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Should He Have Gone?
Once AGAIN responding via diary because we cannot comment on front page posts.
When Josh Marshall says Obama should have campaign in Kentucky the last few days, how does he define the last few days? He had an 8,000 person rally on May 12 after all. So sir, update tomorrow on what you meant?
PS: The most likely source for the right wing talking point on this matter comes from Mark Levin over at National review.
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Comments (3)
I agree!
The exit poll data indicates that some 10% of the total voters in the Democratic Party in KY were whites who (1) voted for Clinton but promised to vote for McCain against her if she got the nomination and (2) that all or most of this 10% (approx. 68,000 voters) voted for Clinton because they wanted to vote against the black candidate.
(See the questions on who voter would support in general election between Clinton & McCain, and on whether considered race - 15% of total voters were whites who voted for Clinton.)
If Obama's pre-primary internal polls reflected the same as the exit polls, I might not have taken the chance that more visits to KY by the dreaded black candidate could stir more opposing white spoilers to come to the polls and makes Clinton's margins even larger!
May 21, 2008 1:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
If he'd campaigned in KY, he would have still lost big, but would have added to her talking point. He did not need the state to win the nomination, and he does not need to p#ss off Clinton lovers there. It makes far more sense to go back there next month, when the opponent is McCain, and offer voters a choice between 2 opposite views, rather than the same politics in different colored candidates.
This seems very obvious, yet I heard not a single TV commentator advance this view. All I heard was people repeating Pat Buchannan's talking points. The guy is a Confederate apologist, for goodness sake. And they turn to him to answer why a black guy can't win in Appalacia, and he says its not race, its Wright.
If these people voted against Obama because they think he shares Rev Wrights views, then, logially, they would come around, once they realise he does not. But my guess is that these working class Appalachian and southern whites are watching Fox and listening to Rush, both of which are 24-7 Obama hate fests, and they will never trust Obama. Just like Fox viewers still believe Saddam had WMDs and supported Bin Laden. Maybe they aren't racist.. they've just been brainwashed by people who will do anything to elect a Republican
May 21, 2008 5:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
Frankly, I believe that he did a cost/benefit analysis not only in terms of money but also the delegate math. He did visit and run ads and opened offices in KY and WV but I believe that the PA and OH primaries taught him a lesson and he learned it. He fought long and hard in PA and OH but it did not bear enough fruit. He could have stood on his head naked in the state capital and he still would have lost very big in WV and KY because of who he is - an overwhelming percentage of these states will not vote for him no matter what.
He chose to focus on NC, IN (which was so close!) and OR where he had huge bases of support that gave him significant margins. Obama must focus on putting the western states in play as well as the south where he can really cut into the Republican base. We know that states like KY and WV have gone to the Republicans handily over the last several elections so the party itself is already at a disadvantage. Besides, against McCain, Clinton would not have a chance because he really is one of them (Scotch/Irish).
May 21, 2008 8:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
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