Barack Obama's West Virginia blues

Barack Obama today launched -- and ended -- what has been a cursory campaign effort on his part in West Virginia, where it appears he's headed for a shellacking in Tuesday's Democratic presidential primary.

Obama headlined a rally early this afternoon in Charleston, joined by his prime supporter in the state, Sen. Jay Rockefeller. As is typical for an Obama appearance, it proved to be a hot ticket -- the Charleston Gazette reported that passes for the event were scarfed up quickly Sunday.

According to the Gazette, Obama's volunteers in the Mountain State were thrilled by the response. But it's doubtful either he or they will have much to be excited about when the primary votes are counted.

A poll released today by Suffolk University in Boston showed Hillary Clinton (pictured here at Tudor's Biscuit World in Charleston) absolutely waxing Obama in West Virginia, 60% to 24%.

Perhaps the only solace for the Obama camp is that that's a slight improvement over the results of a survey in the state earlier this month by the American Research Group, which showed him down by 43 percentage points.

Clinton has campaigned extensively in West Virginia since last Tuesday's results in North Carolina and Indiana gave Obama ...

what many Democratic leaders and political pundits declared was an insurmountable advantage in their race. She was on the stump there on Mother's Day; reading from a letter she received from a backer, she memorably endorsed the writer's view that her battle with Obama won't be over "until the lady in the pantsuit says it is.''

Bill Clinton, meanwhile, has been arduously working the small-town circuit on his wife's behalf.

Obama, by contrast, last set foot in West Virginia on March 20. True, his huge money supremacy over Clinton allowed his campaign to dominate the local airwaves. But the recent polls are in line with what The Times' Stephen Braun reported in a story published Saturday -- Obama has made virtually no headway in a state that demographically is stacked against him.

In his speech today, Obama acknowledged his position, expressing his thanks to those West Virginians supporting him but saying he understood that "many more" will likely vote for Clinton.

Their schedules say it all -- while Clinton will be at the Charleston Civic Center Tuesday night, reveling in her expected landslide (the type she could have used in Indiana), Obama will be spending part of his day in Missouri -- a state where he scored a key narrow win way back on Super Tuesday and a state he hopes to put in play against Republican John McCain in a general election matchup.

Intriguingly, Obama will be campaigning in a rural part of Missouri -- Cape Girardeau, the hometown of conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh.

-- Don Frederick

Photo credit: Getty Images

Comments

[Daniel]

What happened to "small states don't count"? It's just an insignificant state, why should anyone care right?

Obama has already won, give it up. The Obama campaign could care less how the Virginians vote, America as a whole has already spoken by nominating him.

[Billw]

OBAMA'S STATUS

Obama is where he is due to racism (polls show 92% of blacks for Obama), and media bias where the networks don't want to risk the race card accusation. In other words racism has been highly in Clinton's disfavor. Otherwise Obama would be history. Not something he or America should be proud of.

[Rajah Kahn]

I guees if he had campaigned vigorously in West Virginia he probably would have had a better poll results on Tuesday, but I cannot understand his decision on this. It is too late, now.

[philiosopherkingtomas]

HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN OBAMA AHEAD IN MONTANA AND SOUTH DAKOTA??? MONTANA IS DOING WELL, NEW HOUSING, OIL, STRONG AGRICULTURE, WHITER THAN WHITE AND LOVES OBAMA !!!!

[Jon Cox]

West VA is a bit of a strange bird they acutally like and have liked Clinton over there.

[Frank Tillery]

At this point, it is moot. However, it is still a good thing that the Democrats will the people of the nation to actually experience a campaign and hear their candidates words.

There have been new voters brought into the fold from all over the political spectrum. That is great for Democrats!

OBAMA-HAGEL '08
I love Hillary too!

Frank Tillery
One of U.S.

[Robert Crush]

Like it matters.... that's what the LA Times article should be titled. Clinton can claim all the wins she wants be it won't change the outcome. Obama will win in '08.

[Harry Grace]

I have an AA friend who hails from West Virginia and he bluntly says its an "R" (as in racist) state. No "ands", "ifs", or "buts" about it. Obama has no chance there. Fortunately, Clinton with her GOP talking points has no chance in Oregon.

[docb]

Think the plan may be to let her go out on a big win with her constituents...Now that he has passed her in all metrics--he may realize that to use your resources wisely would be to acknowledge that there are SOME voters that will NEVER vote for you..Move on...Go OBAMA.

