Any theories as to why Obama is so popular in the West?

[BluegrassDem]

At least in my lifetime, I've never seen a Democratic national politician as popular in the western U.S., specifically the Rocky Mountain states, as Barack Obama. He's even doing well in the Dakotas. I saw one poll a month or so ago showing him and McCain virtually tied in North Dakota of all places!

Al Gore and John Kerry certainly weren't popular in that part of the country, but I don't think Obama's positions on issues are much different than Gore or Kerry, so what gives? I really have a hard time coming up with an explanation on this one. It's something kinda unprecedented. Of course, I'm not saying Obama is gonna win all those western states, but he's gonna compete there as strongly as any Democratic candidate in recent memory. He certainly has an excellent chance to win Colorado and New Mexico. He'd probably win Arizona if McCain weren't on the ballot. You definitely won't see any double digit blowouts of Obama in ANY western state this year, including Idaho.

It's just so peculiar that a black guy with a funny name from Chicago seems to be well loved in the western U.S. w/out any obvious ties.

[Yael]

1. His positions aren't that far off from Mrs. Clinton's either

It is HOW he is running this campaign that has people fired up, IMO.

[stevietheman]

74. Except on foreign policy, where they are far apart. n/t

n/t

[graywarrior]

2. He's the dude.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

41. }

[graywarrior]

44. Dude!

[boppers]

63. The west has a different tradition about people of color.

Anybody from the real west (not the metropolis, gentrified, west) knows that the west was built by blacks, asians, hispanics, the irish, heck, all the people that the colonies marginalized sought freedom out here.

As such, we tend to be a bit more color blind, and a little less entrenched in pre-slavery thinking about "color" and "race".

[graywarrior]

66. Excellent explanation.

[tokenlib]

3. Maybe they saw the pictures of him in a cowboy hat...

Seriously, I think it is because he is seeking to run a 50 state campaing. He treats them with respect, cares about their concerns.

He looked awesome in the hat...C'mon who's got the picture???

[hexola]

5. Cowboy Up!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattwright/400394507/

[movonne]

8. That really is a good picture of him...

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

68. HE'S SEXY!!!! Boy, if he wasn't married with children, I'd sop him up with a buiscuit! n/t

[Pool Hall Ace]

26. Oh wow . . . I hope it is not disrespectful

to say that our future president is HOT!!

[crankychatter]

4. ethnocentricity and race identification diminishes as you drive west

That's not to imply it's non-existent.

Now, however, with the increased mobility of urban populations... the inclusiveness of Western Culture is drifting East.

I think that's a good thing.

[EFerrari]

21. This history of the West sure isn't the history of the East coast.

Racism isn't non-existant here. The other night on a doc about the CA gold rush, they showed how white miners ran Latino miners off of their own claims -- both miners from Latin America AND Californo miners who'd been born here. There has been, maybe there still is, a lot of discrimination against Chinese workers, and we had the internment camps for Japanese/American residents and citizens during WWII.

(San Francisco is sort of a special case, though, because it went from being a village to being a city in a very short time. And it's never completely lost the feel of being a transformational social space.)

[crankychatter]

35. When I first sat on a bench in a Carpenter's Union Hall in SF

there were NO African American Carpenters

they were forced to join the Laborers and THAT was the mid sixties

They didn't integrate the high schools until about that time either

still, I've lived in both places.... and some midwest states...

the East is like a Foreign country to me....

[grantcart]

37. also identification to political parties are a lot less in the west

I think the west is also going through a movement away from far right conservative religion as well.

Its related to the more rugged individualism of the west and also the fact that California has a much stronger impact on culture.

It will be interesting to see how same sex marriages in CA impact its neighboring states.

[Jed Dilligan]

6. That's all east to me. I hope he can do better in my state!

I guarantee that he will win here in November--I just want him to win big.

~JD, 100% Californian

[movonne]

7. He just has that something...it is something that makes them a

star..John and Robert Kennedy had it..as much as i hate to say Reagan had it..

[yardwork]

9. I think that the entire country - with the exception of Appalachia - is enthused about Obama.

I truly believe that the only major demographic that doesn't like Obama resides in Appalachia, and I think that stems from the fact that that is a very isolated, homogenous population that is simply reluctant to vote for a black man with a funny name.

