It’s not race, it’s arugula
The Weekly Standard‘s Noemie Emery disputes the media’s facile, predictable racial interpretation of Obama’s poor showing in Appalachia. It’s not because of race, but rather reflects a deep national divide between action-oriented Jacksonians versus clerical, paper-pushing Brahmins:
Let us call this rival approach the Barone Manifesto, after its author, political analyst Michael Barone, who crunched the poll numbers for Obama’s primary battles with Hillary Clinton and discovered that while the former did exceedingly well with white voters in university towns and state capitals, he did poorly almost everywhere else. From this, Barone broke the electorate down into two large divisions–academics and state employees who live in these places, whom he calls Academicians, and Jacksonians, who live elsewhere, especially in the regions close to the Appalachian mountains.
Yep, that’s it. Academicians eat arugula, and worry about its price at Whole Foods. Jacksonians don’t.
There’s nothing wrong with being an academician or eating arugula (hey, I do), you’re just going to have a hard time selling yourself to Jacksonian America as the kind of bold leader they’re looking for. Even if you were the bestest “community activist” in all of Chicago.
Emery’s last paragraph is interesting:
Now let us imagine a different candidate, one who looks like Barack Obama, with the same mixed-race, international background, even the same middle name. But this time, he is Colonel Obama, a veteran of the war in Iraq, a kick-ass Marine with a “take no prisoners” attitude, who vows to follow Osama bin Laden to the outskirts of Hell. He comes from the culture of the military (the most color blind and merit-based in the country), and not the rarefied air of Hyde Park. He goes to a church with a mixed-race congregation and a rational preacher. He has never met Bill Ayers, and if he did he would flatten him. He thinks arugula is a town near Bogota and has Toby Keith on his favorites list. Would he strike no chords at all in Jacksonian country? Does anyone think he would lose 90 to 9 in Buchanan County? Or lose West Virginia by 41 points? For those Jacksonians who would be fine with a black man in the White House (not as tiny a group as Newsweek thinks), Colonel Obama is the one we are waiting for. When we will get him is anyone’s guess.
I don’t know about Colonel Obama, but there’s one politician on the scene this year running for Congress in Florida who completes Emery’s List (heh) pretty nicely: Lt. Col. Allen West. What an amazing biography– and he’s even against amnesty:
In my time spent in Afghanistan I saw first-hand how an unprotected border can destabilize an entire country. All you hear coming out of Washington is foolish rhetoric about writing new laws and creating new government programs that sound good on paper but do nothing to solve the problem. Our border patrol officers put their lives on the line every day protecting our borders and engaging in high-powered gun battles. The duties they perform go beyond those of an immigration official. They are defending our borders and it is time we equip them with the tools they need to secure our border. As your congressman, I will push to move the Border Patrol out of the INS and into the Department of Defense. This is not a social issue; this is a national security issue.
Furthermore, something tells me LTC West isn’t going to be very patient with the Supreme Court’s handwringing on interrogation.
LTC West’s feelings about arugula remain unknown, although I think we would be willing to overlook a few youthful indiscretions of that nature.
UPDATE: via Robert Stacy McCain, here’s a sample of LTC West speaking:
Not too shabby. (I think he’s wrong about American weapons going to bin Laden through our assistance to the mujahideen in the 80′s; OBL was in a separate group funded by the Saudis.) But seriously, good speech.
Note the part where West says his opponent has more money than he does. Hint, hint.
Come on, what do you want, a video of Allen West chewing out CAIR as unindicted co-conspirators and “an insurgency in our country” and taking up for FISA?
MORE: Back on Jacksonians v. Arugulaticians, here’s Cuffy with a pretty good photoshop.
_________________________
{Post by See-Dubya. Cover picture by the talented Tennyson.}
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Lt. Col West is quite an impressive candidate and oh do I love his concern with our border…..he is the man Obama wishes he could be!
I must say, I never thought I’d see my home county (Buchanan) ever mentioned in some sort of national article like this. But I think it’s pretty much spot on. Bravo!
It is typical for the left to poo-poo the objections of the unwashed, unenlightened masses, with the flip analysis of racism as the reason they don’t like Obama.
Barone is spot-on with his analysis. While there will always be those idiots who vote by skin tone, most look at character, experience, temperment and motivation.