[foye f black]

Why doesn't someone run an ad in West Virginia which simply shows Hillary telling, on three different occassions, in great detail, about her landing in Bosnia. Then show the film of how it really happened with the tag line "Maybe it's 'misspoke' in New York but that's not what we call it in West
Virginia"

[nancy]

Hillary Clinton is definitely going to win all of the upcoming primary elections including the Florida state. People are sick and tire of Obama and Rev. Wright.

[Sempre Libera]

Hmmm, I spy an Obama supporter right behind her...

[JD Southall]

It is so easy for the Hillary supporters to turn a blind eye on the horrors of the Iraq war. Go ahead and place an American Flag pin on your lapel and pretend it is ok. Hillary voted with President Bush for the War. She is indeed a "yes man!"

[pedro]

If she cant win by 80% margin its insignificant! Get out of the kitchen Obama is cooking!!

[Don Jones]

With all due respect, I don't want to live in a country where West Virginia decides who the president will be. It is a very beautiful state and a good state to be from, but this is the trailer park of the nation.

[Dick Panacea]

I would have supported Billery if she hasn't consistently used race as an issue... or as a crutch, such as win West white Virginia.
Did anyone count the "Ah"s that she stuttered when she supposedly was "paraphrasing" that AP article about "hard working" white Americans?
Hillery could have been one of the bridesmaids at the conjugal grafting of Karl Rove's protege to the Bush clan.
West Virginia, let your conscience be your guide.
Good luck.\
Dick Panacea

[rayy]

"America as a whole" hasn't necessarily supported Obama--they subtracted Florida and Michigan and he blitzed the caucus states--what happened to one person, one vote??

[Otto]

Birds of a feather, flock together. Clinton and West Virginia go well together.

Read between the lines...They are all hard working, white hard working Americans.

No where else are there hard working Americans. Not in New York...I know that as a fact because I am lazy and I hate working.

One thing I love though is paying more taxes than the anual salary of the hard working, white hard working Americans. Hmmm...go figure!!!

[David Meldrum]

West Virginians have missed the fact that Senator Clinton has earned solid "D's" in this campaign. Divisive for actively using race to her advantage; Deceitful for lying about her trip to Bosnia and her role in Northern Ireland; Disarray for a campaign demonstrating her lack of organizational and leadership skills, and devious and desperate for her attempts to change the campaign rules that she and her team had agreed to. Senator Obama has the integrity and support necessary to beat McCain and to move our country in the right direction.

[Hope for the future]

A state primarily filled with poor and poorly educated white people is the worst possible scenario for Obama. These are the people who believe the swift boat e-mails and are most likely to have been raised in a culture of prejudice. There is no chance they will listen to anything Obama has to say.

[Kiko]

"Hillary Clinton is definitely going to win all of the upcoming primary elections including the Florida state. People are sick and tire of Obama and Rev. Wright."

Posted by: nancy | May 12, 2008 at 12:14 PM

"Nancy", people are more tired of Bush, GOP lies, politics as usual (Hillary), etc. The country is falling under its own weight due to lack of investment in infrastructure, healthcare, education (classic modern GOP tactic, keep the people dumb and you have a shot, works like a charm in the Third World), etc. Change is coming, and the vehicle of that change is named Barack H. Obama.

[T]

How can anyone vote for obama? He is a bunch of lies, and on top of that in his book he wants "to rid himself of the white blood" talk about racism! He is the antichrist and needs to be buried.

[jmf3210]

It is a well known opinion that the vast majority of West Virginia Democrats are "very hard working" Americans who can neither read, nor do math.
That makes a lot of things possible. Ripe territory for the Clinton machine.

[Dr.Daniel MaloneyIII]

My Fellow Americans,
The Cauucasians who,once again,failed to support their own,highly qualified Mrs.Hilary Clinton will be terribly sorry that a totally unqualified RACIST may run for Pesident of this once great country.
Remember,my words and read about our White English and White Afrikaner Brothers and Sisters,when they allowed BLACK AFRICANS BACKED BY INTELLIGENT,WHITE COMMUNIST BRAINS,to gain power.
White babies and white women,hacked to death with machetes by thousands of blacks.
We have not come to their aid.Someday it will happen here in America.We do not protect our WHITE WOMEN.
bear022013

[Steve M]

In December I saw Hillary and Obama as tied for my vote. But, the ugliness on her part and that of her organization has repulsed me.

And, West Virginia, southern Indiana and Ohio, and country Pennsylvania are NOT going to vote for a black man, not even one who day and night speaks to the issues that plague them in precisely those poorest regions of the same states. Rural western MI where I grew up has the same mind set: If he/she doesn't “look” exactly like us, they must be suspect…at best. So politics and human awareness in general are based on Norman Rockwellian appearances, and a world that so often existed only in fiction and Hollywood film sets.