Everywhere else Democrats of all colors, ethnicities, cultures, genders, and points of view love him.

[BlooInBloo]

11. Yup. Clinton landslide regions makes that clear...

EDIT: Added graphical clarification.

[TexasObserver]

67. That looks like a chart of most adults with missing teeth.

The darker the county, the fewer teeth for its adult residents.

[movonne]

13. You can see that in states such as Oregon, where most of hillary's

support came for the rural area's...here in our rural area's limpballs is about the only thing on the radio except for some western music..

[Saturday]

22. Get a clue, 17 million Democrats voted for Hillary in all those states. nt

[yardwork]

31. 17 million out of 300 million Americans. Wow, what a majority.

[skipos]

10. Lots of educated, black, young, latte librul cowboys? nt

[Cha]

54. And cowgirls!

:)

[swishyfeet]

12. I think Hillary has a lot of ties and support on the East coast that she doesn't here

[kentuck]

14. Because Hillary is so unpopular. ??

The West is much younger than other parts of the country demographically, also.

[RichardRay]

15. Respect

You can say a lot of disagreeable and contrary things to folks in this part of the West (I'm in Wyoming) and still get along just fine, as long as it's done with respect and a modicum of good manners. It's even possible to change somebody's opinion, but don't start with trying to do that - first is the respect and willingness to allow others to have their positions. After that, conversation can proceed.

I think Senator Obama does that really well, and even the crustiest old Republican cowboy will return the respect when it's offered.

[mikekohr]

16. Authenticity

Senator Obama is not a pandering phony. It shows to those of us that care about such things.

mike kohr

[Major Hogwash]

49. That's it, right there, pardner. Ya beat me to it, Mike.

Glad to have ya here. I'm from Idaho, and we need all of the Westerners we can get.

[Barack_America]

57. *ding ding ding* We have a winner!

In the Midwest/West we don't always expect to agree with everyone, but we do expect people to be honest and forthright.

If you give is that, we'll strongly consider what you have to say.

[woolldog]

87. I thought you were in PA

That's not the west. :P

[Barack_America]

90. Born and raised...

In Michigan.

That's not exactly the West either, or even the Midwest, but it's closer. :P

[HCE SuiGeneris]

17. In the inimitable words of Jim Morrison...

"The west is the best!"

:hide:

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[woolldog]

19. because we're less establishment -oriented out here.

I believe states are younger too. For example lots of young people moving to Colorado.

I think the fastest growing states are out West and a lot of people are from a mix of different parts of the country and backgrounds. I think this makes people more open towards differences, more open-minded, and less homogenous?

Just a semi-guess...

[Undercurrent]

20. .

We Westerners have long loved tall, dark, and handsome men with cool demeanors. Folks out here loved Ronald Reagan too, even when they didn't like his policies, they still liked him as an iconic figure.

There is a love out West for strong, calm and steady women too. Just look at our Western women governors.

[LittleBlue]

23. We're less concerned about race, religion, and family connections

in the West. We don't buy the MSM spin out here.

[LittleBlue]

24. Deleted

[PurityOfEssence]

25. We're big on fads out here, always have been

It's part of our charm.

[RichardRay]

28. Please. California, yes, but Montana or Wyoming?

We're still not certain that the whole automobile thing will last - and we may be right!

[yardwork]

33. Your states will wait out the obvious automobile mistake and be ahead of the curve

when it's replaced with a much better technology!

[FrenchieCat]

36. Thank God that the fad of the 1990s is over and done with.....

That one should have only lasted 8 years max.....and so, it appears that the Clinton fad and the fanaticism that went with it is out of the door, except for in WV and KT. Good to see.

[samsingh]

27. because he's smart and talented.

[aaaaaa5a]

29. I think it's due to demographics

There has been a lot of discussion about black/white, men/women, educated/uneducated etc.

But the most least talked about demographic is the age factor.

The younger you are, the more likely you are to vote for Obama. That has been true even in states where Obama did not fair well. If this race were only among people 45 and under, Obama would be winning by a much wider margin.

Interestingly, I think this even explains Keith Olberman's rise in the TV ratings. Look how strong his show is in the key 25-54 demo. Last week he was beating O'rielly among younger viewers. This is the same demographic that votes for Obama. And interestingly it is men AND WOMEN.

Old people vote for Clinton and watch FOX.