Nice analysis by Michael Barone about the real world way Jacksonian Democrats look at this country or as I have heard it explained they are mostly live and let live, but screw with me, my family, or my country and I will kill you. They have much in common with the family values my wife and I grew up with love of God and country and willing to serve this country as members of the military especially in time of war. The gulf between Obama and Jacksonian voters is almost as wide as that of conservatives and McCain.
Lt Col West sounds like a common sense candidate to send to the District of Criminals we need a lot more men and women with military experience in congress. At least most veterans have some pretty could experience of identifying a problem and developing and implementing a course of action to correct it. No more lawyers making laws please I and many Americans have had it with these professional ambulance chasers only making laws to either screw up this country or fill their own pockets or those of their benefactors and special interest groups.
I guess Eloi and Morlocks where taken..
Research who Obama was working for when he was a “community activist”. It will have you seeing “red”.
A real conservative politician?!? Quick someone capture him and start a breeding program. I’m sure the leftists will support putting him on the endangered species list and offer enormous federal grants immediately.
Wait. His name is “Obama” and not “O’Bama?” And he is NOT Irish Catholic? Geeze, I thought that was what the fuss was all about, with all those arguments about religion and odd-ball priests.
That’s a relief. I had hoped we got past that “Catholic stuff” with that last nice Irish boy who got elected back in 1960.
Now what is all this about Mr.
O’Bama, er, Obama wanting to “bill airs,” and “burn Aden down?” That doesn’t seem too practical and besides I think they change the name from “Aden” to “North Yemen” some time ago. You people need to be more clear.With Obama, you can analyze and rationalize, and come up with all sorts of explanations. But, in the end, it is still a matter of race. That’s the only reason most of his people support him. If he was anything else, he wouldn’t have even “gotten up to bat”.
I work in close proximity with a pair of rabid Obamites (one is American one is Turkish) and I can assure you they are both obsessed with finding racism in any criticism of their candidate. They’re not entirely sure where I stand (I have no intention whatever of getting into a political Donnybrook at work), but they know about everybody else. At least they mute the “Effin’ racists” comments when I am around.
Annoying as it is, their antics are highly indicative of the level of intensity that Obama has conjured up in this country and the real danger he represents. Republicans have been sniping at Obama over any number of gaffes and dealings with unsavory people, but I can assure you such has absolutely no affect whatever on Obama’s followers. Their quasi-religious devotion is far in excess of anything McGovern’s supporters possessed and anyone who thinks this election will be a repeat of ’72 is in for a severe disappointment. It’s been two generations and McGovern would now be viewed as a moderate centrist.
Unless the Republicans can convey a strong and credible Reaganesque vision — not terribly likely given their candidate and their ideological confusion — the Obamites will win and will crucify this country on a cross of race (slight apologies to W. J. Bryan).
What’s arugula (other than something lettuce-like)? I wouldn’t know what it was until a labeled box of it fell on me. However my objections to Obama are purely based on his policies, not his race.
LTC West seems to be quite the candidate. Now if only I lived in Broward county….
uh, um, er, ah,
I read Jim Webbs book “Born Fighting How the Scots Irish Shaped America” this very topic Appalachia and Jacksonian political idealogy it looks like someone at the Weekly Standard reads Jim Webb’s non fiction also. This is regurgitation. I read reviews of Webbs book above on Amazon, and one of the reviewers, accuses him of trying to rehabilate rednecks and hillbillys
The reviewer doesn’t appear to have ever read “Albion’s Seed, Four British Folkways in America” by David Hackett Fischer. Obama does have a big problem with a large segment of the Democrat’s demographics. This segment of the party doesn’t trust the elite ruling class WASP. I believe this is why Jim Webb is being considered as a possible VP pick? I have read the NYT and one article claimed that “Webb was too masculine to be Vice President” this is how big the chasm between the Progressives and the so called Reagan Democrats exsist. Senator Webb like Senator Obama is a freshman U.S. Senator and has not filled out an entire term in the Senate.
Jim Webb points out in his book that there about 17 different white ethnicities in America, the above Scots Irish being one of them- Follow Jacksonian’ style leadership, they are invisable they are lumped in with the WASPS and they are polar opposites.
