His for the Taking

The 41-point whooping Hillary Clinton gave Barack Obama in West Virginia has clearly done little for her, particularly after Obama stole her show the next night with the John Edwards endorsement. But boy, is John McCain happy.

The win upon wins — often with a staggering 70 percent or more in rural areas — Clinton has managed in blue-collar, white America has drawn a precise map for McCain through swing states he needs to win in November. These voters usually pick person over party. They voted for Ronald Reagan, for Bill Clinton, and for George W. Bush. This year they want to hear about the economy and healthcare, and McCain should polish up on these top issues to woo them.

As I described in my column this week, these voters have trouble listening to Obama. It could be racism, patriotism or a fundamental culture clash. Likely it is a combination of the three. No matter, it is McCain’s gift to run with or squander. It’s time for him to travel every pocket of Appalachia and cement his standing early with these voters. He won’t have to down shots or talk tough, because he is. Many of these people will come back to Obama, but many of them won’t and are McCain’s for the taking.

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