In these mono-cultural places ignorance and terror of the less-known and unknown displace rational discourse, while increasing joblessness, poverty, crime and a solve-it-with-guns mentality, which corrode and reduce the lives of so many who think they got it all “right.” Such an “Alabama in the middle” nightmare prevents us from moving the U.S. into the new millennium and this new world with such utter need of connectedness.

After Hillary's vicious campaign I'd struggle to check her name in the voting booth in any context. I say this certainly not because she’s a woman, because I would love that aspect. But, Machiavelli would have learned much from the Clintons. Far too much energy is devoted to pettiness and what divides us by them and I’m fed up with them sucking up to our most base instincts.

[TGF600]

Go Hillary go !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[N.E. BodybutHillary]

Hillary has lost her core support. The polls indicate that those voting for her do so based on sex or on race. what does that say about Hillary?

[John Dowd]

Why are you even talking about this?

It makes me wonder about motivation.

The nomination race is over.

[Perry]

I am not suprised. I lived in W. Va for 5 years. One of the most Racist states imangiable.

Clinton's are just kow-towing to backward, uneducated racial and religious prejudices.

[N.E. BodybutHillary]

Hillary has lost her core support. The polls indicate that those voting for her do so based on sex or on race. what does that say about Hillary?

[Adam S.]

I love the comments like, "The Obama campaign could care less how the Virginians vote." Here's a hint numb-skull. West Virginia became its own state in 1863. Virginia and West Virginia are TWO different states.

Also, to the idiot quoting her AA buddy: Maybe you should just seek his advice when you want to know how to make a good Martini. West Virginia is a state like any other. It has people of all mindsets and persuasions. Just like everyone from California is not gay, not all people from West Virginia are racist.

[John Z]

It's like everything with the media comes down to "our team" vs "your team". Why not celebrate our differences and show how both candidates (and we all) are similar. Thier values are not all that different.

The media loves to split the voters into segments of the population: "the white male, homosexual, 29 year old votes this way" but the black, female 45 year old immigrant with two kids" votes that way.

Enough. Obama wins. Sorry Hillary. I applaud your effort and I was a fan of your husband. Let's fight McCain.

[John C.]

The situation in West Virginia is no more racist than the situation in North Carolina.

You can't claim it's racism when 90% of the white people vote against Obama unless you call it racism when 90% of the black people vote for him.

[bhagwan deol]

obama has used the race card very cunningly in his favour. when over 92% blacks vote for obama but before
this were for clinton nO ONE SAYS IT IS RACISM IN REVERSE> BLACKS VOTING FOR BLACK BECAUSE OF COLOUR NOT EXPERIENCE AND CREDIBILITY.
whwn we talk about some blue caller whites not votinf for obama THEN WE CALL IT RACISM. ONCE HILLARY WAS DARLING OF BLACKS. I DID NOT HEAR HER COMMITING ANY CRIME TO LOSE THAT STATUS.
OBAMA CAN BE ACANDIATE BUT NOT THE NEXT PRESIDENT BECAUSE HE DOES NOT DESERVE IT
bhagwan deol losangeles

[bhagwan deol]

obama has used the race card very cunningly in his favour. when over 92% blacks vote for obama but before
this were for clinton nO ONE SAYS IT IS RACISM IN REVERSE> BLACKS VOTING FOR BLACK BECAUSE OF COLOUR NOT EXPERIENCE AND CREDIBILITY.
whwn we talk about some blue caller whites not votinf for obama THEN WE CALL IT RACISM. ONCE HILLARY WAS DARLING OF BLACKS. I DID NOT HEAR HER COMMITING ANY CRIME TO LOSE THAT STATUS.
OBAMA CAN BE ACANDIATE BUT NOT THE NEXT PRESIDENT BECAUSE HE DOES NOT DESERVE IT
bhagwan deol losangeles

[Chuck Glisson]

Funny how "NOW" a small state REALLY DOES MATTER to Hillary Clinton. In a state that leads America in "Unedjucated White" voters, a state that is Predominantly white, and a state that is VERY racist, Hillary may have a chance to FINALLY have her landslide.
Interestingly Washington State and Iowa ARE predominantly white states too, but they went overwhelmingly for Barack Obama, how in the world did that happen? Anyone seen the movie; "Deliverance"?

Almost heaven? Maybe if your name is; "Archie Bunker", it just might be heaven!