What you are saying may be true, but what the article is trying to say is that the reason some regions of the county don’t support him isn’t a matter of race, but simply differing political views. Obama just doesn’t mesh with their beliefs. There are rural and small town Americans who are Democrats, but on the whole they aren’t normally ultra-liberal types. They retain the rural and small town values.
Just a few thoughts from a country boy.
Colonel Sanders has a pretty good following in Kentucky. Most Kentucky colonels sit on the front porch in white suits and sip mint juleps….
I wish we had a presidential candidate who spoke in such logical terms as LTC West about our unsecured border but it isn’t to be.
The gender or color of the candidates is not the issue with me. This fella is a solid Lefty, that puts him in the “negative” column around my house every time ! The race baiters need to stay out of this one. Oblama is a puppet fool who would throw THEM under the bus if it meant gaining power for himself. Oh, and his wife of course, since she seems to wear the penis in that house.
lol
ot-
Hey aj— Newsflash!!!!! Discovery is landing.
/s/
jose
This Californian supports honorable citizens -NATIONWIDE- who put their “toe to the line” in order to RUN FOR OFFICE!
$$$$$$$ help them a lot.
Their VOTES in National Office –AFFECT US ALL>>>>>>>>>>>>
I bet the 90-95% of blacks who mindlessly vote democrat over and over and over (to their own misfortune. Idiots), and are voting for B Hussein Obama just because he’s black and it’s about time!!!, would be shocked-SHOCKED-that us “typical white people” would happily vote for the colonel…
We won’t vote for Barry because he is a racist and a radical, and he and his lovely wife hate this great country. NOT because he’s half black…
I could care less about the color of a candidate. I born and raised in Appalachia (southern Ohio) and I am retired from the US Army. I’ve only contributed to one political campaign in my life, Ken Blackwell’s run for Ohio governor.
It’s the issues and character that matter, not the color.
Good luck LTC West.
>>>>Touchdown!<<<<
saw it jose, thanks…..
Any bets that Col. WEST knows his AMERICA HISTORY?
Any bets that he knows that the SUPREME COURT was origionally intended to be the LEAST powerful branch of the Federal government?
His vote will make a difference….CALIFORNIANS
WE HAVE FEW OPTIONS HERE-
HOW about Col. WEST?!!!!
Thank you – see-duby- for informing us about West.
From what I understand, he worked as a consultant to ACORN, which to me is just as bad as the church us used to attend. Unfortunately, relatively few Americans have even heard about ACORN, and even less know much about them. As bad as this is, what is most disturbing is that somehow being a communtity activist is considered a qualification to be president.
see-dubya- thank you for this one too:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID={E5C74822-384B-4583-9D48-527075D1FA73}
cross off Bob Barr-I was willing to shut one eye in Nov. and vote for him——after reading the above—-NO BOB BARR.
that right… its not race…
Its Culture…
And I’ll admit, I’m a culturalist.
HAPPY FLAG DAY______!!!!!!
Our American sovereignty advocate!
I wonder how long it will take some on the left to express their outrage at this ‘blatant racist comment?’ After all, Colonel Sanders was made to look like a Southern slave owner, and that company sells fried chicken….don’t you see the stereo-typing here?
The USA is the plantation. The ‘massah’ will provide everything (public assistance, healthcare, housing) for his slaves. All they have to do is work hard, and give him all the rewards (profits) from their hard work.
It could have read ‘General Obama’ and avoided even a scintilla of controversy. (General’s are associated with war fighting, while Colonel’s are associated with Southern Plantation Owners…tradionally speaking!)
It amazes me how politicians always want to make themselves over to be more appealing to ignorant, or ill-informed voters. (What’s wrong with just being yourselves?)
It’s kind of like putting a beautiful, sexy model in a commercial for a product whose claims are dubious.
RE: jsr #24:
ACORN was just doing the lords work for the Democratic Party. This and the courts have turned any election in Washington State into a Democrat win. Your vote will count or not.
Just for the record: I’m an Appalachian Jacksonian, and I happen to like arugula. There’s nothing wrong with arugula! But I grow it myself, right alongside the collards and yellow onions.
There’s no Whole Foods anywhere near where I live, and if there were I doubt I’d patronize it. I went inside one once, and the aura of entitlement and self-satisfaction was quite nauseating…
This is very interesting:
Don’t think Hillary wouldn’t get female cconservative crossover support. And McCain will get elderly democrats over 65. It’s identity based voting. Love it or hate it…..it’s real.
