama will get out there, dispell the misinformation, and try to convince them that Hillary is a post-menopausal communist crack ho. Or something. Scrap for their votes, dammit! Just being the better candidate doesn't mean squat--if it did, we'd be trying to re-elect John Kerry right now. I would love to see a Dem nominee who will finally put up his dukes and fight.

Maybe this segment of Hillary's base can get together for a session with the segment of Obama's base that thinks Hillary killed Vince Foster. There would be a real meeting of the minds.

Blah! This is a snap shot in time somewhere in Pennsylvania. I know Wisconsin was before Wright, but if Obama wins the nomination. He will have to debate McCain and then that's when people will start to come to their senses the 'colored' guy! Between McCain and Obama? Who in the hell do you they are going choose? Did you see that video of him in his old high school talking about his school days? Haha! It was dull!

Suggestion to posters;

If you're addressing another person's post it would help if you began by typing that person's name at the head of your post.

all of this might serve as evidence that rove's greatest legacy will be bequeathing to the modern political world a culture in which everyone's motives are suspect and even innocuous items are thought to be malevolent fly-by-wire. to wit, the idea that video manipulation of physiognomy/pigmentation occurred was embraced by so many people.

karl is laughing into his can of flesh-colored-hair couvre'. he always claimed that most of that which was attributed to his "genius" had, in fact, nothing to do with him.

surely we can do better.

Appealing to Low Information Voters? You must not have seen Obama's SC mailer appealing to all the good baptist christians of that state?