Josh,


Thank you for posting Theda Skocpol's letter on the front page.  I've been watching the faux outrage unfold over the past few days, and I have to say, it is exactly the sort of thing that drives reasonable people away from politics. 
 
Now we have Senator Clinton trying to up her small town bona fides with gun-toting and hard-drinking.  Holy Mother of God, isn't this the kind of stuff Bush did in his first presidential campaign to make everyone think the son of a former president was just a regular Joe? 

Living in a small town does not automatically mean one no longer has a bull shit detector.  In fact, as someone who has lived not only in small towns, but that least regarded of all places: small southern towns, I would argue such people are so used to being underestimated that they have developed high levels of skepticism for such tactics.   
 
My hope is that Senator Obama continues to discuss the frustrations and limited options of those living in the areas outside big cities.  There's no reason to pretend that their anger isn't real.  To do so would be patronizing, and to pretend to know what it's like to live in such a place by talking about guns and religion in terms one never has before is pandering.  Trust me, Senator Clinton, that's what you are doing, and no one is fooled.
 
A real issue that hasn't been addressed enough, in my opinion, is the lopsided role these towns play in supplying our country with the men and women now fighting and dying in Iraq.  These people come disproportionately from small towns, and often see military service as an economic option where there are few others.  This does not in any way diminish their service or sacrifice, but it's important to remember that many of those now serving originally signed up because they needed money for education or training for future jobs, not because they were anxious to fight in Iraq.  Yes, I know, it's a volunteer army. 

But something is very wrong in this country when the best we can offer these small town kids is the gamble that if they live through the war, then they can have the option of an education or better job.