Election 2008

Yesterday I received an email with a "grassroots video" from the Associate Director of Parish Outreach & Training for the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry at the Archdiocese of Newark. I watched the video which focused solely on abortion and gay marriage. It also glorified war and America's "economic power". (more after the jump)

Hillary vs. Obama: Beyond Race?
Today, one of my favorite columnists, Marie Cocco has a very interesting take on why Hillary did better among working class folks than Obama in both Iowa and New Hampshire. As Marie points out:

Clinton won easily among less-educated voters, and among union members. In short, she ran strongly among traditional Democratic groups that have been a bulwark of the party since the New Deal. Obama's New Hampshire vote tracked closely with the slice of votes won by other Democratic candidates who ran insurgencies against the establishment -- Howard Dean, Bill Bradley and Gary Hart are the most obvious examples.



Is this working-class resistance to Obama because of racism? Some of it may well be. But it certainly cannot be argued that racism caused these voters to reject white candidates such as Dean, Bradley and Hart. Obama's soaring rhetoric and appeal for "hope" mean a lot less to them than solid campaign proposals that address their day-to-day concerns. Bill Clinton faced media ridicule for his numbingly detailed plans. But voters didn't get the joke. They saw practical solutions they liked. This is a big reason Hillary Clinton now mimics the approach.

This originally appeared at