White conservative heads exploding in 5, 4, 3, 2……
Well, the logic gives me a headache…
not mine.
By the way, MJ, Armstrong Williams isn’t a big favorite around here.
My head isn’t exploding, but I do marvel that someone can be sensible enough to be conservative and foolish enough to vote for Obama at the same time.
Where’d you find that, MJ? I might want to blog on that later this afternoon.
Just sent donation to LTC West.
I marvel at how anyone can be foolish enough to vote for Oblamma.
That’s a pretty good critique, but two things are worth pointing out.
1) It isn’t just the left that conflates populism with racism. George Wallace, for instance, was very racist, but also very populist. Similarly, the folks in the South (where I’m from) who talk about ‘state’s rights’ and ‘southern heritage’ do mainly actually mean state’s rights and southern heritage, but occasionally this degenerates into defenses of segregation and slavery. It isn’t the case that this false conflation is strictly a liberal thing.
2) It also isn’t the case that populists are frequently not good populists or on the side of the folks that voted for them. Jackson and the nullification crisis is the best example of this; after winning the first election after universal white manhood suffrage, he turns his back on the farmers who voted for him by enacting a tariff that disproportionaly affected Southern farmers. When South Carolina claimed the right to void the tariff, Jackson forced it on them, enlarging the federal government and heightening the tensions that eventually led to the civil war. He ran as a manly populist, but turned out instead to be a manly elitist, further consolidating power. If conservatives really are in favor of small government, then it would make sense to prefer an academician to a Jacksonian. An honest, ineffectual elitist is better than a dishonest, faux-populist, strong, elitist.
Thanks for the interesting info on West.
Has anyone seen a turtle sitting on a fence post? Well, to me, Obama is a “post turtle”. You know he didn’t get up there by himself, he doesn’t belong up there, he doesn’t know what to do while he is up there, and you just wonder what kind of a dumb ass put him up there.
Can you turn that into a poster, graysonret? Probably the most succint 4 lines ever posted on obummer. thanks for the stimuli.
I was on CNN.com, and I found it on the political “Ticker”. If you scroll down the ticker, you’ll likely find the article. Have a good weekend.
Just what IS arugula? If Obama and friends eat it it must be bad.
It HAS to be the arugula or those damn fish egg sandwhiches.
At least Michael Steele does not eat fish egg sandwhiches and arugula. Fish eggs do make good trout bait.What good is arugula?
Cross off J.C. Watts too…Thanks MJ..
Hey, I love arugula. It’s a green that is very good in salad with its peppery flavor.
I also eat sushi, steak, and drink lattes. I am an avid gun owner, and a member of the NRA. I prefer the ballet to NASCAR, and love American football.
I’m an orthodox Roman Catholic who is staunchly pro life for the unborn, the handicapped, elderly, and infirm.
Let’s not stereotype needlessly.
I was surprosed and disappointed to read J.C.Watts comments about possibly voting for Obama. J.C. is popular in Oklahoma and was a staunch Republican Congressman.
Come on atheling, we all need our hobbies. I’ll have a latte once in awhile myself, hazelnut, but I get it delivered in a plain brown wrapper.
They are not WASP and Obama does have a problem with them. They do follow Jacksonian tradition. Anyone who has picked up Albion’s Seed, is aware of this HUGE (American Demographic) I suspect the writer of the above article has read either Albion’s Seed or Jim Webb’s books on the Scots Irish or Ulster Scots in America.
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG97/albion/albion3.html
HA!
Yeah, I was also disappointed in JC Watts… I guess he is a CINO.
Interesting to see that even some black conservatives are racist too…
#45 Neanderthal quoted Michael Steele: “I admire Obama as a black man but I will do anything in my power come November to defeat him.”
I’m from Maryland and that quote is exactly why I have been Emailing and calling McCains office repeatedly urging him to pick Steele as his Veep. Steele is perfect on so many levels.
The fact that he was submarined in the corrupt state of Maryland only adds to his resume.
Mr. Steele is one of the sharper minds and better speakers on the Conservative scene. I could vote for a ticket with him on it. McCain IS getting old. Too bad the MSM generally ignores him.
