Obama will win the "whitest" state in the nation.

I wish my state was more diverse, but it's not. And I can tell you one thing, Obama will win our late primary here. Clinton simply isn't popular here despite endorsements by former governor Madeline Kunin and Speaker of the House, Gaye Symington. And Edwards hasn't been much of a factor to date. I'm not sure why. But the assumption that he won't win white votes is flawed. He may well not win that many in the South, but he's won a lot of white votes in the midwest and in New England. Clinton can keep up with her lousy tactic of trying to paint Obama as the "black" candidate, but we aren't going to fall for it here in one of the most progressive states in the country.

Vermont will vote for Obama on March 4th- even if he's way behind Clinton.

:shrug:

I edited it in to my Op. Thanks.

stuck between New York and New Hampshire.

:hi:

edit: I believe Maine is the whitest state

I couldn't be more pleased.

He proved that in Iowa and New Hampshire. He has been getting creamed among older voters though.

I'm in Arizona and after reading the news that Hillary is way ahead in my state I had to do it, despite preferring Edwards out of all 3. I am so thoroughly disgusted with the Clintons for their Southern Strategy I'm sick about it. The race-baiting is so blatantly obvious, I don't care how anyone tries to spin. These people do not do anything that is not planned and politically calculated.

...such as voting for an independent candidate in the general election.

Kudos to you for deliberating and voting.

I never thought I'd see the day when any campaign- even the Clinton campaign- would channel Lee Atwater and blatantly use the Southern Strategy. Thanks for voting for Obama. I really hate the thought that we'll see a diminishing white vote for him when it's clear from Iowa and NH, he had tons of appeal to white as well as black voters.

What the Clintons are doing now is going to come back on all of us in general election season. They have handed the weapon to the GOP to go after us with. They'll use the wedge the Clintons created to court Hispanic voters and discourage African Americans.

Idiots.

Cali, I'm glad to hear that the good people of Vermont will vote for the best
person, and avoid falling into this Clinton-orchestrated strategy of making
this contest about race.

I lived through the Iowa caucuses---and I saw all of the candidates in person and
was very engaged. It was NEVER about race. The issue was never even brought up!

The candidates ran on the ISSUES and each campaign presented their ideas and policies.
Yes, there were the usual criticisms--but they were all on message and the disagreements
were about policy and who was the best candidate to lead the nation.

The purity and integrity of this race has been obliterated by the Clintons. It's the
only way the Clintons can win.

Since Hillary Clinton decided to make remarks that diminished King's role in the civil-rights
movement---a firestorm ensued. Obama remained silent for a long time, but there was an uproar
in the African American community and the media ran with it. Anyone actually believe that
Hillary's "Well...it was also Johnson who was pivotal in the civil rights movement too...it
wasn't just MLK" remarks weren't orchestrated to change the focus of this contest to race???

Then came the endless attacks on Obama. He's spent much of his time combating the attacks.

What's a candidate to do? If you don't fight back, they get to define you. If you do fight
back, you run the risk of getting off message.

I have to hand it to the Clintons. I spent 15 years in PR/media relations, and they are
masterful campaigners. However, they are gaining ground via manipulations and by knocking
their opponents back via dirty tricks.

Obama needs a new phase of his campaign. He's shown the world that he is a formidable candidate
who can stand up to Hillary Clinton. He smoked her a couple of times in the debate. He needs
to position himself as above this bullshit and get back on message.

Just as the are in NH and Maine - but I hope the bias against the québécois folks is less than it was 25 years ago.

for over 25 years, so I can tell you, you're full of it. That may have been true 75 years ago, but it wasn't true 25 years ago anymore than it's true today. For pete's sake, Marcelle Leahy is of Quebecois heritage and grew up on the border in Newport.

Kingdom - I love the area - one of the most liberal areas of the state.

But it is also an area where a brand new battery failed me (guaranteed to 35 below and it was per radio 40 below at 3 am that day) - I have never been in a colder place.

As to the bias in Jay Maine and North, Jay, Vermont and north, and in Manchester, NH - sorry I saw and lived in the area (more or less as we have moved about and changed jobs a bit, since 1961 but my wife has been here since 1943 - her Family since the Mayflower). Granted New England is not that friendly with any outsider (the Greek mayor of the city of Newburyport in the 70's whose family had moved there a 100 years earlier was referred to as the "newcomer to the city" in the local paper during his election - I found that funny!) I also saw, and talked to the teachers (remedial and 1st through 4th grade) that attended the Dem Party meetings in Montpelier when I lived there - and were angry that the state did nothing about it other than get an exemption from the Federal Gov on Federal Aid so they could get funds to teach the kids in that region in the Quebec French dialect( a good thing to do actually and Gov Dean is to be commended for doing it).

In the mid 80's there were 3 black families in Montpelier and the father in one of those families was elected to the State Legislator - our kids hung out together but I did not really know him. Meanwhile poorly educated French speaking poor lived in the low income housing in Montpelier and were the subject of discussion every Saturday at the little coffee shop at the end of State St about 100 yards from the capital where the GOP powers hung out every Saturday for 3 hours. I do not know anything about Marcelle Pomerleau, RN, the Senator's wife of 40 plus years, including her youth in Newport - but I suspect if you were to bring it up in conversation she would have some interesting things to say. I am curious if the 20 miles between Newport and Jay/Troy had that different a Culture.

I haven't been up there since 1992 except for visits to friends - I'm glad to hear that at least in your area that bias is gone.

I think he's going to do a lot better on Super Tuesday than some realize. The CA Dem primary is open, the Rep one is closed. The Independents have to vote Dem if they want to vote. Between the AA, rural Dems, and Indies, he should do well there and gain a lot of delegates. If he wins a lot of plains states that day too, he should still be firmly in the race. I had hoped VT would go Obama, glad to hear you think that's likely.

neither of which are particularly "black."