My candidate lost tonight (and I am not talking about Hillary)

[dsc]

Jim Neal lost badly. It was sixty to eighteen, couldn't even break 1 in 5 votes in a Democratic primary. Now I could rail against homophobia and blame anti gay attitudes for the fact the first gay I have ever voted for in a statewide race lost so badly. And, lets face it, that might have had something to do with it. But, I won't, not without proof. It would be nice if Obama supporters could do the same.

[JVS]

1. What do you expect us to say when our candidate is relentlessly bashed for not appealing to the...

"white blue collar" voters"?

How would you like it if 30-odd thread popped up talking about Jim Neal not appealing to "Christian family" voters?

[dsc]

2. you don't think I heard just a few people say that

the fact is your candidate isn't appealing to poor whites and maybe, just maybe, it is something aside from racism. Maybe they care about health care and know your candidate's plan will make it worse. Maybe they don't trust him on NAFTA, for frankly pretty damn good reason. Maybe they prefer her solution to the mortgage crisis.

[JVS]

4. Or maybe they think he's a muslim, like 15% of the fucking mouthbreathers polled answered

[dsc]

5. yeah the poor can't possibly be informed

since they are college graduates like us. They must be ignorant haters. And you have the nerve to wonder why they find your campaign condesending. Just imagine if I had said things like that about the mostly black electorate who rejected my candidate.

[JVS]

7. Anyone who insists that Obama is a Muslim is a stupid fuck, and I offer no apology for saying so.

[dsc]

13. except you called all whites mouthbreathers

not just those who voted thinking he was a muslim.

[JVS]

14. No I didn't.

[livingmadness]

3. Oh bugger!

I was really hoping he might win ... if it was my state I would've voted for him. I didn't like the woman who beat him - her speech at the Jefferson was TERRIBLE!!

[dsc]

6. I didn't really think he would win

but this was a horrible showing.

[livingmadness]

12. Makes me mad!

If these elections are showing we still have a long way to go when it comes to issues of race and gender, then you sure as hell know its gotta be ten times as bad for GLBT. Which is why god, for me, has always been a Black, Lesbian Woman in a Wheelchair - cos that woman KNOWS about suffering!!

Really, really disappointed.

[gmudem]

8. I didn't follow the Senate primary at all

But from some quick research it seems like Neal was a bit of a long-shot candidate, especially in a state like North Carolina. It's pretty reasonable to say that there are people (idiotic people) who wouldn't vote for him because of his sexuality, just like it is reasonable to say that there are people who won't vote for Obama because of his race.

And on Neal's website, he posts a blog entry from Howie Klein in which Clinton is plainly called a "corporate shill."

http://jimnealforsenate.com/news/

And maybe they don't trust Obama on NAFTA, but there is no valid reason at all to trust Clinton on NAFTA. In fact, it's quite clear that she cannot be trusted on that issue.

[woolldog]

9. are there any exit polls that ask whether sexuality was an issue?

in the same way we have exit polls on whether race was an issue.

[ccharles000]

10. I voted for him.

[tpsbmam]

11. Me too. Greatly preferred him over Hagen. n/t