Salt-of-the-Earth report: It's Obama

[trof]

Bottom line: In Northeast Alabama Josephine Sixpack thinks Obama will win.
I don't know if she'll vote for him, but she pays enough attention to know he's ahead in the polls.

The Scene:
We stopped at around 7:30 a.m. on the last leg home of a 1500 mile road trip.
Ft. Payne, Alabama. Home of the band Alabama.
There's a museum and gift shop.
It wasn't open yet.

But the Country Kitchen was.
And I was craving a small town diner breakfast, not a Waffle House/Cracker Barrel breakfast.
The CK did not disappoint.

Josephine was owner, cook, and waitperson.
Average height, kinda chubby, long silver hair, and mid to late 60s I'd guess. Moved like her feet hurt.
She told me she had a "really old lady" who was the dishwasher/floor mopper.
Staff of 2.

We finished our meal and Jo poured some more coffee around.
We were the only customers at that hour on a Sunday Morning.
"Have a seat. Let me buy you a cup of coffee."
"Thanks, honey. Don't mind if I do. Lord, my feet hurt."
She took a chair.

"So...how are things in Ft. Payne?"
"Not real good, honey. Not good at all. All the mills are closed. Ain't no jobs. Young folks are leaving for Birmingham, Atlanta. Tryin' to find work."
A highway sign billed Ft. Payne as "The Sock Capital of the World".
Not any more.

Jo went on to tell us she was a grandmother raising two grandkids.
"I got my own trailer. It's a trailer, but it's mine and it's home to me. Them kids are both in high school and they're doin' good. The girl's in the band, but that sure costs some money. She helps me here some, as much as she can. The boy's got an after school and week end job at the Walmart, but they don't pay much. I wish they could go to college, but I don't see how they can. Soon as they get out they'll probably leave. Ya know, I work 7 days a week. Have for 30 years. I ain't never had a vacation."
I guess it was obvious to her that we were on something like a vacation. We were traveling through her town on a Sunday morning.

I broached the subject.
"So what do you think about the election?"
"I think Obama's probably gonna win. McLain(sic) seems like a good man, but he's awful old. And don't he have cancer? I'm afraid McLain might not make it. Maybe we need a young guy with some new stuff. I don't know. I don't have time to pay that much attention."

In Alabama, you could repeat Jo's story of grinding, day-after-day, fighting to stay just-above-stark-poverty over and over.
And I hope that Obama will really bring some kind of relief to these folks.

[LiberalAndProud]

1. k&r

[trof]

2. Thanks.

[childslibrarian]

3. Very nice post

Thanks

[trof]

10. Thank YOU.

[PaDem]

4. So many Americans.........

either don't have the time or don't make the time to be informed about politics and issues. There of course are all kinds of educated versions of Jo, folks with advance degrees and decent salaries that know little more than she does.

[trof]

9. She's an interesting study. And too typical.

One on hand heartbreaking.
On the other hand it kind of makes you think "Well, this lady ain't giving up."
She's raising two kids and (so far) she's managing to make it.
But just barely.
I dunno.

[wellstone dem]

5. Good for you for buying her coffee, I bet she got a tip too. nt

[trof]

7. After listening to her? I was a BIG tipper. More:

The bill for two breakfasts of eggs, sausage, grits, biscuits (so light they almost floated off the plate), coffee, and juice was ten bucks and change.
I left a $3 tip.

[Raven]

6. Hi Trof. I lived in Tuscaloosa in the early 70's. I could really hear this

story. People just soldier along and hope for the best. I lived next door to Buford Boone who was the publusher of the Tuscaloosa News. He covered the Selma marches and won a Pul. Prize for that. He showed me where a cross had been burned on his front lawn. For a girl from Boston, it was quite a lesson!

[trof]

8. Oh hell, I worked for Buford.

I worked for the Tuscaloosa News off and on during my time at the U. in the 60s.
Yeah, I bet it was real culture shock.
Next time I get up to Boston we really need to get together.

[trof]

11. It's a shame to miss Greatest by ONE vote.

Shameless kick.
;-)

[TooRaLoo]

12. Happy to be #5. nt

[trof]

13. Merci. Like your bumper sticker.