What world are you from? I personally know alot of colonels (real colonels) that would give you the butt chewing you deserve for making such a statement. The military is the most color blind institution in this country. I don’t care if someone is yellow, red, black, or white. What I care about is this – can they do their job?
Earlier this was said:
Nuff said.
I eat arugula too. It’s a cruciferous cancer fighting vegie, one of the best. Nothing wrong with eating it. I am conservative, agree with virtually everything on this blog. I know that Obama acted haughty in his comments about arugula, in addition to his many other shortcomings, but it is still a veggie that virtually everyone can benefit from if it is obtainable for them.
A ‘Black conservative’ voting for Obama because he is Black follows the most defined trait of Democrat liberal politics, the politics of identity.
Hence, ‘Black conservatives for Obama’ is an oxymoron.
Thank you for the up-date and Col.West’s speech. I was impressed by his take on VISION.
AISB- I will support statesmen like him-whether he is in CA or not. His vote affects us all.
My people PERISH for lack of VISION …God said that… in the Bible.
The more common lexicon is ;,,,,lack of knowledge…but..one can gain knowledge and still have NO vision.
I would certainly vote for a Michael Steele ticket, with…oh…Thomas Sowell as the VP candidate. The fun part would be watching the Sharptons, Jacksons, etc. try to put race into that one.
Senator James Webb doesn’t just write Fiction. This book is a must for anyone who wants to understand why Obama has a problem with Jacksonians. This is why James Webb is being considered for the VP on the ticket although I think that two first time Senators would be stretching it for the Voters. Take a look at the reviews of this book. Webb mentions Albion Seed repeadtedly in his book. This book was long overdue. Born Fighting how the Scots Irish shaped America.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767916891/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
The Progressives think that James Webb is too Masculine to be the Vice President, No really, you can be too masculine according to Progressives. People don’t ever point out just how small the percentage of Progressives are in the Democrat party. I took a look at wikipedia and 33% of Dems identify conservative 22% other I take that as moderate and the rest Liberal inside the Liberal demographics you can find the Progressives, like Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, they are leading right now one of the lowest rated Congresses in history. The rest of the Democrats need to wrestle the party leadership back. Obama is alternately painted as too Green too Vanilla or too far to the left. The Democrats used to be the Big Tent Party, but the Progressives are pushing all the folks like Hillary Clinton’s supporters, the Reagan Democrats the Working Class Vote ect.. out of the Tent. Those who REFUSE to learn from History are doomed to repeat it. The Progressives cannot get Obama elected without the majority of the Democrat party and some Independents wikipedia 46% of American voters identify as an Independent that includes me. If you read this article about James Webb as possible VP pick, you will see the Progressives are out to lunch. This is why the Democrats have a problem in PA.,Ohio and West Virginia ect.. The Progressives are the elitist ruling class, that the working class doesn’t trust in the first place.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/qien-es-mas-macho/index.html?partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
It is the same reason John McCain has a problem with Conservative Base. John McCain isn’t going to get elected with just the country club republican vote.
Sorry not enough coffee 42 million folks identify as an Independent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_(United_States)
This wikipedia states 72 million Identify Democrat btw Obama and Clinton during the Dem Primarys they both got combined somewhere around 35 million votes and out of thoses votes a chunk came from Independents. The MSM keeps hyping the Democrat turnout well sure they had to go through every last contest they would be expected to have a big turnout. McCain wrapped up the Republican nomination early in the political season there was no more need to keep going on. The Media makes it sound like the Democrats are so engaged Politically that is the Spin but if you take a closer look I expect the interest is average.
I honestly believe the only reason the small percentage of Progressives are in power right now is because of fund raising abilities not LEADERSHIP ability, Proof what is the rating of this Congress right now Harry Reid Senate and Nancy Pelosi House?
I don’t care for arugla. I just finished a couple glasses of vodka and I’m listening to The Band. I love Levon Helm so much. The hell with stereotypes. It is what it is.
I like arugula. And baby spinach too.
Who is Levon Helm?
Concerning OBL
I am pretty certain that I heard Bo Gritz say that he met him while he was training Mujaheddin in Northern Afghanistan. Bo could have been bragging, and I could be recalling it wrong, but for what it’s worth…