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**bmwservis** · 05-09-2012, 11:09 PM

I knew there was a reason I came back to this thread!

How about the "Obama is killing coal" crowd?

How the felon won
Comments (182) By CHARLES MAHTESIAN | 5/9/12 12:04 PM EDT
AP photo

So how did a felon incarcerated in a Texas prison manage to win 41 percent of the Democratic primary vote against the president of the United States?

For starters, Keith Judd was either clever or lucky enough to have filed for the ballot in the heart of Appalachia’s anti-Obama belt.

West Virginia's county-by-county numbers tell an interesting story: Judd defeated the incumbent president in 9 counties across the state, and held him under 60 percent in 30 of West Virginia’s 55 counties.

(Also on POLITICO: 10 facts about Keith Judd)

Whatever other forces may be at work in the Appalachian opposition to Obama -- the role of race has been debated since his 2008 run -- it's clear the administration's energy policies played a big role in the president's lackluster performance.

Locally, it's referred to as "the war on coal."

Looking at the map, Judd's strongest support came from southern West Virginia’s coal country, close by the Kentucky border.

The five coal counties that voted against Obama Tuesday also voted for Hillary Clinton by landslide margins in the 2008 primary.

That cluster includes the place that might be described as the epicenter of the Obama resistance: Mingo County.

Known as “Bloody Mingo” for its storied history of labor unrest and bloodshed surrounding the coal mining industry – the acclaimed John Sayles movie “Matewan” was based on events there in 1920 – the county disliked Obama even before he was elected president.

Clinton defeated him in there 88 percent to 8 percent, one of Obama’s worst primary drubbings in the nation in 2008. This time around, Mingo delivered what is certainly the president’s worst county-level defeat in 2012 – the inmate defeated the incumbent 60 percent to 40 percent.

It's worth noting that another place with a coal mining heritage lashed out at Obama earlier this year -- Oklahoma's aptly-named Coal County, where the president actually finished in 3rd place, behind perennial candidate Jim Rogers and anti-abortion activist Randall Terry.

CLARIFICATION: Magoffin County, Kentucky -- also in Appalachia -- delivered an even worse result for Obama in 2008 than Mingo. Clinton defeated Obama there 93 percent to 5 percent. This item was updated at 2:31 PM.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/charli...on-122930.html

I know it's painful to consider that truth might not be in the initial knee-jerk explanation, but maybe, just maybe, it could be something rational, like the destruction of a regional economy.

05-09-2012, 11:09 PM	#20
bmwservis Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 535 Senior Member	I knew there was a reason I came back to this thread! How about the "Obama is killing coal" crowd? How the felon won Comments (182) By CHARLES MAHTESIAN \| 5/9/12 12:04 PM EDT AP photo So how did a felon incarcerated in a Texas prison manage to win 41 percent of the Democratic primary vote against the president of the United States? For starters, Keith Judd was either clever or lucky enough to have filed for the ballot in the heart of Appalachia’s anti-Obama belt. West Virginia's county-by-county numbers tell an interesting story: Judd defeated the incumbent president in 9 counties across the state, and held him under 60 percent in 30 of West Virginia’s 55 counties. (Also on POLITICO: 10 facts about Keith Judd) Whatever other forces may be at work in the Appalachian opposition to Obama -- the role of race has been debated since his 2008 run -- it's clear the administration's energy policies played a big role in the president's lackluster performance. Locally, it's referred to as "the war on coal." Looking at the map, Judd's strongest support came from southern West Virginia’s coal country, close by the Kentucky border. The five coal counties that voted against Obama Tuesday also voted for Hillary Clinton by landslide margins in the 2008 primary. That cluster includes the place that might be described as the epicenter of the Obama resistance: Mingo County. Known as “Bloody Mingo” for its storied history of labor unrest and bloodshed surrounding the coal mining industry – the acclaimed John Sayles movie “Matewan” was based on events there in 1920 – the county disliked Obama even before he was elected president. Clinton defeated him in there 88 percent to 8 percent, one of Obama’s worst primary drubbings in the nation in 2008. This time around, Mingo delivered what is certainly the president’s worst county-level defeat in 2012 – the inmate defeated the incumbent 60 percent to 40 percent. It's worth noting that another place with a coal mining heritage lashed out at Obama earlier this year -- Oklahoma's aptly-named Coal County, where the president actually finished in 3rd place, behind perennial candidate Jim Rogers and anti-abortion activist Randall Terry. CLARIFICATION: Magoffin County, Kentucky -- also in Appalachia -- delivered an even worse result for Obama in 2008 than Mingo. Clinton defeated Obama there 93 percent to 5 percent. This item was updated at 2:31 PM. http://www.politico.com/blogs/charli...on-122930.html I know it's painful to consider that truth might not be in the initial knee-jerk explanation, but maybe, just maybe, it could be something rational, like the destruction of a regional economy.
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