Young people vote for Obama and watch MSNBC.

Those are the facts.


The Western states track younger. The Western States are made of people who grew up in the East and then moved out West. You don't have as many 80 year old grandmothers who are the 4th generation of their family still living in the same neighborhood the way you do in Pennsylvania. This favors Obama.

I think this is why Obama tracks so well.

It is also the reason Obama will do well in North Carolina and Virginia in the general election. These states have changed too. Younger, more affluent, mobile and educated people have left the traditional cities and have settled there.

Because of this Obama will run better in places like Raleigh, Charlotte, and Richmond than he will in an old city like Pittsburgh.

Young voters are Obama's key to winning.

Just my theory.

[yardwork]

32. Many polls show that Obama is more popular among the younger groups.

That's one reason why Hillary's comment about RFK's assassination was really stupid, because it outraged the same demographic that was the only one left supporting her - oldsters like me.

[GoesTo11]

30. This

[depakid]

34. I think you overestimate his popularity

While he's quite popular along the coastal strip, his chances of carrying the intermountain west or the Dakotas are slim to none. His best shot would be by carrying urban areas of Colorado, but even that's against the odds.

[FrenchieCat]

38. I think it is those who underestimate Obama that tend to get in trouble......

(see Clinton).

[depakid]

52. Hubris (or unfettered exuberence) is a dangerous thing

as I suspect some will find out the hard way come November.

[FrenchieCat]

59. If you believe that a 72 year old Washington senator who can barely speak

and who supports war and the current economic policies is what is going to do Obama in, you must only be concerned about the content of melanin in Obama's skin, my friend.

That's too bad that you believe that everyone else thinks like you.
Please know, they don't. Even with Hillary and the media begging them to be.
That's why Obama is the nominee.

[depakid]

65. I just recognize the inertia that exists in key states

which isn't rational in light of the current set of policies, but nevertheless exists- as we've seen time and again.

And it has much less to do with the color of one's skin than with the nature of the campaign, the inexperience of the candidate and the behavior of the supporters.

Obama's silly graphics may play well here in Oregon- but they won't in the rust belt- and the more that you and others like you imply that people like me- who are simply giving you and honest take, are racists, the worse you'll likely lose in November.

Kinda sad, really- but unfortunately that's the way the electoral college is- the progressive areas are held hostage by places like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin- which in turn are held hostage by the corporate media and their own inertia (tradition?) and resistence to change that would benefit us all.

And when I say all, I'm taking an international view as well.

[rug]

39. He's only demonstrated popularity there in the primary.

He's unlikely to carry many in the general election.

[AllentownJake]

40. Blazing Sandles?

Sorry if anyone took offense to that.

[Blue-Jay]

42. Obviously, Westerners are sexist.

There couldn't be any other explanation, am I right?

[CreekDog]

43. it's his style

easterners are angry, calculating. Obama seems different. :hide:

[sandnsea]

45. Despair over Bush Republicans

And the realization that they bring environmental and economic disaster. MT, ND, CO, NV, have a history of voting Dem. We also expect relatively clean politics out here. If he can break through on national security and convince on the Constitution, he'll clean up in the west.

[Peacetrain]

46. We like Obama, he has spent time with us.. I am in Iowa,

and while it gets very tiresome the long run up to the Iowa caucuses , we really do get to know the candidates.. and it makes its way westward better than eastward I think.. I have spent time with Michelle in a small venue, and not only is she beautiful on the outside, she is on the inside too.. we get to know them that way.. I got to see Barack with just a few people around.. and look him in the eye.. he is one of us.. he knows us, he is us..I think that people out east are getting Barack defined by the right wing windbags, and others.. and he does not have the time to spend with them, like he did here..Hillary is a better know quantity, it is as simple as that..they just have not got to know the real Barack.. because if they did.. well lets just say this thing would have been over long ago!!

[Auntie Bush]

47. I'll tell you what gives....

Besides the fact that he is charismatic and gives inspirational speeches and gets peoples attention.... The Western states are republican and have always HATED the Clintons so he comes with a built in huge advantage. Now most of them hate bush* too and anything to do with him...so they turned to Obama. Of course this isn't the only reason...there's a lot to like about him. I'm just trying to come up with an explanation to your question as to what gives...... Haven't given it much thought before but this sounds like a plausible possibility to me. :shrug:

[davidpdx]

71. Correction, not all western states are Republican

Oregon and Washington are very liberal. Montana has made some progress by electing a D Governor and US Senator. Idaho, well is just Idaho. Nevada has some liberal enclaves. Colorado has a new Governor, Bill Riiter, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Governor Bill Richardson New Mexico,Washington Governor Christine Gregoire.

