What's up with WV?

One of the last primaries of the season is in West Virginia.  Not a primary that usually has any major impact, this year the state is in the spotlight, even though the impact from their primary will still be minimal.  

Against the grain of most of America, Hillary Clinton leads the polls in WV by 43 points.  Yes, 66% are going towards her, while 23% are going for Obama.  I suspect that the results will show Obama getting 30+% of the vote, as many more Clinton supporters than Obama supporters will stay home on election day, since her chances of winning the nomination are not good.  

That being said, I've tried to figure out exactly what makes WV (and to a lesser extent Kentucky, who holds its primaries on May 20) democrats so different from the rest of America.

West Virginia is one of those states, like Missouri, that isn't quite part of a geographic region of the US.  Despite its breakup from VA during the War Between the States, it does not feel Northern.  Most of it feels like the South crossed with the Rust Belt, which is a pretty accurate description of Appalachia in general, although certain regions (like the Eastern Panhandle) resemble the other states surrounding it.  Unlike most of the South, WV is 93% white.  It is also less college educated than any other state, ranking 50/50, behind Arkansas and Mississippi.  Only 15% of West Virginians hold a bachelor's degree.  One interesting foot note, West Virginia does have a historically black college (West Virginia State), but enrollment is now over 90% white.

I think it would be safe to say, that West Virginia is the densest population of less educated whites in the United States, a demographic that generally supports Hillary.  Add to this mix the fact that West Virginia has the second lowest GDP per capita in the country, and you have a perfect storm for a Clinton supporting state.

I don't think the Wright Controversy, Bittergate, or any of the other recent developments really affect the spread in WV.

All of this is speculation, but I think that rural, small-town mentality allows propaganda to run amok unchecked.  News reports still show many of these voters focusing on the whole "Obama is a Muslim" bullshit.  In order to convince someone that this is not true, you first have to explain to them that Obama did live in Indonesia, which is a Muslim country, but that he went to a public school.  This school obviously had a large Muslim student body, just as a school in the USA will have a large Christian student body, even though it is not religious.  While easy for you and I to comprehend, to someone who has never left his home state and will never have a passport in his life, merely visiting a Muslim country will be viewed with suspicion (unless its for military purposes).  

Citizens of a rural town in West Virginia are unlikely to read up on things online.  One guy might get the bogus email about something bad Obama supposedly did in this past (such as being a Muslim) and he'll tell everyone in his coal mine about it.  Are they going to go online to verify his claim?  Unlikely.  In small towns, rumors run wild.  

And not to knock on the President Pro Tem too much, but West Virginia has elected a former Klansman to the senate since 1959.  It seems plausible that Senator Byrd has since changed his mind on race, but have the people who elected him?  Do they spend their time reading about the bills he's voted on?  Or do they remember him to be the good 'ole boy who kept those blacks in their place during the 60s?

Lastly, to a small town voter, some of Obama's rhetoric may be depressing.  They hear about us improving our image around the world.  They will never leave their county, so these types of issues don't matter to them.  They hear Obama talk about bringing the races together when all that matters to them is their coal mine going out of business.  They hear a candidate talk about cutting spending on wasteful pork, when that wasteful pork is what pays for many of the rural services they use on a daily basis.

It is easy to forget about Appalachia.  It is a sparsely populated piece of America that most of us just pass through.  What we all should do though, is reach out to these fellow citizens where we can and share with them our vision of America.  It is only through our mutual understanding of each other that we can truly help some of our neglected states.