Obama is the darling of Democratic elites, but isn't catching on among blue-collar workers and other less-educated Democratic constituencies (except for blacks, where he does fairly well). An example of this problem, as well as evidence that he's as ignorant about agriculture as he is about foreign policy, from Andrew Romano of Newsweek:
On a sunlit Friday afternoon in July, Barack Obama stopped by Beverly Van Fossen's farm in Adel, Iowa, to speak about "rural issues." It was standard Hawkeye State stumping--until the senator took a stab at sympathizing with farmers whose crop prices have stagnated."Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?" he asked. Unfortunately, Adel isn't exactly arugula country. "Someone near me whispered, 'What's arugula?' " says Van Fossen, 74. " 'You can't find that in Iowa'."
Same goes for Whole Foods. The closest locations, reported The New York Times that evening, are in Omaha, Neb.; Kansas City, Kans., and Minneapolis. Whoops.
Read the whole article at the above link. This is the Democrats' dilemma: the overall political situation favors them strongly with the President's popularity and job approval ratings depressed, widespread dissatisfaction with the Iraq War, and the passage of just enough time for the voters to forget what liberal Democrats do with power.
BUT, they have to nominate a specific candidate, not the "generic Democrat" who does so well matched up against a "generic Republican," and all their candidates have flaws it won't take Karl Rove to expose.
Obama should save the arugula to serve when he hugs Castro and Kim.
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Filed under:
2008 Presidential Race, Democrats, Obama, Primaries
Tags: Democrat, Obama, presidential campaign
Comments (3)
OK, we get it. You don't l... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Jason Raymond | August 13, 2007 4:41 PM | Score: -2 (2 votes cast)
OK, we get it. You don't like Obama. Go ahead and keep bashing. We are tired of the guys you like. We don't want someone to use nuclear weapons, and we are sorry that Mr. Obama does not have time to figure out what kind of lettuce they sell in Iowa. Iowa is completely irrelevant. Who cares about what Mr. Des Moines, 74, says about anything? Please comment on the ISSUES. You know, what really matters?
1. Posted by Jason Raymond | August 13, 2007 4:41 PM |
Score: -2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on August 13, 2007 16:41
2. Posted by Jim Addison | August 13, 2007 5:07 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Apparently OBAMA cares, else why is he there if "Iowa is completely irrelevant" then?
More proof that Obama supporters are as clueless as he is . . .
2. Posted by Jim Addison | August 13, 2007 5:07 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on August 13, 2007 17:07
3. Posted by Falze | August 14, 2007 11:15 AM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Are you kidding me? If this were a Republican it would be front page news, gaffe of the century, 'out of touch elitist', the jokes would go on for weeks on the late night talk shows, reporters would be lining up to ask Barack how many gallons fit in a hogshead, miserable unkempt people that make 22k a year would be located and encouraged to ask him at campaign stops whether he's ever shopped at an A&P or feed store instead of (mockingly) Whoooooole Fooooods and know what people that can't afford organic soy produce have to subsist on, maybe ask for a meatloaf recipie.
There's no media bias, though. Nope. This just, you know, isn't newsworthy. Certainly not as newsworthy as a southerner supposedly calling an indian guy a virtually unknown, supposed derogatory term for a black person.
3. Posted by Falze | August 14, 2007 11:15 AM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on August 14, 2007 11:15