They perceived him as not of their world.

[cali]

This is just a guess, but I suspect it's not far off. Yes, racism played a part in WV yesterday,(exit polls tell us that) but not, I believe, as big a role as perceived cultural differences. I think Obama was perceived as being a prototypical elitist that most West Virginians just couldn't identify with. You know, latte drinking, arugula munching, Ivy League College attending, elitist. Hillary worked hard to hone her message that she's really a good ol' gal who slams shots and can identify with the pains and joys of the rural working class. She became tougher than JMac on national security issues. And she appealed to those voters because they could more easily identify with her.

Obama needs to take note of his overwhelming defeat in WV. Is WV representative of many states? Maybe not, but there are a lot of voters like those in WV in a lot of states. His campaign is smart. I have no doubt that they're planning as meticulously for the general as they did for the primaries. I believe, particularly if the economy remains as bleak as it now is, that he can win a lot of those voters, but he needs to reach out to them in a way he has yet to do. All nominees adjust to the general election and retool. Obama is no exception. Fortunately, McCain is not a strong candidate and he's alienating a fairly large swath of the repuke base with his global climate change position and his immigration stance(s). We hear all the time about Hillary voters who won't go for Obama, but there are also alienated repukes.

Obama has time to change how certain segments of the electorate view him. He needs to do it.