A little perspective please...

[WCGreen]

More people voted in the democratic primary here in Cuyahoga County than in the whole state of West Virginia.

Just to put things in perspective.

I don't think a democrat has won in West Virginia since 1964.

I could be wrong.

But the state has been shifting red since religion and so-called "values" took center stage from economic issues.

West Virginia was blue for one reason; Unions. Now that most of the people's lives in West Virginia are not effected by Union jobs, they fall back on their roots and those roots aren't blue.

I wouldn't celebrate too too much if I were a Clinton fan nor would I not look at those results and see anything really good if I were an Obama fan.

Nope, I would just do what most sane democratic strategists would do: spin a little, twist a little and then get on with the show.

[MercutioATC]

1. I hate it when you're reasonable...

Excellently stated.

[WildClarySage]

2. We've got lots of elected democrats in WV.

Our governor, for one. Byrd and Rockefeller, too. If you mean by "democrat" a presidential candidate, there's Bill Clinton in both '92 and '98. The real issue with WV voters is that most of them are old. We've had so much economic struggle that most earnest young people move away for jobs and what's left here is a very aged population that doesn't want to deal with a changing political demographic. Which is a shame, but don't mistake that for racism. Of course there are nasty racists for CNN and Fox to quote here, just as there are everywhere. But I've run into much less racism and prejudice when I moved here than I saw growing up in SC. The economic situation here is mostly that Big Coal (Arch and Massey) are turning mountains into out-of-state profits which barely benefit WV at all. We get picked on all the time and people here are wary of outsiders and of people they don't know. And because of Obama's lack of limelight up til recently, people here don't know him well.

Last weekend I went to Charlotte and was shocked at the racist attitudes I ran into there from people I know who should know better. I have rarely if ever found that kind of racism in WV. I know I'm not addressing the OP, just getting tired of my adopted home state being bashed over and over here at DU. Guess I should take a break from here for a few days.

[WCGreen]

5. Oh for sure I wasn't bashing the people.

I think the stereotype people have of West Virginia is stuck.

I was wrong on the way West Virginia voted. I was just trying to make a point that the election isn't going to be won because of the way West Virginia goes.

I do believe that Clinton would not have carried West Virginia if Ross Perot wasn't in the race in 1992. Carter won because he was a Southern Governor with a "value based" approach to politics.

[Liquorice]

3. Bill Clinton won it in '92 and '96. Dukakis won in '88, Carter

won it in '76 and '80.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Perspective is what is usually lacking these days...

Thank you for supplying some, since it is much needed now..

We knew Clinton would win West Virginia...

On with the show indeed...

K&R