Granted we can pretty much forget Oklahoma, Utah, and probably Idaho

I'll take what we have enough to work with.

[Major Hogwash]

48. One word: Authentic.

Nothing means more out here in the West than something that is "authentic".

You can tell he means what he says.

By the way, Kerry was pretty popular here in 2004, with the Democrats, anyway.

[anonymous171]

50. Westerners really like Outsider candidates.

[leftstreet]

61. Absolutely correct!

Perot did well in the west, as did Nader.

And even (ahem) Ron Paul.

[texas_indy]

51. Must be due to all the lazy, rich, educated white people, eh?? .......nt

[Stephanie]

53. No history of racial strife in the West = racism is not a factor

Obama is being judged on the merits.

[Neshanic]

55. Waaa? Jesus what history books do you read?

[Stephanie]

56. Obviously it is a very different history than the South

If you are calling me out for saying "no" history of strife, okay. But the strife was not so much black & white. I am talking Gold Rush pioneer states. The racism was directed at Native Americans and some other groups, such as Chinese. There was not much of an AA community to persecute.

[bhikkhu]

64. It was not legal for a black man to be in OR after sunset until 1925.

At least in my part of the country, that is the some of the history of why there is not much of an AA community to persecute.

But with that said, I think we follow the same modern curve on civil rights - the older generations are more likely to "get" racism, while to the younger generations it makes no sense at all. Oregon is young, and I am happy to say we will be vote Obama in the GE.

[mikekohr]

75. "Sunset Laws" Were Common All Over The Nation, Even Here In The Land of Lincoln

We live in downstate Illinois, in Bureau County. My wife, as a 5th grade school student, was involved in a successful effort to remove such a law from her hometown of Cherry, IL in 1970. Although the law had not been enforced in decades, town officials had to be convinced of the importance of striking such a law from the village code.

These codes/laws were common ordinances in our county and across the nation. In the late 1950's my father went to Turn Hall in Peru, IL, in neighboring La Salle county to see Duke Ellington perform. The appearance of such a well known artist as Ellington was a local sensation and created quite a bit of excitement. The public enthusiasm over Mr Ellington's appearance did not exempt him from having to stay at night in nearby Spring Valley, IL., because "Negroes" were not allowed to stay past dark in Peru.

Spring Valley had a "Negro" section in the far west end, a hold-over from the coal mining era when the local coal mining companies shipped in Blacks from Chicago attempting to break a strike by the Coal Miner Union. Just another example of the rich and powerful pitting one group of working class people against the other.

The "Sunset Laws," are gone now, but the politics of division remain.

mike kohr

[2008]

58. BECAUSE WE KICK ASS

:dem:
we thought y'all knew that

[quantass]

60. Better Educated -- the more you know, the less you want from Hillary.

[PM7nj]

62. True. Very true.

Hillary's 3 biggest wins came from the country's 3 states with the lowest percent of people with a college degree. West Virginia is ranked 50th, Arkansas 49th, and Kentucky 48th.

Of course there are exceptions. Hillary won NJ (ranked 3rd).

Montana is 28th and South Dakota is 31st.

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ranks/rank19.htm

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

69. But I thought we Obamabots were all stupid, according to some on DU? n/t

[kiranon]

89. An elite based campaign will lose in November as they have before.

The party needs to be inclusive not exclusive. If it looks down on half of its base, it will lose the election in November. There are plenty of intelligent educated people who support Hillary. That is not the demographic that will win the election for Obama or Hillary. The Democratic Party has historically supported the working man and woman and it won't help to turn your back on the hardworking people who made this country great.

[rox63]

70. Because he actually bothered to set up organizations and campaign in those states

Hillary never thought past February 5th, and wrote off the mountain-west states as lost causes. Obama has campaigned in every state, and has campaign infrastructure in every state. He doesn't take any vote for granted.

