Posted on 09/21/2008 5:28:44 PM PDT by markomalley
The scene still makes plenty of West Virginians wince.
A succession of Mountain State residents proclaim to a television camera that they'll never vote for Barack Obama because of his religion, which they get wrong, or his race. After a few such testimonials, "Daily Show'' host Jon Stewart mockingly suggests a new state motto: "West Virginia: No Interviews, Please.''
That ran in May, shortly after Sen. Hillary Clinton trounced Obama by a margin of more than 2-to-1 in a state roughly 94 percent white. Since then, residents have been on the defensive over charges of widespread bigotry while wondering themselves how representative those infamous interviewees are.
The primary and subsequent media attention raised old and unpleasant questions in a state that prides itself on its origins in breaking away with the Confederacy, yet where Jim Crow segregation prevailed long into the 20th century.
"Racism is a white problem,'' former state Delegate Arley Johnson said. "White people in West Virginia have never stood up, have never spoken out against racism.''
Johnson was one of several panelists at a forum held Saturday at Marshall University convened specifically because of the May primary and national criticism that followed.
Johnson, who advised the Obama campaign after the primary that to bring the candidate back to West Virginia would be a waste of time, was not alone in his impression. Other panelists said the primary laid bare the uncomfortable fact that many West Virginians will never vote for a black presidential candidate simply because of his race.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.com ...
Torn what to say here. On one hand, Democrats are democrats (and, therefore, racist by nature). On the other hand, this is a clear attempt by the local papers to guilt people into doing what they know they shouldn’t.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
West VA just has better sense than to vote for someone to prove they are not racist that is all
Vote Obama or you are a racists!!! They are setting the table for this. It is disgusting. So what is the alternative? Vote Obama even though you do not agree with his positions so they will not call you a racist?...That’s racist!!!!!!!!!

Noooooooooo...
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
They elected Robert Byrd, it's not like the reputation isn't earned.
If West Virginians are serious about transforming their reputation they could start with voting in a senator who is not an ex-member of the Ku Klux Klan.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Republican 342,970
% of Total 30.15
Democrat648,899
% of Total 57.05
* Information gathered from the Statewide Voter Registration Syste
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
So racism is a problem in the Democrat Party. Duly noted.
I guess African-Americans who say they will vote for Obama because he is African-American aren’t racists. Perhaps if you have an IQ of 40.
Let's not use the media newsspeak terms. Blue is the Republican color. Red is for rodents.
Well, don’t they keep sending Sheets Byrd to the Senate? Someone email Jon Stewart and tell him yes, Democrat West Virginians are racist, they have a ‘rat KKK Senator.
You know what...I am going to come right out and say it...Most Dems that I have spoke to in WV have told me that they will NOT vote for Obama because they will “not vote for a n*****” Can you get any more racist than that?
Then again....I tell them about Rev. Wrights church and they are not surprised.
You know, as long as we take the White House, I won’t care what excuses the whining lying cheating slimy below-the-belt fighting losers use. They’ve pulled that race card a few too many times for me, and I don’t care anymore. Like the boy who cried “wolf”.
West Virginia is a state that defies definition. I grew up within hiking distance of the state line. You have areas where there is not a soul visible for miles as well as small towns and medium sized cities. It is home to one of the last east coast wilderness areas.
If you go to one of the Virginia border towns complete with diners and real people, you will find that they pull no punches. Such is one of the towns west of Stausburg Va. Travel west on rt 55 amid hair raising twists and turns a mountain road and you will find yourself in Wardensville.
It is an an amazing little town where you will be hard pressed to find an Obama supporter and they will not be likely to apologize for it either. These are the real people of America. They do not hate blacks, they hate fakes and are smart enough to spot them.

Charles Minimah
I think Byrd died several years ago and his body was sent to a taxidermist, then just sent back to the senate. I can never make out what that old fool is saying when he is on TV.
Never heard of him!
LOL. I don’t even try. What a windbag.
West Virginia is LED by DEMOCRATS!!!! DEMOCRATS are/were the RACIST party! Democrats stood in the school house door and Democrats turned on the FIREHOSES!! geesh....it was ALL Democrats!! Only an influx of Republicans have even changed that as it is.....what % are Democrats....70???
not that I keep up with stuff like this...but isn’t betty ireland running for that?
He admitted his moozeSlime faith. How are they wrong?
IF it yadda yadda...... He's a freekin Slime!!!!!!