[lynn]

What Obama supporters seem to forget is that the campaign is neck and neck--48-52 or somewhere there abouts. Let's say Obama does win the nomination, which he probably will. However, without Hillary's supporters, he doesn't stand a chance against McCain. The ummph will hit the fan momentarily.

[raj]

Obama's black support should only be considered 'racism' if you believe that Jews who dislike Nazis are no different than Nazi's who 'discriminated' against Jews. By the same token, I tend to cut Rev Wright a little extra slack because he was a soldier from the civil rights wars and experienced things I will never know. Considering that his church has done massive social charity and good, I can somehow manage to forgive his orneriness. I fully expect that many whites would love an excuse to disown Rev Wright and send him out of town on a rail with Obama, but I do notice that other candidates with a colorful history of scandal are hardly judged by the same standard. Perhaps other whites will come to rise above it all and show off the state of their evolution, in spite of Obama's lack of service when compared to the former First Lady, either in the Oval Office or on the front in Bosnia--

[Dee]

I am a mid-thirties African-American female, born and raised in small town WV. I am a Democrat, but have no real preference for either candidate. However, I take issue with the assumption that WV is a racist state. Of course, racists can be found across our country, and WV is no exception. However, in general the folks in WV are simply skeptical of strangers. But, once they get a little more familiar with someone, they tend to judge him/her on the basis of individual merit. No matter where I may reside currently, I'll always feel like WV is home.

[toocool15]

obama for life why is every one still on rev. wrong ,he said he didnt approve with his views, and still cant or wont change i feel sorry for american, we can go died for this country but we cant be part of this nation,wake pu people vote your mind and not your color?

[toocool15]

obama for life why is every one still on rev. wrong ,he said he didnt approve with his views, and still cant or wont change i feel sorry for american, we can go died for this country but we cant be part of this nation,wake pu people vote your mind and not your color?

[Joseph]

To those Obama supporters who are so busy declaring that it's over, they will get a rude awakening at the convention in Denver. The nominee will be decided by superdelegates behind closed doors, who will have to weigh not just the number of pledged delegates won by each candidate but the potential number of electoral votes that each candidate can win against McCain in November. Clinton beats Obama over and over in that department. The goal of the party should be winning the WH, not appearing to be hip and cool while losing the WH again.

[Mercury]

"The Obama campaign could care less how the Virginians vote, America as a whole has already spoken by nominating him."

Perhaps you should go back and check the delegate count. Obama is ahead, that much is true, but to say that the *whole* of America is in favor of Barack Obama cuts out an awfully large percentage of the population.

[kiki]

I am tired of MSM and their biased news. If you want no spin news, try

http://freepressnation.com/

[Randy]

False choices ... broken promises.... we're screwed.

[Aurelia Dean]

I didn't see that woman in the t-shirt until someone posted it. that is hilarious!!!

[J.C.]

In a state that's 95% white (estimate according to 2000 Census) 24% of the vote is major. Its an incredibly racist state from the beginning, the fact that a black man has even that much of the vote shows a lot for his progress in the state over a white woman. Having lived in WV, its definitely not a state that anyone but McCain will win, based on his military service alone. ( 15% of West Virginians serve(d) in the military. There is a great amount of respect for the military all over the state.)

So the fact that Clinton is spending so much effort on a state like WV is just plain crazy. She'd be better served someplace else. I definitely think she sees Obama as a threat with his religious background, something very important to a majority of WV natives. Yes, Rev. Wright has put Obama back a few steps but not enough to completely set him back(if only the media would stop covering him! Dream on I know.....). I believe Obama already won it, but Clinton is hanging on and could still be a threat with some major upsets.

And with Rev. Wright's reiteration of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell's comments for the cause of terrorist attacks in America being due to religious improprieties by free citizens, still causing problems with the Obama campaign, it makes for extremely boring campaign coverage by the talking bobble heads on CNN/FOX/MSNBC etc.

[Ravi]

Never reinforce a defeat.

[Wendell]

America as a whole has NOT nominated Obama. Cacus states nominated him, first and they are not representative of any state as a whole. At the end of the day, SOME democrats nominated him. If he can't get the other democrats to vote for him he is up the proverbial creek without a paddle... and why should they? All he has is vague plans and no hammered out positions.

We're in for 4 years of Jimmy Carter if Obama is elected Pres ... and he left office with inflation at 23+%.

[Grandma]

LOL--Sharp eyes Sempre Libera! Funny that the photo shows an Obama '08 supporter right behind Hillary Clinton!

Shame on you Billw for your comments about racism. How do you account for the high percentage of young white college educated voters who have been energized by Barack Obama's campaign!