A Funny Thing Happened Here In Clinton Country (Bitter-Gate)

[MannyGoldstein]

As most of you know, my state of Massachusetts handed The Clintons one of their few wins in the nomination process. So sad.

As I was radio channel-surfing to and from work today, the local talk screeching heads - who are Rethug nutcases (yes! even in Mass!) were, predictably, spending their time trying to convince listeners that Obama was an elitist jerk that had just lost the nomination. That part was predictable.

Here's the weird thing - all of the callers that I heard were backing Obama. Usually, the callers just echo back the crap that the host spews at them, but not today. Actually, one of the screeching heads even grudgingly admitted that there was a lot of truth in what Obama said.

I think this is why we're not seeing Obama hurt in the tracking polls - what he said resonates with The People.

Gobama! I'm not sure that he'll be a good president, but he's the best shot at a good president that we've had in a long, long time.

[hedgehog]

1. Utimately, this gives him the opportunity to remind people that he doesn't

take money from PACS or lobbyiests, thus setting himself apart from other politicians, thus giving a reason to believe his promises!

[redqueen]

2. Exactly.

He actually at least seems to GET IT.

The others might as well live on Mars. Out of touch barely scratches the surface...

[Condem]

3. thanks, Manny

We need to here ALOT more examples that American's aren't buying this bullshit. It sounds like many Pennsylvanians aren't.

[knixphan]

4. exactly.

[Cha]

5. I think he'll make a damn good president..

and the more shit he's climbing through to get there the better he'll be.

Thanks for this report Manny..it does not surprise me.

And, here's a video of hilary's neighbors in Chappaqua, New York invading PA for OBAMA.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x118440

[here_is_to_hope]

6. As a resident of a town that could be full of bitter

and previously well employed people...the bitter flap just isn't. Now Hillary and her 'sniper' shit, yeah, they are still talking about that down at the cafe.

[bonzotex]

7. I heard that here in Texas too.

I listen to a lot of wingnut talk radio. Even here in Austin It's all conservative crap with one micro FM militia/conspiracy station. Really retarded stuff, yet somehow I can't stop listening. I do hear more people calling in to disagree with the Hillary/Obama/Democrats suck narrative than used to, but still the majority of callers are the same wingnut fucktards they have been for years.

The slurs on Obama by Clinton are not resonating with the Right-wing crowd. Don't get me wrong, they hate him, and they love any Democrat on Democrat catfight, but they don't care what Hillary says. They don't care what bitter-gate or orange juice-gate the pundits' are rattling on about. The caller's complaints for the most part are just ditto-head blither that could have come out of the speaker one, two, three, five, nine years ago. Their hearts are not in it like when they thought conservatives could win forever, but they aren't giving up.

Here's the standard script:

Clinton is a ruthless, power hungry, liberal feminazi cypto-fascist. (I know, don't try to make sense of it)

Obama on an angry, stealth-muslim, liberal commie n****r. (sorry, but that's what they mean)

They both want to raise your taxes, give the money to lazy, criminal darkies, take your guns away, unleash fags and dykes to teach your children to be fags and dykes, prevent you from being christian, give your job to Mexicans and simultaneously lose the war on terror while hating America and the troops.

On the militia/conspiracy radio they add that both Hillary and Obama are New World Order globalists who want to merge America with Canada and Mexico and let the UN raise your taxes, give it to Jewish Bankers then, poison the water and food supply, take your guns away, put your kids in camps where fags and dykes teach your children to be atheist fags and dykes, prevent you from being christian, give your job to Mexicans and simultaneously lose the war on terror while hating America and the troops. ...and Go Ron Paul!

It doesn't make any sense, it never has, it never will. These folks are immune to facts and reason.

For that crowd, that's as sophisticated as it will get from now until November. It's going to be God, guns and gays and hate'n brown people turned up to 11. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

There is absolutely no reason for Obama to pander to these people. (I don't think he is.) They will never ever vote for him no matter what he says or does. He's not losing any points in the polls because the AM hate-radio demographic hates him and always has. There are no "swing" voters to lose there. Most sane people are already going to vote Democratic in 2008. The Libertarian NWO conspiracy types at least hate Republicans too, but they won't crossover to Obama.

The good news?
Obama will win in a closer election than it should be if our Nation was sane. The Democrats will make huge gains in the House and Senate.

The Bad news?
The Talk radio cranks will be saying the same shit next year and the next and next...

[Condem]

8. Bonzotex

We want to hear more. Man, what is Texas thinking after eight years of this shit?

[bonzotex]

9. It's not all bad if you don't listen to talk radio!

The Texas Democratic Party is showing signs of life again. The Travis County Dem convention had over 7000 delegates show up. It was amazing. We have some great candidates standing up, including Rick Noriega, a strong challenger to Sen John Cornyn.

Obama has energized people here like I've never seen. The Clinton supporters were organized and fired up too. When the primary ends, I don't think there will be any Dem voters staying home because Hillary didn't get the nod.

At the street level, I don't run into to many loud and proud Republicans anymore. People get it. Even here there is a widespread understanding that Bush and his pals have screwed up everything they've touched. It's a hard crowd to convert to actually voting Democratic, however.

Texas conservatives have been trained for a generation to hate LIBRULS. They are more likely to stay home or vote Libertarian than go for Democrats in big numbers. If you get away from the cities you quickly enter deep red conservative wasteland. The God, Guns, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, kill more "mooslims" theme plays well here with the white conservatives. Interestingly, anti-Mexican sentiment is not as vibrant here as I think in other Repub states. Texans are used to Mexican immigrants and culture. Even the stupidest Texan conservatives know we can't round up and deport the illegal population.

Texas was never monolithically Republican though. Even in damn conservative areas there's been Democrats fighting. Now they are coming out and seeing the sun again. We'll see some more Texas Democratic gains in 2008 but I'd be shocked if Obama was even close (within say, 5 points) in the general election against McSame.