Newsweek's Advice to Obama

The following excerpt was taken from the June 2, 2008 issue of Newsweek Magazine. This particular story was titled, A Memo For Senator Obama.

Sen. Jim Webb, the ex-Marine elected from Virginia, noted recently on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that his people, the Scots-Irish who so heavily populate the hills of Appalachia, are like "tortured siblings of black Americans. They both have a long history and they both missed the boat when it came to larger benefits that a lot of people were able to receive." If poor rural whites and African-Americans could sit down together, they would find that they have much in common. When you visit West Virginia and Kentucky, you could begin that conversation with some town meetings. Webb has also observed that the Scots-Irish hill folk are by nature scrappers and fighters. That's one reason they admired Hillary and voted for her. You need to show them you are a fighter, too—and that you will fight for them.

Say no more, I agree 100% with Newsweek and Sen. Jim Webb, Obama has to tirelessly work to overcome the elite perception he has among working class voters in the Appalachian states in order to win the general election.

As they further state:

Your mission is to not wind up like Kerry, who ended up losing the rural vote by 20 points. The "reality," writes Davis, "is that when Democratic candidates run competitively in rural America, they win national elections. And when they get creamed in rural America, they lose."

Newsweek suggests that Obama use an issue like Affirmative Action to win over poor whites by taking the following position:

You need an issue that plays against prejudice or typecasting. Affirmative action is deeply unpopular with white, working-class voters who see African-Americans bestowed with privileges long denied poor whites. You've suggested—obliquely, but nonetheless provocatively—that you might prefer seeing affirmative action for disadvantaged whites rather than black elites, noting that you wouldn't expect your private-school-educated daughters to need an admissions break at college. Taking a stand for affirmative action based on socioeconomic class rather than race would send a powerful signal.

Once again I agree, Affirmative Action has long been a wedge issue that has created racial hostility among working class blacks and whites. I have long believe, we as African-Americans would make more progress in this country is we establish political, social and economic alliances with poor whites. By broadening the benefits of Affirmative Action to be based on economic status rather than just racial status would be a shrewd step in the right direction.