WV and Kentucky is the land that time forgot. The WV and KY voters quoted in the press who support Hillary sound like extras from a Klan rally or a Nuremberg rally. WV and KY must have more racists and neanderthals per square mile than any other states. The ignorance, hatred, and racism of WV and KY voters is jaw-dropping and mind-boggling. It's too bad these 2 states can't be kicked out of the Union by the other 48. These people are a disgrace and an insult to this country's values.

I am slinkymello and I approve of this statement. So, they still believe Hilary can win. See, this is what happens when racist idiots are allowed to inhabit a particular state. They forget how to count.

It's not necessary to use pejoratives to express dismay at their choice (which is still yet to be made). The Appalacia should remember RFK ran on a promise to fight poverty in places America forgot. America continued to forget them after RFK was killed, but they should realize how much Obama has in common with RFK, and look at him based on his principled stand on issues, not on character attacks that are waged on him or his supporters.

If I've read anything more ignorant while reading through comments about my home state I can't recall. West Virginians are hardworking, good people. Family and country are important to us. We are a proud people and I'm not going to let you ridicule us here.

With that said, I'll offer up some information for the misinformed. West Virginians are unfortunately lagging a bit regarding the technology gap. Many areas are very poor or very elderly, thus, we have low rates of Internet usage. The people who are connected and organized helped Obama open at least eight campaign offices in the state (to Hillary's one, maybe two) and also helped Obama get a large slate of supporters elected at the county conventions. Online organizing, one of the strengths of the Obama campaign is not useless here, but it's hampered

Many families in more rural parts of the state still pick up their television signal through the air (and maybe get 2-10 channels). This leaves them out of the loop on what is going on in the blogosphere or the punditocracy. As I've made calls for Obama I've enlightened a good many folks to his background of service, his religion and even his front runner status. He is new. Many people here are still very unfamiliar with Obama.

Obama has not done much campaigning here and for that reason he isn't a well known commodity. People know and some even trust Hillary Clinton. Hillary has been to this state many times since 1992 and people know her name, her family, who she is, what she stands for. Hillary is the safe choice for them. They don't know enough about Obama for this to be true about him at this point in time.

With all of that said, I still do think Obama has a shot at winning West Virginia in November. It will take him getting on the ground here, pressing the flesh and kissing babies, but he can close on McCain in West Virginia and even win some cross-over votes (I personally know of five Republican West Virginians who will be voting for him in November). West Virginians also overwhelmingly disapprove of Bush and the war in Iraq (though again, for reasons listed above, we came a little late to this swing in public opinion). McCain's ties to Bush and the War in Iraq will hurt him in West Virginia.

Sure, there are people who won't vote for Obama because of his race, but a majority of those same folks wouldn't vote for a woman against a white guy or a Democrat over any Republican. What it comes down to is that Obama is conceding the state and his campaign is focusing on gearing up for his pitch to remaining superdelegates and the rest of the races.

Obama will have some work to do in West Virginia leading up to the general elections. Fortunately for him he has a very loyal army of volunteers in the state who will work non-stop to convince their friends and neighbors that this skinny black guy with the funny name can help change America.

Re RyanWV,

I think you have done a very good job at giving the rest of us some insight into West Virginia. This state has a history of being "different" for one reason or other, and its first difference was not to fall in with the "sesesh" during the early days of the Civil War. Always independent, they have their own history, and like all states have their own particular problems. I had never thought about the lack of internet usage, but it makes sense. Let's not be too quick to judge our fellow Americans; there's enough of that going on already these days!

Forget the internet, Do these Huckleberries not have newspapers or TV news or any other publication? How are the voters of say Guam more informed?

angelmav:

Forget the internet, Do these Huckleberries not have newspapers or TV news or any other publication? How are the voters of say Guam more informed?

It's apparent that 'being informed' form your perspective means supporting Obama. If you do not realize that hundreds of thousands of informed educated people across this country support Hillary Clinton than you are far more ignorant than the the voters of WVA (whom I don't consider ignorant at all). And yes, I also realize that hundreds of thousands of people who are also informed and well educated support Barack Obama - I disagree with them, luckily I also live in the real world, where Obama supporters that I have met do not use elitist perjoratives to describe non-believers.

It wasn't West Virginians snapping up homes that they could not afford with ARM rates that only a true idiot would buy.

To bad for WV and KY to be stuck in a country hell bent on bankruptcy because they must buy everything advertised on ESPN and CNN.

Weekly newspapers, AM talk radio, and church are the main source of news for many folks.

The conservative paper in my hometown of Morgantown didn't even cover the County Democratic Convention and it's a daily with relatively high circulation.

Being informed doesn't mean supporting Obama. I don't think this is being used as a pejorative by the person commenting on Guam.

I myself am referring to people who could tell you that Hillary was the former First Lady and Senator from New York, but don't even know that Obama is from Illinois, or a Senator. Heck, I've met Democrats who think Obama is more conservative than McCain. These folks, by any standards, are uninformed.

RyanWV: Although I'm not from WV or have ever been there I never made the assumption that their choice was based on race. I thought it had more to do with name recognition. As you previously stated Obama didn't do a lot of campaining there so not many people got a chance to hear him speak or get any sense of who he is. I knew a girl from college who was from WV and she told me that things were a little behind as far as technology. I am hopeful for I have noticed that many people, including both of my parents, who were so pro Hilary thanks to Bill's terms in office didn't initially give Obama a second look but once they read up on him and hear the man speak they are as sure as I am that he is the best choice.

I have spent a lot of time there. The primary decision making point is not name recognition. It is race - period. Hillary isn't that well regarded either. These people may not be that educated as a population, but they sure know when they have been lied to and pandered.

The polls should have asked if the voters were selected what they perceived to be the lesser of two evils. Can you imagine anyone being perceived as being more evil than Hillary? What would they think of Hillary if she were black?

West Virginians are struggling with a collapsing economy considered to be the worst in the nation and have disproportionally sent their sons and daughters off to fight an unnecessary war.

Now, it is easy to throw bombs on the internet as a lot of people have been doing with RACIST applied to everyone who doesn't support Obama and/or being from the south and/or being undereducated. I see this strategy only forcing core voters away as evidenced by the African American vote running away form Clinton II in her ploy to get more white votes, hoping that the A-A vote will stick with her; it hasn't.

What we should be doing is figuring out what they, and every other voting bloc in America, need in order to support Obama then roll up our sleeves and do the best we can to make it happen. The effort will be worth it because we did what was right and not just politic. And the votes will follow.

Remember that these same voters, as RyanWV points out, supported RFK. Also, they have given us, for decades, Robert Byrd.

In WV it's all about race. WV appears to be comprised of KKK members who think it is still 1860, and not the 21st century. They see Hillary as their Great White Hope. In her desperation, she has exploited this racism, which is unforgiveable and will come back to haunt her and her political career. She has exploited this lynch mob mentality and is to be despised for it. After Hillary loses, I hope she and Bill go back to Arkansas where they can lick their wounds and buy banjos and join all the other redneck racists.

Valerie, you have got to move on from that thread. Have you read any of these posts. What are you going to say about the 90% of African American's who are voting for Obama?