Reply #25: Well that's a given.

[Tatiana]

Look at how a typical, run-of-the-mill, conservative Dem, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives with a decent resume lost his bid for Tennessee Senator. Harold Ford, Jr. lost his bid for Senate because he couldn't overcome that "white resistance."

I'm sure Obama's team has some outreach strategy in the works, but I honestly don't know how you can fight that. A lot of those feelings are deeply rooted and I fear we have squandered the inroads Howard Dean made in that area. I think he has to be open, honest, and connect with those voters in a way that eases their fears and sends the message that his goal is to improve their way of life; not change or destroy it. Growing up in the south, I knew many whites who agreed with a lot of what Jesse Jackson said during his run for President, but they had huge fears regarding what they perceived his social policy to be.

I think it can be done; he has the charisma to move enough of the non-single-issue voters into his column, but he will really have to work hard on the stump. And he will definitely have to lure some of the traditional African-American party voters away from Clinton in order to have a shot at winning a good number of southern states.