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Edited on Sun Apr-13-08 11:26 AM by writes3000
I live in LA. And for the past three months, I've been paying close attention to the political temperature here. Listening to snippets of conversation. Listening to talk radio. Looking for signs, bumper stickers, buttons, etc. My rule usually is to just listen to what people are saying. If you don't show a preference one way or another, you can learn alot. Back on Super Tuesday, my sense was that Clinton was definitely favored here. More and more people were liking Obama but many weren't familiar with him at all.
My, how things have changed.
In the past three weeks, I cannot believe the number of Obama bumper stickers I've seen. They're everywhere in LA. And even more surprising to me is the variety of people who have them. I've looked for Clinton signs or bumper stickers but I haven't seen any. I will keep looking for them.
But what was most telling was my interaction yesterday with three white women here (approximately ages 35, 42 and 50.) I didn't know any of them but I eavesdropped on their conversations. First, I was at a bookstore. The 50 year old woman was talking to the 42 year old woman behind the register. The 50 yr old was talking about her frustration with Hillary over the Mark Penn/Columbia deal. "How could she not know what Penn was up to?" She explained to the 42 yr old that Hillary had to get rid of Penn, even though Bill supported the deal. Clearly, the 50 yr old was actively angry with Hillary. When the 50 yr old left, I stepped up to the register and the 42 yr old said "Poor Hillary. I'm so disappointed in her." I asked her why she felt that way. She told me how excited she was about Hillary's campaign in the beginning but she felt that Hillary had blown it. There was no anger aimed at Obama. She was placing all of the responsibility on Hillary. And she spoke of her excitement and passion for Hillary in the past tense.
Later in the day, I overheard another conversation where a random 35 yr old white woman was passionately hoping that Obama could win PA. The two people talking knew that Obama would most likely lose there but she was ready to move on to the GE. She was passionate and excited for Obama.
Since Super Tuesday, Obama's support in this area has grown significantly.
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