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View from Appalachia

Submitted September 6, 2008 - 4:30 pm by David in VA (not verified)

I haven't commented since the URL switch either, but felt compelled to chime in.

I'm involved with the campaign in Page County, VA, where we have unprecedented enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket this year. Our office is about 9 miles west of the Appalachian Trail, though I admit we've had a significant influx of residents who are escaping the high cost and density of DC, which could skew comparisons with more centrally Appalachian areas.

However, as we call around this very Republican county, we're getting very similar numbers of Obama and McCain supporters, with a huge number of undecided voters. And when those voters share the issues that matter to them, they're almost always the ones that Obama is strongest on.

This week, we've started to see a marked increase in volunteers, as well as more people who say they usually vote Republican, but can't do so this time. Ironically, it's the Republican convention that seems to be triggering better results in our polling, especially Palin's speech. She certainly energized our base, and I don't get the impression that she played well here among independents.

The negatives in Appalachia for us include racism, evangelical dominance in the culture and media, and a recent tradition of voting Republican. However, my gut says that racism is unlikely to tip many voters from Obama or to McCain, as the most racist folks are already voting Republican. Instead, I expect it to keep apathetic voters from making a choice. And, while the culture is dominated by evangelicals, they are not a majority. Finally, this corner of Appalachia is fiercely independent, and many of those Republican voters are more Libertarian in spirit. Obama has strong appeal to those voters, and most of the Libertarians I know intend to vote for him. (They are in utter disbelief that Bob Barr got the nomination.)

We've recently gotten several enthusiastic volunteers who, only two weeks ago, were Hillary holdouts.

I guess all I'm sayin' is don't discount Appalachia. This is an area ripe for the pickin', especially when it comes to voter persuasion. A strong populist message could easily override the negatives we face here. And volunteers in the local campaigns are the best people to carry that message.

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