Believe me, for whatever reason, many folks truly did adore and vote for Barack Obama, at least in the beginning. Remember the huge crowds where a few even fainted? Christians in my parent’s church even donated.
My late parents’ family doctor (white Republican) almost as elderly as they were voted for Zero twice. Why? To do something historic and prove he wasn’t a racist. Those were the only reasons he could articulate. There were a lot of people like that!