Hey everybody dresses like this all the time. It's not unusuall.
W.Va. grapples with reputation for racismIt might help if they would stop reelecting an unremorseful former Klan member as their Senator. An article on West Virginia and racism, and not once is Democratic Senator Robert Byrd mentioned: If this doesn't demonstrate media bias towards Democrats, I don't know what will.
The problem, though, may be more one of perception, according to Jim White, a political scientist at Concord University.What is this, an old SNL skit? :)
"The Daily Show performance did not make us look good,'' he said. But his analysis of election data from 2000 and 2004 suggests that common impressions about the state may be wrong.Neither Gore nor Kerry are black, so what does that have to do with anything? Ah, lefty logic. "See, we're not racist: We vote Democrat!"
Al Gore was supposed to have lost the state partly because his environmentalism alienated miners, White said, yet he showed data that indicated Gore did better in the coalfields than elsewhere.
And John Kerry running in 2004 was supposedly undone by socially conservative voters worrying about gun rights and gay marriage, yet White's data showed again that Kerry fared well in the conservative southern counties compared to the rest of the state.
With registration numbers like this, West Virginia should be a safe Dem. state. Yet they voted Republican in 2000 and 2004, and are projected to go Rep. again in ‘08.
Very interesting. They are “culturally conservative”? I don’t know much about that state. Gore was liberal, Kerry was liberal, and Obama is liberal/radical and also black. So these folks just can’t see themselves voting for modern day liberal /radical Democrats.
Most Dems in WV wanted John Edwards anyway. They did not like Hillary, said she was too power hungry, don’t like Obama cause he is a.........well you know!
No, Secretary Ireland is retiring after a single term. I believe it is because of family concerns (her husband’s health ?). Mr. Minimah is the GOP candidate to succeed her. Unfortunately, the Dem lady running is attempting to buy the office, and Mr. Minimah isn’t a multi-gazillionaire like WV Democrats are.
This is really simple and you should not over think the issue.
If you are not black and vote against Obama you are a racist.
Accept it and move on.
It will save a lot of typing and free you up to read other material or get on with the household chores!
By the way, I have found nothing in the election laws that say I must vote for Obama because he is black.
(Well actually half white and maybe arab and muslim )
So, have a nice day now that you have come to grips with your inherent racism and move on to something productive.
You saw through the leftist message right away, make the white guilty scum who are racist deep down under see the error of their ways, vote for Obama and forever free yourself and your country of your racism.
It's like taking a Valium, peace forever and health care for those who can't afford it, do the right thing, vote for Hussein! (/sarc)
They'll do ANYTHING to get this fraud elected.
Whatever happened to that Democrat senator from North or South Dakota, Johnson I think was his last name. Is he still in the U.S. Senate? Did he ever recover from his illness? I often wondered if the guy was even lucid.
No law about voting against him because he is black (well half white also).
No law about voting against him because he has big ears.
No law about voting against him because he is as far left as Stalin.
In fact you can vote against him for any reason you want!
No affirmative action in presidential elections.
Quit fretting and get on with voting for McCain-Palin.
The libs are just baiting folks, hoping to get a few more White Guilt voters. I hope the folks in West Virginia are savvy enough not to be hooked.
Race card. Such a pathetic contest. Such a pathetic contestant.
Tim Johnson, South Dakota. How “recovered” he is, we don’t know, as the media won’t tell us (if he were a Republican, you certainly now they’d be saying he was at death’s door and had a duty to resign). He is chin-deep in running for a 3rd term this year. Sad that he’d rather spend his remaining time in the Senate than with his family.
On the nose. Most West Virginians are CONSERVATIVE democrats. They will vote conservative over party most of the time.
Funny you mention Wardensville I drove through there about two weeks ago for the first time. Nice, very small, town.
Take a camera and a microphone into a predominantly black housing project, Obama's core constituency, and interview the residents. You will find some of the nastiest, ugliest and most ignorant opinions and beliefs imaginable. Don't hold your breath waiting for the MSM to do so, however.
This is bad on my part. I had no idea who the guy is. I had no idea he is black. Had no idea he is republican. I would have no problem voting for him as long as his conservative principles are up to par.
As far as I can tell, he is seeking to continue Ireland’s agenda. It’s imperative the GOP have at least one Republican in statewide office. Most of the other Dems in statewide office have been there for years, in some case, decades.
White people are easy. As pliable as soft clay. They will back up, object, explain and apologize anytime this all too familiar tool is thrown out. Of course the fact that 90+% of blacks vote for Obama in never mentioned and whites will routinely & willingly allow themselves to be ridiculed, goaded and guilt driven by a standard that is never ever applied the other way. Whites are pathetic and willing allow themselves to be manipulated and driven without any thought what-so-ever to the fact that all other races do EXACTLY the things that whites are accused of doing and direct policy and votes accordingly. Only whites are routinely held to the above mentioned criteria in this article.
Good Lord. WV? The Charleston Daily is ridiculously trying to join the Media Death Watch alert.
What, has someone been draping sheets over all the Sen. Byrd statues?
It seems all the “holes” were cut out from the back of the sheets.
Of course, they for some unaccountable reason seem to have turned Democrat very early in their history as a state. Shame, that.
Then why do they stay Democrats? West Virginians don't have the "war of northern aggression" excuse.
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