President Obama Wins W. Virginia Primary with 60% of the vote

[Devildog]

Originally Posted by V Chip

No, it shows that people who read the Daily Mail are stupid -- or ones that would read this and think it means anything.



40% -- of 10 votes. In a whole state. Because we all know there are 10 Democrats in West Virginia. And that those 10 voters are a statistically significant sample, enough to extrapolate any kind of meaning from this. The best pollsters regularly poll 10 people. And the best commenters on websites know that when you want to make a monumentally stupid partisan political post, 10 voters is enough to make it.

You're right. My bad.

[Saint by the Bay]

In the 2008 Democratic primary 2 in 10 WVa voters said race was an important factor in their vote (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/us...pagewanted=all). This result is hardly surprising or indicative of some kind of national electoral issue. Frankly, some people around here are starting to embarrass themselves.

[dapperdan]

Originally Posted by V Chip

No, it shows that people who read the Daily Mail are stupid -- or ones that would read this and think it means anything.



40% -- of 10 votes. In a whole state. Because we all know there are 10 Democrats in West Virginia. And that those 10 voters are a statistically significant sample, enough to extrapolate any kind of meaning from this. The best pollsters regularly poll 10 people. And the best commenters on websites know that when you want to make a monumentally stupid partisan political post, 10 voters is enough to make it.

I thought the entire article was hilariously absurd. "With 93% of the precincts voting", but ten total voters... 40% voting for the convict (out of 10 votes)...I really thought that the "93% of the precincts voting" was a very nice touch.

You've got to give the GOP credit for this one. I would guess that someone within the GOP came up with the $2500 for the inmate to register for this primary. And for $2500 the GOP got a lot for their money. Headlines on Drudge. Planting the seed that an inmate won 40% of the vote against Obama (even though there were only 10 voters).

This is a terrific guerrilla campaign tactic. One moment in the news and then forgotten. Meaningless in reality, but memorable in perception. And in campaigns, perception blurs into reality.

You can pay Drudge for advertising space or you can create a totally real, but completely misleading story and plant that story on the headlines of Drudge, linking back to some UK newspaper, giving an illusion of credibility. At the end of the day, you've got something that looks and feels totally real, but is actually nothing but air.

[PayOrPlay]

To clarify: about 170,000-180,000 voters cast ballots in this primary, and the final tally is reported in a West Virginia paper to be Obama 102,028 (59%), Judd 69,799 (41%). (Washingon Post reports 106,000 to 72,000.)

Best explanation: they just don't like Obama very much in West Virginia: coal and race being the biggest factors, apparently. So be it. Can't please everyone.

Texas inmate has strong showing against Obama in WV primary - Business, Government Legal News from throughout WV

Originally Posted by Rachel Weiner in The Washington Post:

“President Obama has no strong political allies in this state. A couple leading Democrats grudgingly support Obama, but say that only when they are asked,” said West Virginia radio host Hoppy Kercheval. “Several are openly hostile to him.” Obama, not surprisingly, rarely visits the state.

The president angered voters with new Environmental Protection Agency policies, which some see as a “war on coal” and have stalled mining permits for the state’s coal mining industry. Both Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and Sen. Joe Manchin, both Democrats, have clashed with Obama on the issue, and neither has committed to supporting him in the fall.

“In talking to many West Virginians, they do recognize and realize that the president is working very hard to help working families across the country and in this state,” said state Democratic Party Chairman Larry Puccio. “It’s just that coal plays such a major role in West Virginia and folks are frustated [sic] with this administration’s position.”

Why felon Keith Judd did so well against Obama in West Virginia - The Washington Post

[V Chip]

Originally Posted by V Chip

40% -- of 10 votes. In a whole state.

Well now that I have read other links, my post here is wrong. The Mail article said "4 out of 10 votes" not "4 out of every 10 votes" and since nowhere else in that article did it mention the votes, I took it for what it actually says.

Snarky reply got snarked.

[BIG E]

[RebSaint]

[bobad]

Originally Posted by BIG E

[dapperdan]

Originally Posted by V Chip

Well now that I have read other links, my post here is wrong. The Mail article said "4 out of 10 votes" not "4 out of every 10 votes" and since nowhere else in that article did it mention the votes, I took it for what it actually says.

Snarky reply got snarked.

I totally missed it as well, the first paragraph threw me and I was lazy and didn't follow up, like Pay Or Play did. My bad.

[dapperdan]

Originally Posted by PayOrPlay

Best explanation: they just don't like Obama very much in West Virginia: coal and race being the biggest factors, apparently. So be it. Can't please everyone.

Or the felon constituency plays well in WV.

[ArmoredNOSaint]

This is the state that gave us Robert Byrd, so there's nothing new here.

[MLU]

Originally Posted by dapperdan

Congratulations to President Obama for winning the W. Virginia primary, gathering a very solid 60% of the vote. The results confirm the President's campaign juggernaut heading into the General Election. With 93% of the precincts reporting, the President's victory looks secure!

Forward!

Of course, if the President's primary opponent, Keith Judd, been granted a leave from prison in order to run his campaign from a non-prison headquarters, it may or may not have made a difference in the result.

Texas INMATE gets 40 per cent of votes against Obama in West Virginia primary | Mail Online

How unpopular can Obama get? Texas INMATE gets 40 per cent of votes against President in West Virginia primary

You think that WV is an accurate barometer for the rest of the country? I can promise you that Obama's camp will perfectly willing to concede the 5 primary votes that WV has to offer.

[THENZA]

Originally Posted by BIG E

I'm not gonna lie, guys.
I don't care what his platform is. If that guy ran, I'd vote for him.
Look at the amazing squirrel tail he has hanging from that head.
Maybe West Virginians aren't racist hicks, but collectively have a really good ironic sense of humor.

[lapaz]

Originally Posted by TheDeuce53

Well, that's not true. Less than 10% of the population turned out for this vote, and from my understanding, non-affiliated registered voters can vote in either primary in West Virginia -- so these results aren't even completely made up of Democratic voters.

I was about to post the same thing about the make-up of these voters. The Republican primaries are essentially wrapped up, so Republicans are now free to register as a Democrat for all future primaries, and non-registered voters can vote in either primary in NC, so there is no way to know what percentage of the 41% that voted for the prisoner were actually Republicans or independents that don't like Obama. With that said, I think West Virginia is not friendly territory to Obama, and he would lose in West Virginia even if the economy was great and he achieved everything that he pledged to achieve. It's a lost cause, so it doesn't matter.

[champ76]

This story actually is more interesting politically than people here think. West Virginia's electoral votes are pretty important if the election is as close as some people think it will be(I don't). Obama's stance on coal has alienated many voters in WV, to the point that the Democratic governor refuses to endorse Obama. Obama carried the state in 08.