[onenote]

72. because the further you get from the center of power, the more open you are to the unconventional

The NY/Washington power axis is by its very nature conservative. It changes incrementally at all and it sticks to conventional thinking. The further you get from that center of power, the less "peer pressure" to conform and the more willingness to consider something unconventional -- and Obama is definitely an unconventional choice to be a major party presidential candidate by traditional DC standards.

Its a good thing when the echo chamber that is DC gets overwhelmed by ideas from outside that echo chamber.

[Renaissance Man]

73. Here's my take on it!

I look at it from a historical perspective, and he has a much better shot of possibly picking up a couple of states in the Mountain West due to the Missouri Compromise.

There is no "Southern Strategy" to be implemented in the Mountain West because that area doesn't have the stain of slavery (though, in some part, it does have some history of discrimination) or Jim Crow embedded in it. Therefore, I think that people are more willing to be open-minded because their life experiences don't necessarily align with claims of "welfare queens" (the irony of that concept, in and of itself) and so-called "reverse discrimination" as it does in the South (and in Appalachia).

[Carrieyazel]

76. As soon as he gets defined by the other side, his numbers likely go down in the West.

He's basically Kerry 2.0, except younger, with the strange name and unique racial background.

[rucky]

77. It's the whole Mac vs. PC thing. n/t

[AspenRose]

78. sigh

I miss the west. :cry:

[OzarkDem]

79. He's not, really

His popularity is with the Dems in those states who are very small minorities.

Obama has very little chance of carrying those states in the GE. Sorry, its just reality.

[PM7nj]

80. Fine then. Why is Obama so popular with the "small minorities" of Dems in he West?

:)

And BTW, Obama has a very good chance of winning Iowa, Colorado, New Mexico, and maybe even Nevada. He also makes North Dakota and Montana competitive.

[OzarkDem]

81. Pipe dream

Without key swing states, he doesn't stand a chance. You're using the Dukakis, Mondale argument. Didn't work out so well for them, either.

Why is Obama so unpopular with Hispanics?

[PM7nj]

82. Swing states? You mean Ohio and Florida?

There are other swing states by the way. They are called Iowa, Colorado, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Nevada, and this year Virginia.

Actually, it seems Obama is quite popular among Hispanics.

[OzarkDem]

83. Also PA and MI

Yeah, Dukakis and Mondale thought they could win without them, too.

[PM7nj]

84. Obama will win PA.

Trust me. Philadelphia and its suburbs will deliver PA for Obama. Just like they delivered it for Kerry, Gore, and Clinton.

I don't know anything about Michigan, but I have a feeling they won't be turning red this year.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

91. Can Hillary win swing states, particularly with her very high negatives...

and divisiveness? She's far too polarizing and all of the Independents that have given the Dems a look will march right back to the Repugs.

No, thanks! Hillary needs to go and sit down somewhere after the primaries are over.

[Hamlette]

85. he wins the "who would you want to have a drink with"

You'd be a rock star if you went to a bar with him. If you went with McCain you'd have to listen to a crotchety old man talk about his bad health.

[POAS]

86. Because they are sexists

[kiranon]

88. What about Clinton's win in California or are we too far West?

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

94. Polls are showing that Obama beats her if the election were held today...

Californians are experiencing buyers remorse. CA's primary was held earlier on in the campaign and a large chunk of Hillary votes came from Early Voting and during a time when Obama was a virtual unknown.

Bottom line: The more people get to know Obama, the more they actually like him!

[Hippo_Tron]

92. Because Hillary didn't bother campaigning there and laughed at Obama for doing so

Those states are red partly because Democrats abandoned them. We used to have Progressive Democrats from Idaho like Frank Church and Cecil Andrus. That ended when we abandoned Idaho to the Republicans.

The politics of the west are very different from the politics of the south. When the Democrats controlled southern states most of them were even more right wing than today's DINOs. Yes there were exceptions like Jimmy Carter but most of them were right wingers.

Out west you used to get more progressive/populist Democrats until the Democrats abandoned those states in the 80's. We're starting to see Democrats make a comeback there with people like Brian Schweitzer and John Tester, though. The west isn't conservative like the south is. It's libertarian, particularly on gun issues. Guns and lack of organization are the things that really keep Democrats from winning out west.

[jillan]

93. Not in Arizona - Arizona is HILLARY COUNTRY!

Woooohoooooo!