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

[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!